Ayah of Wilayah

8/12/2019 Ayah of Wilayah

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A COMMENTARY ON THE QURANIC VERSE OF THE

DIVINE AUTHORITY OF IMAM ALIAND HIS INFALLIABLE PROGENY (PEACE BE UPON THEM)

AYATULLAH AL SAYYID MURTADHA SHIRAZI


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In the Name Of Allah, The Merciful, The Beneficient

Introduction

This booklet is a translation of a series of Arabic lectures in regards tothe commentary of the verse of Wilayah (Surah Al Maidah: verse 55) which

were delivered by His Eminence Ayatullah Sayyid Murtadha Al-Shirazi at

the Hawza Ilmiyya Al Zainabia in Sayeda Zainab, Syria.

The goal of this work has been to unveil a glimpse of the reality of the

status of the Prince of Believers - Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (Peace be Upon

Him) and the rightful Imams from his progeny. These vicegerents of Allah

were not only oppressed during their lifetimes, but after their martyrdoms as

well. Apart from the injustices carried out on Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace

be upon him) and the assault on his pure and chaste wife Fatima Al Zahrathe daughter of the Prophet of God (peace be upon her) after the death of theHoly Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny), certain personalities

fuelled by an intense malice against him either due to jealousy of the statusbestowed upon him By Allah, or due to the inability to withstand his justice

rallied together to distort the pages of history that were overflowing withthe merits of Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib. Not only did they fabricate prophetic

traditions to divert the nobility attributed to him to other undeserving people,

but they invented hundreds of others to attempt to stain his infallible

character. And when they were still not satisfied, they distorted the present

traditions and interpretations to demean his glorified status. Hence theserogue personalities committed open blasphemy and as a result, they deviated

millions of people from the right path and reaped the wrath of the Almighty.

This work examines the verse from a grammatical point of view

giving the reader an insight of the precision and eloquence of the Arabic

Language and the Quran. The central point of debate revolves around the

word Wali (!"# $% ) which according to a majority of works is incorrectlytranslated as !friend"or !helper"and sometimes as !guardian". This may bedone for a number of reasons: negligence, lack of command over the Arabic

language or hidden motives other than that.The accurate definition of this word as per the most renowned Arabic

lexicons is: A master or ruler who possesses authority over the matters

of the people.

In light of the Qur$anic context, the intended definition is: A masterwho possesses divine authority over the corporeal and incorporeal

matters of the peoplerather over all mankind. This definition is derived


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from the fact that the Almighty Creator begins by asserting that He Himself

is the WaliThe One who possesses absolute authority over all creation,and He out of His Glory and Wisdom has delegated this authority to certain

dignified infallible personalities. Hence, this is the intended meaning of the

word Master (wali)as is demonstrated by the Sayyid during his

commentary.

It is imperative as well to note that many words in the Arabic

language have multiple meanings some of which have commonalitiesacross their various meanings, while others are unrelated. The word Waliis

one of those words with multiple meanings. So how do we know what the

intended meaning is? We do so through the context of the sentence or

situation in which it is used. The Sayyid will make it extremely clear beyond

any doubt as to the intended meaning of the word Waliis as per the above

definition.

As an ending note, I dedicate this humble translation to the oppressedLady Fatima Zahra (peace be upon her), and to the Leader of our age - Imam

Al Mahdi; the much awaited saviour of mankind (May God hasten his re-

appearance) who shall replace the earth with justice after it is filled with

injustice. May God soon grant us the blessing of cooling our burning eyes by

lifting the veil between us and Him (peace be upon him), and in the mean

time keep us steadfast as we patiently wait.

Mohamed Abbas Panju

Hawza Ilmiyya Al Zainabia

8th

Rabi Al Awwal 1431


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.

In the Name Of Allah, The Merciful, The Beneficient.

!&'()*+,-"./)0!*&'123".45!*&'678393:!**';@!*,A7!"/6BC # $ % D # % C C E% C #D #% C E% C # $#% $ EC #% % $ EC % # F # % % # EC # F E#$% % E%&'G!/H!*,->@!*I0J&KL*';@!*M'N39


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Ibn Abbas was astonished at the apparent wisdom displayed by this

unknown personality. It was clear that this person did not want to be known

since he had veiled himself; hence Ibn Abbas beseeched him by the sake of

God to identify himself. And perhaps, the reason for his insistence was not

solely for quenching his own curiosity over the identity of this person, but as

well as to introduce a second witness to the masses, who would attest to the

veracity of the traditions he was narrating.

This person therefore unveiled himself and declared: !Whoeverrecognizes me knows me, and whoever does not recognize me, then let it be

known that I am Jundab Ibn Junadah Al Badri"i.e. Abu Dhar al Ghaffarian extremely well known personality in Islam

v.

Abu Dhar then went on to relate a certain tradition on the authority of

the Holy Prophet (PBUH). We shall centralize our attention towards the

content of this narration, and while we do so, we should keep in mind the

following factors:1. Significance of the content of the narration.2. Significance of the narrator (Companion of the Holy Prophet (PBUH)

who participated in the battles of Badr, Uhod, Khaybar, Khandaq, etc

with the Holy Prophet (PBUH), and was praised by him as being one

of the most truthful people)

3. Significance of the presence of whom it is being narrated (Ibn Abbas -an exceptionally revered narrator of Prophetic traditions, and exegete

of the Quran)

4. Significance of the place in which it is being narrated (within theconfines of the blessed spring of Zamazam and the Holy Kaaba)

Abu Dhar said: !I heard the Prophet with my own two ears, and saw himwith my own eyes say that Ali Ibn Abi Talib is the chief of all righteous

people!a reference to the Quranic verse:

+'L/)/PQ*0


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Ali Ibn Talib (peace be upon him) is at the peak of exaltation, and is the

most exalted of those exalted men!He is the demolisher of falsehood victorious is the one who supports Ali (Peace be upon him), because Allah

the Almighty supports him, and similarly, disgraced is the one who tries to

discredit Ali (peace be upon him), since Allah disgraces him.

Thereafter, Abu Dhar continued by narrating the following event: !Ientered the Mosque of the Prophet (PBUH)

viiand saw a beggar come into

the mosque as well and loudly ask for charity while the Prophet (PBUH) was

engrossed in prayers. (Now imagine yourself at the Mosque of the Prophet and try to sense the spirituality of the atmosphere and envision the Holy

Prophet (PBUH) and Ameerul Mu`mineenviii

Ali Ibn Abi Talib (Peace be

upon him), together with a number of believers engaged in prayers.)

Simultaneously, a beggar shouts out for charity without even considering the

fact that those, whom he is seeking from, are engaged in prayers. It

apparently seems that this person may have been extremely impatient, henceexplaining his subsequent anger. Despite the beggar seeing the Holy Prophet

(PBUH), Imam Ali (Peace be upon him) and the rest of the people occupied

in worship, he vented out his anger by raising his face towards the heavens

and cried out: !O Lord! Bear witness that I asked for charity in the mosqueof your Prophet, and nobody responded to my plea." However, at thismoment, Imam Ali (peace be upon him) extended out his hand making a

gesture to the beggar with his ring finger indicating that he may take thering as charity. The beggar proceeded to take the ring as a form of charity

that he had sought out to receive.

It should be noted here that it would be more appropriate for the

beggar to exercise some sort of patience and at least wait till the Prophet and

his companions had completed their prayers, which is why Imam Ali (Peace

be upon him) did not initially give his ring in charitybecause it is not socialetiquette for someone to interrupt another person$s communication with theAlmighty Lord in order to have a request fulfilled.

However, when The Imam saw that the honour of the Prophet$sMosque was exposed to possible disgrace he immediately gestured to the

beggar to take his ring as charity. This is because the beggar loudly

complained to Allah the Almighty with the words !O Lord! Bear witnessthat I asked for charity in the mosque of your Prophet, and nobody

responded to my plea", and the fact that a lot of historical events arerecorded without taking into consideration the actual context and

viiA reference to Masjid Al Nabawi in present day Medina, Arabia

viiiA title exclusively bestowed upon Imam Ali Ibn Abi Talib by the Holy Prophet (PBUH) which translates

as: !The Prince of Believers"


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surrounding circumstances, this incident may later down the generations

have been recorded as a shameful episode whereby a beggar once entered

the mosque of the Prophet seeking charity but was totally ignored and

returned back empty handed without the mention that the Prophet and his

companions were engaged in prayer. This by the way, is not a far fetched

possibility especially since you may well be aware that there were numerous

people despite being in the midst of the Prophet$s presence, they were inreality from his enemies, while others were prejudiced and had a tendency to

distort fact. Therefore the Imam at this juncture took no chance and gestured

to the beggar to take his ring as charity.

Thereafter the Divine Prophet (PBUH) turned to make a request butwhat did he ask for? note that a person$s wisdom may be determined fromthe quality of the favour he seeks i.e. in that he requests for some thing that

will fulfil his needs. Since the Prophet (PBUH) is the wisest of the wise, the

most knowledgeable of all people, the most perfect in understanding andforesight, and the most brilliant in intellect, he will request for a favour that

is in accordance with his intellect, wisdom and splendour.

As the Prophet (PBUH) completed his prayer, and the golden

opportunity (to give the charity) had passed, he turned towards the Almighty

supplicating: "O God! Musa the son of Imran supplicated to you saying:"O my Lord! expand the power of insight in my heart; and make easy

this mission for me; and remove the impediment from my speechix

, So

they may understand what I say; And appoint for me a minister from

my family; my brother Aaron; through him strengthen me; and bestow

him with a share in my missionxThe Holy Prophet (PBUH) begins

beseeching God by making reference to the supplication of Prophet Musa who was one of the Ulul azm

xi, just like the Holy Prophet (PBUH) himself,

hence he uses the same supplication as a preface to present his own request.

Prophet Musa sought from Allah by the sake of his honour - and this is the

Holy Prophet Muhammad al Mustafa (PBUH) who is seeking a requestfrom his Lord by the sake of hishonour, while he is more honourable and

elevated in rank than Prophet Musa, rather he is the most elevated of all

mankind, in fact he (PBUH) is elevated over all creation i.e. look at the

divinity of the personality who is supplicatingHe (PBUH) said:"O Lord!I am your Prophet, the one who you purified, O my Lord, expand the

power of insight in my heart, and make my mission easy for me, and

make Ali my successor, through whom you will add strength to me."

ixMeaning increase for me the power of eloquence in my speech

xA reference to the prayer of Prophet Musa mentioned in the Quran:20:25-35xiThe prophets who were bestowed with a divine book and comprehensive code of life


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Three possible interpretations for the Quranic verse

After having recounted the circumstances surrounding the revelation of the

blessed verse, we shall now analyse it with precision. We will begin with the

second part of this verse. There are three possibilities as to the intendedmeaning:

!and the group of believers those who establish prayers, and givecharity while they are bowing in prayer.

./)0!*&'123".45!*&'678393:!**';


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These are the twelve divinely appointed Imams of the Muslims and

the embodiment of the Holy Quran - the second of the two weighty things

after the Holy Quran. This is in conformity with the saying of the Holy

Prophet (PBUH): "I leave behind for you two weighty thingsTheDivine Book and my progeny in so long as you hold on to both ofthem, you shall never go astray. Verily, these two (i.e. the Divine Book

and the Blessed Progeny) shall never separate until they return to me to

the Pond of Kawthar!xviiThis third interpretation is the most accurate one. It does not negate

the first interpretation, since it is inclusive of it, rather, it reinforces it and

expands the circle of those to whom the verse honours and describes. With

the Will of Allah the Almighty, we shall prove the validity of this

interpretation from the construction the verse itself, as well as from the

abundance of traditions in regards to this verse. Hence we will establish the

fact this verse refers to, and is restricted to the twelve Divinely appointedImams after the Holy Prophet (PBUH); the first of them being Imam Ali Ibn

Abi Talib, and the twelfth being the awaited Imam Al Mahdi (May God

hasten his reappearance) (peace be upon them all)

Six proofs negating the view that the part of the verse: (and the group

of believers - ';


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restriction imposed upon the predicatexviii

. Therefore, the grammatical

dissection of the verse would be as follows:

*';@!*# EC !"$%,A7# F E# !/6B% E%3rdpredicate

of thesentence

Particledenoting

conjunction

2nd

predicate

of thesentence

Particledenoting

conjunction

1st

Predicate

of thesentence

Subject ofthe

sentence

Particle ofrestriction

A similar replica of the analysis if translated in English as per the rules of

Arabic grammar would be as follows:

Verily YourMaster

(is) Allah And HisProphet

and Those whobelieve

Particle of

restrictionSubject of

thesentence

1st

Predicateof the

sentence

Particle

denotingconjunction

2nd

predicateof the

sentence

Particle

denotingconjunction

3rd predicate

of thesentence

Therefore, as per the above analysisxix

, it is very clear that the predicate in

reference to !and the group of believers - ';


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Arabic Language, it would be incorrect to say: verily Zayd is a scholar- and

if it is used in such a context, it denotes lack of eloquence, since the

grammatical disposition of the particle (/[*) (Verily) denotes restrictioni.ehence in such a context, it indicates exclusivity of a certain individual

differentiating him from the rest of the other individuals. Therefore, bysaying: !verily Zayd is a scholar" )/[*,P;


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In accordance to the rules of Arabic grammar and basic logic, the possessive

construction indicates that the phrase is composed of two independent

nouns. Therefore, if each noun is independent then we deduce that (#)*+'() i.e.the master is a separate entity and the pronoun represented by(,)) - overwhom the authority is exercised, is a separate identity.

For example, if it were said :(C9DFHI/JKLMNOPQRSTUVW) i.e.God created you i.e. itis composed of two nouns that are co-related in the construction of the

sentence, but they are independent in identity whereby God (the Creator) isone entity and !you"(the creation) are another entity different from God more clearly, the Creator is a separate entity from the created.

Similarly, in the expression (c83]d) (your friend) follows the sameconstruction pattern of (Al-Mudhaf), in that it is composed of two nouns:

friend + you whereby, !you"are one separate entity, while your !friend"isanother separate and independent entity.

As per the rules of grammar, this is the understanding of all words following

the pattern of (`/ab*)(Al-Mudhaf), then how can the meaning of $,A7!F E#$_ meanthat each believing Muslim is the master of each believing Muslim? I.e. they

are masters of one another.

This interpretation contradicts the established rules of grammar and

basic logic. The master who has authority has to be one separate entity,

while the one upon whom the authority is exercised, is another separate

entity as demonstrated in the above examples.

The scope of the plural pronoun !you"(,)) is important as well. Itrefers to all of you (2nd person - plural) who are being addressed to by the

Holy Quran. Since the Quran is a book of guidance for all Muslims, rather

for all mankind, the impact of this verse is that, the Almighty Lord (the

Speaker in the verse is saying: !all of you my creation without anyexception, your master vested with authority is."

Fourthly, the verse begins with the phrase ( !>@!*,A7!"/6B# EC # F E#$% % E%) (Verily Allahis your master).How exactly do we benefit from this verse?Simple common sense dictates if there is a master (!"# $% ) then there must be a

person over whom this authority is exercised (>7@ef'


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necessitates the presence of students, and the teacher is separate or different

entity from the student.

Similarly, reference to Wali (master) (!"# $% ) necessitates the presence ofa subject (upon whom that authority (held by the master) is exercised). This

grammatical observation nullifies the theory that each believing Muslim isthe master of the other.

Fifthly, the verse reads !Verily, your master is Allah, His Prophet,and the group of believers those who establish prayers, and give charity

while they are bowing in prayer"

!-"./)0!*&'123".45!*&'678393:!**';@!*,A7!"/6B# % C C E% C #D #% C E% C # $#% $ EC #% % $ EC % # F # % % # EC # F E#$% % E%&'()*+, # $ % DAs per the argument put forward, that all Muslims are masters of each other,

then the verse should have read as follows: !Verily, your master is God, the

prophet and the Muslims"and the verse should end thus. However if we payclose attention to the content of the verse, we will notice that Allah The

Almighty has laid down certain provisional criterias that must be possessed

in order to be eligible for this position of authority. After His authority,

comes the authority of the Prophet, and that group of people who believeand those who believe, must meet the following criterias:

1. In addition to being believers, they must be from the ones whoestablish prayers ( %&.45!*&'678393gC E% C # $#% $ E_ ). Itmust be noted here thatestablishing prayers is different from performing prayers. God willing,

we shall examine this difference in a separate discussion.2. In addition to being from among the believers who establish prayer,

they have to be from the ones who give charity( ./)0!*&'123"C C E% C #D #% )3. In addition to being from among the believers who establish prayer,

and give charity, they should be the ones who do so while they are

bowing in the state of prayer( !*&'123C #D #_&'()*+,-"./)0 # $ % D # % C C E% )You will therefore notice that in the latter part of the verse, Allah the

Almighty sets a series of provisional criterions through which the majority

of the Muslims are excluded. Hence authority is restricted to a certain groupof individuals who meet all the mentioned criteria. Furthermore, the mere

statement !each Muslim is the master of each other"as established earlier, isone that contradicts rationale and is unacceptable to the sound mind.

Sixthly, the relationship between Authority and Allah the Almighty.

We need to pay attention to the fact and ask ourselves as to why Allah

begins by asserting authority for Him self, and then for His Prophet:


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!>!'?+">@!*,A7!"/6B# F # % % # EC # F E#$% % E%(Verily your master is Allah and His Prophet.)

Indeed The Almighty intends to convey that such an authority (the one

possessed by a master) is an exclusive, distuiguished, and exceptional

matter. It has been bestowed upon the Prophet and those special group ofbelievers. Else, there would be no purpose in the particle of exclusivity ( !/6B% E%,A7!"# F E#$% ). As established, this is a straightforward concept accepted by allMuslims.

It would have been sufficient for the verse to state that authority is for

the Prophet and for those group of believers, but the Almighty begins by

stating His own authority, hence distinguishing the role of the authority and

the necessity to yield to itin that that which is attributed and belongs to

Him, He is delegating it to the Prophet and to a certain group of believers.The chain of authority that originates and belongs to Allah (SWT) is

extended down to the Prophet and to those select believerswith thisblessed chain of authority being vertical in hierarchy.

It will be appropriate to clarify the idea of delegation of authority here, lest

we are not attributed with committing Shirk (ascribing partnership to Allah

(SWT)). It is a straight forward concept that when God bestows something

to someone, He is not afflicted by diminishment. For example, if God were

to bestow you with knowledge, does that mean that His own knowledge

diminishes due to His presenting it to you? Or if God were to gift you from

his wealth, does that mean that His own wealth diminishes? Therefore, whenwe say that God has given the Prophet and the group of believers His

authority, what is understood, is that it is not the absolute authority of Divine

Lordship that is granted, rather it is delegation of a part of the Authority that

belongs to Him, similarly to the power of attorney that a representative

possesses on behalf of someone. For example, a homeowner may give

authority to a representative to rent out the home, but this does not give that

representative equality in ownership of the house, nor has the homeowner

relinquished his ownership over the home. Rather he has extended his

authority to rent out the house to someone whom he has appointed.Similarly, When God delegates authority to the Prophet and to those who

believe, it does not mean that God has abdicated his Authority over creation.

Therefore, the word $!$_ (master)denotes possessing that authority thatoriginatesfrom the Almighty Lord and by delegating it, He has honoured the

rank of the Prophet and those believers who establish regular prayers and

give charity while they are bowing in prayer. The assumption that Allah the


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Almighty asserts His authority by saying Verily I am your master and

thereafter all you muslims have been bestowed with this divine authority,

and each one of you is a master over the other is an absolutely irrational to

the sound mind and doubtlessly a void interpretation.

We now examine the third interpretation, which is the most accurate

one, as we shall prove from the verse itself, in addition to the numerous

Prophetic traditions that state !the group of believers"mentioned here are inreference to the Twelve Imams (peace be upon them)

xxi

Why is the word "master!within the given verse in a singular tense?

Verily your master is.( !>@!*,A7!"/6B# EC # F E#$% % E% )Firstly, we need to ponder as to why Allah (SWT) used the word !master"inits singular tense, and not in its plural tense:

(Verily your maters are - ,)h/7!",/[*)xxiiThere is undoubtedly, divine insight as to why the singular tense of the word

is used. In fact, there are numerous treasures of wisdom that can be extracted

from every word of the Quran since the revelation from the Almighty is an

ocean of knowledge, and man according to his intellect, can discover hidden

and deeper meanings each timefor verily the Quran is such that itstreasures are never ending, and it never ceases to amaze the intellect

xxiii.

This should be of no surprise, since Ameerul Mumineen Ali Ibn Abi Talib

(Peace be upon him) once provided an in depth interpretation of the letter(I)from the word ( 9iU!*j*,kT,7JU!* ) for Ibn Abbas in a sermon whichlasted an entire night and there was still more to be saidxxiv- And perhaps,he may have continued to speak about it for several years. This is because

the Quran is an eternal ocean of knowledge and wisdom, which is why we

state that with our limited intellectual capacity, we are only able to tap a

minute fragment of the wisdom hidden behind every word in the Quran. And

perhaps, the same may be applied as to the wisdom behind the word

xxiThe Prophet has narrated: !There are twelve Imams after meall of them being from Quraysh"(refer toBihar Al Anwar, Allamah Al Majlisi. This tradition has been narrated in numerous books of hadith by both

shia and sunni scholars.

xxii!"$% represents singular, while the plural derivation of the word ish/7!"*xxiii

Nahjul balagha sermon 152xxivImam Ali In the Quran Imam Sayyid Sadiq Al Shirazi (may God grant him a long life), Yanabi AlMawaddahAl Qunduzi al shafe`ei


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!master"(!"$% ) being in a singular form rather than plural which have not yetbeen discovered.

In answering the question as to why the word !master"(!"$% ) appearsin the singular tense, we will be able to discover the precision of the Quran

and benefit from it, God willing. By the word Master (!"$% ) being in itssingular form, this points to the fact that the nature of Authority is one in

actualitybut exemplified through a vertical chain of command or hierarchy(which implies delegation the source being the Supreme Unique Creator)and not a horizontal chain of command (which would imply equal power

sharing). As well, we are able to learn, as will become apparent during the

course of our commentary, that through this vertical chain of command, the

authority of Imamah will be intact and continuous until the day of

Judgement, and that the earth will never be empty of a Guide.

Wilayah (authority) of the Marajae (Grand scholars) (horizontal)

It is narrated in the traditions that the Holy Prophet (PBUH) had said:

"O Lord! Have mercy on my successors!He was then asked: "and whoare your successors O Prophet of God?!He replied by saying: "Thosewho shall come after me, and narrate my traditions and (elaborate

upon) my actions.xxv

Notice how the Prophet (PBUH) says: !O Lord have mercy on my

successors (l/m@n,J+*,P@!*). Why did the Prophet not say my successor(singular)xxvi? This is because it is a collective reference to the grandscholars of emulation who are present at any given time.

Therefore, when it is said !O Lord have mercy upon my successors",this proves that leadership in its plural form is realized through a horizontal

chain of command i.e. power sharing or equal authorityfor in everygeneration there is a number of qualified high ranking Grand Scholars of

emulation who collectively fall under the category of the !successors"of theProphet (PBUH). This narration clearly points out that authority belongs to

all the qualified group of high ranking scholars who possess the required

prerequisitesand not just one particular scholar, as illustrated by thepluralistic tense of the narration. For example when it is said: !These are myrepresentatives"this outlines that all the representatives hold power basedupon a horizontal chain of command (power sharing or equality in authority)

xxvWasail Al Shia Sayid Hur al Amilixxviom7@n) being the singular of (l/m@n)


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and not on a vertical hierarchy where one representative assumes greater

power than the other representative, or imposes upon the othersthis is solong as there is no absolute indication of a hierarchy (and subsequent rank in

terms of superiority).

If you were to generally appoint five representatives to represent you,

and not one specific representative, does it make sense for any one of the

five to over rule the remaining four and assume superiority over them?

As well, if one was to scrutinize the proofs available in favour of

wilaytul faqih (rulership of the jurisprudent) for example, the narration that

states: "the scholars are the bastions of Islam!xxviiit is clear that referenceis made to a group of scholars (plural) and not a scholar (singular i.e. one

particular person)xxviii

, as well all of them collectively are the !bastions"(plural) of the religion and not !bastion"(singular). Therefore every grandscholar, who possesses the required conditions, is a bastion from the bastions

of the religion. Further detail in regards to this subject is explained in depthin other books.

xxix

What conclusion do we draw from the prophetic statement: !O Lordhave mercy on my successors?"We discover that here (when the word isused in its pluralistic form) it refers to horizontal power sharing (equal

authority), whereas in the verse the word ( $!$_ )(single tense) is used and not(h/7!"*) (plural tense). From this grammatical construction, we understand thatauthority here is not in the form of a vertical chain (implying power sharing)

- hence Imam Ali Ibn Talib (Peace Be upon him) is not at the same

hierarchical level or the same superiority as the Prophet, and the HolyProphet is not at the same level of superiority as the Almighty Creator,

rather it is a vertical chain of command where Imam Ali (Peace be upon

him) is second to the Holy Prophet (PBUH). Hence, the chain of authority is

vertically continuous and similarly, Imam Hasan Al Mujtaba is second toImam Ali, and Imam Husayn is second to Imam Hasan (Peace Be Upon

them all) i.e. each predecessor being superior to the one after him. And

similarly, this vertical chain of authority extends down through all our

Imams up to Imam Al Mahdi (May God hasten his reappearance). This is the

primary aspect of divinely ordained authority, and secondarily, thehorizontal form of authority which is exercised by the Grand Scholars of

emulation during the occultation of the Imam, which He (May God Hasten

xxviiAl kafi Shaykh KulaynixxviiiArabic text of the ahadith state '()*+ and not ,-*+hence illustrating plural.xxixFor further detail, one may refer to the book: Shura Al Fuqaha a jurisprudical and theological study


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To analyse this verse, The Almighty asks: "do you take others (i.e. idols)

to be your masters? ( ph/7!"p>B"q9

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%

But Allah hath full knowledge of your enemies: Allah is enough for a

master, and Allah is enough for a Helper.xxxiv

From the above verse, it becomes very clear that the meaning of helperis

Naseer(z5BY $ %), and is different from the meaning of the word Wali(!"# $% )Consequently, if one was to pay attention to the usage of word Wali(!"# $% ), hewould come to realize that its intended meaning has clearly been indicated

by the Almighty across a number of verses as being possession of authority

or that emanates from Himself - and not any other secondary meaning.

Therefore, the word Waliin the verse ( !>@!*,A7!"/6BEC # F E#$% % E% ) and in the versesxxxiii

An extremist sect that advocates hatred and enmity towards the blessed progeny of the Holy prophetand their followersxxxivQuran:4:45


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( .!'!*'->@!*E# $% O % # # EC _ ) and (/7!">@!/Twm)"EY$% $EC $ CC % ) all bear the same meaning Divineauthority emanating from Allah (SWT) and it is the same type of authoritythat He has delegated to the Holy Prophet (PBUH) to those select group of

believers who not only establish prayer, but additionally give charity while

bowing in prayer hence attaining the status of a authority over all the people.We have benefited from this proof courtesy of the Late grand Scholar

Sayid Sabzawari (May God have mercy on him) in his work of tafseerxxxv

which in itself is very useful, and should be studied, as it contains an

extensive interpretation in regards to this verse together with rebuttals to

numerous objections raised from this dimension.

In conclusion, the word Wali(!"# $% ) in the verse is used in its singulartense, whose meaning is understood from other verses, whereby it is

illustrated to mean !master"i.e. possession of authority which emanates

from Allah (SWT).

Why the phrase "the group of believers!(*';!'?+">@!*,A7!"/6BC # $#% $ EC #% % $ EC % # F # % % # EC # F E#$% % E%&'()*+,-"./)0!*&'123".45!C # $ % D # % C C E% C #D #% C E% "Verily, your master is Allah, his Prophet, and the group of believers

those who establish prayers, and give charity while they are bowing in

prayerDuring the initial stages of our research, we have established the fact

that scholars from both sunni and shia schools of thought have

acknowledged that this verse was revealed in honour of Imam Ali Ibn Abi

Talib (peace be upon him) when he gave charity while bowing in the state of

prayer. Therefore the verse that describes this incident (the group of

believers those who establish prayers, and give charity while they are

bowing in prayer) should be in the singular tense. Why is it then revealed in

the plural tense? Therefore the objectionists state that the verse should rather

read: !and the one who believes the one who establishes prayer and

gives charity while he is bowing in prayer"

( !,A7!"/6B# F E#$% % E%@!*% $ EC % # F # % % # EC9{:!*$ EC|)*+'-"./)0!*w1*"45!*s/t*% )In the process of answering to this objection, we will realize the

divinity and wisdom of the words of the Creatorwhich is beyond the level

xxxvMawahib Tafseer Al Quran Sayid Sabzawari, commentary on (5:55)


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of eloquence than that of mankind and in reality, man, cannot comprehendthe depth of that eloquenceand if he does grasp a fraction of it, it islimitedand The Almighty is above any limitation.From this analysis, we will be able to benefit from two quintessential and

subtle dimensions; firstly from the word!

yuqeemoona"(&'6783C # $#) (those whoestablish)

xxxviand from the word !yu`toona"(&'123C #D #) (those who give)xxxvii

both these verbs appearing in the present tense, and secondly, from the

phrase !al-ladhina aamanuw"(';


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give charity"(./)0!*&'123C C E% C #D #_) - both these verb conjugations are in the presenttense and hence, indicate repetition and re-occurrence.

xxxix

As well, for example, notice how when you want to narrate an incident

that occurred once, you will relate it in the past tense, such that if Zayd

struck a person, you would narrate the event to a third party by saying:!Zayd hit a person"and not by saying: !zayd is hitting the person"i.e. theincident that occurred onceis narrated using a verb in the past tense and not

using the present tense (hitbeing thepast tense, and hittingbeing the

present tense). Therefore, the present tense is never used to narrate a one

time incident that has already occurred. The similar principle is applied in

Arabic language. Hence a grammatical breakdown of the verse with the

conjugal derivations of the meanings would be as follows:

Verily

(Particle of restriction) !/6B% E%Your master(Subject of the sentence) ,A7!"F E#$%(is) Allah(1stPredicate of the sentence) >@!*ECAnd(Particle denoting conjunction) "His Prophet(2nd predicate of the sentence) >!'?+F # %And(Particle denoting conjunction) "%Those who believe(3rd predicate of the sentence) *';


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While(particle denoting a condition/state)xl "%They(subject) ,-_D # (are) bowing (in prayer)(predictate) &'()*+C # $ % ~

This analysis is as per the rules of Arabic grammar translated into the

English languagexli

Hence, if we keep in mind the grammatical implication

of the individual words in Arabic, the correct translation of the verse shall

be: Verily, your master is Allah, his Prophet, and those group of believers

who regularly establish prayer, and repeatedly give charity while in the

state of bowing (in worship).This way, by adding the word !regularly"before !establish prayer", and!repeatedly"before !give charity"we have taken into consideration theconjugal implication of the respective verbs. As well, the deserving

translation of the last ($) is presented.In conclusion, we are able to deduce from the grammatical

construction of the verse that Imam Ali (peace be upon him) did not only

give charity once while in a state of prayer, rather he did so on a number of

occasions. We shall fortify this fact by stating some of the traditions that

attest to the same fact.

Those who believe (,-./0124,578:;


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else there is no purpose in sending down a verse in its plural form if it was to

describe a single personality.

Before we examine the corresponding traditions that assert the above

statement, I would like to share with you another proof that I was able to

deduce and consequently assert a traditions alongside. The word master

(!"# $% ) appears in the singular formulation while the ones who possess thisdivine authority are in plural (those who believe (believers)) (,->?@A24,578BCDE',).

Now, we all believe that this Divine book of Godthe Holy Quran, is asource of guidance for all mankind in all the generations till the day of

Judgement. Therefore, Allah the Almighty in this way informs us that down

the generations until the end of time, there will be a group of believers - one

after the other who will have divine authority over you (i.e. over mankind).

And if the Quran is a book of guidance for all men in all ages, then logically,

there must be a master in every age who is alive and possess this divine

authority - regardless of whether he is known to the masses, or unknown. At

first, I was debating whether I should present this pointeven though if itwere purely a possibility, but Praise be to Allah, I was able to back up the

notion with a narration- rather with a number of traditions. I have come

across traditions in al Kafi and other sources of ahadith that that assert that

!those who believe"(,-FGHI24,578JKLM',) is a reference to all the Imams through thelineage of Ameerul Mumineen Ali Ibn Abi Talib (Peace be upon them all).

This action of giving charity while bowing in the state of prayer was also

performed by Imam Hasan Ibn Ali Al Mujtaba (peace be upon him).

Hence, if we take the quality of giving charity while bowing in thestate of prayer - which is applicable upon those select group of believers (the

twelve Imams), we can affirm that all the other Imams from Imam Husaynto Imam Al Mahdi (Peace be upon them all, and may God hasten the

reappearance of the Saviour) have acted in the same way, and have given

charity while in the state of bowing in prayer not only once or twice, but anumber of times. This notion is also asserted by the rules of logic that state a

theoretical universal concept has members in the exteriorxliii

i.e. theuniversal concept being the quality of giving charity while bowing in prayer,

and the members upon whom the concept is applied are the TwelveImams.xliv

God willing, we shall present further in depth analysis in regards to this

aspect in future lectures.

xliiiRefer to Mantiq Al Mudhafar, section of Universal Concepts, Shaykh Muhammad ridha Mudhaffar

xlivThe fact that the verse would be a universal concept does not contradict the notion that its members are

limited (to twelve personalities) since there are six types of Universal concepts, one of them being a

universal concept whose members that it encompasses are limited.


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Repetition in the revelation of a single verse and the incident of giving

charity a number of times while bowing in prayerWe shall now return to the previous point of discussion where we

stated that Imam Ali Ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him) gave charity a

number of times while bowing in a state of prayer and that this verse

descended repeatedly - each time when the Imam (peace be upon him) gave

charity while in a state of prayer. Once we establish this, it will be absolutely

clear to us that as a matter of fact, there is no contradiction between the

seemingly different ahadith narrated (some of which differ in the detail of

the event) in regards to the reason of the revelation of this verse. How do we

get to this conclusion and bridge the gaps between the varying accounts of

this incident which has become a basis of refuting the loftiness of Imam Ali

(peace be upon him)

We deduce that the variances in accounts across the different

narrations in regards to the way Imam Ali (peace be upon him) gave thecharity while he was bowing is because of the fact that this incident occurred

more than once and each narration recorded a particular incident - which

was one of many. Notice for example, how some of the narrations mention

that he gave his ring (which was one his pinkie) as charity and compare it to

the following narrations.

A Second Narration: Robe of Al Najashi

There are other traditions that state that Imam Ali (Peace be Upon

Him) had on outer robe which was originally gifted to the Holy Prophet

(Peace Be upon Him and His Progeny) by Al Najashi (The Christian king of

Ethiopia). The Prophet then in turn presented it to Imam Ali (peace be upon

him). It is stated that it was worth one thousand dinars. There is no doubt

that the Imam adhered to an ascetic lifestyle, but since this was a gift

bestowed upon him by the Noble Prophet of God, the Imam accepted it as a

gesture of respect and reverence If it is social etiquette between commonmen not to reject a gift offered out of love and appreciation, then how can

one reject a gift bestowed by the Messenger of God?!

Imam Ali wore this outer robexlv

that was worth one thousand dinars

and at that time, the purchasing power of one dinar was equivalent to onesheep. The value of one sheep currently being approximately 6000 Syrian

pounds, therefore in today$s currency, the robe would have been valued at6,000,000 Syrian pounds equivalent to 130,000 American dollars! Najashigifted it to the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him), who in turn presented it to

xlvA robe that is usually placed above the shoulders, and it fall over to the ankles


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Imam Ali, who in turn, went to the mosque robed in it, and while he was

bowing in prayer someone came along asking for charity and the Imam

presented it to him without any hesitationxlvi

.

There are numerous other traditions that differ in regards to the details

of the charity that was presented. Some critics who come across the

differences in details across the various ahadith take this as an opportunity to

oppose the legitimacy of the event or of the narrations, however this

objection is easily dismissed by realizing the fact that it was not a one time

incident, rather it was one that occurred a number of timessometimes hegave his ring in charity, and sometimes he gave away his robe, and other

times other belongings. Likewise, once he gave charity while we was

indulged in the mid-day prayer (Dhuhr) another time when he was reciting

optional prayers, while an additional narration mentions he gave charity

whilst reciting an obligatory prayer.

Each of these narrations is correct since they each narrate the givingof charity while bowing at different times in different places. Therefore,

there is no room for anyone to object or doubt the authenticity of any of

these traditions.

A Third narration: The delegation of Jews

Yet another narration states that a delegation of Jews who had

converted to Islam approached the Holy Prophet and said to him: !O Prophetof God! Indeed Moses appointed Yoshua Ibn Nun as a successorafter him,

so who is your successor?"Therefore, the following verse was revealed:

( !&'()*+,-"./)0!*&'123".45!*&'678393:!**';@!*,A7!"/6BC # $ % D # % C C E% C #D #% C E% C # $#% $ EC #% % $ EC % # F # % % # EC # F E#$% % E% )Verily, your master is Allah, his Prophet, and the group of believers

those who establish prayers, and give charity while they are bowing in

prayer

The Prophet then asked the people to come with him to the mosque

(while in reality, he was fully aware of the ensuing chain of events, and the

Divine wisdom behind them). As they approached the door, they saw a

beggar exit from the mosque. The Prophet enquired from him (while all the

people around him were witness) if anyone had given anything to him (i.e.charity)although the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny)was fully aware of what had happened, he wanted the people to hear for

themselves from the beggarwho gave him the charity, and how he gave itto him. This way, the people themselves would be able to identify the person

xlviThis tradition is mentioned in Al Kafi, Al Wasail al Shia, Tafseer Al Safi, Tafseer Al Burhan, Tafseer

Nur Thaqalain, among other important sources.


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who possesses the characteristics (of giving charity while bowing in prayer)

and hence deserves to be their master, as per the Quranic verse.

In this way, there is no room for any objection or any doubt. Therefore, the

following conversation ensued:

The Prophet: !Did any one bestow you with anything?"Beggar: !Yes! I was bestowed with this ring."The Prophet: !and who gave this ring to you?"Beggar: !Ali Ibn Abi Talib"The Prophet: !and how did he give it to you?"Beggar: !While he was bowing in prayer!"Upon hearing this answer, the Prophet exclaimed: !God Is Great"and therest of the companions simultaneously followed suit. A question arises here

as to why the Prophet exclaimed !God is Great"? What is the significance ofexalting the Almighty Lord in this way?

This form of exaltation denotes that Allah is far much greater than tooverlook the appointment of a successor for the seal of all Prophets and the

best of them all. Does it make sense that Allah the Wise and Almighty

would appoint a successor for very prior Prophet, but then not appoint a

successor for the final one, whose religion is deemed to be eternal and the

right path till the day of Judgement?xlvii

We seek refuge from attributing any

flaw to the divine wisdom of the Almighty Allah!

Hence, the Prophet Exalted God by exclaiming !God is Great"and

then declared to the people: !Ali is the Master (!"# $% ) after me"a clearelaboration of the believer who is described in the verse It is Imam Ali(peace be upon him) who is the one who believes, and gives charity while

bowing in prayer! The people responded by saying: !we are satisfied to haveAllah as our lord, by Muhammad (Peace be upon him and his progeny) as

the Prophet, and by Ali as the successor. Thereafter, the following verse was

revealed:

>@!*I0J&KL*';@!*M'N39


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2. As an answer to that question, the following verse is revealed: !Verilyyour Master is Allah, and His Prophet and those believers who

establish prayer and give charity while they are bowing in prayer"xlix3. The Prophet and the companions go to the mosque and come across a

beggar, who upon being asked by the Prophet, narrates that Imam Ali

gave him his ring as charity while bowing in prayer i.e. the identityof the person who possesses the characteristics mentioned by the

Quran is unveiled.

4. The Prophet declares Ali Ibn Abu Talib as his successor and as theWali (master)

5. The companions respond by saying we are satisfied to have God asour Lord, By Muhammad (Peace be upon him and his progeny) as our

Prophet, and with Ali as the successor.

6. The following verse is revealed: Whosoever takes Allah, His Prophetand those who believe as guardians, then they are the party of Allahwho shall be triumphant

In conclusion, we beseech the Almighty Allah to bestow us with the gift of

contemplation over the Quran, and to seek guidance from it divine light,

indeed He is the All Hearing and All Answering. All praise belongs to Him

the Lord of the Universe, and may peace and blessings be upon ProphetMuhammad and his blessed and pure progeny.

xlixNotice here how the question states !successor"while the Divine answer states !Master". From

here we understand that the successor of the Prophet has (authority) over the people just like the

Prophet did. And this divine (authority) is that which belongs to God and He has delegated it to theProphet and to his successors.)

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