{"id":6750,"date":"2019-07-31T14:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-07-31T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2020-01-12T13:51:47","modified_gmt":"2020-01-12T13:51:47","slug":"the-relationship-between-the-quran-and-the-ahlulbayt-a","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shiastudies.com\/en\/6750\/the-relationship-between-the-quran-and-the-ahlulbayt-a\/","title":{"rendered":"The Relationship between the Quran and the AhlulBayt (a)"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Relationship between the Quran and the AhlulBayt (a)<\/strong><\/h4>\n

According to numerous hadith scholars and historians, Shi\u2019i and Sunni alike, the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, never failed at different times in this life, including its difficult last moments, to draw people\u2019s attention to the profound link between these two great and authoritative sources of Islam, the Qur\u2019an and his Progeny (Ahl al-Bayt), tracing out thereby an entire program for the future of Islam in a single instructive sentence.<\/h4>\n

The hadith concerning the “two weighty trusts” known as hadith al-thaqalayn is
\none of the most widely accepted and authoritative of all the traditions narrated
\nfrom the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, and it has
\nalso been recorded in the principal Sunni books of tradition. It possesses the
\nhighest degree of authenticity and acceptance.
\nThe text is as follows:
\n“I leave among you two precious and weighty trusts, on being the Book of God and
\nthe other my Progeny. These two legacies will never be separated from each
\nother, and if you lay firm hold of them you will never go astray.” [1]<\/h4>\n

Certain Sunni scholars even add the following sentence at the end of the hadith:
\n“\u2019Ali is always with the Qur\u2019an and the Qur\u2019an is with \u2018Ali; they too will not
\nbe separated from each other.” [2]<\/h4>\n

Hadith scholars attribute the transmission of this tradition to roughly thirty
\nCompanions of the Prophet. [3]<\/h4>\n

According to numerous hadith scholars and historians, Shi\u2019i and Sunni alike, the
\nProphet, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, never failed at
\ndifferent times in this life, including its difficult last moments, to draw
\npeople\u2019s attention to the profound link between these two great and
\nauthoritative sources of Islam, the Qur\u2019an and his Progeny (Ahl al-Bayt),
\ntracing out thereby an entire program for the future of Islam in a single
\ninstructive sentence. Small differences are to be seen in the form of the
\nrelevant traditions, some being detailed and others concise depending on the
\noccasion, but the content and meaning are always the same: the profound and
\nindissoluble link between the Qur\u2019an and the Progeny of the Prophet, peace and
\nblessings be upon him and his family, the absolute interrelatedness of the two.
\nIbn Hajar, a Sunni scholar, writes:<\/h4>\n

“We have mentioned earlier different versions of this hadith. Some of them
\nrelate to the utterances made by the Prophet at Arafah in the course of his
\nFarewell Pilgrimage; others to pronouncements made while he was on his deathbed
\nin Madinah, surrounded by the Companions; another to his address at Ghadir Khumm;
\nand yet another to statements made while returning from Ta\u2019if.”<\/h4>\n

He then adds: “None of these versions contradict each other, for there is no
\nreason why he should not have repeated the same truth on all these occasions,
\nand on others as well, given the great significance that both the Qur\u2019an and his
\nProgeny possess. [4]<\/h4>\n

In another tradition known as the hadith of the Truth (hadith al-haqq), the
\nProphet, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, says: “\u2019Ali is with the
\ntruth and the truth is with \u2018Ali; wherever the truth is, \u2018Ali will incline to
\nit.” [5]<\/h4>\n

We know that the verses of the Noble Qur\u2019an form a compendium of the divine
\ncommands and laws of Islam; the teachings contained in them are a guarantee for
\nman\u2019s happiness and salvation. However, the interpretation and exegesis of the
\nQur\u2019an have to be undertaken by persons who are acquainted with the language of
\nrevelation and who fully possess the necessary competence, in terms of both
\nknowledge and conduct. The Shi\u2019ah therefore believe that those who possess this
\ncompetence must be identified by the Prophet himself and appointed by him to
\nadminister the affairs of the people and guide them. It is they who understand
\nthe language of revelation and can properly acquit themselves of the task of
\ninterpreting and explicating God\u2019s verses. The juxtaposition of the Progeny of
\nthe Prophet with the Qur\u2019an is thus due to the need of the Qur\u2019an for an
\nexegesis that will set forth its purposes and regulations.<\/h4>\n

If we look carefully at the content of the hadith, we will see that to separate
\nthe Qur\u2019an from the Progeny of the Prophet and to follow the utterances and
\nviews of persons unacquainted with its symbols and truths is bound to lead to
\nerror and misguidance. The tradition therefore implies that only the Progeny of
\nthe Prophet can establish the firm and categorical meaning of the verses in
\nGod\u2019s Book that are allegorical.<\/h4>\n

The fact that the Prophet places the Qur\u2019an and his Progeny side by side
\nindicates that both are advancing in the same direction and toward the same
\ngoal: the Qur\u2019an is a divine law and book, and the Progeny are its interpreters,
\nexecutors and guardians. To separate and distance oneself from the Progeny is
\ntherefore to invite destruction.<\/h4>\n

The decline and deviance of the Muslims began when such a separation started to
\noccur and men attempted to hold on to each one separately. The thesis, “God\u2019s
\nBook alone is enough for us” came to prevail in their religious thinking,
\nleading to the emergence of such schools as the Ash\u2019ari and the Mu\u2019tazilite. It
\nwas as if they knew the value of God\u2019s Book better than the Prophet himself and
\nbetter comprehended its significance!<\/h4>\n

It is possible to understand the Qur\u2019an and explain the knowledge it contains
\nonly by referring to the utterances of those persons upon whom knowledge has
\nbeen directly bestowed by God, or at least whose knowledge is derived from
\ninstruction by a particular source. Such persons can be only the Inerrant (ma\u2019sum)
\nImams of the Prophet\u2019s Progeny.<\/h4>\n

Ibn Hajar also cites the following sentence uttered by the Prophet, peace and
\nblessings be upon him and his family:<\/h4>\n

“Do not attempt to go beyond these twin trusts (the Book and the Progeny of the
\nProphet), for that will lead you into perdition, and do not fall short in
\nadhering to them, for that too will encompass your ruin. Do not imagine the
\nPeople of the Prophet\u2019s House to be ignorant, for they are infinitely more
\nknowledgeable than you and understand well the language of revelation.” [6]<\/h4>\n

The Commander of the Faithful, \u2018Ali, peace be upon him, said:<\/h4>\n

“You will never remain faithful to your covenant with the Qur\u2019an unless you
\nrecognize who it is that has betrayed his covenant, and you will never lay firm
\nhold of the Qur\u2019an unless you recognize who it is that has abandoned it. Seek
\nthe straight path of fidelity and the means of adhering to the Qur\u2019an from the
\npeople of the Qur\u2019an, for it is they who keep alive knowledge and learning and
\nuproot ignorance. They it is by means of obedience to whom you become aware of
\nthe knowledge they hold. You comprehend their silence from their speech and
\ntheir outer appearance from their inner state. They never rebel against the
\ncommand of religion and never fall into dispute. Religion is a silent and
\nveracious witness dwelling in their midst.” [7]<\/h4>\n

What is meant here is that the Progeny of the Prophet are free from sin and
\npollution and even minor errors, for it is obvious that whatever is indissolubly
\nlinked to the Qur\u2019an until both trusts are brought together before the Prophet,
\npeace and blessings be upon him and his family, on the Day of Resurrection must
\nbe followed and obeyed by mankind together with the Qur\u2019an itself. God cannot
\ncommand men to obey one who is polluted by error and sin, nor can He create an
\nindissoluble link between the Qur\u2019an and such a person Only those who are
\nutterly beyond the reach of impurity can be juxtaposed with the Qur\u2019an, for
\nthose obedience to whose commands God has made incumbent on all Muslims must be
\nfree of all defect.<\/h4>\n

Not content with his other utterances on the subject, the Prophet declared the
\nnumber of successors (khulafa\u2019) who would come after him:<\/h4>\n

“This religion will endure until the Day of Judgement, for as long as twelve
\npersons from Quraysh rule over you as my successors.” [8]<\/h4>\n

“My successors will be twelve in number, just like the chieftains of the Bani
\nIsra\u2019il, all of them from Quraysh and (according to one version of this hadith)
\nfrom Bani Hashim,” [9]<\/h4>\n

Abdullah relates the Prophet to have said: “As long as there are two men left on
\nthe earth, leadership will remain among the Quraysh.” [10]<\/h4>\n

This mention of the twelve successors can refer only to the Inerrant Imams from
\nthe Progeny of the Prophet, peace be upon them, for neither were the first
\ncaliphs twelve in number, nor were the Umayyad and Abbasid rulers. More
\nimportantly, the crimes those rulers committed, far from assuring the welfare
\nand happiness of the ummah, brought about the destruction of religion, so that
\nit is impossible in any way to consider them the successors of the Prophet.<\/h4>\n

Those who could not deny the authenticity of the hadith concerning twelve
\nsuccessors but wished nonetheless to avoid recognizing the Twelve Imams of the
\nProphet\u2019s Progeny were obliged to offer tortuous explanations that were utterly
\nirreconcilable with the text and content of the tradition, for the first caliphs
\nand the Umayyad and Abbasid rulers when added together come to a total of some
\nthirty people, so that the total number of claimants to the caliphate from among
\nthe Quraysh exceeds the number specified in the hadith. If we refuse to
\ninterpret the hadith as referring to the Imams of the Shi\u2019ah, we are left with
\nno clear or reliable meaning for it whatsoever.
\nShaykh Sulayman al-Qunduzi, a Hanafi scholar, writes the following, in a vein
\nfree of all fanaticism:<\/h4>\n

“According to scholars, the traditions that specify the successors to the
\nProphet, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, to be twelve in number
\nare well known and they have been narrated by different chains of transmission.
\nIt became clear with the passage of time that what the Messenger of God was
\nreferring to in this hadith were the twelve Imams from his Progeny. It is
\nimpossible to refer it to the first caliphs, for they were only four in number,
\nnor can it be applied to the Umayyads, for they were more than twelve in number,
\napart from which with the exception of \u2018Umar b. Abd al-\u2019Aziz they were all
\ntyrants and oppressors, and they did not belong to the Bani Hashim, where as the
\nProphet had specified that his twelve successors would be from the Bani Hashim.
\nJabir b. Samarah mentions that the Prophet spoke this last part of the tradition
\nsoftly, because not everyone was happy that the caliphate would go to the Bani
\nHashim.<\/h4>\n

“Equally, this hadith cannot apply to the \u2018Abbasids, because their number, too,
\nis more than twelve; they did not act in accordance with the verse enjoining
\nlove for the family of the Prophet; [11] and they ignored the hadith of the
\nCloak (hadith al-kisa\u2019). The hadith must, then, refer exclusively to the Twelve
\nImams from the Progeny of the Prophet, for they were superior to all others with
\nrespect to knowledge, moral virtues, piety and lineage. They were a line who
\ninherited their knowledge from the Messenger of God, peace and blessings be upon
\nhim and his family, their great ancestor. This is confirmed by the hadith
\nconcerning the two weighty trusts and numerous traditions that have reached us
\nfrom the Prophet.” [12]<\/h4>\n

Notes:<\/strong><\/h4>\n

[1] Muslim, al-Sahih, Vol. VII, p. 122; al-Tirmidhi, Jami\u2019 al-Sahih, Vol. II, p.
\n308; al-Hakim, al-Mustadrak, Vol. III, p. 109. Ahmad b. Hanbal, al-Musnad, Vol.
\nIII, pp. 14-17. Ibn al-Sabbagh, Fusul al-Muhimmah, p. 24; al-Ganji, Kifayat al-Talib,
\np. 130; al-Qunduzi, Yanabi\u2019 al-Mawaddah, pp. 17-18; al-Ya\u2019qubi, al-Tarikh, Vol.
\nII, p. 92; Fakhr al-Din al-Razi, al-Tafsir al-Kabir, Vol. III, p. 18; al-Naysaburi,
\nGhara\u2019ib al-Qur\u2019an, Vol. I, p. 349.<\/em><\/h4>\n

[2] al-Qunduzi, Yanabi\u2019 al-Mawaddah, pp. 32-40; Ibn Hajar, al-Sawa\u2019iq, p. 57;
\nal-Irbidi, Kashf al-Ghummah, p.43.<\/em><\/h4>\n

[3] al-Halabi, al-Sirah, Vol. III, p. 308.<\/em><\/h4>\n

[4] Ibn Hajar, al-Sawa\u2019iq, p. 89.<\/em><\/h4>\n

[5] Ibn Qutaybah, al-Imamah wa al-Siyasah, Vol. I, p. 68; al-Hamawini, Fara\u2019id
\nal-simtayn, Chapter 37. al-Khatib al-Baghdadi, Tarikh Baghdad, Vol. IV, p. 21;
\nFakhr al-Din al-Razi, Fusul al-Muhimmah.<\/em><\/h4>\n

[6] Ibn Hajar, al-Sawa\u2019iq, p. 153.<\/em><\/h4>\n

[7] al-Radi, Nahj al-Balaghah, Sermon 145.<\/em><\/h4>\n

[8] Muslim, al-Sahih, Vol. XIII, p. 202.<\/em><\/h4>\n

[9] Muslim, al-Sahih, Vol. VI, p. 2; al-Bukhari, al-Sahih ., Chapter XV of “Kita\u2019b
\nal-Ahkam”. Ahmad b. Hanbal, al-Musnad, Vol. I, p. 397, Vol. V, p.86; Ibn Kathir,
\nal-Bidayah, Vol. VI, p.245; al-Qunduzi, Yanabi\u2019 al-Mawaddah, p. 373.<\/em><\/h4>\n

[10] Muslim, al-Sahih, Vol. XIII, p. 202.<\/em><\/h4>\n

[11] Qur\u2019an, 42:23.<\/em><\/h4>\n

[12] al-Qunduzi, Yanabi\u2019 al-Mawaddah, p.446.<\/em><\/h4>\n

shiastudies.com<\/a><\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

According to numerous hadith scholars and historians, Shi’i and Sunni alike, the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, never failed at different times in this life, including its difficult last moments, to draw people’s attention to the profound link between these two great and authoritative sources of Islam, the Qur’an and his Progeny (Ahl al-Bayt), tracing out thereby an entire program for the future of Islam in a single instructive sentence.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":7851,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7453,7758],"tags":[8488,7563,7556],"class_list":["post-6750","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bank-of-subjects-of-articles","category-prophet","tag-ahlulbayt-a","tag-quran","tag-shiastudies"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/shiastudies.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6750","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/shiastudies.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/shiastudies.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shiastudies.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shiastudies.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6750"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/shiastudies.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6750\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shiastudies.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7851"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/shiastudies.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6750"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shiastudies.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6750"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shiastudies.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6750"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}