Clarification of Verses

By: IMRAN SHAYKH

وَهُوَ الَّذِيَ أَنزَلَ عَلَيْكَ الْكِتَابَ مِنْهُ آيَاتٌ مُّحْكَمَاتٌ هُنَّ أُمُّ الْكِتَابِ وَأُخَرُ مُتَشَابِهَاتٌ فَأَمَّا الَّذِينَ في قُلُوبِهِمْ زَيْغٌ فَيَتَّبِعُونَ مَا تَشَابَهَ مِنْهُ ابْتِغَاء الْفِتْنَةِ وَابْتِغَاء تَأْوِيلِهِ وَمَا يَعْلَمُ تَأْوِيلَهُ إِلاَّ اللّهُ وَالرَّاسِخُونَ فِي الْعِلْمِ

He it is Who has sent down to thee the Book: In it are verses basic or fundamental (of established meaning); they are the foundation of the Book: others are allegorical. But those in whose hearts is perversity follow the part thereof that is allegorical, seeking discord, and searching for its hidden meanings, but no one knows its hidden meanings except Allah. And those who are firmly grounded in knowledge say: \"We believe in the Book; the whole of it is from our Lord:\" and none will grasp the Message except men of understanding.
(Ref: Chapter of Ale Imran, verse 7)

Not surprisingly the first victim of the Baha’i crusade to prove Bahaullah\'s case as a Prophet of God is the Holy Quran. Several verses of the Quran that have clear implications are given not-so-clear interpretations so as to distort the matter for the Muslims. Several allegorical and complicated verses of the Holy Quran are analyzed with such disdain that you begin to wonder if the Holy Prophet of Islam was the one who brought the Quran or Bahaullah!

Any verse and every verse of this Holy Text is up for grabs as far as proving an invalid point is concerned. Any and every verse that originally referred to the Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) or some other personality now refers to Bahaullah. None of these interpretations are rooted in the Quran, Tradition (Sunnah), Consensus (be it from a Sunni viewpoint or a Shiite viewpoint), Arabic literature or even rules of Arabic grammar. They are the figment of someone\'s very twisted imagination. Readers will find the scheming nature of this misrepresentation of facts very striking in all my articles.

Over here I have outlined a series of Quranic verses that have fallen victim to Baha’i misrepresentation.

- Chapter of Ale Imran, verse 81

- Chapter of Ahzab, verse 7

- Chapter of Aaraf, verse 35

I have attempted to establish from several sources how the Baha’i interpretation of these verses is far from the truth and I have indicated the real interpretation with the help of irrefutable sources. Just to set the record straight I have noted down references from Ahle Sunnah and Shia sources. This should serve as an fitting response to the Baha’is who when cornered with an argument from one source (i.e. Ahle Sunnah) are always looking for an answer from the other source (Shia) or vice versa.

وَإِذْ أَخَذَ اللّهُ مِيثَاقَ النَّبِيِّيْنَ لَمَا آتَيْتُكُم مِّن كِتَابٍ وَحِكْمَةٍ ثُمَّ جَاءكُمْ رَسُولٌ مُّصَدِّقٌ لِّمَا مَعَكُمْ لَتُؤْمِنُنَّ بِهِ وَلَتَنصُرُنَّهُ قَالَ أَأَقْرَرْتُمْ وَأَخَذْتُمْ عَلَى ذَلِكُمْ إِصْرِي قَالُواْ أَقْرَرْنَا قَالَ فَاشْهَدُواْ وَأَنَاْ مَعَكُم مِّنَ الشَّاهِدِينَ

Verse 1: Chapter of Ale Imran, verse 81
Behold! Allah took the covenant of the prophets, saying: \"I give you a Book and Wisdom; then comes to you an apostle, confirming what is with you; do ye believe in him and render him help.\" Allah said: \"Do ye agree, and take this my Covenant as binding on you?\" They said: \"We agree.\" He said: \"Then bear witness, and I am with you among the witnesses.\"

What the Baha’is say:

This verse refers to Bahaullah. Allah took the covenant from the prophets regarding the prophethood of Bahaullah.

What is the basis of this interpretation:

It is certainly not based in Quran and Sunnah. This is one of the many verses referring to Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) that according to the Bahais refers to Bahaullah.

What the Muslims say:

This verse refers to Prophet Mohammed (pbuh).

A. Interpretation of this verse from Ahle Sunnah sources
In Al Durrul Mansoor, the author - Jalaluddin Suyuti has brought more than a dozen traditions related to this verse none of which refer to Bahaullah. On the contrary they refer to Prophet Mohammed (pbuh). For illustrative purpose I have mentioned two of these traditions.

Ibne Jarir narrates from Ali bin Abi Talib: \'Allah has not raised a Prophet from Adam but He has extracted a covenant from each of them regarding Mohammed (pbuh) that they believe in him and help him. Then Ali b. Abi Talib recited this verse: \'\'Behold! Allah took the covenant of the prophets, saying: \"I give you a Book and Wisdom; then comes to you an apostle, confirming what is with you; do ye believe in him and render him help.\' 
(Ref: Al Durrul Mansoor, volume 2, page 44)

Ibne Jarir and Ibne Abi Hatim narrate from Sodayy regarding the verse (Surah Ale Imran, verse 81): Allah has not raised a single prophet but He has extracted a covenant from them that they believe in Mohammed and help him. 
(Al Durrul Mansoor, volume 2, page 44)

B. Interpretation of this verse from Shia sources
1. According to traditions in Tafsire\' Ali bin Ibrahim Qummi (volume 1 page 114), a leading Shiite interpreter of the Quran, this verse refers to Prophet Mohammed (pbuh).

2. According to traditions reported by Mohammed bin Hasan Saffaar, a leading Shiite narrator of traditions and author of Basairud Darajaat (page 25), this verse refers to Prophet Mohammed (pbuh).

It is worth noting that both Ali bin Ibrahim Qummi and Mohammed bin Hasan Saffaar are among the most notable companions of the Holy Imams. Therefore their reports assume even more significance, certainly a lot more than what the Bahais can lay claim to, having arrived more than a thousand years later and without having encountered a single infallible Prophet or Imam.

وَإِذْ أَخَذْنَا مِنَ النَّبِيِّينَ مِيثَاقَهُمْ وَمِنكَ وَمِن نُّوحٍ وَإِبْرَاهِيمَ وَمُوسَى وَعِيسَى ابْنِ مَرْيَمَ وَأَخَذْنَا مِنْهُم مِّيثَاقًا غَلِيظًا

Verse 2: Chapter of Ahzab, verse 7
And remember We took from the prophets their covenant: As (We did) from thee: from Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus the son of Mary: We took from them a solemn covenant

What the Baha’is say:

This verse refers to Allah taking the covenant from the five prophets - Mohammed, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus the son of Mary (peace be upon them) regarding Bahaullah\'s prophethood. Notice how similar the claim of the Baha’is with regards to this particular verse is to the previous verse i.e. Surah Ale Imran: 81. Not surprisingly, they are equally mistaken with regards to this verse.

What is the basis of this interpretation:

This is another instance of the Baha’is misinterpreting a verse to suit their own designs without any reference to the Quran and Sunnah. It is a lame attempt to show that Allah had extracted the covenant from the prophets with regards to Bahaullah, when the reality is far from this.

What the Muslims say:

This verse refers to Allah extracting the covenant of His Godhood from all the prophets with a specific mention of the five great prophets. In effect, this verse underscores the finality of Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) in light of his being the first among all prophets to testify to Allah\'s Godhood.

Perhaps there is no bigger blunder the Baha’is have made with respect to the misrepresentation of the Holy Quran than by advancing this particular verse as proof of Bahaullah\'s prophethood. When Allah takes a covenant from these five prophets (among the other prophets) it is regarding His Own Godhood and not Bahaullah\'s Prophethood.

Pick up any book on the Holy Quran and Sunnah and you will find that this verse is among the clearest evidences on the finality of the prophethood of Prophet Mohammed (pbuh). And unlike Surah Ahzaab: 40, where the Bahais have tried to wriggle out by making lame interpretations of the word \'Khaatam\', the interpretation of this verse has the word \'Aakhar\' with regards to the prophethood of Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) which means \'last\', \'final\', \'concluding\'.

A. Interpretation of this verse from Ahle Sunnah sources
In Al Durrul Mansoor there are tens of traditions on this verse underlining the finality of Prophet Mohammed\'s (pbuh) prophethood. As a matter of fact, these traditions highlight two important facts:
1. Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) was created before all the prophets.
2. Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) was sent by Allah after all the prophets.

I have mentioned traditions from Al Durrul Mansoor to illustrate both the above points.

Ibne Jarir narrates from Qutada regarding the verse: We took from the prophets their covenant: As (We did) from thee: from Noah…(Surah Ahzaab: 7) that Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) told us - I am the first prophet to be created and the last one from them (aakhirahom fil ba\'as) to be raised.
(Ref: Al Durrul Mansoor volume 5, page 184)

Hasan b. Hareerah narrates from Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) regarding: We took from the prophets their covenant…(Surah Ahzaab: 7) - I was the first prophet in creation and the last one from them (aakhirahom fil ba\'as) to be raised…\'
(Ref: Al Durrul Mansoor volume 5, page 184)

Ibne Abi Shaibah narrates from Qutada - when the Prophet (pbuh) recited this verse: We took from the prophets their covenant: As (We did) from thee: from Noah…(Chapter of Ahzaab, verse 7) he said - All goodness was initiated with me and I am the last prophet to be raised (aakhirahom fil ba\'as).\'
(Ref: Al Durrul Mansoor volume 5, page 184)

Abi Hareerah narrates regarding this verse - The best sons of Adam are five: Nuh, Ibrahim, Moosa, Esa and Mohammed (peace be on them)
(Ref: Al Durrul Mansoor volume 5, page 184)

B. Interpretation of this verse from Shia sources
There is a very interesting tradition from Tafsire\' Qummi from Imam Sadiq on this verse:

\"The first among all the creatures to testify to the covenant was Prophet Mohammed (pbuh). And that is why he is the closest and most proximate creature to Allah, the Almighty. He (Mohammed pbuh) had the highest position near Allah. Jibrail informed him about this on the night of the ascent (Meraaj) when he told him - \'O Mohammed you have a position in front of Allah that none can claim to have it, be it a proximate angel or a prophet sent forth.\' If his soul (Mohammed\'s soul) and his self had not been from that position, he would not have been able to reach it. Then he was with Allah as the verse (Surah Najm: 9) declares, \'And was at a distance of but two bow-lengths or (even) nearer.\'

Then Imam Sadiq said, \'The covenant was extracted from the prophets with regards to Godhood, prophethood and Imamat of Amirul Momineen (Ali bin Abi Talib) and the other Imams. Then Allah said - Am I not your Lord? Is Mohammed not your prophet? Is Ali not your Imam? Are the guided Imams not your leaders?\' They said, \'Yes we beat witness (to all this)\'.

\'The first covenant that Allah took from the prophets was regarding His Godhood - \'We took from the prophets their covenant…\' In this verse, Allah mentions all the prophets in summarized manner (min Al Nabiyyeen). However, He mentions the most superior of them with name (Nuh, Ibrahim, Moosa Esa) and before naming all these prophets He says - \'As (We did) from thee (O Mohammed)\' because Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) was superior to even these four most superior prophets. Then these five are the most superior of prophets and Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) was superior to the other four.
(Ref: Tafsire\' Qummi volume 1, page 248)

Ali b. Ibrahim Qummi says, \'Then Allah took the covenant from the prophets regarding His Godhood…then He took a covenant from all the prophets regarding prophethood of Prophet Mohammed (pbuh).\'
(Ref: Tafsire\' Qummi, volume 2 page 152)

Conclusion:

The above verses conclusively prove the Finality of the Prophethood of the Holy Prophet of Islam (pbuh) from the Quran.

The above interpretations from Muslim sources should also be sufficient to highlight how the Bahais have misinterpreted the Quran. It is but logical that if we wish to seek a clarification about the Quran, then we should seek it from the one on whom the Quran was revealed and not from some person who was born more than 1200 years after the incident.

یَا بَنِي آدَمَ إِمَّا يَأْتِيَنَّكُمْ رُسُلٌ مِّنكُمْ يَقُصُّونَ عَلَيْكُمْ آيَاتِي فَمَنِ اتَّقَى وَأَصْلَحَ فَلاَ خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلاَ هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ

Verse 3: Chapter of Aaraf, verse 35
\"O ye Children of Adam! Whenever there come to you apostles from amongst you, rehearsing My signs unto you - those who are righteous and mend (their lives),- on them shall be no fear nor shall they grieve.\"

What the Baha’is say:

This verse refers to a never-ending chain of prophets and Bahaullah was merely one of these prophets. In effect, Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was not the last prophet.

What is the basis of this interpretation:

This interpretation takes into consideration the Quranic Verse out of context without giving due consideration to its spirit and to the verses preceding and succeeding it. In effect, it is an inaccurate interpretation.

What the Muslims say:

In this verse Allah announces to all mankind that He will send forth a chain of prophets to narrate His Signs. When taken in context of Surah Ahzaab: 40), it means that the chain of prophets that Allah will send forth will end with Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).

First let us look at Surah Aaraaf a little more closely to understand its 35th verse better. We find that like the 35th verse, there is a series of Quranic verses beginning with \'O ye Children of Adam!\' To be precise there are 4 verses wherein Allah exhorts mankind (the Children of Adam). These verses are in the backdrop of the incident involving the deceiving of Adam and Eve by Satan. Allah ordered them out of Paradise, but not before He advanced some words of admonition and advice for them. I have listed the 4 verses below, the verse under review (Surah Aaraaf: 35) comes at the end.

يَا بَنِي آدَمَ قَدْ أَنزَلْنَا عَلَيْكُمْ لِبَاسًا يُوَارِي سَوْءَاتِكُمْ وَرِيشًا وَلِبَاسُ التَّقْوَىَ ذَلِكَ خَيْرٌ ذَلِكَ مِنْ آيَاتِ اللّهِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَذَّكَّرُونَ

O ye Children of Adam! We have bestowed raiment upon you to cover your shame, as well as to be an adornment to you. But the raiment of righteousness,- that is the best. Such are among the Signs of Allah, that they may receive admonition! (Surah Aaraaf: 26)

يَا بَنِي آدَمَ لاَ يَفْتِنَنَّكُمُ الشَّيْطَانُ كَمَا أَخْرَجَ أَبَوَيْكُم مِّنَ الْجَنَّةِ يَنزِعُ عَنْهُمَا لِبَاسَهُمَا لِيُرِيَهُمَا سَوْءَاتِهِمَا إِنَّهُ يَرَاكُمْ هُوَ وَقَبِيلُهُ مِنْ حَيْثُ لاَ تَرَوْنَهُمْ إِنَّا جَعَلْنَا الشَّيَاطِينَ أَوْلِيَاء لِلَّذِينَ لاَ يُؤْمِنُونَ

O ye Children of Adam! Let not Satan seduce you, in the same manner as He got your parents out of the Garden, stripping them of their raiment, to expose their shame: for he and his tribe watch you from a position where ye cannot see them: We made the evil ones friends (only) to those without faith. (Surah Aaraaf: 27)

يَا بَنِي آدَمَ خُذُواْ زِينَتَكُمْ عِندَ كُلِّ مَسْجِدٍ وكُلُواْ وَاشْرَبُواْ وَلاَ تُسْرِفُواْ إِنَّهُ لاَ يُحِبُّ الْمُسْرِفِينَ

O’ Children of Adam! Wear your beautiful apparel at every time and place of prayer: eat and drink: But waste not by excess, for Allah loveth not the wasters. (Surah Aaraaf: 31)

يَا بَنِي آدَمَ إِمَّا يَأْتِيَنَّكُمْ رُسُلٌ مِّنكُمْ يَقُصُّونَ عَلَيْكُمْ آيَاتِي فَمَنِ اتَّقَى وَأَصْلَحَ فَلاَ خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلاَ هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ

O ye Children of Adam! Whenever there come to you apostles from amongst you, rehearsing My signs unto you - those who are righteous and mend (their lives),- on them shall be no fear nor shall they grieve. (Surah Aaraaf: 35)

It is apparent to any objective reader the nature of these verses and the divine wisdom behind revealing them. Before sending Adam and Eve to the earth, Allah wishes to admonish mankind so that they are armed to meet the rigours of earthly life. To that end, Allah counsels man to acquire righteousness and piety, to beware of the Satan, not be excessive and accept the signs of the Prophets.

To answer the crooked interpretation advanced by the Baha’is to support Bahaullah\'s prophethood in the light of this verse:

Since the Holy Quran has no contradiction every verse has a deeper interpretation that makes it compatible with all the other verses. In this case (Aaraaf: 34), the Baha’is have offered a simplistic interpretation that contradicts the clear verse of Surah Ahzaab: 40 - \'Muhammad is not the father of any of your men, but (he is) the Messenger of Allah, and the Seal of the Prophets\' (Read More)

Therefore, this verse should be interpreted as \'O Children of Adam, My Prophets will come to you and this chain will terminate with Muhammad.\'

For instance, Allah has in several places in the Holy Quran discussed the creation of man, animals, vegetation, constellations, etc. But that does not mean that the chain of creation is never-ending and will go on indefinitely. In other places in the Quran, Allah has spoken of a definite termination like in Surah Rahmaan: 26-27 -

كُلُّ مَنْ عَلَيْهَا فَانٍ وَيَبْقَى وَجْهُ رَبِّكَ ذُو الْجَلَالِ وَالْإِكْرَامِ

\"All that is on earth will perish. But will abide (for ever) the Face of thy Lord - full of Majesty, Bounty and Honor.\"

So the chain of creation will continue terminating in the Day of Judgment. The children of Adam will perish one day and obviously the chain of prophets will also come to an end.

Take for instance the 27th verse of Surah Aaraaf, \'O ye Children of Adam! Let not Satan seduce you, in the same manner as He got your parents out of the Garden…\' Satan, in this verse, is identified as man\'s enemy. Allah forewarns man to be way of Satan\'s seduction, but is Satan going to be deceiving forever?

In Surah Hijr: 36- 38, Allah says:

قَالَ رَبِّ فَأَنظِرْنِي إِلَى يَوْمِ يُبْعَثُونَ قَالَ فَإِنَّكَ مِنَ الْمُنظَرِينَ إِلَى يَومِ الْوَقْتِ الْمَعْلُومِ

\'(Iblis) said: \"O my Lord! Give me then respite till the Day the (dead) are raised. ((Allah)) said: Respite is granted thee. Till the Day of the Time appointed.\'

So while Satan is going to deceive man, the period of his creation is limited. He will die one day. Children of Adam will be annihilated one day as underscored by Surah Rahmaan: 26-27. On the same lines, the chain of prophets will also come to an end one day. And as highlighted by Surah Ahzaab, verse 40, prophethood will come to an end in the persona of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).

Another interpretations of this verse
This verse refers to all mankind - Children of Adam. When Allah has addressed Muslims in the Quran, He addresses them as \'O ye who believe!\' If Allah wanted to tell the Muslims that there will be Prophet after Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), He would have said, \'O ye who believe! Whenever there come to you apostles from amongst you, rehearsing My Signs unto you…\'

So this verse should be interpreted as - O Children of Adam, My Apostles will come to you and this chain will end in Muhammad (pbuh).

Interpretation of this verse from the Sunnah
While there are too many traditions recorded by Muslim interpreters of the Quran under the 35th verse of Surah Aaraaf, I would like to draw the attention of my readers to just one of those traditions. This should prove sufficient to reject the Baha’i misinterpretation of this verse.

In Al Durrul Mansoor volume 3, page 82, the author - Jalaluddin Suyuti has reported this tradition:

Ibne Jarir narrates from Abi Sayyaar Al Silmi: Surely Allah placed Adam and his children in His Palm, then He said - O ye Children of Adam! Whenever there come to you apostles from amongst you, rehearsing My signs unto you - those who are righteous and mend (their lives)- on them shall be no fear nor shall they grieve.

Then Allah looked towards the Messengers and said - \'O Messengers! Eat from the pure (food) and act righteously, I am aware of what you do. And this, your nation, is one nation. And I am Your Lord, then fear Me.\' Then Allah sent them forth.

As this tradition indicates, the Messengers to be sent were a select few that Allah had announced before sending forth His Creation. It is not as the Baha’is claim that the Messengers are an indefinite number and will keep coming to mankind. Rather, both mankind and Messengers are a definite number and have been sent to this world for a definite term. The Holy Quran and traditions have pointed out that Islam is the last nation and Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is the last prophet.

Conclusion:

Once again, the above verses and traditions indicate that there is a disconnect between the interpretation of the Baha’is and the actual meaning that Allah wishes to convey in the Quran.

As per the Baha’is, there can be a Messenger after the Holy Prophet of Islam. Then why no Messenger was sent by Allah between the Holy Prophet of Islam (pbuh) and Bahaullah - a period of more than 1,200 years? And why was the Shariat (code of laws) of the Bab altered within the space of 7 years to accomodate the laws of Bahaullah?

Bahaullah has himself acknowledged that Hazrat Mohammed (pbuh) was the final Prophet and Messenger from Allah. He says on page 293 of Ishraqat, \"Salutations be upon the Lord of mankind..., He (Mohammed), through whom messengership (Risalat) and prophethood (Nabuwwat) have been completed (intahata)\"

Baha’is have altered the understanding to indicate that Hazrat Mohammed was the last prophet of the \"Adamic cycle\" and now a \"new cycle\" has commenced. Who are the Baha’is trying to fool? 124,000 prophets passed away from Hazrat Adam (as) to Hazrat Mohammed (pbuh) with none of them even hinting towards a cycle of any kind. On the contrary, we have traditions indicating exactly the opposite.

The above interpretations from Muslim sources should also be sufficient to highlight how the Baha’is have misinterpreted the Quran. It is but logical that if we wish to seek a clarification about the Quran, then we should seek it from the one on whom the Quran was revealed and not from some person who was born more than 1,200 years after the incident.

Source: www.bahaiawareness.com