Al-Mizan: An Exegesis of the Qur'an Volume 2

Al-Mizan: An Exegesis of the Qur'an12%

Al-Mizan: An Exegesis of the Qur'an Author:
Translator: Allamah Sayyid Sa'eed Akhtar Rizvi
Publisher: World Organization for Islamic Services (WOFIS)
Category: Quran Interpretation

Volume 1 Volume 2 Volume 3 Volume 4 Volume 5 Volume 6 Volume 7 Volume 8 Volume 9 Volume 10 Volume 11 Volume 12 Volume 13
  • Start
  • Previous
  • 44 /
  • Next
  • End
  •  
  • Download HTML
  • Download Word
  • Download PDF
  • visits: 29708 / Download: 7242
Size Size Size
Al-Mizan: An Exegesis of the Qur'an

Al-Mizan: An Exegesis of the Qur'an Volume 2

Author:
Publisher: World Organization for Islamic Services (WOFIS)
English

Notice:

Our site had this book, but there were some mistakes, and the option of download was not active, so, we prepared it once again camparing with the versions of www.al-islam.org and www.scribd.com.


1

Footnotes

1. al-Buraq is the name of the animal which was also sent to the Prophet (S) to ride during al-Mi'raj اَلمِعْراج) = Ascension). (tr.)

2. The place between Safa and Marwah where the hajis (pilgrims to Mecca) run seven times. (tr.)

Suratul Baqarah: Verses 130 - 134

وَمَن يَرْ‌غَبُ عَن مِّلَّةِ إِبْرَ‌اهِيمَ إِلَّا مَن سَفِهَ نَفْسَهُ وَلَقَدِ اصْطَفَيْنَاهُ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَإِنَّهُ فِي الْآخِرَ‌ةِ لَمِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ ﴿١٣٠﴾

إِذْ قَالَ لَهُ رَ‌بُّهُ أَسْلِمْ قَالَ أَسْلَمْتُ لِرَ‌بِّ الْعَالَمِينَ ﴿١٣١﴾

وَوَصَّىٰ بِهَا إِبْرَ‌اهِيمُ بَنِيهِ وَيَعْقُوبُ يَا بَنِيَّ إِنَّ اللَّـهَ اصْطَفَىٰ لَكُمُ الدِّينَ فَلَا تَمُوتُنَّ إِلَّا وَأَنتُم مُّسْلِمُونَ ﴿١٣٢﴾

أَمْ كُنتُمْ شُهَدَاءَ إِذْ حَضَرَ‌ يَعْقُوبَ الْمَوْتُ إِذْ قَالَ لِبَنِيهِ مَا تَعْبُدُونَ مِن بَعْدِي قَالُوا نَعْبُدُ إِلَـٰهَكَ وَإِلَـٰهَ آبَائِكَ إِبْرَ‌اهِيمَ وَإِسْمَاعِيلَ وَإِسْحَاقَ إِلَـٰهًا وَاحِدًا وَنَحْنُ لَهُ مُسْلِمُونَ ﴿١٣٣﴾

تِلْكَ أُمَّةٌ قَدْ خَلَتْ لَهَا مَا كَسَبَتْ وَلَكُم مَّا كَسَبْتُمْ وَلَا تُسْأَلُونَ عَمَّا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ ﴿١٣٤﴾

And who turns away from 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 good ones (130).

When his Lord said to him, Submit (yourself) he said: “I submit myself to the Lord of the worlds” (131).

And the same did Ibrahim enjoin on his sons and (so did) Ya'qub: “O my sons! surely Allah has chosen for you (this) faith, therefore die not unless you are Muslims” (132).

Or, were you witnesses when death approached Ya'qub, when he said to his sons: “What will you worship after me?” They said: ”We will worship your God and the God of your fathers, Ibrahim and Isma'il and Ishaq, one God only, and to Him do we submit” (133).

This is a people that have passed away; they shall have what they earned and you shall have what you earn, and you shall not be called upon to answer for what they did (134).

Commentary

Qur’an:And who turns away from the religion of Ibrahim but he who makes himself a fool:ar-Raghbah ” ( اَلرَّغْبَةُ ) followed by the preposition'an عَنْ ) = away from; off) means “to turn away”, “to dislike”; when followed byfi فِيْ ) = in), it denotes “to incline towards”, “to desire”.

The verb,safiha سَـفِهَ) = made a fool; became a fool) is used both as transitive and intransi­tive. Some exegetes have taken this word here as a transitive verb - according to them, the wordnafsahu نَفْسَهُ ) = himself; his self) is its object; others have taken the verb in the intransitive sense and in that case nafsahu will beat-tamyiz اَلتِـَّمْيِيزُ) = a specification), not an object.

In any case, the meaning will remain the same: Whoever turns away from the religion of Ibrahim is a fool; he does not recognize what is beneficial to him from that which is harmful. From this verse we may infer what we have been told in the hadith: “Surely wisdom is that by which the Beneficient (God) is worshipped.”

Qur’an:and most certainly We chose him in this world:al Istifa' ” (اَلإصْطِفاءُ ) means to choose, to separate best parts of a thing from other parts (if they were mixed together). Looking at the positions ofal-wilayah اَلولايَةُ ) = love of Allah), this choosing, this selection fits the sincerity of servitude.

A person so chosen behaves in all his affairs as a sincere slave and servant, totally surrendering himself to his Lord. In other words, religion is embodied in all his affairs. After all, what is religion if not total servitude to Allah in all matters whether of this world or of the hereafter, accepting gladly whatever the Lord decides for His servant in any given situation, as He says:

Surely the religion with Allah is Islam (3:19).

Clearly it shows that the position

of “selection” is not different from that of “Islam”, that is, surrender. As a further proof, look at the next verse: “When his Lord said to him, Submit (yourself) he said: 'I submit my-self to the Lord of the worlds' ”.

Obviously, the adverb “when” is related to the preceding verb “We chose him”. It means that Ibrahim was chosen when his Lord said to him to submit and he responded by submitting himself to Allah, the Lord of the worlds.

In other words, the verse 131 (When his Lord said to him, Submit, he said. “I submit myself to the Lord of the worlds” ,) is like an explanation of the words, “most surely We chose him”.

In these verses pronouns have been changed from the first person to the third, and again from the second to the third. After saying, “We chose him”, it would have been more usual to say: “When We said to him”; but Allah says,

“When his Lord said to him, Submit (yourself)”; then in reply, Ibrahim (a.s.) should have said: “I submit myself to Thee”; instead he said: “I submit myself to the Lord of the worlds”. The reason is a follows:

“When his Lord said to him”: It points to the fact that the talk was a secret between Ibrahim and his Lord, at a level where there was no one else to listen to that confidential conver­sation. Had Allah said, “When We said to him”, it would have implied that the hearers of this verse were present at that sublime station and could be addressed to by Allah - after all, the audi­ence has a direct relationship with the speaker.

Therefore, Allah referred to Himself in the third person, cutting the connection between Himself and the hearers of the verse, showing that at the level where He spoke with Ibrahim, no one else was present; the conversation between Allah and Ibrahim was a confidential matter veiled in secrecy. In short, it was a talk between two close friends which others were excluded from.

“I submit myself to the Lord of the worlds”. As mentioned above, the preceding phrase shows that Allah bestowed His grace exclusively on Ibrahim and enhanced his rank by this friendly confidential conversation. But Ibrahim knew how to speak in Divine presence; he was a servant of Allah; he should not forget the dictates of humility; it was a sign of his excellence, of his humbleness, that he did not start talking with Allah in a friendly

way, did not consider himself as worthy of that exclusive proxim­ity, of that sublime friendship. He continued to see in himself a humble and powerless servant who is sustained by his Master's grace. That is why he submitted to the Lord to Whom all the worlds surrender, and said: “I submit myself to the Lord of the worlds”.

al-Islam ” ( اَلإسـْلامُ ), “at-taslim ” ( اَلتِـَّسْلِيمُ ) and ”al-isti­slam ( اَلإسـْتِسْلامُ ), all are from the same roots-l-m ( س-ل-م ) and have the same meaning, that is, to submit, to surrender. These verbs are used when a man or a thing submits to another thing, in such a way that the first never disobeys the second, never goes against it.

Allah says:

Yes! whoever submits himself entirely to Allah... (2:112);

Surely I have turned my face, being upright, wholly to Him Who originated the heavens and the earth... (6:79).

It is with the face that one turns towards someone. So far as Allah is concerned, the whole being, the whole existence, of the thing turns to Him. When a man surrenders to Allah, he obeys and accepts whatever comes to him from Allah - the creative matters like the measure and the decree, as well as the legislative ones like order and prohibition.

As men differ in degrees of their submission to Divine Decrees or legislations, so does their Islam.

The first stage of Islam is to accept and obey the exoteric commandments, orders and prohibitions, by recitingash-shahada­tayn (اَلشَّهَادَتَيْنِ ) = the two testimonies, that is, testifying to the Oneness of God and Messengership of Muhammad, (S), no matter whether the belief has entered into the heart or not.

Allah says:

The dwellers of the desert say: “We believe”. Say: “You do not believe but say, 'We submit'; and faith has not yet entered into your hearts”... (49:14)

This Islam is followed by the first stage ofal-iman ( اَلإيْمَانُ ) = faith, belief); and that is the sincere belief in the above-menioned shahadatayn; such a believer faithfully obeys most of the rules of the shari'ah.

This first stage of al-iman is followed by the second stage of Islam. It is the sincere acceptance of all true beliefs in detail, with its necessary concomitant, that is, good deeds – although occasional slips are not impossible. Allah says praising the pious ones:

Those who believed in Our signs and were submissive (43: 69).

Also, He says:

O you who believe! enter into submission one and all (2:208).

These verses show that there is an Islam which comes after al-iman; obviously this Islam is other than the previously mentioned one.

This Islam is followed by the second stage of al-iman; and it is the believing, with full details and reasoning, in the realities of the religion. Allah says:

The believers are only those who believe in Allah and His Messenger then they doubt not and struggle hard with their wealth and their lives in the way of Allah; they are the truthful ones (49:15).

Again, He says:

O you who believe! shall I lead you to a merchandise which may deliver you from a painful chastisement? You shall believe in Allah and His Messenger, and struggle hard in Allah's way with your properties and your lives (61:10-11).

This verse directs the believers to believe; obviously the second Iman is other than the first one.

This second stage of al-iman paves the way for the third stage of Islam. When the soul is sufficiently imbued with the above-mentioned iman, and acquires its characteristics, then man's all animalistic and beastly faculties are subdued to the sublime powers of his intellect and spirituality. He keeps all his desires - pulling him to the material attractions and transient trinkets of this world - under firm control.

Thereupon, he reaches a stage where he worships Allah as though he was seeing Him - and if he was not seeing Allah, then Allah was seeing him. There is nothing in his hidden life and inner-self, that is not submissive to Allah's orders and prohibitions; he is never annoyed with any decree or measure of Allah. Allah says:

But no! by your Lord! they do not believe until they make you a judge of that which has become a matter of disagreement among them, and then do not find any straitness in their selves as to what you have decided, and submit with total submission (4:65).

This Islam is followed by the third stage of al-iman. Allah says:

Successful indeed are the believers, who are humble in their prayers and who keep aloof from what is vain... (23:1-3).

It is this stage that the words of Allah refer to: “When his Lord said to him, Submit (yourself), he said: 'I submit myself to the Lord of the worlds.'”

Sometimes the second and the third stages are counted as one. The sublime virtues, for example, being pleased with Divine Decree, submitting to the commands of Allah, forbear­ance and patience for the love of Allah, self-denial, piety, and love and hate for the sake of Allah are concomitants of this stage of al-iman.

The fourth stage of Islam follows the third stage of al-iman. In the above-mentioned stage of al-iman the condition of a man vis-à-vis his Lord is like that of a slave with his master when a slave faithfully follows the dictates of his bondage - when he totally surrenders to the will of his master and accepts his likes and dislikes.

Obviously there is no comparison between the ownership and authority a master has over his slave and the ownership and authority the Lord of the worlds has over His creatures. His is the real possession, the real ownership; nothing else has any independent existence - neither in person or char­acteristics nor in actions.

Sometimes, when a man reaches the third stage of surrender and submission, the Divine Grace takes him under its wing; he is shown the reality, and sees with his heart's eyes that the Kingdom belongs to Allah, nothing else owns anything at all - except when Allah bestows it to someone; there is no Lord other than He.

This realization, this unveiling of reality, is a Divine Gift, a bestowal by Allah, to whom He pleases; a man cannot reach this sublime stage by his own will or effort. Probably it is to this Islam that the prayer of Ibrahim and Isma'il refers:

Our Lord! and make us both submissive to Thee and (raise) from our off-spring a group submissive to Thee, and show us our ways of devotion... (2:128).

Compare this to the verse:“When his Lord said to him, Submit (yourself), he said: 'I submit myself to the Lord of the worlds' ”.

Obviously the latter is a legislative, not a creative, order. Ibrahim was Muslim by his own will and choice, responding to the Divine Invitation, obeying the orders of Allah. It was an order he received in his early life.

Now the former verse shows him, in the twilight of his life, praying with his son, Isma'il, for Islam and for being shown their ways of devotion. Undoubtedly, he was asking for something which was not in his hand; or was praying to be kept firm on something which was not in his power. In short, the Islam, which Ibrahim and Isma'il prayed for, was of this fourth and sublime stage.

This Islam is followed by the fourth stage of al-iman. It happens when the above-mentioned conditions permeates the believer's whole being, and submerges all his conditions and actions. Allah says:

Now surely the friends of Allah - they have no fear nor do they grieve; those who believed and were pious (10:62 -63).

The believers mentioned here must be having the certainty that nothing is independent of Allah, and no “cause” has any causative power except by His permission. It is this certainty which insulates them from grief when a tragedy strikes them, and protects them from fear if a danger looms ahead.

It is only because of this factor that they have been praised in these terms. This iman comes after the above-mentioned Divine Gift of Islam. Ponder on this point.

Qur’an: and in the hereafter he is most surely among the good ones: “as-Salah ” ( اَلصَّلاحْ ) literally means: capability, ability. In the Divine Speech, this word and its derivatives, have been used sometimes for the man himself, and, at other times, for his actions and deeds. Allah says:

... he should do good deeds... (18:110);

also, He says:

And marry those among you who are single and those who are good (i.e., fit) among your male slaves and your female slaves... (24:32)

No clear explanation is found in the Book of Allah as to what constitutes goodness of deeds. But the Book attributes to it some effects, which may be helpful in understanding its meaning. For example:

A good deed is good for the pleasure of Allah:

And those who are patient, seeking the pleasure of their Lord... (13:22);

and you do not spend but to seek Allah's pleasure... (2:272)

It is good for the reward of Allah:

Allah's reward is better for him who believes and does good... (28:80)

It lifts up the good words which ascend to Allah:

To Him do ascend the good words; and the good deed lifts them up... (35:10)

These descriptions show that, so far as actions are con­cerned, a “good deed” means an action that is fit to receive honour from God, is capable of lifting the good words to Allah. Allah says:

... but to Him reaches the piety on your part... (22:37);

All do We aid - these as well as those - out of the bounty of your Lord; and the bounty of your Lord is not confined (17:20).

As for the persons, the following verses show what consti­tutes their goodness:

And whoever obeys Allah and the Messen­ger, these are with those upon whom Allah has bestowed favours from among the prophets and the truthful and the martyrs and the good ones; and excellent are these as companions! (4:69);

And We caused them to enter into Our mercy; surely they were of the good ones (21:86).

Again Allah quotes Sulayman (a.s.) as saying:

... and make me enter, by Thy mercy, into Thy ser­vants, the good ones (27:19).

Also, He says:

And (as for) Lut, We gave him wisdom and knowledge... and We took him into Our mercy; surely he was of the good ones (21:74 - 75).

The mercy referred to in these verses is not the general Divine Mercy which encompasses everything; nor does it mean that mercy which is ordained for the pious believers, as Allah says:

... and My mercy encompasses all things; so I will ordain it (especially) for those who are pious... (7:156).

The great personalities men­tioned in the verses earlier referred to were “the good ones”, and they were a selected group from among the pious believers; they were “fit” for the exclusive mercy mentioned in those verses. We know that some of the mercies of Allah are reserved for some especial groups to the exclusion of others. Allah says:

and Allah chooses especially whom He pleases for His mercy (2:105).

Also, this expression does not refer to the general honour of al-wilayah in other words, it does not say that Allah man-aged or manages their affairs for them. Of course, the good ones had that honour too; certainly they were among the honouredal-awliya' ( اَلأوْلِياءُ = friends of Allah), as we have explained in the exegesis of the verse 1:5 (Guide us to the straight path ); but this wilayah is an attribute which is also shared by the prophets, the truthful ones and the martyrs.

If they had only this honour to their credit they could not be counted as a separate group distinguished from the other three.

So, what is the distinctive feature of the “goodness”? The answer is that Allah takes a “good one” into His especial mercy and grants him comprehensive protection from chastisement. These two effects are mentioned in the Qur'an:

Then as to those who believed and did good, their Lord will make them enter into His mercy (i.e., into the Garden) (45:30);

They shall call therein (i.e., in the Garden) every fruit in security (44:55).

Now ponder on the following verses:

And We took him into Our mercy (21:75);

and We made (them) all good ones (21:72).

Note how Allah attributes these actions to Himself, not to the people concerned. Also look at the fact that according to the Divine declarations, reward is always given in lieu of actions and efforts. Keeping all this in view, you will realize that the “personal goodness” is a especial honour which cannot be earned as a reward of good deeds or by one's own will.

Probably, it is to this reality that the verse refers:

They have therein what they wish and with Us is more yet (50:35):

Possibly, the first clause (They have therein what they wish ) refers to the reward of their deeds; and the second one (and with Us is more yet) concerns what they shall be given not in lieu of action, but purely by Divine Mercy. We shall elaborate it, Allah willing, in the exegesis of this verse.

Now look at the life of Ibrahim (a.s.). He was a prophet, a messenger of God, one of the ulu 'l azm prophets and an Imam; many of the prophets and messengers coming after him were his followers; and he was of the good ones, as the words of Allah clearly say:

and We made (them) all good ones (21:72).

This verse also shows that he was made, in this very world, one of the good ones. Consider also the fact that many prophets of lesser rank were made, in this very world, among the good ones. Then why does he pray to Allah to join him to the good ones?

It is clear from this prayer that there was a group of the “good ones” who had gone ahead of him, and now he was praying to Allah to join him to them. Allah granted him his prayer “in the hereafter”, as is mentioned in the Qur'an in three places - one of which is the verse under discussion:

and most certainly We chose him in this world, and in the hereafter he is most surely among the good ones (2:130).

Other two verses are:

... and We gave him his reward in this world, and in the hereafter he is most surely among the good ones (29:27).

And We gave him good in this world, and in the hereafter he will most surely be among the good (16:122).

If you ponder on the foregoing details, you will know that “goodness” has many ranks, one above the other. Therefore you should not be astonished if you are told that Ibrahim (a.s.) had asked to be joined to Muhammad (S) and his purified pro­geny (a.s.), and that Allah granted him his prayer in the here-after, not in this world.

Ibrahim (a.s.) had prayed to Allah to join him with the good ones, while Muhammad (S) un­ambiguously claims this honour for himself:

Surely my guardian is Allah, Who revealed the Book, and He takes in hand (the affairs of) the good ones (7:196).

It is obvious that Muhammad (S) claims the wilayah for himself. In other words, the Prophet, according to his claim mentioned in the verse, had already got the “goodness”; and Ibrahim (a.s.) was praying to be joined to a group of “good ones” who had already been given that rank, and that group was Muhammad (S) and his progeny.

Qur’an: And the same did Ibrahim enjoin on his sons: that is, the same religion.

Qur’an:...therefore die not unless you are Muslims: Death is something beyond one's control; and “at-taklif ” اَلتَّكْليْفُ ) = commandments of the shari'ah) covers only those things which are under one's control.

Then why did Ibrahim and Ya'qub (peace be on them!) tell their progeny not to die unless they were Muslims? The fact is that this admonition concerned a matter which was fully under their power. The real meaning is like this:

Beware lest the death comes to you and you are not Muslims; always remain Muslims; keep on Islam, so that whenever death comes to you, you are Muslims.

The verse gives a hint that the religion means Islam, as Allah says:

Surely the religion with Allah is Islam (3:19).

Qur’an: “We will worship your God and the God of your fathers, Ibrahim and Isma'il and Ishaq ”: The verse uses the word “father” for the grandfather, the uncle and the father - and it has been used without any reason of “at-taghlib ” ( اَلتَّغْليْبْ ) that is, all groups are equal in number; there were not more “fathers” than the grandfather and the uncle to justify the use of this word for the whole group.

It proves that the word “father” may cor­rectly be used for uncle, as we shall show, Allah willing, that Ibrahim (a.s.) addressed his uncle Azar, as “father”.

Qur’an: “one God only ”: This sums up the preceding detailed description, “your God and the God of your fathers...”; it serves to remove any possible misunderstanding that his God was other than the God of his fathers - as the idol-worshippers thought that there were many gods. '

Qur’an: “and to Him do we submit ”; It refers to the subject of their talk, that is, worship. They made it clear that their wor­ship of Allah would be totally in accordance with the dictates of Islam. The reply shows that the religion of Ibrahim was Islam.

Accordingly, the religion which was inherited by his offspring, for example, Ishaq, Ya'qub and Isma'il, and which continued in the Children of Israel and Isma'il, was Islam, and nothing else. It was this religion which Ibrahim (a.s.) brought from his Lord; and nobody had any right to turn away from it or to call to any other religion.

Traditions

Sama'ah narrates from as-Sadiq (a.s.) that he said: “The position of iman (faith) vis-à-vis Islam is like that of the Sacred Ka'bah vis-à-vis the Sanctuary; sometimes one may be in the Sanctuary without being in the Ka'bah, but he cannot be in the Ka'bah without being in the Sanctuary.” (al-Kafi )

Also he narrates from the same Imam that he said: ”Islam is to bear witness that there is no god except Allah, and to accept the truth of the Messenger of Allah; it is by this that the bloods are spared (i.e., lives are protected) and marriages and inheritance are validated; and the multitude of people are on its apparent (meaning); and the iman (i.e., faith and belief) is the guidance, and (it is) that characteristic of Islam which is firmly placed in the hearts.” (ibid.)

The author says: There are other traditions of the same meaning; and they explain the above-mentioned first stage of the Islam and Iman.

al-Barqi has narrated from 'Ali (a.s.) that he said: “Islam is submission and submission is conviction.” (ibid.)

Kahil said that as-Sadiq (a.s.) said: “If a people worshipped Allah - the One, there is no partner to Him - and established prayer, and paid the zakat and did the hajj of the House, and kept the fast of the month of Ramadan, and then said about-something done by Allah or done by the Messenger of Allah, 'Why did he not do it in another way?', or (even if) they felt (like) it in their hearts, they would become polytheists because of it...” (ibid.)

The author says: The foregoing two traditions refer to the third stages of the Islam and iman.

Ad-Daylami narrates in his al-Irshad - and he gives two sanads for this hadith which is one of the traditions of Ascension - that Allah said:

“O Ahmad! Do you know which way of living is happier and which life more durable?” (The Messenger of Allah) said: “No, O Allah!” (He) said: “As for the happy way of living, it is that in which the (living) person is not tired of remembering Me, and does not forget My bounties, and does not ignore My rights (on him); he seeks My pleasure day and night.

And as for the ever-lasting life, it is (realized) when (the person) works for his (spiritual) benefit until the world looses its signifi­cance for him, and looks small in his eyes; and the hereafter becomes great for him; and he gives preference to My pleasure over his own desire, and seeks My pleasures, and thinks the right of My bounty (as) great (on him); and keeps in mind what I have done for him (i.e., for his benefit); and watches Me day and night whenever he is tempted to commit any wrong or sin; and keeps his heart clean from all that I dislike; and hates Satan and his whisperings, and does not let Satan establish a hold over, or a passage to, his heart.

When he acts (like) this, then I put (My) love into his heart until I make his heart, as well as his leisure and engagement, and his thought and speech, a part of (My) favours which I have bestowed on those of My creatures who love Me; and I open his heart's eye and ear, so that he hears with his heart, and looks with his heart to My Majesty and Great­ness; and I make the world straitened for him; and make him hate it with all its pleasures; and I caution him of the world and all that it contains, as a shepherd protects his sheep from dangerous pasture lands.

When it happens, then he flees from people, and transfers from the house of termination to the abode of eternity, and from the house of Satan to the seat of the Beneficent (God), O Ahmad! and I adorn him with dignity and majesty.

So, this is the good way of living and the eternal life; and it is the station of those who are pleased (with Me). So, whoever acts for My pleasure, I give him three characteristics: I teach him gratitude which is not polluted by ignorance, and remembrance that is not adulterated with forgetfulness, and love - so that he does not prefer the love of creatures to My love.

Then when he loves Me, I love him, and I open the eye of his heart to My Majesty, and do not keep My (very) special creatures hidden from him. And I converse with him secretly in the dark of night and the light of day, until he ceases talking with the creatures and sitting with them; and I make him hear My talk and the speech of My angels; and I make My secret known to him - which I have kept hidden from (all) My creation. And I dress him in modesty, until all the creation is awed of him. And he walks on the earth (and all his sins are) forgiven.

And I make his heart hearing and seeing; and do not hide from him anything of the Garden or the Fire; and I make known to him what terror and affliction are going to happen to the people on the Day of Resurrection, and the things I will question the rich and the poor, as well as the learned and the ignorant, about.

And I will make him sleep (in peace) in his grave, and I will send Munkar and Nakir to him for questioning him; and he will not see the sorrow of death, nor the fright of the prelude (of the next world).

Then I will erect his weighing scale for him, and will unroll his book (of deeds), then I will put his books in his right hand, and he shall read it unfolded; then I will not keep any interpreter between Me and him. So these are the attributes of the lovers.

O Ahmad! make your concern one concern, and make your tongue one tongue, and make your body (i.e., your person) alive that is never oblivi­ous (of Me). Whoever is oblivious of Me, I do not care in which valley he perishes.” (Biharu 'l-anwar)

Al-Majlisi quotes the following tradition from al-Kafi, Ma'ani 'l-akhbar and an Nawadir of ar-Rawandi, with various chains of narrators, from as-Sadiq and al-Kazim (a.s.) - and the text given here is from al-Kafi - that the Imam said:

“The Messenger of Allah met Harithah ibn Malik ibn an-Nu'man al-Ansari, and said to him: 'How are you? O Harithah ibn Malik an-Nu'mani!' He said: 'A believer in reality, O Messenger of Allah!' The Messenger of Allah then said to him: 'There is a reality for everything; so what is the reality of your word?'

He said: 'O Messenger of Allah! I turned myself away from the world, so I kept my night awake (in worship) and my days thirsty (in fast); and (it is) as though I am looking at the throne of my Lord which has been set up for (taking) the (people's) account; and as though I see the people of the Garden visiting one another in the Garden, and as if I hear the howling of the people of the Fire in the Fire.'

Thereupon, the Messenger of Allah (S) said: 'A servant that Allah has enlightened his heart. You have seen, so be firm.'” (ibid.)

The author says: The two traditions describe the fourth stage of the Islam and iman mentioned above. There are many traditions explaining particulars of these two; and, Allah willing, we shall quote some of them in various places of this book; and they are supported by the Qur'anic verses.

Also it should be kept in mind that for each stage of the Islam and iman, there is an opposite stage ofal-kufr اَلكُفْرُ ) = disbelief) andash-shirk اَلشـِّركُ ) = polytheism). And it is known that the higher and subtler the meaning of the Islam and iman, the more difficult it is to protect oneself from its opposite kufr or shirk.

Obviously, a lower stage of the Islam or iman does not exclude the possibility of a subtler kufr or shirk.

These two principles should be kept in mind. It follows that the verses of the Qur'an have some esoteric meanings which are applied to the situations which its exoteric meanings cannot be applied to. Please keep this hint in mind until we explain to you its details.

Al-Qummi writes about the words of Allah,and with Us is more , that the Imam said: “Looking towards the mercy of Allah.” (at-Tafsir )

The Prophet said: “Allah says: 'I have prepared for My good servants that which no eye has ever seen, nor any ear ever heard, nor has it ever passed from the heart of any man.' ” (Majma'u 'l-bayan )

The author says: The meaning of the two traditions may easily be understood from what we have written about the mean­ing of “good ones”; and Allah is the Guide.

al-Baqir (a.s.) said about the words of Allah,Or, were you witnesses when death approached Ya'qub...: “It is applied toal-Qa'im اَلقـَآئِمُ ) = the one who stands - i.e., with sword to establish the way of Allah). (al 'Ayyashi)

The author says: The author of as-Safi writes: “Perhaps the Imam meant that it was about the Qa'im from the progeny of Muhammad, because every Qa'im of them asks his children the same question at the time of his death, and they reply him as the children of Ya'qub had replied.”

Suratul Baqarah: Verses 104 - 105

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تَقُولُوا رَ‌اعِنَا وَقُولُوا انظُرْ‌نَا وَاسْمَعُوا وَلِلْكَافِرِ‌ينَ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ ﴿١٠٤﴾

مَّا يَوَدُّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُ‌وا مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ وَلَا الْمُشْرِ‌كِينَ أَن يُنَزَّلَ عَلَيْكُم مِّنْ خَيْرٍ‌ مِّن رَّ‌بِّكُمْ وَاللَّـهُ يَخْتَصُّ بِرَ‌حْمَتِهِ مَن يَشَاءُ وَاللَّـهُ ذُو الْفَضْلِ الْعَظِيمِ ﴿١٠٥﴾

O you who believe! do not say, “Have regard for us”, and say, “Wait for us”; and listen; and for the unbelievers there is a painful chastisement (104).

Those who disbelieve from among the People of the Book do not like, nor do the poly-theists, that any good should be sent down to you from your Lord; and Allah chooses especially whom He pleases for His mercy, and Allah is the Lord of mighty grace (105).

Commentary

Qur’an:O you who believe!: It is the first place in the Qur'an where the believers have been addressed in this way, “O you who believe!” This mode of address has been used in some eighty-five places in the Qur'an.1

Addressing the believers as “O you who believe!”, or describing them as “those who believe”, is a special distinction accorded to this ummah. Otherwise, the previous nations are variously described as “the people” (e.g.,“the People of Nuh , and,“the People of Hud” ; 'He said:'O my people! have you considered if I have a clear proof from my Lord... ' ” [11: 88]); and“the dwellers” (e.g.,“the dwellers of Madyan”,the dwellers of the Rass”) ; and “the children” (e.g., “the Children of Israel”, ''O Children of Israel!”). The epithet, “those who believe”, is, therefore, a mark of honour awarded to the believers of this ummah.

It appears from deep meditation of the Qur'an that the import of the words, “those who believe”, is somewhat differ­ent from that of the words, “the believers”. (For an example of the latter, see the verse:

and turn to Allah all of you, O be­lievers! [24:31]).

Allah says in the Qur'an:

Those who bear the throne and those around it celebrate the praise of their Lord and believe in Him and ask forgiveness for those who believe: “Our Lord! Thou embracest all things in mercy and knowledge, therefore grant forgiveness to those who turn (to Thee) and follow Thy way, and save them from the punishment of the hell. Our Lord! and make them enter the gardens of perpetuity which Thou hast promised to them and those who do good of their fathers and their wives and their offsprings, surely Thou are the Mighty, the Wise” (40:7-8).

It shows that the angels and the bearers of the throne ask forgiveness for “those who believe”; then the same group has been referred to as “those who turn (to Thee) and follow Thy way”. (“turn” actually means, return.) The prayer continues to “make them (i.e., those who believe) enter the garden” and then joins to them the doers of good from among “their fathers and their wives and their offspring.”

If the epithet, “those who believe”, were to include all those who believed in the Apostle of Allah (S) irrespective of the quality of their belief, then it would have covered their fathers, wives and children as well (who do good); and there would have been no need to mention

them separately; all would have equally benefited from the prayer for those who believe.

Also, have a look at the verse:

And (as for) those who believe and their offspring follow them in faith, We will unite with them their offspring and We will not diminish to them aught of their work; every man is responsible for what he has wrought (52:21):

If the offspring who followed them in faith, were included in the epithet, “those who believe”, there would be no sense in saying that the offspring would be united with them.

Even if we were to say that the verse refers to the generation after generation of the believers, that every succeeding generation will be united to the preceding one (provided both believed in the Apostle of Allah - S), the meaning would not seem very proper in the context. If that were the import of the verse, then why this “uniting”?

Also, what purpose would be served by the sentence, “and We will not diminish to them aught of their work”? Such an inter­pretation may prove correct for one generation only, that is, the last one before the Day of Resurrection - that they would be united with the preceding generation. But nobody has suggested this meaning as it goes clearly against the context. What such an interpretation would boil down to is as follows:

All the believers are united, one of them being from another; all of them are of one rank; none has any excellence over the others; nor has an earlier believer any superiority over the later ones; their main qualification is the true belief, and all of them are equal in it.

Such a meaning would not fit the word­ing of the verse which clearly shows that the preceding believers have a sort of superiority over their offspring, who would be raised to the rank of their progenitor as a token of honour to the latter.

The phrase, “and their offspring follow them in faith”, proves that the preceding word, “those who believe” refers to a particular group of the believers - the foremost and the first of the Emigrants and the Helpers who followed the Apostle in the hour of straitness. The epithet, those who believe, is a title of honour bestowed on that distinguished group.

Other two verses too point to this fact:

(It is) for the poor who fled... and those who made their abode in the city and in the faith before them... and those who came after them say: “Our Lord! forgive us and those of our brethren who had precedence of us in faith, and do not create any spite in our hearts towards those who believe; our Lord! surely Thou art Kind, Merciful” (59:8-10).

This verse uses two phrases, “who had precedence of us in faith”, and “those who believe”. If the import of both were the same, a pronoun would have looked better in place of the second phrase. By not using a pronoun, Allah has made it clear that each phrase has its own significance.

Muhammad is the Apostle of Allah; and those with him are severe against the unbelievers, compassionate among themselves, you will see them bowing down, prostrating themselves, seeking grace from Allah and pleasure;... Allah has promised those among them who believe and do good, forgiveness and a great reward (48:29).

All this shows that the phrase, “those who believe”, is a title of honour, reserved for the first and foremost of the believers. Most probably, the opposite phrase, “those who disbelieve”, has the contrasting significance, and refers to the polytheists of Mecca and others who were the first and foremost of those who disbelieved in the Apostle of Allah (S). For example,

Surely those who disbelieve alike is to them whether you warn them or do not warn them, they will not believe. (2:6)

Objection: This interpretation means that when the Qur'an says, “O you who believe! ”, it addresses a special group that was present in the Prophet's time, to the exclusion of all other believers. But all the Muslims agree that such verses are general in their import and that what is said therein applies to all the believers, whether they were present in the Prophet's days or not; and that this mode of address includes all the believers - in reality, not metaphorically.

Reply: Yes! It is a title of honour, reserved for a selected few. But it does not mean that what is said in those verses is in any way restricted to those few. Whatever order or prohibition is given in such verses is general and applies to all the believers. The matter of legislation - whether a given order is general or exclusive - is quite different from that of a speech - whether it is addressed to all the believers or to a few of them.

Also, it makes no difference whether a verse ordaining a law is addressed to the believers (O you who believe! ) or to the Prophet in person (O Prophet!; O Apostle! ), or is revealed without any address at all.

The ordained law in all these cases is applicable to all the Muslims, and covers all the believers; although the verse may be addressed to the Prophet or to those who believe as a mark of respect to him or them.

Nevertheless, one should not indiscriminately interpret the phrase, “O you who believe!” and “those who believe”, as referring to the first and foremost believers of the Prophet's time; rather one should look at the context, before deciding the true connotation of these phrases in a given verse.

For example, look at the verse:

Surely (as for) those who believe then disbelieve, again believe and disbelieve, then increase in disbelief, Allah will not forgive them nor guide them in the (right) path (4:137);

and the verse which quotes Nuh (a. s.) as saying:

and I am not going to drive away those who believe; surely they shall meet their Lord (11:129).

Obviously, the phrase, those who believe, used in the above verses cannot refer to the above-mentioned group.

Qur’an:do not say, “Have regard for us”, and say, “Wait for us”; and listen: That is, use the phrase, Wait for us, instead of saying, Have regard for us. And if you failed to comply with this command, it would be tantamount to disbelief, and for the disbelievers there is a painful chastisement. It is a very strong admonition against saying, “ra'ina ” ( راعـِنا ) = Have regard for us).

This phrase has also been mentioned in another verse, which gives an indication of its connotation:

Of those who are Jews (there are those who) alter words from their places and say: “We have heard and we disobey”; and: “Hear, may you not be made to hear!” and ”ra'ina”, distorting (the word) with their tongues and taunting about religion (4:46).

Obviously, the Jews used the phrase, “Ra'ina” for something similar to the phrase, “Hear, may you not be made to hear!” And that is why such a mode of addressing the Prophet was prohibited. This explanation agrees with what the tradition says: When the Prophet talked with the Muslims, they used to tell him: “Ra'ina (have regard for us)

O Apostle of Allah!” - that is, wait for us, so that we may properly understand what you are saying.2

But this word carried a connotation of abuse in the Jews' language. The Jews seized upon this opportunity, addressing the Prophet with this phrase, pretending to show respect to him while their intention was nothing short of abuse. And in their usage it meant, “Hear, may you not be made to hear”.

Thereupon, Allah revealed:

Of those who are Jews (there are those who) alter words from their places and say: “We have heard and we disobey”; and: “Hear, may you not be made to hear!” and: “ra'ina ”, distorting (the word) with their tongues and taunting about religion; and if they had said (instead): “We have heard and we obey”, and “hearken”, and “onzurna” (wait for us), it would have been better for them and more upright (4:46).

The believers too were told not to use this phrase and say instead, “onzurna ”; the Qur'an guided them: “do not say, 'Have regard for us', and say, 'Wait for us' ”.

Qur’an: and for the unbelievers there is a painful chastisement: that is, for those who disobey this rule. It is one of the occasions when disobedience of a law of religion has been termed as disbelief.

Qur’an:Those who disbelieve from among the People of the Book...: Obviously, the phrase, “the People of the Book”, refers here exclusively to the Jews, because the preceding verses too dealt with them. If so, then the phrase would serve as a pointer to the cause why they did not like that any good should be sent down to the believers from their Lord.

The Jews were given a Book before and they were not happy when the Qur'an was sent down to the Muslims, as it deprived them of their dis­tinction as being the People of the Book. They showed avarice about a thing they did not own; they wanted to stand against Allah when He bestowed His mercy and grace on His servants; “and Allah chooses especially whom He pleases for His mercy; and Allah is the Lord of mighty grace”.

On the other hand the phrase, as used in this verse, may include all the People of the Book - the Jews and the Christians both. If so, then the verse would serve to widen the scope of the admonition; it would be a generalization after exclusiveness. Both groups shared many characteristics - and especially their enmity to Islam. Some verses coming afterwards strengthen this interpretation. For example:

And they say: “None shall enter the garden except he who is a Jew or a Christian” (2:111);

And the Jews say, ”The Christians do not follow anything (good)”, and the Christians say, ”The Jews do not follow any-thing (good)”... (2:113)

Traditions

Abu Nu'aym has narrated in Hilyatu 'l-awliya' from Ibn 'Abbas that he said: “The Apostle of Allah (S) said: 'Allah has not revealed any verse (beginning) with, “O you who believe!” but that 'Ali is its head and leader.' ” (ad-Durru 'l-manthur)

The author says: This tradition supports what we shall be quoting in various places that a certain verse was revealed about 'Ali (a.s.) or Ahlu 'l-bayt; for example:

You are the best of the nations raised for (the benefit of) men (3:110);

... that you may be witnesses over the people... (2:143);

... and be with the true ones (9:119).

Footnotes

1. Eighty-eight, to. be exact. Vide al-Mu'jam al-Mufahras, (by Muham­mad Fu'ad 'Abdul ‘l-Baqi). (tr.)

2. It is more or less equivalent to the English idiom “I beg your pardon”. But with a slight change of accent it may come to mean, stupid or cattle tenderer. (tr.)

Suratul Baqarah: Verses 106 - 107

مَا نَنسَخْ مِنْ آيَةٍ أَوْ نُنسِهَا نَأْتِ بِخَيْرٍ‌ مِّنْهَا أَوْ مِثْلِهَا أَلَمْ تَعْلَمْ أَنَّ اللَّـهَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ‌ ﴿١٠٦﴾

أَلَمْ تَعْلَمْ أَنَّ اللَّـهَ لَهُ مُلْكُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْ‌ضِ وَمَا لَكُم مِّن دُونِ اللَّـهِ مِن وَلِيٍّ وَلَا نَصِيرٍ‌ ﴿١٠٧﴾

Whatever signs We abrogate or cause to be forgotten, We bring one better than it or like it. Do you not know that Allah has power over all things? (106).

Do you not know that Allah's is the kingdom of the heavens and the earth, and that besides Allah you have no guardian or helper? (107).

Commentary

The verses deal with the subject of abrogation. The word, abrogation, when used as a term of Islamic fiqh, means as follows: To show that the time of an order has come to its end; that it is no more valid, is no longer in force. This definition is based on the above verse; and is one of the manifestations of its connotations.

Qur’an: Whatever signs We abrogate...: “an-Naskh ”( ( النـَّسْخُ is removal, to remove, to annul. The Arabs say: Nasakhati'sh-shamsu 'z-zilla ( نـَسَخَتِ الشَّمْسُ الظـِّلَّ ) = the sun removed the shadow). Allah says:

And We did not send before you any apostle or prophet, but when he desired, the Satan made a suggestion respecting his desire; but Allah annuls that which the Satan casts, then does Allah establish His signs; and Allah is Knowing, Wise (22:52).

Also, they say:Nasakhtu 'l-kitab ( نـَسَخْتُ الكِتابَ ) = I copied the book); it is as though the writing was removed and its place changed. That is why another verse uses the word “at-tabdil ” ( التـَّبْديلُ ) = to change) in place of abrogation:

And when We change (one) sign for (another) sign, and Allah knows best what He reveals, they say: “You are a forger”. Nay, most of them do not know (16:101).

Abrogation, however, does not entail obliteration of a verse, turning it into a non-being. Its only effect is the cancellation of the order which the verse had promulgated. It should be noted that the Qur'anic verse has been described as a “sign”, that is, a mark that points to another thing - a verse is a sign pointing to a Divine Command.

The second verse, “Do you not know that Allah's is the kingdom of the heavens and the earth...” , gives the reason as to why Allah abrogates some Qur' anic verses.

All these factors indicate that abrogation removes a verse as far as its quality as a sign, as a symbol, is concerned. When abrogated, the verse remains in existence as before, but loses its quality as a sign - no longer does it point to an order, as the order is now cancelled.

The next phrase, “or cause to be forgotten”, clearly supports the foregoing explanation. “al-Insa' ” ( اَلإنْسَاءُ ) is to make one forget, to erase out of memory, to eradicate from knowledge. By putting the two phrases side by side, the Qur'an makes it clear that abrogation entails erasure of a verse's effect, while “al-insa'” causes eradication of the verse itself from the memory.

Symbolism - the quality of being a sign of something - varies with various signs having various aspects and directions. The Qur'anic verses are the signs of Allah because the jinn and the men are jointly and severally unable to bring its like; the rules ordained by Allah are His signs inasmuch as they create piety in man and bring him nearer to his Lord; every created thing is His sign, because it, by its existence, proves the exist­ence of its Creator, and by the qualities of its being, leads to His attributes and names; the prophets and the friends of Allah are His signs inasmuch as they, with their words and deeds, call the humanity to Allah, and so on and so forth. Consequently, a sign may be great or small, strong or weak; that is why Allah says:

Certainly he saw of the greatest signs of his Lord (53:18).

Also, a sign may contain only one aspect of symbolism, and another may comprise of various such aspects. The former, when abrogated, is obliterated in its entirety, is completely destroyed. But in the case of the latter, it is possible to abrogate only one aspect of its symbolism, leaving the other ones intact; for example, a Qur'anic verse could be abrogated as far as its law was concerned, and yet continue as a Divine Sign because of its eloquence and miraculous qualities.

This generalized meaning of abrogation has been inferred from the reasoning given in the second verse: “Do you not know that Allah's is the kingdom of the heavens and the earth...” There are only two objections possible against the factuality of abrogation; or, as the reports say, these were the two arguments advanced by the Jews against it.

First: A sign given by Allah contains an actual benefit which cannot be obtained from any other thing. If that sign is abrogated, its inherent benefit would be lost; nothing could take its place to preserve that benefit. Allah is not like His creatures, nor is His knowledge like theirs. His knowledge does not change with the changes in external factors.

It is not that one day He knew one thing and issued an order according to that knowledge; then next day the knowledge changed and He became aware of another factor which He did not know before, and therefore He had to cancel the previous order, replacing it with a fresh one.

Such inconsistency is not worthy of Divine Sublimity. Of course, it is all right for us mortals, because we cannot comprehend all the aspects of an affair; and as a result of this incomplete knowledge, our decisions are frequently changed and amended. But we should not compare Divine Knowledge without limited and defective perception.

Here it is necessary to point out that such an objection arises from a notion that the power of Allah is neither comprehensive and all-encompassing nor unrestricted and unconditional.

Second: Accepted that the Divine Power is all-encompassing and limitless. But once a thing is created it goes beyond the sphere of that power, and cannot be changed. Even in our case, we have power to do or not to do a certain work - so long as we have not done it; but once we have done it, it becomes an essential being, and goes beyond the limits of our power.

This argument is based on the rejection of the all-encom­passing ownership of Allah; it presupposes that once Allah has managed a certain affair in a certain way, He cannot change that arrangement in another way. This Jewish belief is portrayed in the verse:

And the Jews say: “The hand of Allah is tied up” (5:64).

Allah replies to the first objection with the question: “Do you not know that Allah has power over all things?” He certainly has power over all things. Therefore, He may replace a sign with an equally good or even a better sign.

The second objection is dealt with by the next question: “Do you not know that Allah's is the kingdom of the heavens and the earth, and that besides Allah you have no guardian or helper?”

Allah is the Owner of the heavens and the earth; He can do whatever He likes with His property. No one besides Him owns any thing; otherwise, that owner could interfere in the management of Allah or put restric­tion on His authority and control.

None else owns any thing - neither in his own rights nor even when Allah gives to him a partial ownership. When we transfer the ownership of a property to another person, the transferee gets all the rights which we had in that property, and our rights are rendered null and void.

But when Allah gives a property into someone's possession, Allah's ownership of the property is not disturbed in any way - it does not come to an end, is not even diminished. He con­tinues to be the real Owner and Controller of the property which He has given to others. His is the unrestricted ownership and unconditional management.

If we look at what He has put under our ownership - with-out our having any independent authority over it - then He is our Guardian. And if we look at the apparent independenceenjoyed by us, with His grace - although it is a poverty in the shape of plenty, a dependence disguised as independence - then too we cannot manage our affairs without His help; and He is our Helper.

The above explanation is based on the sequence and style of the two verses. First, there is the exclusivity of the declaration: “Allah's is the kingdom...” Then there is the sequence: “Do you not know that Allah has power over all things?

Do you not know that Allah's is the kingdom of the heavens and the earth...?” The two sentences have not been joined with any con­junctive, a sure indication that each is independent of the other, and that the first sentence deals with one objection and the second with another.

The last sentence, “and that besides Allah you have no guardian or helper”, gives a finishing touch to the above replies: Even if you are oblivious of Allah's all-encom­passing power and ownership, and are looking at this nominal ownership of yours, you will know that it is not a permanent or independent ownership; you cannot manage it independently; you need a guardian to look after your interests - and Allah is that guardian. He can and does manage your affairs and your property as He likes.

On the other hand, if your eyes are so fixed on this pos­session as to make you forget your dependence; if you think that you are the independent and absolute owner of your property, even then you will have to admit that you cannot manage your own affairs, cannot obtain the results you want, without the help and assistance of a super power.

And Allah is your real Helper; it is He who manages your affairs and your property for you. From whatever angle you look at this matter, Allah's power over all things and His ownership of every thing remain unchallenged and undisputed. “and that besides Allah you have no guardian or helper”: Apparently it should have been 'besides Him.'

Then why did the Qur'an use the noun instead of the pronoun? It was to indicate that the foregoing sentences contain the complete replies, and this sentence is not their integral part; rather it is an independent declaration to stengthen those replies.

This discourse leads us to the following conclusions:

First: Abrogation is not a thing confined to only the relig­ious laws; it holds its place in the sphere of creation too.

Second: Abrogation cannot take place without two sides: (i) The abrogated thing or verse, (ii) the abrogative, that is, the thing or verse that abrogates.

Third: The abrogative contains all the benefits and the perfection that was found in the abrogated thing.

Fourth: Although the abrogative differs from the abrogated in its form, both have one thing in common - the perfection and the benefit. When a prophet dies and another is sent in his place - and both of them are the signs of Allah, one abrogating the other - it takes place in total conformity with the natural system. Life, death, sustenance and other such things often replace each other, the succeeding factors abrogating the preceding ones.

It all depends on the varying needs of the society's welfare, on ever-changing level of the man's perfection. Like-wise, when a religious law is replaced by another, the abrogating one has the same power as the abrogated one had, to lead to the spiritual and temporal well-being of the individual and the society; each perfectly suitable for the time it was, or is, in force; each more beneficial in the context of its time.

For example, the order to “forgive” in the beginning of the call when the Muslims had neither the manpower nor the armaments, and the command to “fight” when Islam had gained some strength, when the Mus­lims had gathered enough force and the disbelievers and the polytheists were frightened of them. However, seldom is an abrogated verse devoid of some phrase showing that it was a transitory order which would be abrogated in due course.

For example: The verse:

But pardon and forgive (them) until Allah should bring about His command (2:109),

which was abrogated by the verse of fighting; and:

... confine them until death takes them away or Allah makes some way for them (4:15),

which was abrogated by the verse of flogging. The phrases, “until Allah should bring about His command”, and, “or Allah makes some way for them”, give clear indication that the order given therein was temporary and transitory which would soon be abrogated.

Fifth: The relation between the abrogative and the abro­gated is quite different from that which is found between a general statement and a particular, between an unconditional clause and a conditional, or between an unspecified proposition and a specified.

What removes the apparent contradiction between the abrogative and the abrogated, is the society's and the individual's good and well-being which is found in both of them. But the apparent contradiction between a general statement and a par­ticular, between an unconditional clause and a conditional, or between an unspecified proposition and a specified, emanates from the strong (or weak) manifestation of the intended meaning.

The true intention of the speaker is reflected much more strongly and clearly in a particularized statement, a conditional clause and a specified proposition; and that strength and clarity removes the above-mentioned apparent contradiction - by explaining the general in the light of the particular, the unconditional with the help of the conditional and the unspecified in the frame of the specified.

These things are the subject of the Principles of Jurisprudence. The same applies to the decisive and the ambiguous verses, as we shall explain under the verse:

... of it there- are some verses decisive, they, are the basis of the Book, and others are ambiguous... (3:7)

Qur’an: or cause to be forgotten:Nunsiha ” ( نُنْسِهَا ) is derived from “al-insa' ” (to cause to be forgotten; to erase from memory or knowledge), as we have described earlier. It is a general and unconditional statement.

It is not restricted to the Apostle of Allah (S); nay, it does not include him at all. Allah had said about him:

We will make you recite so you shall not forget, except what Allah pleases (87:6 -7).

It is a Meccan verse, while the verse of abrogation is of Medina period. Obviously the Apostle could not forget anything after the promise of Allah, “so you shall not forget”.

Question: This claim is untenable because the promise has the proviso, “except what Allah pleases”. It means that the Apostle (S) could forget what Allah was pleased to make him forget.

Reply: Such exceptional clauses serve only to emphasize the power of Allah; they do not necessarily mean that the thing mentioned in that clause would actually take place. Look for example at the verse:

... they shall be in the garden, abiding in it as long as the heavens and the earth endure, except as your Lord pleases... (11:108).

t just shows that Allah does have power to change the arrangement made; but all the Muslims agree that the people of the paradise will never be taken out of it. The same is the import of the exceptional clause, “except what Allah pleases”, in this verse.

Moreover, if the said clause were to prove that the Proph­et (S) could actually forget the things taught by Allah, depending on the pleasure of Allah, there would be no sense in putting him under obligation by promising him, “you shall not forget”.

Any human being who remembers any thing, or forgets it, does so by the pleasure of Allah. The same is true about the animals who remember and forget by His pleasure and decree. And the Prophet too, before this promised grace of Allah, remem­bered by the pleasure of Allah, and forgot by the pleasure of Allah.

What new grace was added here if the promise meant only a quality which the Prophet had already had? If that promise were to make any sense, it would have to mean that the Prophet could never forget anything, although Allah had full power to make him forget.

Some people have recited the word as “nansa'aha ” ( نَنْسَأهَا ), derived from “an-nas' ” ( اَلنـَّسْأ ) = to delay). According to this recitation, the meaning would be as follows: Whatever signs We abrogate by nullifying it, or put it off by delaying its appearance, We bring one better than it or like it, and the Divine management in advancing something or putting it off, does not diminish its perfection or benefit.

The fact that the Divine Management always brings out a thing's perfection and benefit, is inferred from the clause, “We bring one better than it or like it”. The goodness emanates from the perfection of a thing or benefit of a laid down rule.

The abrogated thing or rule was surely good; and the abrogating thing or rule too is at least as good, if not better. So, every Divine Management is the ideal of goodness, perfection and benefit.

Traditions

Innumerable traditions have been narrated by both sects, from the Prophet (S), his companions, and the Imams of his Ahlu 'l-bayt, that there are abrogated and abrogating verses in the Qur'an.

The Commander of the faithful ('Ali - a.s.) said, after enumerating various abrogated and abrogating verses: “And the word of Allah:

And I did not create the jinn and the human beings except that they should worship Me (51:56)

was abro­gated by His word:

and they shall continue to differ, except those on whom your Lord has mercy; and for this did He create them (11:118 - 119),

that is, for the mercy did He create them.” (at-Tafsir, an-Nu'mani).

The author says: In this tradition the Imam has used the word, abrogation, in a wider sense than its terminological meaning. The latter verse mentions a reality which restricts the reality described by the former. The first verse affirms the Divine Wor­ship as the purpose of creation.

While doing a work, Allah keeps a purpose in view; and He cannot be defeated in His purpose. On the other hand, he has decreed that they should choose their own path, and consequently some of them progress on the right path, while others go astray.

Those who by their own choice choose the path of guidance are covered by the mercy of Allah, and it is for this mercy that He has created them. In this way, the second verse affirms another purpose for the creation: The mercy which accompanies the worship and guidance.

This goal is reached by only a selected few, while the first verse had affirmed a goal for all the jinn and the men, and that is the Divine Worship. Some people are created for some others, and those others for yet others; this chain continues till it reaches the group which sincerely worships Allah.

Looking from this point of view, it is easy to understand why all the jinn and men have been said to be created for the worship. We plant a garden and nurse the trees for their fruits. The real purpose is the fruits, but the trees and their branches and leaves are planted, protected and looked after because they are the means to get the fruits. And it will be quite right to say that the garden's purpose was its fruits.

In the same way, the second verse “abrogates” the generality of the first verse, focusing its sight on the true worshippers who are the recipients of the mercy of Allah.

The same book narrates from the same Imam that he said: “And the word of Allah:

And there is not one of you but shall come down to it; this is a decided decree of your Lord (19:71),

was abrogated by His word:

Surely (as for) those whom the good has already gone forth from Us, they shall be kept far off from it; they will not hear its faintest sound, and they shall abide in that which their souls long for. The great fearful event shall not grieve them (21:101-103).”

The author says: It must be noted that the relation between these two verses is not that found between a general declaration and a particular one. The first verse says that it is a decided and unavoidable decree of Allah; and such a decree cannot be rendered null and void, it cannot be cancelled. What the “abrogation” mentioned in this tradition means will be explained, God willing, in the exegesis of the verse 21:101, mentioned above.

al-Baqir (a.s.) said: “Among the (various types of) abro­gation is ”al-bada'1 ( اَلبَدآءُ ) contained in the word of Allah:Allah effaces what He pleases and establishes (likewise), and with Him is the basis of the Book (13:39); and (demonstrated in) the saving of the People of Yunus.” (al 'Ayyashi)

The author says: Its reason is clear. Some traditions of the Imams of the Ahlu 'l-bayt (a.s.) count the death of an Imam and his being succeeded by another Imam as an example of the abrogation.

The author says: We have already explained this matter. The number of the traditions containing this theme reaches to nearly mutawatir.

'Abd ibn Hamid, Abu Dawud (in his an-Nasikh wa 'l-man­sukh) and Ibn Jarir have narrated from Qatadah that he said: ”(During the lifetime of the Prophet) a verse used to abrogate (another) verse; and the Prophet of Allah used to recite a verse, and a chapter, and as much as Allah wished of a chapter, then it was raised (i.e. erased) and Allah caused His Prophet to forget it.

So, Allah said narrating it to His Prophet:Whatever signs We abrogate or cause to be forgotten, We bring one better than it; He says: There is (some) ease in it, some allowance in it, some order in it, (and) some prohibition in it.” (ad-Durru ‘l-manthur )

The author says: The same book quotes numerous traditions on the theme of “causing to be forgotten”; but all of them have to be discarded because they go against the teaching of the Book of Allah, as we have explained in the meaning of this word.

Footnote

1. al Bada' (اَلبَدَآءُ ) is a terminology of Shi'ite theology. It means that Allah makes known His plan to His chosen servants only to that extent which is beneficial to the mankind or which is necessary to make a test meaningful.

When the time comes when the angel, Prophet or Imam concerned thinks that the plan of work is coming to its end, a new development extends the plan or brings it to an unexpected end. The saving of the People of Yunus and the intended sacrifice of Isma'il are among its examples. (tr.)


4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16