Question 71 - The Enlightening Answer Across the Ether, Vol 2
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Question 71
To the true Imam, Ahmed Alhasan: Peace, Allah’s mercy, and His blessings be upon you, my master and guardian. My question: What is meant by the noble verses, ‘In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. He released the two seas, meeting together; between them is a barrier they do not transgress. Which, then, of your Lord’s favors will you both deny?’ Surat al-Rahman, verses 19, 20, and 21. I request an interpretation of verses 19 and 20. Why is there such emphatic repetition of verse 21? Why does it use the dual form? And why is this surah called the Bride of the Quran in the books? Peace be upon you for what you patiently endured. How excellent is the final home. Sender: Imad al-Ali
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. The Exalted said: ‘The Most Gracious … released the two seas, meeting together; between them is a barrier they do not transgress.’ That is, the Most Gracious is the one who ‘released the two seas, meeting together; between them is a barrier they do not transgress’ ([100]). I have explained previously, in more than one place, that the Most Gracious is the gate of the Divine Essence. I have explained that this gate manifested in creation as the gate of the City of Knowledge. The City of Knowledge-or the image of Divinity in creation, or the face of Allah, meaning Allah in creation-is Muhammad, and its gate is Ali and Fatima, the Most Gracious and the Most Merciful in creation. Maraja means that He broadened and made vast, for a marj is a broad green field. From the foregoing it becomes clear that the two seas are the Most Gracious and the Most Merciful in creation-that is, Ali and Fatima (a)-and from their meeting emerged the pearl and the coral-that is, al-Hasan and al-Husayn (a) ([101]). I have explained previously that the name the Most Gracious is not exclusive to the affairs of this world, but has priority concerning them. Likewise, the name the Most Merciful is not exclusive to the affairs of the Hereafter, but has priority concerning them. This distinguishing boundary, or barrier, of priority was placed by Him, Glorious is He, between the inward aspect of the gate of the Divine Essence-the Most Merciful-and the outward aspect of the gate of the Divine Essence-the Most Gracious. In creation, by Allah’s command, He made Muhammad-the City of Knowledge-a barrier between the inward aspect of its gate, Fatima, and its outward aspect, Ali, so they do not transgress; that is, the priority of each of them remains established for that one. This is clear to everyone who knows. As narrated in the traditions, Ali (a) has priority in supporting the prophets and believers in this world, by Allah’s permission and through His power and strength ([102]), and Fatima (a) has priority in gathering her Shia and admitting them to Paradise, by Allah’s permission, in the Hereafter ([103]). The Exalted said: ‘And His Throne was upon the water’ ([104]). The Greatest Throne is Muhammad (s), as I explained in The Allegories ([105]). The water is the two seas-Ali and Fatima (a). Thus Muhammad is the bearer of the Greatest Throne, the Quran, and after that he is the Greatest Throne, the Quran. It is narrated from Dawud al-Raqqi that he said: I asked Abu Abdullah (a) about the words of Allah, Mighty and Majestic, ‘And His Throne was upon the water.’ He said, ‘What do they say?’ I said, ‘They say that the Throne was upon the water and the Lord was above it.’ He said, ‘They have lied. Whoever claims this has made Allah something carried, has described Him with an attribute of creation, and is bound to say that the thing carrying Him is stronger than He is.’ I said, ‘Explain it to me, may I be made your ransom.’ He said: ‘Allah made the water bear His religion and His knowledge before there was any earth, heaven, jinn, human being, sun, or moon. When Allah willed to create creation, He scattered them before Him and said to them, “Who is your Lord?” The first to speak were the Messenger of Allah (s), the Commander of the Believers (a), and the Imams-may Allah’s prayers be upon them-who said, “You are our Lord.” So He made them bear the knowledge and the religion. Then He said to the angels, “These are the bearers of My religion and My knowledge and My trustees among My creation, and they are the ones who will be questioned.” Then He said to the children of Adam, “Acknowledge Allah’s lordship and the wilaya and obedience of these persons.” They said, “Yes, our Lord, we acknowledge it.” Allah said to the angels, “Bear witness.” The angels said, “We bear witness, lest tomorrow they say, ‘Indeed, we were unaware of this,’ or say, ‘It was only our forefathers who associated others before us, and we were descendants after them. Will You destroy us for what the falsifiers did?’ O Dawud, our wilaya was made binding upon them in the covenant”’ ([106]). As for His words, the Exalted, ‘Which, then, of your Lord’s favors will you both deny?’ ([107]): His favors, Glorious is He, are His greatest, manifest, clear blessings. There is no blessing greater than His manifestation to creation through the Divine Essence-Allah-so that they might know Him; then His greatest blessing in making the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful, the gate of the Divine Essence. Without this, they would not have known, for they deserve knowledge only through mercy: ‘Were it not for Allah’s bounty upon you and His mercy, not one of you would ever have become purified, but Allah purifies whomever He wills, and Allah is Hearing, Knowing’ ([108]). Then comes His greatest blessing in creation through Muhammad and the family of Muhammad (a). Through them Allah was known. They are fourteen moons: Muhammad, Ali, Fatima, and the Imams (a), and fourteen crescents among the Mahdis. Thus these are His favors, Glorious is He, in divine unity and in knowing Him, Glorious is He: thirty-one. Likewise, this verse, ‘Which, then, of your Lord’s favors will you both deny?’ is repeated thirty-one times. Those addressed are humankind and the jinn, for they are charged with affirming Allah’s vicegerents, Glorious is He, and not denying them ([109]).
Source: The Enlightening Answer Across the Ether, Vol 2; Author: Imam Ahmed Al-Hasan; Question 71; Page Not available; AL-JAWAB-AL-MUNIR-V2-Q071. 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.
↑ [100] Al-Rahman 55:19–20.
↑ [101] Yahya ibn Said al-Qattan said: I heard Abu Abdullah (a) say concerning the words of the Mighty and Majestic, ‘He released the two seas, meeting together; between them is a barrier they do not transgress’: ‘Ali and Fatima-peace be upon them both-are two deep seas of knowledge, neither transgressing against the other. “From them emerge pearl and coral”: al-Hasan and al-Husayn-peace be upon them both.’ Al-Khisal by Sheikh al-Saduq, p. 65. (Commentator.)
↑ [102] It is narrated from him (s) that he said to Ali (a): ‘O Ali, Allah supported the prophets through you secretly, and He supported me through you openly.’ Hilyat al-Abrar by Sayyid Hashim al-Bahrani, vol. 2, p. 17. (Commentator.)
↑ [103] In a hadith, the Messenger Muhammad (s) said: ‘… Allah, Mighty and Majestic, says to His angels: “My angels, look at My maidservant Fatima, the mistress of My maidservants, standing before Me while her limbs tremble from fear of Me and her heart has turned toward worshipping Me. I call you to witness that I have granted her Shia security from the Fire …”’ Al-Amali by Sheikh al-Saduq, p. 175. In a long hadith, the Messenger Muhammad (s) said: ‘… I said, “My beloved Gabriel, why is she named al-Mansura in heaven and Fatima on earth?” He said: “She was named Fatima on earth because she has weaned her Shia from the Fire and her enemies from loving her. In heaven she is al-Mansura. This is the word of Allah, Mighty and Majestic: ‘On that day the believers will rejoice in Allah’s victory; He supports whomever He wills,’ meaning Fatima’s support for those who love her.”’ Maani al-Akhbar, p. 396. Jafar al-Sadiq (a) narrated from his forefathers (a), from the Messenger (s), in a long hadith: ‘… Then a caller will call: “People of the gathering, lower your gazes and bow your heads so that Fatima, daughter of Muhammad, may pass.” They will do so, and Fatima will pass with one hundred thousand angels before her, the same number to her right, the same number to her left, and the same number behind her, while one hundred thousand angels carry her upon their wings. When she reaches the gate of Paradise, Allah, Mighty and Majestic, will cast into her heart the desire to turn around. She will be asked, “Why do you turn?” She will say, “My Lord, I would like You to show me my worth on this day.” Allah will say, “Return, O Fatima. Look for whoever loved you and loved your progeny, take that person by the hand, and admit that person into Paradise.”’ Jafar ibn Muhammad (a) said: ‘She will pick out her Shia and those who love her just as a bird picks out good grain from among bad grain. When she, her Shia, and those who love her reach the gate of Paradise, Allah, Mighty and Majestic, will cast into the hearts of her Shia and those who love her the desire to turn around. They will be asked, “Why do you turn when you have been commanded to enter Paradise?” They will say, “Our God, we would like to see our worth on this day.” They will be told, “Return and look for whoever loved you because of the love of Fatima, greeted you because of love for her, shook your hands, defended you from backbiting concerning you, or gave you a drink of water. Take that person by the hand and admit that person into Paradise.”’ Jafar ibn Muhammad-Allah’s prayers be upon him-said: ‘By Allah, on that day none remains except one who is a disbeliever or hypocrite concerning our allegiance. Then they will say, “We have no intercessors, nor any devoted friend. If only we had another return, we would be among the believers.”’ Jafar ibn Muhammad-Allah’s prayers be upon him-then said: ‘They lie. “If they were returned, they would return to what they had been forbidden, and indeed they are liars,” as the Exalted said.’ Then a caller will call: ‘To whom does generosity belong today?’ It will be said: ‘To Allah, the One, the Subduer, and to Muhammad, Ali, Fatima, al-Hasan, and al-Husayn.’ Sharh al-Akhbar by Qadi al-Numan al-Maghribi, vol. 3, p. 63. (Commentator.)
↑ [104] Hud 11:7.
↑ [105] The Allegories, vol. 3, 2nd ed., p. 110.
↑ [106] Al-Kafi, vol. 1, p. 132.
↑ [107] Al-Rahman 55:13, 16, 18, 21, 23, 25, 28, 30, 32, 34, 36, 38, 40, 42, 45, 47, 49, 51, 53, 55, 57, 59, 61, 63, 65, 67, 69, 71, 73, 75, and 77.
↑ [108] Al-Nur 24:21.
↑ [109] Dawud al-Raqqi narrated from Abu Abdullah (a): ‘The words of the Exalted, “Which of your Lord’s favors will you two deny?” mean: which of My two blessings will you deny-Muhammad or Ali? Through them both I bestowed favor upon the servants.’ Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 42, p. 59. In a hadith in Manaqib Ibn Shahr Ashub: ‘Which of your Lord’s favors will you two deny, O assembly of jinn and human beings: allegiance to the Commander of the Faithful (a), or love of Fatima (a)?’ Mustadrak Safinat al-Bihar by Sheikh Ali al-Namazi, vol. 1, p. 172. Abu Yusuf al-Bazzaz said: Abu Abdullah (a) recited this verse, ‘Remember Allah’s favors,’ and said: ‘Do you know what Allah’s favors are?’ I said, ‘No.’ He said: ‘They are Allah’s greatest blessings upon His creation, and they are our allegiance.’ Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 42, p. 59. Thus, Allah the Exalted’s favors are Muhammad (s), Ali, Fatima, and their progeny from among the Imams and Mahdis (a). Allah the Exalted commanded that all of them be affirmed and obeyed, and not denied or disobeyed. Imam al-Sadiq (a) indicated this meaning in the following hadith. Hammad ibn Uthman said: I heard Abu Abdullah (a) say: ‘It is recommended after the dawn prayer on Friday to recite all of al-Rahman. Whenever you say, “Which of your Lord’s favors will you two deny?” say: “My Lord, I deny none of Your favors.”’ Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 98, p. 306. Whoever does this has acknowledged divine oneness, prophethood, and allegiance to the Imams and Mahdis (a): three in divine oneness, fourteen in prophethood and Imamate, and fourteen in guidance after Imam al-Mahdi (a). The number is therefore thirty-one, which is the number of times the words of the Exalted, ‘Which of your Lord’s favors will you two deny?’ are repeated in Surat al-Rahman. O Allah, by Your mercy, O Most Merciful of the merciful, make us among those who deny none of them and submit to them. (Commentator.)
References
- ↑ Ahmed Al-Hasan. The Enlightening Answer Across the Ether, Vol 2. Question 71; Page Not available. AL-JAWAB-AL-MUNIR-V2-Q071. View Arabic source
Cite this page
Ahmed Al-Hasan. The Enlightening Answer Across the Ether, Vol 2. Question: 71. Page: Not available. AL-JAWAB-AL-MUNIR-V2-Q071. https://ahmedalhasan.org/ar/Library/BookContent/52