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Draft:Verse 143 of Sura al-A'raf

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Template:Infobox Verse Verse 143 of Sura al-A'raf (Arabic: آیه ۱۴۳ سوره اعراف) concerns the story of the presence of Moses (a) at Mount Tur, where he made a request at the Miqat for seeing God. God replied that he would never see Him unless the mountain remained in its place after the manifestation. After the manifestation, Moses (a) fell unconscious, and upon returning to normal state, he repented of his request.

Theologically, the issue of seeing God, the cause of Moses' (a) repentance, and its compatibility with the infallibility of prophets are central discussions regarding this verse. A group of Sunnis have cited this verse to argue for the possibility of seeing God, while Shi'a scholars have established the impossibility of visual vision based on four phrases in this verse. Some exegetes have considered the request to see God as being on behalf of the Children of Israel. Allameh Tabataba'i interpreted Moses' (a) intention as inner witnessing, which will be realized in the Hereafter. Based on this, exegetes have described Moses' (a) repentance not as repentance from sin, but from the semblance of an inappropriate request.

Position of the Verse

Verse 143 of Sura al-A'raf narrates a part of the life of Prophet Moses (a) and his presence at Mount Tur. In this meeting, Moses (a) asks God to show Himself so that Moses (a) may see Him. God's answer to Moses (a) with the phrase "Lan tarānī" (Arabic: لَن تَرَانی, You shall never see Me) is famous in religious literature. This verse has paved the way for various interpretations and disputes regarding the possibility of seeing God with the eyes.

And when Moses arrived at Our appointed time and his Lord spoke to him, he said, "My Lord, show [Yourself] to me that I may look at You." He said, "You shall not see Me, but look at the mountain; if it remains in its place, then you will see Me." But when his Lord manifested [His glory] to the mountain, He made it as dust, and Moses fell down unconscious. And when he recovered, he said, "Exalted are You! I have turned to You in repentance, and I am the first of the believers." (Sura al-A'raf, Verse 143)

— وَلَمَّا جَاءَ مُوسَیٰ لِمِیقَاتِنَا وَکلَّمَهُ رَبُّهُ قَالَ رَبِّ أَرِنِی أَنْظُرْ إِلَیک ۚ قَالَ لَنْ تَرَانِی وَلٰکنِ انْظُرْ إِلَی الْجَبَلِ فَإِنِ اسْتَقَرَّ مَکانَهُ فَسَوْفَ تَرَانِی ۚ فَلَمَّا تَجَلَّیٰ رَبُّهُ لِلْجَبَلِ جَعَلَهُ دَکا وَخَرَّ مُوسَیٰ صَعِقًا ۚ فَلَمَّا أَفَاقَ قَالَ سُبْحَانَک تُبْتُ إِلَیک وَأَنَا أَوَّلُ الْمُؤْمِنِینَ

The Issue of Visual Seeing of God

Main article: Seeing God

The request of Moses (a) to see God and the response "Lan tarānī" (You shall never see Me) paved the way for discussions about the possibility of visual seeing of God. Researchers believe that from the middle of the 3rd/9th century, a group of Sunni scholars tried to prove the possibility of visual vision of God by relying on this verse. Among them, mentions can be made of Dinawari (d. 276/889-90), Abu l-Hasan al-Ash'ari (d. 341/952-3), Baqillani (d. 403/1013), and 'Abd al-Qahir al-Baghdadi (d. 429/1037-8).[1] Muhammad b. 'Abd al-Karim al-Shahrastani, a historian and exegete of the 5th/11th and 6th/12th centuries, also considered the verse under discussion as the strongest transmitted proof (dalīl naqlī) for the possibility of seeing God.[2]

God's answer in Verse 143 of al-A'raf to Moses' (a) request is one of the most important grounds for the opponents of seeing God, especially Imami theologians. For instance, Al-Sayyid al-Murtada, a Shi'a faqih and theologian, argued for the negation of the possibility of seeing God in four stages based on this verse and answered the critics.[3] Some exegetes believe that the word "lan" (never) in this verse, which denotes eternal negation, and the unconditional negation of seeing in the verse, indicate that seeing God is by no means possible, neither in this world nor in the other world.[4] Also, many narrations have been cited under this verse in Shi'a sources. For example, Imam al-Sadiq (a) used this verse to negate the attachment of visual vision to God.[5] The reason for Moses' (a) request to see God is also among the questions that al-Ma'mun al-'Abbasi asked Imam al-Rida (a).[6]

Argumentation based on the Verse

According to some, Verse 143 of Sura al-A'raf indicates the negation of visual vision of God from several aspects; first, God's answer with the phrase "Lan tarānī", which is a structure for eternal negation. Another is the phrase "fan istaqarra makānahu fa-sawfa tarānī" (if it remains in its place, then you will see Me), which makes the possibility of seeing dependent on an impossible matter. According to the explanation of Nasir Makarim Shirazi, a Shi'a jurist and exegete, this expression is an allusion to the impossibility of seeing God and is similar to Verse 40 of Sura al-A'raf, where God suspends the entry of disbelievers into Paradise on a camel passing through the eye of a needle.[7] Also, Moses' (a) declaring God's transcendence from being seen with the phrase "Subḥānaka" (Exalted are You) and his repentance from the request of vision with the sentence "tubtu ilayka" (I turned to You in repentance) are among the phrases cited for the impossibility of seeing.[8]

Why did Moses Ask?

The question of why a prophet like Moses (a) requested to see God while knowing its impossibility has been noted by exegetes.[9]

According to Nasir Makarim Shirazi, the clearest answer is that Moses (a) made this request on behalf of his people (the Children of Israel) and as their representative.[10] To prove this, he cited Verse 153 of Sura al-Nisa and Moses' (a) question in Verse 155 of Sura al-A'raf, and also brought a narration in Tafsir Nur al-thaqalayn[11] as witness.[12] Al-Fadl b. al-Hasan al-Tabrisi, a Shi'a exegete of the 6th/12th century, pointed to Moses' (a) request to see the signs of the Hereafter and considers his intention to be the attainment of complete certainty for the Children of Israel regarding the existence of God; similar to the request of Abraham (a) for reviving the dead in Verse 260 of Sura al-Baqara.[13]

Seeing God with Inner Eye

Allameh Tabataba'i believes that the issue of seeing God in Verse 143 of al-A'raf and some other similar verses (such as Qur'an 75:23, Qur'an 53:11, Qur'an 29:5, Qur'an 32:54) does not mean seeing with physical senses, but rather means the most certain and clearest stages of knowledge, which he refers to as necessary knowledge (al-ʿilm al-ḍarūrī).[14] Therefore, Moses' (a) request was for himself, and his intention was the witnessing (shuhūd) of God with the inner eye.[15]

Tabataba'i, considering the proof of inner vision of God in several verses of the Qur'an on the Day of Judgment, believes that the sentence "Lan tarānī" only refers to the world.[16] Also, in Tabataba'i's view, the phrase "look at the mountain; if it remains in its place, then you will see Me" mentioned in the verse shows that God's manifestation and seeing Him were not considered impossible, but rather Moses (a) did not have the capacity for this manifestation.[17] Nasir Makarim Shirazi considers this interpretation contrary to the apparent meaning (ẓāhir) of the verse and entailing the use of metaphor, and deems it incompatible with some narrations in this regard.[18]

The Issue of Moses' (a) Repentance

Regarding Moses' repentance after making the request for divine vision, Makarim Shirazi believes that this repentance could be on behalf of the Children of Israel who demanded to see God, and it can also be said that it was necessary for Moses (a) to return to the initial state after the end of his mission and express his faith so that no misunderstanding would occur for anyone.[19] As Tabataba'i also believes, repentance does not always have to stem from sin; rather, repentance means returning to God, which can occur even in minor instances where there is a semblance of distance from God.[20]

Mystical Interpretation

Muslim mystics have paid special attention to Verse 143 of Sura al-A'raf and have derived many interpretations, secrets, and allusions from it.[21] For example, the shattering of the mountain and Moses' (a) swooning due to the manifestation of God's wrath and grandeur have been interpreted as the station of annihilation (fana) for both. With the difference that the mountain did not remain, but Moses (a) attained the station of subsistence after annihilation (baqa) which is a rank higher than the station of annihilation near mystics.[22]

Abu Sulayman al-Darani (d. 215/830), one of the mystical sheikhs of the late 2nd/8th century, considered the object of desire of the gnostics (Ahl al-Ma'rifa) to be the same as Moses' (a) object of desire in seeing God,[23] and Imam Khomeini believes that the "mountain" refers to the egoism (anāniyya)[24] of Moses (a), which, unless shattered by God's help, the state of annihilation will not occur for him.[25]

In Persian Poetry

According to researchers, among the various events of Moses' (a) life, the incident of the Miqat and the story of "Arinī" (Show me) and the response "Lan tarānī" (You shall never see Me) have received more attention from Persian poets than other events.[26] According to them, themes such as "abandoning one's existence to seek the meeting of the Truth", "hope, regret, etiquette, and longing for meeting the Truth", and "comparing Moses (a) with the Noble Prophet (s) in meeting the Truth" can be considered among the most frequent themes of Persian poems in this regard.[27]

For example, Sanai Ghaznavi, a Shi'a poet and mystic of the 5th/11th century, composes:[28]

Template:Poem

Notes

  1. ↑ Tawakulī, "Naqd wa barrasī-yi dīdgāh-i Sayyid Murtaḍā dar bāra-yi taʾwīl-i āya-yi 'Rabbi arinī unẓur ilayk'", p. 196.
  2. ↑ Shahrastānī, Nihāyat al-aqdām, 1425 AH, pp. 206-207.
  3. ↑ Sayyid Murtaḍā, Tanzīh al-anbiyāʾ, 1998, vol. 2, pp. 215-230.
  4. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1374 Sh, vol. 6, p. 360.
  5. ↑ Khazzāz Rāzī, Kifāyat al-athar, 1401 AH, pp. 261-262.
  6. ↑ Shaykh Ṣadūq, Kamāl al-dīn, 1398 Sh, p. 121.
  7. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1374 Sh, vol. 6, p. 357.
  8. ↑ Riḍwānī, Shīʿa-shināsī wa pāsukh bi shubahāt, 1384 Sh, p. 210.
  9. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1374 Sh, vol. 6, p. 356.
  10. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1374 Sh, vol. 6, p. 356.
  11. ↑ Huwayzī, Tafsīr nūr al-thaqalayn, 1415 AH, vol. 2, p. 65.
  12. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1374 Sh, vol. 6, p. 356.
  13. ↑ Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, vol. 4, p. 731.
  14. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Al-Mīzān, 1417 AH, vol. 8, p. 238.
  15. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Al-Mīzān, 1417 AH, vol. 8, p. 238.
  16. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Al-Mīzān, 1417 AH, vol. 8, p. 242.
  17. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Al-Mīzān, 1417 AH, vol. 8, p. 242.
  18. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1374 Sh, vol. 6, p. 359.
  19. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1374 Sh, vol. 6, p. 360.
  20. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Al-Mīzān, 1417 AH, vol. 8, p. 243.
  21. ↑ See: Ḥusaynī Isḥāq-Niyā, "Sharḥ-i wāqiʿa-yi 'Lan tarānī' dar andīsha-yi ʿurafā", pp. 15-42.
  22. ↑ Ḥusaynī Isḥāq-Niyā, "Sharḥ-i wāqiʿa-yi 'Lan tarānī' dar andīsha-yi ʿurafā", p. 35.
  23. ↑ Abū Nuʿaym al-Iṣfahānī, Ḥilyat al-awliyāʾ, p. 120.
  24. ↑ Meaning self-centeredness and regarding everything from oneself.
  25. ↑ Imām Khumaynī, Ādāb al-ṣalāh, 1370 Sh, p. 253; Idem, Tafsīr sūra ḥamd, 1375 Sh, p. 31.
  26. ↑ Muḥammad-Nizhād, "Taḥlīl-i mawḍūʿī-yi kārburd-i 'Arinī' wa 'Lan tarānī' dar shiʿr-i shāʿirān-i Pārsī-gūy bā taʾkīd bar ashʿār-i ʿirfānī", p. 8.
  27. ↑ Muḥammad-Nizhād, "Taḥlīl-i mawḍūʿī-yi kārburd-i 'Arinī' wa 'Lan tarānī' dar shiʿr-i shāʿirān-i Pārsī-gūy bā taʾkīd bar ashʿār-i ʿirfānī", pp. 1-25.
  28. ↑ Sanāʾī Ghaznavī, Dīwān-i Ḥakīm Sanāʾī Ghaznavī, 1391 Sh, p. 446.

References

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Template:Theological Verses

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