Imamate as per the Holy Qur’an (4)

Yesterday we elaborated to you the meaning and concept of Imamate or the divinely-decreed leadership of mankind, which has been specified by God Almighty in the holy Qur’an. Like Prophethood, it is bestowed by the Allah on the deserving, and is not something left to the whims of fallible minds to elect, select, nominate, designate, or remove. As we said, in ayah 124 of Surah Baqarah, we read:

“And when his Lord tested Abraham with certain words, and he fulfilled them, He said, ‘I am making you the Imam of mankind.’ Said he, ‘And from among my descendants?’ He said, ‘My pledge does not extend to the unjust.’”

Yesterday we explained to you ayah 59 of Surah Nisa regarding obedience to God, the Prophet and the Olul-Amr or those possessing divine mandate, as proof of the imamate of Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb (AS) after the passing away of Prophet Mohammad (blessings of God upon him and his progeny). Today we present you another irrefutable proof in this regard, that is ayah 55 of Surah al-Mae’dah, also known as Ayah al-Wilayah, where God Almighty says:

“Your guardian is only Allah, His Prophet, and the faithful who maintain the prayer and give the zakaat while in genuflection.”

As is clear by the wording of this ayah, the believers are told that their real Guardian is God Almighty, followed by the Prophet and the person who maintains the daily ritual prayers, while giving zakaat or charity to the needy while in the state ruku’ or genuflection during the ritual prayer. All exegetes of the holy Qur’an, whether Shi’a or Sunni, are unanimous that this ayah was revealed by God Almighty when Imam Ali (AS), while in the state of ruku’ or genuflection lifted his ring finger towards a beggar indicating to him to take his ring as charity when no one in the mosque responded to the pleas of a beggar for help. The Sunni scholar Haskani in his book “Shawahid al-Tanzeel” narrates from the famous hadith authority Abdullah ibn Abbas who while seated near the sacred well of Zamzam in the vicinity of the holy Ka’ba, saw a veiled man narrating an event from the Prophet’s life. Ibn Abbas asked the man who he was, and the person dropped the veil from his face. Behold he was the Prophet’s prominent companion, Abu Zarr Gheffari, who said: I have heard from the Prophet with these two ears which may become deaf if I am wrong, and I have seen with these two eyes which may become blind if I lie, that the Prophet hailed Imam Ali as the Leader of the righteous and an enemy of evildoers.

Abu Zarr Gheffari continued: One day I said my prayers in the company of the Prophet. A beggar came to the mosque and pleaded for alms, but nobody gave him anything. Imam Ali (AS) was in the state of ruku’ or genuflection while engrossed in the ritual prayer. He suddenly lifted his ring finger towards the beggar, who approached him and removed the ring from his finger.

Thereupon the Prophet, Allah's blessings and peace be upon him and his progeny, supplicated to Allah the Mighty and Glorious, saying: "O Allah! My brother Moses begged you saying, 'My Lord, delight my heart and make my task easy and undo the knot in my tongue so that they may understand me, and appoint from my kinsmen, Aaron my brother, as my vizier, and strengthen my back with him and make him participate in my mission so that we may glorify You and remember You more frequently. Certainly You see us, and You inspired him by revealing: O Moses, all your requests have been granted. O Allah! I am your slave and your Prophet. Delight my heart and make my task easy and appoint from among my kinsmen, Ali as my vizier, and strengthen my back with him.

Abu Zarr, then added: By Allah, the Messenger of Allah, Allah's blessings and peace be upon him and his progeny had not yet finished his supplication when the trustworthy Gabriel descended to him with this Verse “Your guardian is only Allah, His Apostle, and the faithful who maintain the prayer and give the zakāt while bowing down.”

Allamah Tabarsi, while commenting on this ayah in his exegesis titled “Majma al-Bayan” states: The plural form has been used for Imam Ali, the Commander of the faithful, as proof of his honour and exalted states, since masters of Arabic language use the plural form for an individual to show respect.

The famous Sunni scholar Zamakshari in his Tafsir al-Kashshaf, has mentioned another nice point which is as follows:

If you inquire how this plural word is applicable to Imam Ali, may Allah be gracious to him, who is an individual, I shall say that though this ayah is about Imam Ali, an individual, the plural form is used in order to persuade others to act similarly and to give alms as readily as Imam Ali did. There is also an implied instruction that the faithful should keep themselves always on the lookout for occasions of acts of sympathy, benevolence and charity to the poor and the needy, and readily do the needful without waiting till the completion of even so important a duty as saying a prayer.

FK/AS/SS