See ayat 5 for tafseer.
See ayat 5 for tafseer.
See ayat 5 for tafseer.
See ayat 5 for tafseer.
At the beginning of the sūrah, while depicting the condition of the People of the Book (Jews and Christians) and the Arab polytheists prior to the advent of Islam, it states: “Those who disbelieved among the People of the Book and the polytheists were not going to abandon their ways until a clear proof came to them.” (لَمْ يَكُنِ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ وَالْمُشْرِكِينَ مُنفَكِّينَ حَتَّى تَأْتِيَهُمُ الْبَيِّنَةُ). That proof was “a messenger from God who recites purified scriptures” (رَسُولٌ مِّنَ اللَّهِ يَتْلُو صُحُفًا مُّطَهَّرَةً), “containing upright and sound writings” (فِيهَا كُتُبٌ قَيِّمَةٌ). Indeed, before the appearance of the Messenger of God PBUH & His Pure Progeny they made exactly such claims. But after his advent and the revelation of the divine scripture, the situation changed completely, and they fell into disagreement concerning the religion of God: “And those who were given the Book did not differ except after the clear proof had come to them.” (وَمَا تَفَرَّقَ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ إِلَّا مِن بَعْدِ مَا جَاءَتْهُمُ الْبَيِّنَةُ). Thus, the preceding verses illustrate the initial claim of the People of the Book and the polytheists: that if a prophet were to come with clear evidence and manifest signs, they would accept his message. Yet once he did come, they reneged on their promise and rose in opposition and conflict—except for the group that chose the path of faith. In this respect, the verse parallels what is stated in Sūrat al‑Baqarah, verse 89: وَلَمَّا جَاءَهُمْ كِتَابٌ مِّنْ عِندِ اللّهِ مُصَدِّقٌ لِّمَا مَعَهُمْ…—that when a book from God came to them confirming what they already possessed, and though they had previously prayed for victory through it, once that which they recognized came to them, they rejected it; therefore, God’s curse is upon the disbelievers. It is well known that the People of the Book were awaiting such an ظهور, and that the Arab polytheists—who regarded the People of the Book as more knowledgeable—shared this expectation. But when their hopes were fulfilled, they altered their course and joined the ranks of the opponents. A group of exegetes has presented a second interpretation of these verses, suggesting that they mean the People of the Book and the polytheists did not, in fact, abandon their religions until a clear proof came to them. However, this would imply that after the coming of such a proof they would necessarily believe, whereas subsequent verses make clear that this did not generally occur—unless one restricts the meaning to a small group among them, making it a case of partial affirmation (موجبة جزئية). For this reason, this interpretation appears far‑fetched. Perhaps for this very reason, Fakhr al‑Rāzī considered this verse to be among the most complex verses of the Qur’an and, in his view, seemingly in tension with what follows. He then proposed several resolutions, the most satisfactory of which corresponds to the explanation given above. A third interpretation is also possible: namely, that God would not leave the People of the Book and the polytheists in their state without completing the proof against them—by sending a clear evidence (بينة) and showing them the path. Thus, the Messenger of Islam PBUH & His Pure Progeny was sent for their guidance. In reality, this verse points to the principle of divine grace (قاعدة اللطف) discussed in theology, whereby God sends clear proofs to every people in order to complete the argument. (Explanatory note: the word مُنفَكِّينَ, the plural of منفك, may be interpreted either as an active participle or a passive participle; in the first and second interpretations it carries an active sense, and in the third it carries a passive sense.) In any case, البينة here signifies a clear and manifest proof, whose concrete embodiment—according to the next verse—is the person of the Messenger of God PBUH & His Pure Progeny, upon whose tongue the Qur’an was recited. The word صُحُف (plural of صحیفة) means written pages; here it refers to their contents, since the Prophet PBUH & His Pure Progeny did not read from physical pages. The term مُطَهَّرَة indicates purity from all forms of shirk, falsehood, and error, and freedom from interference by devils among jinn and humans, as stated in سورة حٰم السجدة، آية 42: لَا يَأْتِيهِ الْبَاطِلُ مِن بَيْنِ يَدَيْهِ وَلَا مِنْ خَلْفِهِ. The phrase فِيهَا كُتُبٌ قَيِّمَةٌ means that these scriptures contain upright and sound teachings, free of deviation. Here كُتُب may mean written injunctions, or the firm ordinances and laws established by God—just as كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الصِّيَامُ denotes the obligation of fasting. The term قَيِّمَة conveys straightness, firmness, enduring value, or all of these together. It is also noteworthy that in the first verse the People of the Book are mentioned before the polytheists, while in the fourth verse only the People of the Book are explicitly referred to. This appears to be because the People of the Book were the principal group in this discourse and the polytheists followed them, or because the People of the Book were more blameworthy due to their knowledge and awareness, making their opposition more reprehensible. The sūrah then reproaches the People of the Book and their associated polytheists, asking why they differed after the coming of this new religion—some believing and others disbelieving—when they were commanded to do nothing other than to worship God sincerely, purifying worship for Him alone, avoiding all forms of shirk, inclining toward pure monotheism (حنفاء), establishing prayer, and giving zakāh: وَمَا أُمِرُوا إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ الدِّينَ حُنَفَاءَ وَيُقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَيُؤْتُوا الزَّكَاةَ. This is followed by the statement: “And that is the upright and enduring religion.” (وَذَلِكَ دِينُ الْقَيِّمَةِ). Regarding وَمَا أُمِرُوا, some have said it refers to the fact that even in their previous scriptures the People of the Book were commanded to uphold monotheism, prayer, and zakāh, yet they abandoned these obligations. Another—and more likely—interpretation is that in Islam nothing new was demanded of them beyond pure monotheism, prayer, zakāh, and similar principles which they already knew; therefore, their refusal to accept them is unjustified. This latter meaning fits better with the context and includes both the People of the Book and the polytheists. As for الدِّين, it may refer specifically to worship, in support of the phrase إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ, or it may carry its broader sense of the entire religion and way of life—meaning that they were commanded to purify their entire religious system exclusively for God. This broader understanding is supported by وَذَلِكَ دِينُ الْقَيِّمَةِ, which presents religion in its comprehensive sense. The term حنفاء (plural of حنيف) signifies turning away from falsehood toward the straight path. Although originally associated with deviation, in Qur’anic and Islamic usage it denotes turning from shirk to pure monotheism and guidance, implying complete sincerity, balance, and avoidance of excess and deficiency. Finally, the expression وَذَلِكَ دِينُ الْقَيِّمَةِ—with قَيِّمَة in the genitive construction—indicates that these principles of pure monotheism, prayer (orientation toward the Creator), and zakāh (orientation toward creation) are enduring and foundational principles found in all previous divine religions, rooted deeply in human nature itself. Human destiny is tied to monotheism, human nature calls toward gratitude to the Benefactor and recognition of Him, and human social life calls toward helping the deprived. Therefore, the roots of these commands lie deep within human nature, which is why they appear consistently in the teachings of all prophets and in the message of the Messenger of God PBUH & His Pure Progeny.
See ayat 8 for tafseer.
See ayat 8 for tafseer.
In the preceding verses it was stated that the disbelievers among the People of the Book and the polytheists were awaiting the arrival of a clear and manifest proof from God; yet when that clear proof (بَيِّنَة) did come, they became divided and scattered, each group choosing a different path. In the verses under discussion, attention is now directed to both groups—those who rejected the divine call and those who accepted it—and to the ultimate outcome of each. It first declares: “Indeed, those who disbelieved among the People of the Book and the polytheists will be in the fire of Hell, abiding therein forever; they are the worst of all creatures.” (إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ وَالْمُشْرِكِينَ فِي نَارِ جَهَنَّمَ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا أُولَٰئِكَ هُمْ شَرُّ الْبَرِيَّةِ) The phrase كفروا here refers specifically to their disbelief in the new divine religion, Islam; their earlier disbelief or polytheism was not something new. The expression أُولَٰئِكَ هُمْ شَرُّ الْبَرِيَّةِ (“they are the worst of all creatures”) is a deeply arresting description, indicating that among all moving and non‑moving beings, there is none more rejected and blameworthy than those who, after the truth had become clear and the proof had been completed, deliberately abandoned the straight path and chose the path of misguidance. This meaning is similar to what appears in سورة الأنفال، الآية 22: إِنَّ شَرَّ الدَّوَابِّ عِندَ اللَّهِ الصُّمُّ الْبُكْمُ الَّذِينَ لَا يَعْقِلُونَ, and also to سورة الأعراف، الآية 179, where the people of Hell are described as being like cattle—indeed, even more astray and heedless. The verse under discussion goes even further, describing them explicitly as the worst of creation, which in turn serves as a justification for their abiding eternally in the fire of Hell. How could they not be the worst of creatures, when all the doors of guidance and felicity were open before them, yet out of arrogance, obstinacy, and deliberate hostility they knowingly chose opposition? The precedence given here to the People of the Book over the polytheists may be because they possessed revealed scriptures and knowledge, and because the signs of the Messenger of Islam PBUH & His Pure Progeny were clearly mentioned in their own books; therefore, their opposition was even more blameworthy and reprehensible. The following verse turns to the opposing group—those situated on the ascending arc of human perfection—and states: “Indeed, those who believe and perform righteous deeds, they are the best of all creatures.” (إِنَّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ أُولَٰئِكَ هُمْ خَيْرُ الْبَرِيَّةِ) It then briefly describes their reward: “Their reward with their Lord is gardens of eternity beneath which rivers flow, abiding therein forever.” (جَزَاؤُهُمْ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ جَنَّاتُ عَدْنٍ تَجْرِي مِن تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا أَبَدًا) “God is pleased with them, and they are pleased with Him.” (رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ وَرَضُوا عَنْهُ) “That [reward] is for the one who fears his Lord.” (ذَٰلِكَ لِمَنْ خَشِيَ رَبَّهُ) It is noteworthy that, even regarding the believers, righteous deeds are explicitly mentioned—highlighting that a mere claim of faith is insufficient unless one’s actions testify to that faith. Disbelief alone, even without mention of other misdeeds, is sufficient to bring about downfall and wretchedness; moreover, disbelief itself is usually the source of many sins and corrupt actions. The expression أُولَٰئِكَ هُمْ خَيْرُ الْبَرِيَّةِ clearly indicates that believing humans who perform righteous deeds are superior even to the angels, for the verse is absolute and contains no exception. Other Qur’anic verses support this meaning, such as the command for the angels to prostrate before Adam, and وَلَقَدْ كَرَّمْنَا بَنِي آدَمَ (al‑Isrāʾ 70). The verse first refers to their material and physical reward, namely the luxuriant gardens of Paradise, and then to their spiritual and inner reward: God’s pleasure with them, and their contentment with God. They are pleased with Him because He has granted them all that they hoped for, and He is pleased with them because they fulfilled what He willed from them; and if any lapse occurred, He overlooked it through His grace and mercy. What greater joy could there be than realizing that one’s deeds have been accepted by the Beloved, and that one has attained meeting with Him? Yes, the paradise of the body is the eternal gardens of the Hereafter, but the paradise of the soul is the pleasure of God and the meeting with the Beloved. The statement ذَٰلِكَ لِمَنْ خَشِيَ رَبَّهُ indicates that the ultimate source of all these blessings is fear and reverent awe of God, for it is this awe that motivates obedience, piety, and righteous deeds. Some exegetes, by linking this verse with سورة فاطر، الآية 28: إِنَّمَا يَخْشَى اللَّهَ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ الْعُلَمَاءُ, have concluded that Paradise rightly belongs to those who possess knowledge and awareness. Considering that both خشية (reverent awe) and knowledge have varying درجات (levels), the meaning of this conclusion becomes clear. It is also mentioned by some commentators that خشية is a higher station than ordinary fear, because fear may arise from many causes, whereas خشية is fear combined with reverence, recognition of majesty, and deep respect.
In numerous narrations—reported through Sunni transmission chains in their well‑known books, as well as in the famous Shiʿi collections—the verse أُوْلَٰئِكَ هُمْ خَيْرُ الْبَرِيَّةِ (“they are the best of all creatures”) has been interpreted as referring to ʿAlī عليه السلام and his followers. Ḥākim Ḥaskānī al‑Nīshāpūrī, one of the prominent Sunni scholars of the fifth century Hijri, has transmitted these reports with multiple chains of narration in his renowned work Shawāhid al‑Tanzīl. The number of narrations he records on this subject exceeds twenty traditions. We cite here a few representative examples: 1. Ibn ʿAbbās narrates that when the verse إِنَّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ أُوْلَٰئِكَ هُمْ خَيْرُ الْبَرِيَّةِ was revealed, the Messenger of God PBUH & His Pure Progeny said to ʿAlī عليه السلام: “هو أنت وشيعتك، تأتي أنت وشيعتك يوم القيامة راضين مرضيين، ويأتي عدوك غضبانًا مقمحين.” “By this verse are meant you and your Shiʿa. On the Day of Resurrection, you and your Shiʿa will come to the plain of judgment while you are pleased and pleasing to God, whereas your enemy will come angry and constrained (driven forcibly [into punishment]).” (Some versions use muqmaḥīn, meaning they will be restrained with chains that force their heads upward.) (Reported in Shawāhid al‑Tanzīl, vol. 2, p. 357, ḥadīth 1126.) 2. In another narration from Abū Barzah, it is reported that when the Prophet PBUH & His Pure Progeny recited this verse, he said: “هم أنت وشيعتك يا علي، وميعاد ما بيني وبينك الحوض.” “O ʿAlī, they are you and your Shiʿa, and the appointed meeting place between you and me is the Pond (al‑Ḥawḍ).” (Same source, p. 359, ḥadīth 1130.) 3. Jābir ibn ʿAbd Allāh al‑Anṣārī narrates that they were sitting in the presence of the Messenger of God PBUH & His Pure Progeny near the House of God when ʿAlī عليه السلام approached. When the Prophet PBUH & His Pure Progeny saw him, he said: “قد أتاكم أخي.” “My brother has come to you.” Then he turned toward the Kaʿbah and said: “ورب هذه البنية إن هذا وشيعته هم الفائزون يوم القيامة.” “By the Lord of this House! This man and his Shiʿa will be the successful ones on the Day of Resurrection.” He then turned to them and said: “By God, he is the foremost among you in faith in God, the most steadfast in carrying out God’s command, the most faithful to God’s covenant, the most just in judgment, the most equal in distribution, the most equitable toward the community, and the greatest of you in rank before God.” Jābir says that at this point God revealed the verse إِنَّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ أُوْلَٰئِكَ هُمْ خَيْرُ الْبَرِيَّةِ. Thereafter, whenever ʿAlī would come, the Companions of the Prophet PBUH & His Pure Progeny would say: After the Messenger of God, the best of God’s creation has come. (Same source, p. 362, ḥadīth 1139.) The narration stating that the verse was delivered near the Kaʿbah does not contradict the Medinan origin of the sūrah, as this may represent a case of renewed revelation (tanzīl mutajadّد) or application (taṭbīq). Moreover, it is not unlikely that the verse was revealed during one of the Prophet’s journeys from Medina to Mecca. The narrator, Jābir ibn ʿAbd Allāh al‑Anṣārī, was a Medinan Companion, and applying the designation “Medinan” to such verses is not far‑fetched. Some of these narrations have been transmitted by Ibn Ḥajar in al‑Ṣawāʿiq al‑Muḥriqah, and by al‑Shablanjī in Nūr al‑Abṣār. Jalāl al‑Dīn al‑Suyūṭī has also cited a substantial portion of the final narration in al‑Durr al‑Manthūr from Ibn ʿAsākir, through Jābir ibn ʿAbd Allāh al‑Anṣārī. 1. al‑Durr al‑Manthūr reports that when the verse إِنَّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ أُوْلَٰئِكَ هُمْ خَيْرُ الْبَرِيَّةِ was revealed, the Prophet PBUH & His Pure Progeny said to ʿAlī عليه السلام: “هو أنت وشيعتك يوم القيامة راضين مرضيين.” “They are you and your Shiʿa, on the Day of Resurrection, pleased [by God] and pleasing [to Him].” 2. The same author transmits another narration via Ibn Mardawayh, from ʿAlī عليه السلام, that the Prophet PBUH & His Pure Progeny said: “ألم تسمع قول الله: إِنَّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ أُوْلَٰئِكَ هُمْ خَيْرُ الْبَرِيَّةِ؟ أنت وشيعتك، وموعدي وموعدكم الحوض، إذا جيء بالأمم للحساب دُعيتم غرًّا محجّلين.” “Have you not heard God’s word: Indeed, those who believe and perform righteous deeds—they are the best of all creatures? They are you and your Shiʿa. My appointed meeting place with you is the Pond. When the nations are brought for reckoning, you will be called as ghurr muḥajjalīn (radiant with marks of purity).” Many other Sunni scholars have transmitted narrations with the same meaning in their works, including al‑Khaṭīb al‑Khwārazmī in Manāqib, Abū Nuʿaym al‑Iṣfahānī in Kifāyat al‑Khiṣām, al‑Ṭabarī in his famous tafsīr, Ibn Ṣabbāgh al‑Mālikī in Fuṣūl al‑Muhimmah, al‑Shawkānī in Fatḥ al‑Qadīr, Shaykh Sulaymān al‑Qandūzī in Yanābīʿ al‑Mawaddah, al‑Ālūsī in Rūḥ al‑Maʿānī, and many others. In summary, these narrations belong to a well‑known and widely transmitted body of reports accepted by numerous Islamic scholars. They represent a major virtue of ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib عليه السلام and his followers. Moreover, these narrations clearly demonstrate that the term “Shiʿa” was used during the lifetime of the Messenger of God PBUH & His Pure Progeny himself and was disseminated among the Muslims by him, referring specifically to the devoted followers of Amīr al‑Muʾminīn ʿAlī عليه السلام. Therefore, those who claim that the term Shiʿa emerged centuries later are mistaken and profoundly misinformed.
Some scholars of uṣūl al‑fiqh have argued from the verse وَمَا أُمِرُوا إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ الدِّينَ that intention of proximity (qaṣd al‑qurbah) is obligatory in acts of worship, and that the default rule concerning commands is that they are devotional (taʿabbudī) rather than instrumental (tawassulī). This argument depends on understanding “dīn” in this verse as meaning acts of worship, so that the verse would serve as proof for the necessity of sincerity in worship; it also treats the term “command” (amr) in the verse as unrestricted, so that its implication would be the necessity of intention of proximity in all commands, except in cases excluded by specific evidence. However, the apparent meaning of the verse does not support any of these assumptions. Rather, its intent—according to its plain sense—is the affirmation of monotheism (tawḥīd) in opposition to polytheism (shirk). That is, it states that people were not called to anything other than devotion directed exclusively to God. In this sense, the verse has no connection to subsidiary legal rulings (aḥkām farʿiyyah) at all.
From the verses of this sūrah it becomes clear that, among all creatures in existence, no being possesses an ascending and descending arc (qaws al‑ṣuʿūd wa‑l‑nuzūl) as vast as that of the human being. If a person embraces faith and performs righteous deeds—bearing in mind that “عملوا الصالحات” encompasses all righteous deeds, not merely some—he becomes the most virtuous and exalted of God’s creation. But if he chooses the path of disbelief, deviation, obstinacy, and stubborn opposition, he descends so far that he becomes the worst among God’s creatures. This immense distance between the human being’s ascending and descending arcs, although it represents a sensitive and perilous reality, at the same time testifies to the great dignity of the human station and to humanity’s inherent capacity for growth, perfection, and spiritual ascent. It is natural that where such extraordinary potential and aptitude exist, the possibility of decline and collapse should also be correspondingly great. O God, through Your grace and generosity we seek assistance in attaining the lofty rank of “خير البرية”. Our Lord, count us among the Shiʿa and devoted followers of that noble and exalted personality who is most worthy of this station. O God, grant us such sincerity that we worship none but You and love no one apart from You. Āmīn, O Lord of all the worlds
