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Draft:Verse 29 of Sura al-Fath

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Verse 29 of Sura al-Fath
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AboutCharacteristics of Prophet Muhammad (s) and believers


Verse 29 of Sura al-Fatḥ (Arabic: آیه ۲۹ سوره فتح) describes Prophet Muhammad (s) and his companions with five characteristics: severity against disbelievers (kuffār), compassion among themselves, continuous worship, seeking Divine grace and satisfaction (riḍwān), and the visibility of the mark of prostration (sujūd) on their faces.

It also mentions that these attributes were stated in the Torah and Gospel; however, some researchers believe that due to the distortion of previous heavenly books, matching these descriptions with current texts is problematic. Therefore, some exegetes have sufficed with explaining it based solely on the Qur'an.

Sunni exegetes, citing the promise of forgiveness (maghfira) in this verse, conclude the justice of all Companions (ʿAdālat al-Ṣaḥāba). In contrast, others believe that this generalization, without considering the condition of continuity of Faith (īmān) and righteous deeds, contradicts the general logic of religious obligation in the Qur'an.

Based on a narration quoted by Al-Shaykh al-Tusi from Prophet Muhammad (s), the applicability (miṣdāq) of the final phrase of the verse is Imam Ali (a) and his followers.

Introduction of the Verse

Verse 29 of Sura al-Fath describes Prophet Muhammad (s) and his faithful companions with characteristics[1] that were previously mentioned in the Torah and Gospel.[2] It also likens the community of believers to a fruitful crop that enrages the disbelievers. According to Sayyid Muhammad Husayn Fadlallah (d. 1389 Sh/2010), a Qur'anic exegete, this verse presents an image of a faithful society wherein members grow collectively and, by strengthening one another, transform into a massive force in terms of quantity and quality, causing the anger of the disbelievers.[3] At the end of the verse, the promise of forgiveness and a great Divine reward is stated, conditional upon faith and righteous deeds. Some Sunni exegetes have used this verse to prove the theory of the Justice of the Companions.

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Characteristics of the Prophet (s) and His Companions

Verse 29 of Sura al-Fath describes Prophet Muhammad (s) and his faithful companions with five characteristics: they are severe against disbelievers, compassionate among themselves, always in a state of worship, seekers of Divine grace and satisfaction, and possess the mark of prostration on their faces.[4] According to Sayyid Muhammad Husayn Fadlallah, this verse, by introducing the Prophet (s) as "Rasūl Allāh" (Messenger of Allah), emphasizes the continuity of the mission after his demise through following his Sira (lifestyle) and the role of his followers in continuing the Divine call.[5] Also, severity against disbelievers does not mean cruelty but rather resistance to preserve Divine values, and compassion among believers indicates a social bond based on mercy and empathy among them.[6]

In Tafsir-i nimuna, the phrase "their mark is on their faces" (sīmāhum fī wujūhihim) is interpreted as a sign of their humility before God, which manifests in various aspects of their lives;[7] however, this phrase has also been interpreted as a shining mark on their foreheads on the Day of Judgment.[8] According to al-Tabrisi quoting 'Ata' Khurasani (d. 135/752-3), this characteristic includes all worshipers who are committed to performing the Daily Prayers.[9]

Exegetes have interpreted the sentence "You see them bowing and prostrating [in prayer], seeking bounty from Allah and [His] pleasure" as performing Salat frequently and persisting in it.[10]

Examination of Characteristics in Torah and Gospel

Regarding the Qur'an's reference to the existence of the attributes of the Prophet (s) and his companions in previous heavenly books, there is a difference of opinion among exegetes. Some believe that the Torah and Gospel have mentioned these attributes separately,[11] while another group considers them shared in both books.[12] For instance, Nasir Makarim Shirazi distinguishes between the content, considering the descriptions in the Torah to focus on existential and physical dimensions, and the Gospel to focus on the process of their growth and dynamism in various aspects.[13]

However, reports indicate that these attributes are not explicitly found in the current texts of the Torah and Gospel.[14] This has led exegetes like Allama Tabataba'i and Makarim Shirazi to suffice with Qur'anic evidence in their interpretation and not rely on previous books.[15] According to some researchers, the distortions made in previous sacred texts over centuries have made it problematic to accurately match these characteristics with the contents found in the current Torah and Gospel.[16]

Are All Companions the Applicability of the Verse?

Shi'a exegetes, citing literary and rational arguments, believe that this verse does not give a general ruling regarding all the Companions of the Prophet (s),[17] but rather includes only a specific group of believers who were aligned with the Prophet (s) in thought and action.[18] They argue that generalizing the verse to all Companions, which would include hypocrites, contradicts religious teachings, because promising forgiveness and great reward without the condition of Faith and righteous deeds renders religious obligation meaningless.[19] In contrast, Sunni exegetes have generalized this verse to all Companions[20] and concluded the justice of all of them from it.[21]

Based on a narration quoted by Al-Shaykh al-Tusi from Prophet Muhammad (s), the applicability (miṣdāq) of the final phrase of the verse is Imam Ali (a) and his followers. In this narration, the uprising of Imam Ali (a) on the Day of Judgment is described with a banner of white light, where the forerunners of the Muhajirun and Ansar gather under his banner, and he is responsible for the weighing of deeds and determining the status of believers in Paradise.[22]

Notes

  1. ↑ Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, vol. 22, pp. 113–114.
  2. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, vol. 18, p. 299.
  3. ↑ Faḍl Allāh, Tafsīr min waḥy al-Qurʾān, vol. 21, p. 129.
  4. ↑ Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, vol. 22, pp. 113–114.
  5. ↑ Faḍl Allāh, Tafsīr min waḥy al-Qurʾān, vol. 21, p. 127.
  6. ↑ Faḍl Allāh, Tafsīr min waḥy al-Qurʾān, vol. 21, p. 128.
  7. ↑ Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, vol. 22, p. 115.
  8. ↑ Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, vol. 9, p. 192.
  9. ↑ Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, vol. 9, p. 192.
  10. ↑ Sīwāsī, ʿUyūn al-tafāsīr, vol. 4, p. 131; Ṭabrisī, Tafsīr Jawāmiʿ al-jāmiʿ, vol. 4, p. 147; Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, vol. 9, p. 192.
  11. ↑ Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, vol. 22, pp. 115–116; Ṭabarī, Jāmiʿ al-bayān, vol. 26, p. 72.
  12. ↑ Faḍl Allāh, Tafsīr min waḥy al-Qurʾān, vol. 21, p. 129; Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, vol. 18, p. 300.
  13. ↑ Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, vol. 22, p. 117.
  14. ↑ Pūrmuḥammad, "Payāmbar-i Akram (ṣ) dar ʿahdayn", p. 90; "Payāmbar-i Islām dar Tawrāt wa Injīl", Muʾassisa-yi Taḥqīqātī wa Nashr-i Maʿārif-i Ahl al-Bayt (a).
  15. ↑ Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, vol. 22, pp. 115–124; Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, vol. 18, pp. 299–303.
  16. ↑ Pūrmuḥammad, "Payāmbar-i Akram (ṣ) dar ʿahdayn", p. 90.
  17. ↑ Faḍl Allāh, Tafsīr min waḥy al-Qurʾān, vol. 21, p. 130.
  18. ↑ Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, vol. 22, p. 116.
  19. ↑ Faḍl Allāh, Tafsīr min waḥy al-Qurʾān, vol. 21, p. 130.
  20. ↑ Ṭanṭāwī, al-Tafsīr al-wasīṭ, vol. 13, p. 286; Jazarī, al-Tashīl, vol. 2, p. 292.
  21. ↑ Nīkzād, "ʿAdālat-i Ṣaḥāba dar tarāzū-yi taḥqīq", pp. 25–26.
  22. ↑ Ṭūsī, al-Amālī, p. 378.

References

  • Faḍl Allāh, Sayyid Muḥammad Ḥusayn. Tafsīr min waḥy al-Qurʾān. Beirut, Dār al-Malāk, 1st ed, 1419 AH.
  • Jazarī, Muḥammad b. Aḥmad... Ibn al-. al-Tashīl li-ʿulūm al-tanzīl. Edited by ʿAbd Allāh Khālidī. Beirut, Dār al-Arqam b. Abī l-Arqam, n.d.
  • Nīkzād, ʿAbbās. "ʿAdālat-i Ṣaḥāba dar tarāzū-yi taḥqīq". In Majalla-yi Rawāq-i Andīsha, no. 28, Farwardīn 1383 Sh.
  • "Payāmbar-i Islām dar Tawrāt wa Injīl". Muʾassisa-yi Taḥqīqātī wa Nashr-i Maʿārif-i Ahl al-Bayt (a).
  • Pūrmuḥammad, Muḥsin. "Payāmbar-i Akram (ṣ) dar ʿahdayn". In Majalla-yi Maʿrifat, no. 25, Tābistān 1377 Sh.
  • Shāh-ʿAbd al-ʿAẓīmī, Ḥusayn. Tafsīr-i ithnā ʿasharī. Tehran, Nashr-i Mīqāt, 1st ed, 1363 Sh.
  • Shīrāzī, Nāṣir Makārim. Tafsīr-i nimūna. Tehran, Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmiyya, 10th ed, 1371 Sh.
  • Sīwāsī, Aḥmad b. Maḥmūd... al-. ʿUyūn al-tafāsīr. Edited by Bahāʾ al-Dīn Dārtmā. Beirut, Dār Ṣādir, 1st ed, 1427 AH.
  • Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Sayyid Muḥammad Ḥusayn. al-Mīzān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān. Beirut, Muʾassisat al-Aʿlamī li-l-Maṭbūʿāt, 2nd ed, 1390 AH.
  • Ṭabarī, Muḥammad b. Jarīr... al-. Jāmiʿ al-bayān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān. Beirut, Dār al-Maʿrifa, 1st ed, 1412 AH.
  • Ṭabrisī, Faḍl b. Ḥasan... al-. Majmaʿ al-bayān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān. Edited by Faḍl Allāh Yazdī Ṭabāṭabāʾī and Hāshim Rasūlī. Tehran, Nāṣir Khusraw, 3rd ed, 1372 Sh.
  • Ṭabrisī, Faḍl b. Ḥasan... al-. Tafsīr Jawāmiʿ al-jāmiʿ. Edited by Abū l-Qāsim Gurjī. Qom, Markaz-i Mudīriyyat-i Ḥawza-yi ʿIlmiyya-yi Qom, 1st ed, 1412 AH.
  • Ṭanṭāwī, Sayyid Muḥammad. al-Tafsīr al-wasīṭ li-l-Qurʾān al-karīm. Cairo, n.p, 1997.
  • Ṭūsī, Muḥammad b. al-Ḥasan... al-. al-Amālī. Qom, Dār al-Thaqāfa, 1st ed, 1414 AH.
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