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Verse of Ja'a l-Haqq

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Verse of Ja'a l-Haqq
Verse's Information
NameVerse of Ja'a l-Haqq
SuraSura al-Isra (Qur'an 17)
Verse81
Juz'15
Content Information
Cause of
Revelation		Cleansing of al-Masjid al-Haram from idols after the Conquest of Mecca
Place of
Revelation		Mecca
TopicTheological
AboutAnnouncement of the victory of truth and the destruction of falsehood
Related VersesQur'an 13:18 and Qur'an 14:26


Qur'an 17:81, known as the Verse of Jāʾa l-Ḥaqq (Arabic: آيَة جَاءَ ٱلْحَقّ) is Verse 81 of Qur'an 17, referring to a Divine tradition regarding the ultimate victory of truth and the destruction of falsehood. The cause of revelation of this verse is traced back to the Conquest of Mecca and the purification of al-Masjid al-Haram and the Ka'ba of idols. Exegetes have interpreted "truth" (haqq) in this verse as referring to Islam, tawhid, the prophethood of the Prophet (s), the Qur'an, the wilaya of the Imams (a), and religious rulings. Conversely, kufr, polytheism, false religions, and oppressive laws are considered instances of falsehood (batil). According to commentators, this verse caused the polytheists to despair of falsehood's return. The Verse of Ja'a l-Haqq has also been applied to the Uprising of Imam al-Mahdi (a).

Qur'anic researchers, under this verse and in response to the question of why historically followers of falsehood have often triumphed and followers of truth have been oppressed, believe that although falsehood may have been superior at times using tools such as threats and deception but with changing conditions, its tools become ineffective and circumstances change. In contrast, truth has an inherent power that never separates from it, and followers of truth remain loyal to it even in the worst conditions, which causes its persistence. To support their claim, they cite verses from the Qur'an such as Qur'an 13:18, which compares falsehood to foam on water and truth to the water itself.

Introduction, Text, and Translation

The Verse of Ja'a l-Haqq is the 81st verse of Qur'an 17, in which God commands Prophet Muhammad (s) to announce to the polytheists that truth is victorious and falsehood will certainly perish and not endure, and there is no return to it.[1]

Cause of Revelation

Commentators have narrated several narrations regarding the cause of revelation of the Verse of Ja'a l-Haqq, which mostly refer to the Conquest of Mecca, the breaking of idols, and the cleansing of the space of al-Masjid al-Haram and the Ka'ba from the presence of idols.[2] Al-Tabrisi in Tafsir Majma' al-bayan has narrated from Ibn Mas'ud that on the day of the Conquest of Mecca, the Prophet (s) entered Mecca while there were 360 idols around the Ka'ba. He would strike them with a stick in his hand, reciting the Verse of Ja'a l-Haqq, and they would fall to the ground.[3]

It is also narrated from Jabir b. Abd Allah al-Ansari regarding the revelation of this verse that when the Prophet (s) entered Mecca, there were 360 idols in the House of God, all of which were broken by his order. There was a very large idol named Hubal inside. The Prophet (s) ordered Imam Ali (a) to climb onto his shoulders and throw it down from the roof of the Ka'ba. Ali (a) asked the Prophet (s) to place his foot on his back and break it himself. Jabir narrates from Ali (a): "When the Prophet (s) placed his foot on my shoulder, I felt I could not bear the weight of the Prophet's mission; so I said: 'O Messenger of God, allow me to place my foot on your shoulder.' I climbed onto his shoulder and broke the large idol, after which the Verse of Ja'a l-Haqq was revealed."[4] It is also narrated that when the Prophet (s) entered al-Masjid al-Haram and recited the Verse of Ja'a l-Haqq, the idols fell to the ground, and the people of Mecca said they had never seen a man more magical than him.[5]

Content

Commentators, interpreting the Verse of Ja'a al-Haqq, have pointed out exegetical points, including the meaning of truth and falsehood in this verse, the consequences of announcing the verse publicly, and the doubts raised about it.

Meaning of Truth and Falsehood

Regarding what the words "truth" (haqq) and "falsehood" (batil) refer to in the Verse of Ja'a l-Haqq and what instances they include, commentators have mentioned several possibilities:

Disappointment of Polytheists about the Future

Allama Tabataba'i believes that the Verse of Ja'a l-Haqq comes in the context of the previous verses (from verse "wa in kadu la-yaftinunaka" till the end of three verses) and tells the Prophet (s) to announce it to everyone so that the polytheists become disheartened and know that they will no longer be able to overcome the Prophet (s), and that falsehood never endures, just as Qur'an 14:26 ("the parable of an evil word is that of an evil tree: uprooted from the surface of the earth and it has no stability") refers to it.[10] Al-Shaykh al-Tusi also considers the revelation of this verse a sign that falsehood will certainly be destroyed and will have no return.[11] In Tafsir-i nimuna, it is also stated that the Verse of Ja'a l-Haqq refers to a Divine tradition that truth will eventually triumph and falsehood will certainly be destroyed; like foam on water which disappears after a while, referred to in Qur'an 13:18. According to the authors of Tafsir-i nimuna, truth, being identical to reality and accompanied by honesty and correctness and in harmony with the laws of creation, will ultimately triumph. In contrast, falsehood, not being in harmony with the world of creation, will not remain for long.[12]

Strength of Truth or Falsehood

According to Muhammad Jawad Mughniyya, a question might arise regarding the Verse of Ja'a l-Haqq that what has usually happened in history is the victory of followers of falsehood and the defeat of followers of truth and this contradicts the apparent meaning of the verse.[13] Mughniyya himself answers this question by saying that truth possesses an inherent power that never separates from it and is influential in pure hearts. This power sometimes reaches such an extent that even the executioners' swords and oppressors' gallows cannot break their resistance, like those who were martyred for their beliefs. In contrast, falsehood achieves its goals through deceit, conspiracy, using methods such as fraud and threats, which disappear with the change of conditions. The power of truth, however, is stable in different states. That is why in the end the ultimate superiority will belong to truth.[14]

Application of the Verse to the Reappearance of Imam al-Mahdi (a)

The Reappearance of Imam al-Mahdi (a) and his uprising are considered instances of the Verse of Ja'a l-Haqq. According to Nasir Makarim Shirazi, a Shi'a Marja', this verse refers to a protected general divine law that has an occurrence in every age and time, among which are the victory of the Prophet (s) over polytheism and idolatry and also the uprising of Imam al-Mahdi (a).[15] In Tafsir Nur al-thaqalayn, narrations are mentioned that apply this verse to the uprising of Imam al-Mahdi (a). For example, it is narrated from Imam al-Baqir (a) that the concept of "Truth has come and falsehood has perished" refers to the time when al-Qa'im (a) rises and the governments of falsehood are destroyed. It is also narrated in another narration that at the time of Imam al-Mahdi's birth, this verse was inscribed on his arm.[16]

Notes

  1. ↑ Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, vol. 6, pp. 671-672; Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, vol. 13, p. 177; Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, vol. 12, pp. 233-234.
  2. ↑ Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, vol. 6, pp. 671-672; Abū al-Futūḥ al-Rāzī, Rawḍ al-jinān, vol. 12, p. 276; Ṣādiqī Tihrānī, al-Furqān, vol. 17, pp. 306-307.
  3. ↑ Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, vol. 6, pp. 671-672.
  4. ↑ Ḥaskānī, Shawāhid al-tanzīl, vol. 1, pp. 453-454; Muḥaqqiq, Nimūna-yi bayyināt, pp. 509-510.
  5. ↑ Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, vol. 6, p. 672.
  6. ↑ Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, vol. 6, p. 672; Sabzawārī, Irshād al-adhhān, vol. 1, p. 295; Ṭayyib, Aṭyab al-bayān, vol. 8, pp. 297-298.
  7. ↑ Ṭūsī, al-Tibyān, vol. 6, p. 513.
  8. ↑ Mughniyya, al-Kāshif, vol. 5, p. 77; Ṭayyib, Aṭyab al-bayān, vol. 8, pp. 297-298.
  9. ↑ Ṭayyib, Aṭyab al-bayān, vol. 8, pp. 297-298.
  10. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, vol. 13, p. 177.
  11. ↑ Ṭūsī, al-Tibyān, vol. 6, p. 513.
  12. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, vol. 12, pp. 233-234.
  13. ↑ Mughniyya, al-Kāshif, vol. 5, p. 77.
  14. ↑ Mughniyya, al-Kāshif, vol. 5, pp. 77-78.
  15. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsir-i nimuna, vol. 12, p. 261.
  16. ↑ Ḥuwayzī, Nūr al-thaqalayn, vol. 3, pp. 212-213.

References

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  • Ḥaskānī, ʿUbayd Allāh b. ʿAbd Allāh. Shawāhid al-tanzīl. Edited by Muḥammad Bāqir Maḥmūdī. Tehran: Wizārat-i Irshād, 1411 AH.
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