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Qur'an 48:10

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Qur'an 48:10
Verse's Information
NameVerse of God's hand is above their hands (Yad Allah Fawqa Aydihim)
Suraal-Fath (Qur'an 48)
Verse10
Juz'26
Content Information
Cause of
Revelation		Referring to the Pledge of Ridwan during the Treaty of Hudaybiyya
Place of
Revelation		Medina
TopicDoctrinal
AboutPledge of Ridwan
Related VersesQur'an 48:18


Qur'an 48:10 (Verse 10 of Sura al-Fath) describes pledging allegiance to the Prophet (s) as pledging allegiance to God and introduces God's hand as being above all hands. It further states that the harm of breaking the pledge falls upon the violators and that remaining faithful to the pledge is the cause of a great reward. The pledge intended in this verse is considered to be the Pledge of Ridwan during the events of the Treaty of Hudaybiyya. It is said that the first person to pledge allegiance to the Prophet (s) was Imam Ali (a). Exegetes have described the pledge as a commitment to die in the way of God, fight to the last breath, and not to flee or retreat.

"Yad Allah fawqa aydihim" (God's hand is above their hands) is considered a metaphorical expression which introduces pledging allegiance to the Prophet (s) as a divine and direct pledge to God. The superiority of God's power and assistance, the superiority of God's favor over the service of others, and also the superiority of loyalty to God's covenant over that of others are among the other meanings given to "yad Allah fawqa aydihim".

Sects such as the Mujassima and Wahhabism, with a literal interpretation of the phrase "yad Allah fawqa aydihim," believe in God's physicality. However, Shi'as and the majority of Sunnis reject this and consider this verse among the allegorical verses and reject the physicality of God's being on rational proofs such as the impossibility of God's physicality as well as definitive verses such as "laysa ka-mithlihi shayʾ" (there is nothing like Him).

Introduction

Qur'an 48:10 describes pledging allegiance to the Prophet (s) as pledging allegiance to God[1] and obedience to him as obedience to God.[2] It establishes God's hand as being superior to all hands, and warns that whoever breaks the pledge and violates the covenant,[3] will only bring harm upon themselves,[4] and that there is no loss for God and His Messenger.[5] It further states that being faithful to the pledge is the cause of a great reward[6] which is Paradise[7] and its blessings.[8] It is said that according to this verse, one who breaks the pledge with the Prophet (s) is the same as one who breaks the pledge with God.[9]

The phrase "yad Allah fawqa aydihim" has been used by Muslims on various occasions[10] and has also found expression in their art and architecture.[11] For example, this phrase is inscribed on the solar crown of the dome of the Shrine of Imam Ali (a) alongside fourteen rays of light.[12]

The solar crown of the dome of the Shrine of Imam Ali (a) with the phrase "yad Allah fawqa aydihim".

Occasion of Revelation

The pledge intended in this verse is considered to be the pledge of the Muslims with the Prophet (s) during the Pledge of Hudaybiyya[13] which is known as the Pledge of Ridwan and is described in detail in Qur'an 48:18.[14] In the sixth year AH, the Prophet (s) left Medina accompanied by a number of his Companions with the intention of performing Umra. However, the polytheists of the Quraysh tribe prevented their entry into Mecca. After rumors that one of his emissaries had been killed by the Quraysh, the Prophet (s) called his companions to pledge allegiance, and they pledged to defend the Prophet (s) to the death. After that, this verse was revealed.[15] This event ultimately led to the Treaty of Hudaybiyya.[16] It is said this verse was revealed after Qur'an 48:18.[17]

It is said that all the Companions present on this journey, except one person named al-Jadd b. Qays, pledged allegiance to the Prophet (s).[18] Imam Ali (a) is considered to be the first person who pledged allegiance to the Prophet (s);[19] while Umar ibn al-Khattab is mentioned as the last person.[20]

See also: Pledge of Ridwan, Verse of Ridwan Pledge, and Treaty of Hudaybiyya

Objectives of the Pledge

Exegetes have mentioned various opinions regarding the objectives of the pledge. The pledge was for assistance in war,[21] the pledge was for fighting to the last breath and not fleeing,[22] obedience,[23] acting upon the commands and prohibitions of the Prophet (s),[24] and employing all one's material and spiritual power and capability in the way of pleasing God.[25]

Sayyid Muhammad Husayni Hamadani, author of the exegetical work Anwar-i dirakhshan, describes the pledge and covenant as a means of expressing belief and heartfelt obedience which manifests in practice and is like a verbal and practical commitment.[26] It is stated in the book Tafsir al-Qummi that this verse establishes a condition for the Pledge of Ridwan, meaning that God's pleasure with those who pledged is conditional upon their fidelity to the covenant with God, provided they do not break it.[27]

Meanings of "Yad Allah Fawqa Aydihim"

Exegetes have mentioned various opinions regarding the meaning and intent of the phrase "yad Allah fawqa aydihim," (God's hand is above their hands) some of which are:

  • This expression is a metaphorical figure of speech.[28] It is an allusion to the fact that the pledge with the Prophet (s) is a divine pledge and it is as if God's hand is placed above their hands[29] and they are pledging to God.[30] In other words, the pledge of the Muslims will be a direct pledge to God.[31] It is said that such allusions are very common in the Arabic language.[32]
  • The core meaning here is God's divine power and assistance. It establishes the principle that God's power is supreme above all,[33] and directs the Prophet (s) to trust only in the help of God.[34]
  • The bond of God in this pledge transcends all other bonds, and the might of God in granting aid surpasses all other aid.[35]
  • The intended meaning of the word "yad" (hand) is divine favor and blessing, meaning God's favor upon the Muslims, which is either in the form of reward or in the success to pledge, is greater than the favor or service that they did for the Prophet (s) by pledging to him.[36] Or that God's favor upon the people in guiding them is greater than the service and obedience they perform for the Prophet (s).[37]
  • Keeping one's covenant with God takes precedence over all other covenants.[38]
  • The Prophet's hand is the same as God's hand[39] or the sanctity of the Prophet's hand is like the sanctity of God's hand.[40]
  • The intended meaning is that the Prophet's hand is above the hands of others; and God is exalted beyond any limbs, organs, or physical characteristics.[41]

Some exegetes believe that this verse also pays attention to the manner of the Prophet's (s) pledge and refers to the placement of his hand upon the hands of his companions.[42]

Failure to prove the physicality of God

Some sects of Muslims such as the Mujassima and Wahhabism, relying on the phrase "yad Allah fawqa aydihim," believe in the physicality of God. However, Shi'as and the majority of Sunnis reject God's physicality.[43] They consider this verse among the allegorical verses and reject the physicality of God's being based on rational proofs such as the impossibility of God's physicality as well as definitive verses such as "laysa ka-mithlihi shay" (there is nothing like Him).[44][45]

Notes

  1. ↑ Qurṭubī, Al-Jāmiʿ li-Aḥkām al-Qurʾān, 1364 SH, vol. 16, p. 267.
  2. ↑ Ṭayyib, Aṭyab al-Bayān, 1369 SH, vol. 12, p. 203; Ḥusaynī Shāh ʿAbd al-ʿAẓīmī, Tafsīr Ithnāʿasharī, 1404 AH, vol. 12, p. 149; Sabzawārī Najafī, Irshād al-Adhhān, 1419 AH, p. 517.
  3. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i Nimūna, 1371 SH, vol. 22, p. 44-45.
  4. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Al-Mīzān, 1390 AH, vol. 18, p. 275.
  5. ↑ Sabzawārī Najafī, Irshād al-Adhhān, 1419 AH, p. 517.
  6. ↑ Shaykh al-Ṭūsī, Al-Tibyān, Beirut, vol. 9, p. 319; Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Al-Mīzān, 1390 AH, vol. 18, p. 276; Zamakhsharī, Al-Kashshāf, 1407 AH, vol. 4, p. 335; Qarāʾatī, Tafsīr-i Nūr, 1388 SH, vol. 9, p. 122.
  7. ↑ Bayḍāwī, Anwār al-Tanzīl, 1418 AH, vol. 5, p. 127; Qurṭubī, Al-Jāmiʿ li-Aḥkām al-Qurʾān, 1364 SH, vol. 16, p. 268; Sabzawārī Najafī, Irshād al-Adhhān, 1419 AH, p. 517.
  8. ↑ Maybudī, Kashf al-Asrār, 1371 SH, vol. 9, p. 210.
  9. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Al-Mīzān, 1390 AH, vol. 18, p. 275.
  10. ↑ "Rūz-i Quds Rūz-i Gawāhī-yi Āyat Yad Allah Fawqa Aydīhim Ast," Khābarguzārī-yi Dānishjū; "Ḥāditha-yi Ṣaḥrā-yi Ṭabas Tafsīr-i Riwāyat 'Yad Allah Fawqa Aydīhim' Ast," Khābarguzārī-yi Difāʿ-i Muqaddas.
  11. ↑ "Kitība'hā-yi Āb'ānbār-i Masjid-i Darwāza-yi Kāshān," Bunyād-i Qum'pazhūhī.
  12. ↑ "Bāzsāzī-i Tāj-i Khurshīdī-i Gunbad-i Ḥaram-i ʿAlawī Tavassuṭ-i Kārshināsān-i Sittād-i ʿAtabāt," Khābarguzārī-yi Fārs.
  13. ↑ Ibn Sulaymān, Tafsīr Muqātil b. Sulaymān, 1423 AH, vol. 4, p. 70; Shaykh al-Ṭūsī, Al-Tibyān, Beirut, vol. 9, p. 319; Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-Bayān, 1372 SH, vol. 9, p. 172; Mughnīyya, Tafsīr al-Kāshif, 1424 AH, vol. 7, p. 88; Bayḍāwī, Anwār al-Tanzīl, 1418 AH, vol. 5, p. 127; Qurṭubī, Al-Jāmiʿ li-Aḥkām al-Qurʾān, 1364 SH, vol. 16, p. 267; Maybudī, Kashf al-Asrār, 1371 SH, vol. 9, p. 210.
  14. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i Nimūna, 1371 SH, vol. 22, p. 46.
  15. ↑ Mughnīyya, Tafsīr al-Kāshif, 1424 AH, vol. 7, p. 88.
  16. ↑ Wāqidī, Kitāb al-Maghāzī, 1966 CE, vol. 2, p. 603; Ibn Hishām, Al-Sīra al-Nabawīyya, 1412 AH, vol. 2, p. 782; Ṭabarī, Tārīkh al-Umam wa al-Mulūk, 1387 AH, vol. 2, p. 632.
  17. ↑ Qummī, Tafsīr al-Qummī, 1404 AH, vol. 2, p. 315.
  18. ↑ Ibn al-Jawzī, Zād al-Masīr, 1422 AH, vol. 4, p. 130; Ḥusaynī Shāh ʿAbd al-ʿAẓīmī, Tafsīr Ithnāʿasharī, 1404 AH, vol. 12, p. 150.
  19. ↑ Majlisī, Biḥār al-Anwār, 1403 AH, vol. 38, p. 217; Ibn Shahrāshūb Māzandarānī, Manāqib, 1379 AH, vol. 1, p. 303; Ṭayyib, Aṭyab al-Bayān, 1369 SH, vol. 12, p. 203.
  20. ↑ Farhang wa Maʿārif-i Qurʾān, Aʿlām al-Qurʾān, vol. 3, p. 533 as quoted from Fatḥ al-Bārī, vol. 7, p. 579.
  21. ↑ Shaykh al-Ṭūsī, Al-Tibyān, Beirut, vol. 9, p. 319.
  22. ↑ Ibn Sulaymān, Tafsīr Muqātil b. Sulaymān, 1423 AH, vol. 4, p. 70; Zamakhsharī, Al-Kashshāf, 1407 AH, vol. 4, p. 335; Maybudī, Kashf al-Asrār, 1371 SH, vol. 9, p. 210; Mudarrisī, Min Hādī al-Qurʾān, 1419 AH, vol. 13, p. 313.
  23. ↑ Mughnīyya, Tafsīr al-Kāshif, 1424 AH, vol. 7, p. 88.
  24. ↑ Sabzawārī Najafī, Irshād al-Adhhān, 1419 AH, p. 517; Ḥusaynī Hamadānī, Anwār-i Darakhshān, 1404 AH, vol. 15, p. 337.
  25. ↑ Mudarrisī, Min Hādī al-Qurʾān, 1419 AH, vol. 13, p. 313.
  26. ↑ Ḥusaynī Hamadānī, Anwār-i Darakhshān, 1404 AH, vol. 15, p. 337.
  27. ↑ Qummī, Tafsīr al-Qummī, 1404 AH, vol. 2, p. 315.
  28. ↑ Bayḍāwī, Anwār al-Tanzīl, 1418 AH, vol. 5, p. 127; Zamakhsharī, Al-Kashshāf, 1407 AH, vol. 4, p. 335.
  29. ↑ Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-Bayān, 1372 SH, vol. 9, p. 172; ʿĀmilī, Tafsīr ʿĀmilī, 1360 SH, vol. 8, p. 17.
  30. ↑ Fakhr al-Rāzī, Al-Tafsīr al-Kabīr, 1420 AH, vol. 28, p. 73; Ḥusaynī Hamadānī, Anwār-i Darakhshān, 1404 AH, vol. 15, p. 337; ʿĀmilī, Tafsīr ʿĀmilī, 1360 SH, vol. 8, p. 17.
  31. ↑ Sabzawārī Najafī, Irshād al-Adhhān, 1419 AH, p. 517.
  32. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i Nimūna, 1371 SH, vol. 22, p. 44-45.
  33. ↑ Mudarrisī, Min Hādī al-Qurʾān, 1419 AH, vol. 13, p. 313.
  34. ↑ Fakhr al-Rāzī, Al-Tafsīr al-Kabīr, 1420 AH, vol. 28, p. 73; Tustarī, Tafsīr al-Tustarī, 1423 AH, p. 147.
  35. ↑ Shaykh al-Ṭūsī, Al-Tibyān, Beirut, vol. 9, p. 319.
  36. ↑ Fakhr al-Rāzī, Al-Tafsīr al-Kabīr, 1420 AH, vol. 28, p. 73.
  37. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Al-Mīzān, 1390 AH, vol. 18, p. 275, as quoted from others.
  38. ↑ Maybudī, Kashf al-Asrār, 1371 SH, vol. 9, p. 210.
  39. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Al-Mīzān, 1390 AH, vol. 18, p. 275.
  40. ↑ Mughnīyya, Al-Tafsīr al-Mubīn, Qom, p. 679.
  41. ↑ Zamakhsharī, Al-Kashshāf, 1407 AH, vol. 4, p. 335.
  42. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Al-Mīzān, 1390 AH, vol. 18, p. 275; Ḥusaynī Hamadānī, Anwār-i Darakhshān, 1404 AH, vol. 15, p. 337.
  43. ↑ Ṣabūrī, "Tajsīm," Pajūhishkada-yi Bāqir al-ʿUlūm.
  44. ↑ Sura al-Shura, verse 11.
  45. ↑ Reẓāʾī Iṣfahānī, "Rawishʾhā-yi Tafsīrī," Portāl-i Jāmiʿ-i ʿUlūm wa Maʿārif-i Qurʾān.

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