Zaydi tafsir of 9:100

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6 years 6 months ago - 6 years 6 months ago #706 by Pro-Alid
Salamu alaykum,

What is the Zaydi tafsir of the following ayah:

“The forerunners — the first of the Muhajirun and the Ansar — and those who have followed them in doing good: Allah is pleased with them and they are pleased with Him. He has prepared Gardens for them with rivers flowing under them, remaining in them timelessly, for ever and ever. That is the great victory.” (Surat at-Tawbah 9:100)

I would like to know who Allah is referring to when He says the "foremost" (sabiqun).

I'd also like to know if Abu Bakr and Umar are included in this ayah, because it says that Allah is pleased with the Muhajireen and weren't Abu Bakr and Umar amongst the Muhajireen?

Barakallahu feek
Last edit: 6 years 6 months ago by Pro-Alid.

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6 years 6 months ago #715 by Imam Rassi Society
Wa alaykum as salaam wa rahma!

Thank you for your question! First, I would like to translate the verse in question as: {The first forerunners from the Emigrants and Helpers as well as those who followed them in goodness--Allah is pleased with them and they are pleased with Him. And He has readied for them gardens under which rivers flow therein to abide forever and ever. That is a great victory} (Q. 9:100). The reason why is because it will help us to understand to whom does the verse refer.

The verse indicates that it is not all the Emigrants and Helpers that are referred to because the verse begins with the {first forerunners} and includes the preposition {from (min)} which means that not all of the Emigrants and Helpers are included in this. This indicates to us that not all of the Companions are destined for Jennah nor is Allah pleased with all of them.

Second, it is noteworthy that the phrase the {first forerunners} does not imply all of the forerunners but rather the first of them. According to texts such as Al-Masaabeeh and Al-Manaaqib, this verse refers to Ali, upon him be peace, since he was among the earliest of the forerunners who believed and maintained belief. [Ref. At-Tayseer at-Tafseer]

It is also said that the verse does not refer to 'forerunners' in terms of the earliest converts but rather 'forerunners' in the sense of level of belief and good deeds. This means that it is not restricted to the earliest Companions only but also includes those Muslims who have attained a high level of imaan and amaal as-saalih. This view is supported by the fact that the verse continues to say {as well as those who followed them in goodness}. This second clause implies that those forerunners are considered 'forerunners' due to the high level off their belief and good deeds not simply because they believed first. And {those who followed them} follow them in this high level of belief and good deeds. Therefore precedence (sabaqa) and primacy (awlawiya) are metaphorical and not literal (Ref. Tahreer al-Ifkaar).

I am more inclined to ascribe to both views. This is because not only were those such as Ali forerunners in the literal sense due to their chronological primacy but they were also forerunners in the metaphorical sense also due to their unwavering faith and righteous deeds until they died.

As to whether the verse refers to Abu Bakr and Umar, we have no proof to suggest that it refers to them. Although Abu Bakr was an early convert, there were those who converted before him. Some sources such as Taarikh at-Tabari gives the number of converts before Abu Bakr as fifty. That withstanding, they would actually have more precedence (sabaqa) and primacy (awlawiya) than him. It is also well known that Umar was not an early convert and many Muslims preceded him, one of which was his own sister. So, there is really no justifiable reason to say that this verse refers to either of them or both. In fact, in one of his sermons, Imam Ali (as) rightfully boasted that he was among the first to believe in the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his progeny.

And Allah knows best!

IRS

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6 years 6 months ago - 6 years 6 months ago #718 by Pro-Alid
Replied by Pro-Alid on topic Zaydi tafsir of 9:100
Thank you for the detailed answer.

Do the texts Al-Masaabeeh and Al-Manaaqib state that the “forerunners” refers solely to Ali ibn Abu Talib? If so, how can this be since the word “forerunners” is plural?

When did Abu Bakr actually make hijra according to the Zaydi school? If it was at the start (as the Sunnis claim), then surely he would fall under this ayah. If he didn’t make hijra at the start, then could you please cite the Zaydi reports which say otherwise.

And what is the significance of the report you cited from the tarikh of Tabari which states that fifty people embraced Islam prior to Abu Bakr’s conversion? Sunnis claim that another report exists within the same page of the Tarikh of Tabari which says that Abu Bakr was the first male Muslim. They argue that the report which says fifty people embraced Islam prior to Abu Bakr is unreliable because it contains Ibn Humaid who was a known liar. However, if we were to assume that Abu Bakr did indeed embrace Islam after fifty others, would this mean that Abu Bakr entered Islam after the first group of sahabah made hijra and migrated to Medina?

Sunnis also comment on the following ayah within the same Surah:

"If you do not aid the Prophet - Allah has already aided him when those who disbelieved had driven him out [of Makkah] as one of two, when they were in the cave and he said to his companion, "Do not grieve; indeed Allah is with us." And Allah sent down his tranquillity upon him and supported him with angels you did not see and made the word of those who disbelieved the lowest, while the word of Allah - that is the highest. And Allah is Exalted in Might and Wise." (Surat at-Tawbah 9:40)

They point out that according to the tafsirs, which are supported by a narration in Sahih al-Bukhari, it was Abu Bakr who accompanied the Prophet whilst he made hijra to Medina and who was with him in the cave. Sunnis further point out that a number of authoritative Twelver commentators have also confirmed that it was Abu Bakr who was in the cave with the Prophet, such as Shaykh al-Tusi.

Sunnis therefore argue that seeing as Abu Bakr was with the Prophet, according to both Sunni and Shia sources, he must be amongst the first group of Muhajireen in which Allah praises in 9:100.
Last edit: 6 years 6 months ago by Pro-Alid.

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6 years 6 months ago - 6 years 6 months ago #722 by Imam Rassi Society
Thank you for your questions!

The commentaries do not say that this verse refers to Imam Ali (as) exclusively. They mention Imam Ali (as) however as 'foremost' in this verse's praise.

Abu Bakr is listed among the Emigrants in our sources [Ref. Lawaami' al-Anwaar]. However, my point in the last post was that his simply being an Emigrant doesn't necessarily imply that this verse was about him. I can't say that it refers to him neither can I say that it doesn't. I simply said that there is no proof that it does. The verse says {the first of the forerunners from the Emigrants and Helpers}.

We mentioned the report from Taarikh at-Tabari to show that there are narrations that demonstrate that Abu Bakr was not the first convert; rather there were converts before him. Therefore, this precedence that would seemingly belong to him would belong to those before him even moreso.

Even if we say that the verse does refer to him, does this mean that Allah is perpetually pleased with him? Does this mean that he somehow will enter Jennah regardless of what he does after this verse? We say that such interpretation is faulty. Throughout the Quran, Muslims--whether Companions or those after them--are cautioned about remaining faithful and performing righteous deeds until they die. They are also threatened with eternal Hellfire if they don't. No one is exempt unless specified by explicit text.

In fact, it was after the Migration that verses such as {O you who believe, raise not your voices above the voice of the Prophet, nor speak aloud to him as in talk as you speak aloud to one another, lest your deeds should be rendered fruitless while you perceive not} (Q. 49:2) were revealed about the Companions. Specifically, this verse--according to Sunnis, twelvers and Zaydis--was revealed about Abu Bakr and Umar. If this verse in Surah Tawba meant that Abu Bakr, Umar and others were guaranteed Jennah and that Allah's eternal Pleasure was with them, why would Allah threaten them to nullify their deeds?! Whether one fought in Badr, Uhud, pledged allegiance at Ridwan, or even migrated or helped during the Migration, all of that can be rendered void by simply raising one's voice over that of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his progeny. So, this shows us that Allah's Pleasure is not something that one gets simply because one was the first to migrate of help; rather, one must maintain faith and perform righteous deeds to attain the Pleasure of Allah, which is Jennah. Furthermore, one must not be guilty of raising his voice over that of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his progeny, during his lifetime, on his deathbed or even after his death.

And Allah knows best!

IRS
Last edit: 6 years 6 months ago by Imam Rassi Society.

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6 years 6 months ago #730 by Pro-Alid
Replied by Pro-Alid on topic Zaydi tafsir of 9:100
Thank you for the response.

I'm still very interested in knowing who was in the cave according to Zaydi commentators of the Quran. The Sunnis unanimously declare Abu Bakr to have been in the cave with the Prophet. The Twelver commentaries that I have been able to locate also seem to be in agreement, these being Tafsir al-Safi by Al-Kashani, and al-Tibyan fi Tafsir al-Quran by Shaykh Tusi. Al-Majlisi also writes in his book on the sirah entitled “Hayat al-Qulub” that it was Abu Bakr was in the cave with the Prophet. Have the Zaydi commentators made absolutely no mention of Abu Bakr being in the cave with the Prophet?

There is one contention that comes to mind in relation to your response about 9:100 not meaning that Allah is perpetually pleased with the first group of muhajireen. I agree with your point that just because Allah was pleased with them at that moment in time, it does not follow by any rule of logical inference that Allah would be perpetually pleased with them for all times to come. However, the verse also says that Allah has prepared jannah for them, and if it can be agreed that Allah is Omniscient and does indeed possess knowledge of all things to come, then would it make sense for Allah to prepare jannah for the first group of muhajireen and ansar at this point, if they didn't deserve it due to future events? In other words, why would Allah prepare jannah for a specific group of people that He knows would not be virtuous enough to enter in the first place?

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6 years 6 months ago #732 by Imam Rassi Society
Thank you for your questions! According to Zaydi sources, it was Abu Bakr who was in the cave with the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his progeny. I know of no Zaydi source that denies this.

As for the import of the verse 9:100, as we previously mentioned, the Pleasure of Allah and the good news of Jennah are not guarantees for those upon whom these things were promised. According to the Zaydi understanding, any good deed that merits Paradise can equally be nullified if a person commits a major sin or violate the trust that was given to them. One could look at the verse {Allah's Pleasure was on the Believers when they pledged allegiance to thee under the Tree...} (Q. 48:18). We know of the great status and reward that exists for those Companions who swore allegiance; yet, Allah also says regarding the same group {Whosoever breaks his pledge breaks it to his own detriment. However, he who remains true to what he pledged to Allah, He will bestow upon him a great reward} (Q. 48:10).

Therefore, any promise of Allah's Pleasure and Jennah is coupled with the condition that those promised maintain faith and do righteous deeds until they die. Furthermore, they must also avoid those things which would nullify their good deeds. Allah's Omniscience has nothing to do with it. Indeed he knows what will happen before it does; however, Allah's standard of justice demands that everyone is subject to the same system of laws and judgements. No one group--whether they are Emigrants, Helpers, or otherwise--is immune from that.

This was the understanding of the Companions themselves. Al-Bukhaari related on the authority of Ibn Abi Malayka:

I’ve reached thirty of the Companions of Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him and his progeny, who witnessed Badr and all of them feared hypocrisy from themselves. Neither one of them was sure that he would remain on the religion.

Al-Bukhaari also related on the authority of al-Musayyab b. Raafi’:

I met al-Baraa b. ‘Azib and I said to him: “Paradise is yours! You were a Companion of Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him and his progeny, and you paid allegiance to him under the tree!” He replied by saying: “O nephew, you do not know how we innovated after him.”


And Allah knows best!

IRS

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