يا أَيُّهَا الرَّسُولُ بَلِّغْ ما أُنْزِلَ إِلَيْكَ مِنْ رَبِّكَ وَ إِنْ لَمْ تَفْعَلْ فَما بَلَّغْتَ رِسالَتَهُ وَ اللَّهُ يَعْصِمُكَ مِنَ النَّاسِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لا يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الْكافِرين (مائده 67)
O Apostle! deliver what has been revealed to you from your Lord; and if you do it not, then you have not delivered His message(at all), and Allah will protect you from the people; surely Allah will not guide the unbelieving people.
An important Question: What is this issue that Allah (SWT) wants His Messenger (SAWW) to deliver to the people?
The best way to unearth this reality is to look into the verse deeply and seek out the characteristics of this issue. Let us look at some points in this verse:
· Chapter Maidah was the last chapter revealed onto the Holy Prophet (SAWW) therefore we can conclude that these verses were revealed in the final days of his holy life.
· Allah (SWT) is calling onto the Prophet (SAWW) with the statement: Yaa Ayyuha al-Rasul, which means O Messenger [of Allah]. This is very rare in the Holy Quran, and it has only occurred once more in this great book. This is a sign that what is being said is of very great significance.
· The issue referred to in this verse is of very high importance. Such is its importance that it is equal to Messenger-hood itself. Because Allah says in this verse: “and if you do it not, then you have not delivered His message [at all].”
It shows that this message has such a level of importance that the whole of the Prophet's mission would be ineffective without it.
· It is also an issue of deep concern for the Prophet (SAWW). That is why Allah (SWT) is telling His beloved Messenger (SAWW): “and Allah will protect you from the people; surely Allah does not guide the unbelieving people.”
Let us ask ourselves. .
v What event can have such a high level of importance?
v What is this event, that if it is not announced and delivered, the whole mission of the Prophet (SAWW) would be rendered fruitless? The wars, the struggles, the various tests and difficulties and the task of deliverance and preaching?
v What issue is so sensitive, that announcing it can have some unwanted circumstances for the Prophet (SAWW) such that Allah (SWT) tells the Prophet (SAWW): “and Allah (SWT) will protect you from the people”?
Anyone who considers these points impartially will realize that this important issue is that of Khilafah (succession after the Prophet (SAWW)).The issue of who is to take control of all the matters of religion (including governance) after the Prophet (SAWW).
This conclusion can be drawn without referring to any narrations. Yet there are numerous narrations not only in the books of Shiahs,
but also in some of the most authentic books of our Sunni brothers. An example is from the Sunni Tafsir of ibn Abu Hatim where the author quotes a narration from Abu Said al-khudhri, where he says:
نزلت هذه الآبة "یا أیُها الرَسول بلغ ما أنزِل الیک من ربک" فی علی ابن ابی طالب
The verse “O Messenger [of Allah] deliver that which has been revealed onto you from your Lord" has been revealed about `Ali the son of Abu Talib.
Tafsir ibn Abi Hatim Vol. 4 Pg. 1172 Hadith no. 6609
Note: in the beginning sections of this Tafsir, the author says that: “I have chosen the most authentic narrations [in this book] in terms of the chain of narrators and matter”
Tafsir of ibn Abi HAtim Vol. 1 Pg.14
Based on all these reasons, there is no other explanation of the event referred to in this verse apart from the event of Ghadir, when Imam `Ali (AS) was chosen as the successor of the Holy Prophet (SAWW).
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