Question 70 - The Enlightening Answer Across the Ether, Vol 2
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Question 70
What is meant by Surat al-Naba? The Exalted said: ‘In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. About what are they asking one another? About the great news, concerning which they disagree. No indeed, they will know; then no indeed, they will know’ ([92]). Allah the Almighty has spoken the truth. What is meant by His words, the Exalted, ‘No indeed, they will know; then no indeed, they will know’? Sender: Maysa Jafar al-Sadi
Ahmed al-Hasan Response:
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may Allah send prayers upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, the Imams and the Mahdis, and grant them abundant peace. ‘About what are they asking one another? About the great news, concerning which they disagree. No indeed, they will know; then no indeed, they will know’ ([93]). This is a story repeated in every age in which a vicegerent from among Allah’s vicegerents in His earth and heaven is sent. It is the story of creation’s disagreement concerning Allah’s Proof over them-from among the prophets and the dispatched vicegerents (a)-or, as the Exalted called him, ‘the great news’ ([94]). The first of Allah’s vicegerents, Glorious is He, was the prophet Adam (a). The angels differed concerning him between those obedient to Allah’s command to accept His vicegerent and prostrate to him-these were the angels-and one who disobeyed Allah’s command, rejected His vicegerent, and was arrogant toward him-Iblis, may Allah curse him ([95]), who was counted among the angels according to his previous obedience and was from the jinn according to his origin ([96]). Iblis, may Allah curse him, threatened to mislead the children of Adam and make them follow him in arrogance toward Allah’s vicegerent, Glorious is He, in every age. Thus in every age the people are divided between those who follow the angels in their obedience to Allah’s vicegerent and those who follow Iblis, may Allah curse him, in arrogance toward Allah’s vicegerent. Those who followed Iblis, may Allah curse him, in arrogance toward Allah’s vicegerents will know to what destination they will return: ‘Those who have oppressed will know to what destination they will return’ ([97]). ‘No indeed, they will know’ means in the Lesser Resurrection-the rise of the Qa’im. ‘Then no indeed, they will know’ means in the Greater Resurrection. The outcome belongs to the Godwary: ‘Indeed, for the Godwary is a place of triumph’ ([98])-those who believed in Allah’s vicegerents, obeyed them, and traveled upon their straight path; those who knew Allah through His vicegerent. How could Allah’s vicegerent not be ‘the great news’ when he is the gate to knowing Allah? How could Allah’s vicegerency not be the great news when it brought forth Muhammad and the family of Muhammad (a), who are the face of Allah and His Most Beautiful Names, and the manifestation of Allah in Paran, and through whom Allah was known? What news or report is more deserving of being called the great news than the news and report of establishing the law for knowing Allah, the news of establishing the law for knowing Allah’s vicegerent, and the news of establishing Allah’s vicegerency, which would bring forth Muhammad (s)-the manifestation of Allah in Paran, or Allah in creation, or the image of Allah? In the Quran is this clarification of the great news, and in it is a reminder for one who will remember and a lesson for one who will take heed, so that perhaps he will know and be among those who know and prostrate, and will not remain upon his ignorance and arrogance and thus be among those warned by His words, the Exalted, ‘No indeed, they will know; then no indeed, they will know,’ and by His words, the Exalted, ‘Say: It is great news from which you are turning away … and you will surely know its news after a time’ ([99]).
Source: The Enlightening Answer Across the Ether, Vol 2; Author: Imam Ahmed Al-Hasan; Question 70; Page Not available; AL-JAWAB-AL-MUNIR-V2-Q070. View Arabic source · Open the original Arabic source ↗
Source footnotes
Footnotes are kept separate from the main question and answer and preserve their source-record association.
↑ [92] Al-Naba 78:1–5.
↑ [93] Al-Naba 78:1–5.
↑ [94] Ali ibn Abi Talib said: ‘Sakhr ibn Harb approached and sat before the Messenger of Allah (s), then said, “O Muhammad, will this command after you belong to us, or to whom?” He said, “O Sakhr, the command after me belongs to the one whose position relative to me is the position of Aaron relative to Moses.” Then Allah the Exalted revealed: “About what do they question one another? About the tremendous news concerning which they disagree.” Some of them affirm his allegiance and succession, and some deny both. Then He said, “No,” rejecting them; “they will know” that his succession after you is the truth. “Again, no; they will know.” He says: they will recognize his allegiance and succession when they are questioned about it in their graves. No deceased person remains in the east or west, on land or at sea, except that Munkar and Nakir question him after death concerning allegiance to the Commander of the Faithful, saying to the deceased: “Who is your Lord? What is your religion? Who is your prophet? Who is your Imam?”’ Manaqib Al Abi Talib by Ibn Shahr Ashub, vol. 2, p. 276. Sudayr narrated from Abu Abdullah (a): I asked him about the words of Allah, Blessed and Exalted, ‘Rather, it is clear signs in the breasts of those who were given knowledge,’ and the words of the Exalted, ‘Say: It is tremendous news from which you turn away.’ He said: ‘Those who were given knowledge are the Imams, and the news is the Imamate.’ Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 32, p. 203. Abdullah ibn Kathir narrated from Abu Abdullah (a), concerning the words of the Exalted, ‘About what do they question one another? About the tremendous news.’ He said: ‘The tremendous news is allegiance.’ I asked him about His words, ‘There, the authority belongs to Allah, the True.’ He said: ‘The allegiance of the Commander of the Faithful (a).’ Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 42, p. 352. Abu al-Hasan al-Rida (a), concerning the words of the Exalted, ‘About what do they question one another? About the tremendous news concerning which they disagree,’ said: ‘The Commander of the Faithful (a) said: “Allah has no news greater than me and no sign greater than me. My merit was presented to the past nations despite the differences in their languages, but they did not acknowledge my merit.”’ Mustadrak Safinat al-Bihar by Sheikh Ali al-Namazi, vol. 9, p. 509. (Commentator.)
↑ [95] Al-Sadiq (a) said: ‘Iblis was commanded to prostrate to Adam, and he said: “My Lord, by Your might, if You exempt me from prostrating to Adam, I will worship You with a worship the like of which no one has ever worshipped You.” Allah-majestic is His glory-said: “I love to be obeyed in the manner I desire.”’ Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 2, p. 262. (Commentator.)
↑ [96] Jamil ibn Darraj narrated from Abu Abdullah (a): I asked him, ‘Was Iblis one of the angels? Did he administer anything in heaven?’ He said: ‘He was not one of the angels and administered nothing in heaven. He was one of the jinn and was with the angels. The angels regarded him as one of them, while Allah knew that he was not one of them. When he was commanded to prostrate, what happened from him happened.’ Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 11, p. 119. (Commentator.)
↑ [97] Al-Shuara 26:227.
↑ [98] Al-Naba 78:31.
↑ [99] Sad 38:68–88.
References
- ↑ Ahmed Al-Hasan. The Enlightening Answer Across the Ether, Vol 2. Question 70; Page Not available. AL-JAWAB-AL-MUNIR-V2-Q070. View Arabic source
Cite this page
Ahmed Al-Hasan. The Enlightening Answer Across the Ether, Vol 2. Question: 70. Page: Not available. AL-JAWAB-AL-MUNIR-V2-Q070. https://ahmedalhasan.org/ar/Library/BookContent/52