Draft:Qur'an 4:64
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| Verse's Information | |
|---|---|
| Sura | al-Nisa' (Qur'an 4) |
| Verse | 64 |
| Juz' | 5 |
| Content Information | |
| Place of Revelation | Medina |
| Topic | Obedience to the Prophets |
Qur'an 4:64 emphasizes obedience to the prophets[1] and states that obedience to the prophets, which is the goal of sending the messengers, is necessary for the guidance of the people.[2] This verse was revealed in response to individuals who were outwardly Muslim but were not satisfied with the Prophet's (s) judgment or acted in a hypocritical manner;[3] God revealed this verse to show that merely believing in the prophets is not enough, and for piety and justice, one must obey the prophets.[4] The continuation of the verse states that if sinners return to the Prophet (s), seek forgiveness from God, and the Prophet prays for their forgiveness, God will be all-fathful and merciful.[5] Therefore, opposition to the Prophet is opposition to God, and obedience to him is obedience to God.[6] This verse is also used to prove Tawassul and Intercession.[7]
| “ | وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا مِن رَّسُولٍ إِلَّا لِيُطَاعَ بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ ۚ وَلَوْ أَنَّهُمْ إِذ ظَّلَمُوا أَنفُسَهُمْ جَاءُوكَ فَاسْتَغْفَرُوا اللَّهَ وَاسْتَغْفَرَ لَهُمُ الرَّسُولُ لَوَجَدُوا اللَّهَ تَوَّابًا رَّحِيمًا
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| “ | We did not send any apostle but to be obeyed by Allah’s leave. Had they, when they wronged themselves, come to you and pleaded to Allah for forgiveness, and the Apostle had pleaded for forgiveness for them, they would have surely found Allah all-fathful, all-merciful.
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| — Qur'an 4:64 | ||
According to exegetes, in the interpretation of Qur'an 4:64, obedience to the prophets is not considered an obedience independent of obedience to God.[8] The phrase "by Allah’s leave" (bi-idhn Allah) indicates that the Prophet (s) is not obeyed independently of God, but rather obedience to the Prophet is only by God's command[9] and there is no difference between them.[10]
Obedience to the prophets is considered conditional on God's permission so that it does not lead to Shirk.[11] According to al-Mīzān, obedience to the Prophet is in fact obedience to God, because God has commanded that the Prophet be obeyed. Qur'an 4:80 also states that whoever obeys the Prophet has in fact obeyed God. Therefore, obedience to the Prophet is not shirk.[12]
According to exegetes, Qur'an 4:64 refers to the Prophet's (s) prayer for forgiveness for the believers, which is emphasized in other verses of the Qur'an as well.[13] According to this verse, seeking forgiveness for others is correct, such as Abraham's (a) prayer for his father and the angels' prayer for the believers.[14] This verse is also the basis for the legitimacy of tawassul to the Prophet (s) for the forgiveness of sins, meaning that requesting the Prophet to intercede in the acceptance of repentance and God's mercy is effective.[15] The Prophet (s) is not the forgiver of sins, but rather he can pray to God for the believers' forgiveness[16] and be a mediator of divine pardon.[17] The Prophet's (s) prayer for forgiveness in these cases is considered an answered prayer.[18]
Notes
- ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1371 Sh, vol. 3, p. 450; Ṭabrisī, Majma' al-bayān, 1372 Sh, vol. 3, p. 104.
- ↑ Qirā'atī, Tafsīr-i nūr, 1388 Sh, vol. 2, p. 97.
- ↑ Bayḍāwī, Anwār al-tanzīl wa asrār al-ta'wīl, 1418 AH, vol. 2, p. 81.
- ↑ Ṭabāṭabā'ī, al-Mīzān, 1390 Sh, vol. 4, p. 404; Ṭabrisī, Majma' al-bayān, 1372 Sh, vol. 3, p. 104.
- ↑ Ṭabrisī, Majma' al-bayān, 1372 Sh, vol. 3, p. 105; Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1371 Sh, vol. 3, p. 451.
- ↑ Qurashī Binābī, Tafsīr-i aḥsan al-ḥadīth, 1375 Sh, vol. 2, p. 395.
- ↑ Mudarrisī, Īmān zīrbinā-yi sharī'at, 1383 Sh, p. 565.
- ↑ Subḥānī, Manshūr-i jāwīd, Qom, vol. 4, p. 312.
- ↑ Subḥānī, Manshūr-i jāwīd, Qom, vol. 4, p. 312.
- ↑ Subḥānī, Manshūr-i jāwīd, Qom, vol. 4, p. 312.
- ↑ Qirā'atī, Tafsīr-i nūr, 1388 Sh, vol. 2, p. 97.
- ↑ Ṭabāṭabā'ī, al-Mīzān, 1390 Sh, vol. 4, p. 404.
- ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1371 Sh, vol. 3, p. 452.
- ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1371 Sh, vol. 3, p. 452.
- ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1371 Sh, vol. 3, p. 451.
- ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1371 Sh, vol. 3, p. 451.
- ↑ Qirā'atī, Tafsīr-i nūr, 1388 Sh, vol. 2, p. 98.
- ↑ Mudarrisī, Īmān zīrbinā-yi sharī'at, 1383 Sh, p. 565.
References
- Bayḍāwī, 'Abd Allāh b. 'Umar, Anwār al-tanzīl wa asrār al-ta'wīl, Beirut, Dār Iḥyā' al-Turāth al-'Arabī, 1418 AH.
- Subḥānī, Ja'far, Manshūr-i jāwīd, Qom, Mu'assisa-yi Imām Ṣādiq ('a), n.d.
- Ṭabāṭabā'ī, Sayyid Muḥammad Ḥusayn, al-Mīzān fī tafsīr al-Qur'ān, Beirut, Mu'assisa al-A'lamī li-l-Maṭbū'āt, 1390 Sh.
- Ṭabrisī, Faḍl b. al-Ḥasan, Majma' al-bayān fī tafsīr al-Qur'ān, Tehran, Nasir Khusraw, 1372 Sh.
- Qirā'atī, Muḥsin, Tafsīr-i nūr, Tehran, Markaz-i Farhangī-yi Darshā-yi az Qur'ān, 1388 Sh.
- Qurashī Binābī, 'Alī Akbar, Tafsīr-i aḥsan al-ḥadīth, Tehran, Bunyad-i Bi'that, 1375 Sh.
- Mudarrisī, Sayyid Muḥammad Taqi, Īmān zīrbinā-yi sharī'at, Qom, Intishārāt-i Muḥibbīn, 1383 Sh.
- Makārim Shīrāzī, Nāṣir, Tafsīr-i nimūna, Tehran, Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmiyya, 1371 Sh.