Jump to content

Qur'an 3:110

Add links
Priority: c, Quality: c
From wikishia
Qur'an 3:110
Verse's Information
SuraSura Al 'Imran (Qur'an 3)
Verse110
Juz'4
Content Information
Place of
Revelation		Medina
TopicTheological, Jurisprudential
AboutIntroducing the best Umma
Related VersesQur'an 3:104 • Qur'an 49:13


Qur'an 3:110 describes Muslims as the best Umma (community), brought forth for the benefit and reform of human society because of their practice of enjoining the good, forbidding the wrong, and their faith in God. Some exegetes, notably al-Shaykh al-Tusi, contend that given the presence of criminals and hypocrites within the broader Muslim community, the epithet "best Umma" specifically designates the Ahl al-Bayt (a).

Jawadi Amuli interprets the verse's audience as those who fulfill the command in Qur'an 3:104 to invite others to goodness and enjoin right conduct, aligning this perspective with Qur'an 49:13.

Jurists have invoked this verse to substantiate the obligation of enjoining the good and forbidding the wrong, debating whether it constitutes a collective or individual obligation. Numerous narrations identify the Ahl al-Bayt (a) as the primary referent of this verse. In one such narration, Jabir b. Abd Allah al-Ansari inquired of Prophet Muhammad (s) regarding the verse's meaning; the Prophet (s) responded with a detailed exposition on the luminous creation and virtues of the Ahl al-Bayt (a).

Introduction and Text

According to Tafsir-i nimuna, Qur'an 3:110 presents Muslims as the best Umma brought forth for humanity's benefit, owing to their commitment to enjoining good, forbidding wrong, and maintaining faith in God.[1] Exegetes observe that the verse concludes with a reminder: had the People of the Book embraced faith, they would have secured benefits in this world—such as safeguarding their lives—and salvation in the hereafter, escaping Hell for Paradise.[2] However, while a minority accepted Islam, the majority transgressed God's command and remained disbelievers.[3]

Best Umma and the Reason for Its Superiority

Abdullah Jawadi Amuli asserts that Qur'an 3:110 praises those who fulfilled the command in Qur'an 3:104—namely, enjoining the good, forbidding the wrong, and believing in God—and describes them as the best Umma brought forth for the benefit of humanity.[4] By contrast, exegetes like Shaykh al-Tusi, citing the existence of sinners and hypocrites within the general Umma, restrict this commendation to the Ahl al-Bayt (a).[5] Regarding the use of the past tense verb kuntum ("you were") rather than antum ("you are"), commentators suggest it may indicate that Muslims were designated as the best Umma in prior scriptures or in the Preserved Tablet. Alternatively, the past tense might be employed to emphasize the certainty of a future event, treating it as if it had already occurred.[6]

In a hadith, Imam Ali (a) referenced this verse to establish the superiority of Prophet Muhammad (s) over all prophets and the preeminence of the Muslim Umma over other nations.[7]

Some exegetes identify the "believers among the People of the Book" as specific individuals, such as 'Abdullah b. Salam and his companions from the Jews, and al-Najashi (the King of Abyssinia) and his companions from the Christians.[8]

Reason for the Umma's Superiority

From Jawadi Amuli's perspective, righteous deeds must align with the leader and the Proof (Hujja) of the age. He posits that the rigorous practice of enjoining the good and forbidding the wrong during the era of the greatest Prophet, Muhammad (s), is what rendered the Muslim Umma the best community.[9] Nasir Makarim Shirazi attributes this superiority to the possession of the final and most complete divine religion.[10]

Audience of the Verse

Shi'a exegetes have proposed several interpretations regarding the intended audience of Qur'an 3:110:

  • The Emigrants and Helpers of early Islam. This interpretation suggests the verse means "you were the best Umma in the past," potentially implying a decline in later generations. Critics argue that such a subtle reproach contradicts the verse's laudatory context.[11]
  • All Muslims during the era of the Prophet (s).[12] Jawadi Amuli rejects this view due to the presence of hypocrites who, as described in Qur'an 9:67, enjoined wrong and forbade good.[13]
  • All Muslims across all times and places.[14] This interpretation is dismissed due to the existence of oppressors and instigators of conflicts such as the Battles of Jamal, Siffin, Nahrawan, and the Event of Karbala.[15]
  • Those who fulfill the command in Qur'an 3:104 to invite to good. Jawadi Amuli favors this view, noting its consistency with Qur'an 49:13 and hadiths defining the best people as those possessing piety who enjoin the good.[16]

Ahl al-Bayt (a) as the Instance of the Best Umma

Multiple narrations identify the Ahl al-Bayt (a) as the primary referents of this verse.[17] In one narration, 'Abdullah b. Sinan recited this verse before Imam al-Sadiq (a). The Imam challenged the interpretation, asking: "Were you the best Umma while you killed the Commander of the Faithful (a), Imam al-Hasan (a), and Imam al-Husayn (a)?" When asked about its correct interpretation, the Imam clarified that it refers to the Imams: "You are the best Imams brought forth for the people," citing the subsequent description: "you enjoin the good, forbid the wrong, and believe in God."[18]

Jabir b. Abd Allah al-Ansari also asked the Prophet (s) about this same verse. In response, the Prophet (s) gave a detailed explanation concerning the manner in which the Ahl al‑Bayt (a) were created from light and elaborated on their virtues.[19]

Jurisprudential Applications

Qur'an 3:110 is frequently cited in discussions of jurisprudence and principles of jurisprudence:

  • al-Shaykh al-Mufid posits that by praising the Umma for enjoining the good alongside faith in God, the verse indicates the obligation of enjoining the good and forbidding the wrong.[20]
  • Shaykh al-Tusi, Fadil al-Miqdad, and Ibn Shahrashub utilize this verse to argue that enjoining the good is an individual obligation.[21]
  • Sunni scholars have cited this verse to establish the authority of consensus, interpreting it as the collective infallibility of the Umma. In contrast, Shi'a scholars argue that the verse cannot refer to the entire Umma collectively due to the presence of major sinners and those who waged war against the rightful Imams.[22]

Notes

  1. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, vol. 3, p. 48.
  2. ↑ Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, vol. 2, p. 811; Kāshānī, Zubdat al-tafāsīr, vol. 1, p. 540.
  3. ↑ Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, vol. 2, p. 811; Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, vol. 3, p. 49.
  4. ↑ Jawādī Āmulī, Tafsīr-i Tasnīm, vol. 15, pp. 333, 338-339.
  5. ↑ Shaykh al-Ṭūsī, al-Tibyān, vol. 2, p. 558; Rāwandī, Fiqh al-Qurʾān, vol. 1, pp. 360-361.
  6. ↑ Shaykh al-Ṭūsī, al-Tibyān, vol. 2, p. 557; Rāwandī, Fiqh al-Qurʾān, vol. 1, p. 360.
  7. ↑ Majlisī, Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 16, p. 342.
  8. ↑ Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, 1372 Sh, vol. 2, p. 811; Ḥusaynī, Tafsīr-i ithnā ʿasharī, vol. 2, p. 212.
  9. ↑ Jawādī Āmulī, Tafsīr-i Tasnīm, vol. 15, p. 334.
  10. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, vol. 3, p. 48.
  11. ↑ Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, vol. 2, p. 811; Jawādī Āmulī, Tafsīr-i Tasnīm, vol. 15, pp. 337-339.
  12. ↑ Jawādī Āmulī, Tafsīr-i Tasnīm, vol. 15, pp. 338.
  13. ↑ Jawādī Āmulī, Tafsīr-i Tasnīm, vol. 15, p. 338.
  14. ↑ Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, vol. 2, p. 811; Jawādī Āmulī, Tafsīr-i Tasnīm, vol. 15, pp. 338.
  15. ↑ Jawādī Āmulī, Tafsīr-i Tasnīm, vol. 15, p. 338.
  16. ↑ Jawādī Āmulī, Tafsīr-i Tasnīm, vol. 15, pp. 338-339.
  17. ↑ Majlisī, Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 24, pp. 154-155; Baḥrānī, al-Burhān, vol. 1, pp. 344, 676.
  18. ↑ Majlisī, Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 24, p. 154.
  19. ↑ Majlisī, Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 25, pp, 22-23
  20. ↑ al-Shaykh al-Mufīd, al-Muqniʿa, p. 809.
  21. ↑ Shaykh al-Ṭūsī, al-Iqtiṣād, p. 147; Fāḍil al-Miqdād, Kanz al-ʿirfān, vol. 1, p. 406; Ibn Shahrāshūb, Mutashābih al-Qurʾān, vol. 2, p. 187.
  22. ↑ Ibn ʿĀshūr, al-Taḥrīr wa l-tanwīr, vol. 3, p. 190; Jawādī Āmulī, Tafsīr-i Tasnīm, vol. 15, p. 338.

References

  • Baḥrānī, Sayyid Hāshim al-. al-Burhān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān. Tehran: Bi'that Foundation, 1374 Sh.
  • Fāḍil al-Miqdād, Miqdād b. ʿAbd Allāh. Kanz al-ʿirfān fī fiqh al-Qurʾān. Qom: Mortazavi Publications, 1425 AH.
  • Ḥusaynī Shāh-ʿAbd al-ʿAẓīmī, Ḥusayn b. Aḥmad. Tafsīr-i ithnā ʿasharī. Tehran: Miqat Publications, 1363 Sh.
  • Ibn ʿĀshūr, Muḥammad b. Ṭāhir. al-Taḥrīr wa l-tanwīr. n.p, n.d.
  • Ibn Shahrāshūb, Muḥammad b. ʿAlī. Mutashābih al-Qurʾān wa mukhtalifuh. Qom: Dar Bidar, 1369 AH.
  • Jawādī Āmulī, ʿAbd Allāh. Tafsīr-i Tasnīm. Edited by Abd al-Karim Abidini. Qom: Isra Publications, 1388 Sh.
  • Kāshānī, Mullā Fatḥ Allāh. Zubdat al-tafāsīr. Qom: Islamic Knowledge Foundation, 1423 AH.
  • Makārim Shīrāzī, Nāṣir. Tafsīr-i nimūna. Tehran: Dar al-Kotob al-Islamiyya, 1374 Sh.
  • Majlisī, Muḥammad Bāqir al-. Biḥār al-anwār. Beirut: Dār Iḥyāʾ al-Turāth al-ʿArabī, 1403 AH.
  • Rāwandī, Saʿīd b. Hibat Allāh. Fiqh al-Qurʾān fī sharḥ āyāt al-aḥkām. Edited by Sayyid Ahmad Husayni. Qom: Ayatollah Mar'ashi Najafi Library, 1405 AH.
  • Shaykh al-Mufīd, Muḥammad b. Muḥammad. al-Muqniʿa. Qom: Shaykh al-Mufid Congress, 1413 AH.
  • Shaykh al-Ṭūsī, Muḥammad b. al-Ḥasan. al-Iqtiṣād al-hādī ilā ṭarīq al-rashād. Tehran: Chehel-Sotoon Library, 1375 Sh.
  • Shaykh al-Ṭūsī, Muḥammad b. al-Ḥasan. al-Tibyān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān. Beirut: Dār Iḥyāʾ al-Turāth al-ʿArabī, n.d.
  • Ṭabrisī, Faḍl b. al-Ḥasan al-. Majmaʿ al-bayān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān. Tehran: Nasir Khusraw Publications, 1372 Sh.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikishia.net/w/index.php?title=Qur%27an_3:110&oldid=209830"