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Salih al-Mu'minin

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Ṣāliḥ al-Muʾminīn (Arabic: صالِحُ المُؤمِنین), meaning "the righteous among the faithful," is a phrase used in Qur'an 66:4. In this verse, the "righteous among the faithful" are mentioned alongside God, Gabriel, and other angels in their support of the Prophet (s). Quranic exegetes suggest that the verse was revealed in response to some of the Prophet's (s) wives who caused him distress. By revealing this verse, God rebuked them and called upon them to repent for their misdeeds.

Some exegetes believe that the phrase "the righteous among the faithful" is singular, referring to a specific individual, while others interpret it as a genus noun encompassing all pious Muslims. According to the first view, Shiite exegetes identify the referent of the phrase as Imam Ali (a), while according to the second view, they consider him the most prominent example. Evidence for the first view includes hadiths cited in both Shiite and Sunni sources, which describe Imam Ali (a) as the sole referent of "the righteous among the faithful" due to his infallibility and merits.

Some Sunni exegetes identify the first two caliphs as examples of "the righteous among the faithful" because they restrained and admonished their daughters, Aisha and Hafsa, from causing distress to the Prophet (s). However, they also clarify that the two caliphs are not the only examples.

The Concept

Salih al-mu'minin means "the righteous among the faithful."[1] Some scholars believe that "salih" in this phrase is a genus noun,[2] concluding that it encompasses all righteous, pious, and fully faithful believers.[3] In contrast, others reject this general interpretation, arguing that it refers to a specific individual.[4] 'Allama Tabataba'i contends that "salih al-mu'minin" is distinct from "al-salih min al-mu'minin," as only the latter functions as a genus noun implying generality. This difference is due to the definite article "al-" modifying "salih" in "al-salih min al-mu'minin," while "salih al-mu'minin" in the verse does not convey such generality.[5]

The Verse of Salih al-Mu'minin

The phrase "salih al-mu'minin" (the righteous among the faithful) is derived from the verse:

إِن تَتوبا إِلَى اللَّهِ فَقَد صَغَت قُلوبُكُما ۖ وَإِن تَظاهَرا عَلَيهِ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ مَولاهُ وَجِبريلُ وَصالِحُ المُؤمِنينَ ۖ وَالمَلائِكَةُ بَعدَ ذٰلِكَ ظَهيرٌ
If the two of you repent to Allah for your hearts have certainly swerved, and if you back each other against him, then [know that] Allah is indeed his guardian, and Gabriel, the righteous among the faithful, and, thereafter, the angels are his supporters.

— Qur'an 66:4

which is therefore known as the Verse of Salih al-Mu'minin.[6]

Occasion of the Revelation of the Verse

Various hadiths concerning the occasion of the revelation of the Verse of Salih al-Mu'minin suggest that some of the Prophet's (s) wives caused him distress.[7] According to these hadiths, the Prophet (s) once visited one of his wives and had some honey, which caused his stay to be prolonged. Aisha, along with some other wives, decided to distance themselves from the Prophet (s) the next time he visited by claiming that the honey he had consumed left a bad odor. As a result of this encounter, the Prophet (s) decided not to consume honey anymore. According to some of these hadiths, the Prophet (s) also distanced himself from his wives and considered divorcing them. Eventually, verses of Sura al-Tahrim were revealed, prohibiting the Prophet (s) from forbidding for himself what God had permitted.[8]

The verse also called upon the wives of the Prophet (s) to repent for having caused him distress, warning them that if they continued to trouble the Prophet (s), God is his guardian. Should any danger confront him, God, along with Gabriel, the righteous among the believers (salih al-mu'minin), and other angels, will support him.[9]

Who Is the Righteous Among the Faithful?

Many Shiite exegetes argue that "the righteous among the faithful" refers specifically to Imam Ali (a). According to al-'Allama al-Majlisi,[10] all Shiite scholars, and according to al-'Allama al-Hilli,[11] all Quranic exegetes agree that "salih al-mu'minin" refers to Imam Ali (a). They cite hadiths found in both Shiite[12] and Sunni sources,[13] which identify Imam Ali (a) as the sole referent of this phrase. The rationale behind this view is that "the righteous among the faithful" must represent the best of believers[14] and be infallible, given its mention alongside Gabriel and other angels.[15] 'Allama Tabataba'i also holds that Imam Ali (a) is the only instance of "salih al-mu'minin."[16] In contrast, some other Sunni and Shiite exegetes maintain that the phrase includes all righteous, pious, and fully faithful believers.[17] Accordingly, Shiite Quranic exegetes Nasir Makarim Shirazi and Abd Allah Jawadi Amuli consider Imam Ali (a) to be the most exemplary instance of the righteous among the faithful.[18]

Al-Alusi (d. 1270/1854), a Sunni exegete, believes that Abu Bakr and Umar are also examples of "the righteous among the faithful," but he clarifies that they are not the sole referents of the phrase.[19] He attributes this view to Ibn al-'Asakir, a sixth/twelfth century Sunni exegete.[20] Al-Alusi's rationale is that Abu Bakr and Umar had prohibited their daughters, Aisha and Hafsa, who were wives of the Prophet (s), from troubling him.[21] However, al-Shushtari argues that this interpretation is not widely accepted by Quranic exegetes and contends that "salih al-mu'minin" means as referring to the most righteous among the faithful, and hence it contradicts the rules of literary expression to interpret the phrase as referring to more than one individual.[22] Additionally, some hadiths in Sunni sources suggest that Abu Bakr and Umar, or only Umar, were introduced as examples of this phrase;[23] however, the chains of transmission for these hadiths are considered unreliable.[24]

Notes

  1. ↑ Qurashī, Qāmūs-i Qurān, vol. 4, p. 142.
  2. ↑ Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, vol. 10, p. 471; Ālūsī, Rūḥ al-maʿānī, vol. 14, p. 348; Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, vol. 24, p. 280.
  3. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, vol. 24, p. 280.
  4. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, vol. 19, p. 332.
  5. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, vol. 19, p. 332.
  6. ↑ Ḥillī, Nahj al-ḥaqq, p. 191.
  7. ↑ Wāḥidī, Asbāb al-nuzūl al-Qurʾān, p. 459-461.
  8. ↑ Wāḥidī, Asbāb al-nuzūl al-Qurʾān, p. 459-461.
  9. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, vol. 19, p. 331.
  10. ↑ Majlisī, Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 36, p. 31.
  11. ↑ Ḥillī, Minhāj al-karāma, p. 146.
  12. ↑ See: Ḥuwayzī, Tafsīr nūr al-thaqalayn, vol. 5, p. 370; Ṣadūq, al-Amālī, p. 31.
  13. ↑ See: Ḥaskānī, Shawāhid al-tanzīl, vol. 2, p. 341-352; Abū Ḥayyān Andulusī, al-Baḥr al-muḥīṭ, vol. 5, p. 332; Suyūṭī, al-Durr al-manthūr, vol. 6, p. 244.
  14. ↑ Shūshtarī, Iḥqāq al-ḥaqq, vol. 3, p. 314-320.
  15. ↑ Ibn Ṭāwūs, Saʿd al-suʿūd, p. 181; Ṣādiqī Tihrānī, al-furqān, vol. 28, p. 438.
  16. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, vol. 19, p. 332.
  17. ↑ Ṭabarī, Jāmiʿ al-bayān, vol. 28, p. 105; Ālūsī, Rūḥ al-maʿānī, vol. 14, p. 349; Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, vol. 24, p. 280.
  18. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, vol. 24, p. 280.
  19. ↑ Ālūsī, Rūḥ al-maʿānī, vol. 14, p. 349.
  20. ↑ Ālūsī, Rūḥ al-maʿānī, vol. 14, p. 348-349.
  21. ↑ Shūshtarī, Iḥqāq al-ḥaqq, vol. 3, p. 314.
  22. ↑ Shūshtarī, Iḥqāq al-ḥaqq, vol. 3, p. 319.
  23. ↑ Ālūsī, Rūḥ al-maʿānī, vol. 14, p. 349.
  24. ↑ Khudāparast, Barrasī-yi taṭbīqī-yi dīdgāh-i mufassirān-i farīqayn darbāra-yi miṣdāq-i ṣāliḥ al-Muʾminīn, p. 92-96.

References

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