The Verse of Wilayah
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The Verse of Wilāya () refers to verse 5:55 of the Quran, the central religious text of
Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
. This verse specifies three authorities as the only sources of for believers. In
Sunni Islam Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word '' Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disagre ...
, in this verse means friendship and support, whereas Shia Muslims interpret it as spiritual authority because of its exclusivity. The first two authorities listed in this verse are God and the Islamic prophet Muhammad. In some Sunni sources, the third authority includes all believers, whereas Shia sources identify the third authority in this verse as Muhammad's cousin and son-in-law, Ali, referring to the occasion of its revelation. In Shia Islam, this verse thus signifies the spiritual authority of Ali over believers, after God and Muhammad, and supports his (usurped) right to succeed Muhammad. Other Sunni sources link this verse to Ali but reject any Shia implications.


The Arabic word can mean guardian, friend, helper, or master. The plural form is and the words , , are of the same Arabic root, all appearing in the Quran. The related concept of is particularly difficult to translate since the term takes various meanings in different contexts. In a political sense, refers to authority and power, as personified by the leader of Muslim community after Muhammad, a reference to the Quranic term (). For Sunnis, specifically refers to state-building. For Shias, however, primarily denotes the spiritual authority of the Shia Imams (and the prophets in their capacity as Imams). They are viewed as both master and friend in a believer's spiritual journey towards enlightenment. In contrast, prophets are concerned with the outward aspects of religion, namely, religious laws and ordinances. As such, the term is applied to Shia Imams in Shia Islam and to Sufi Sheikhs in Sufism. Particularly in Sufism, () denotes God's elect.


Verse of Wilaya

Verse 5:55 of the Quran, known in Shia as the Verse of Wilaya, is translated by '' The Study Quran'' as Landolt and the Shia Tabatabai () give similar translations, though the Sunni Abdullah Yusuf Ali translate this verse as, "Your (real) friends are (no less than) Allah, His Messenger, and the believers---those who establish prayers and pay and they bow down humbly (in worship)."


Occasion of the revelation


Jewish tribes

Verse 5:55 was revealed in Medina. The Sunni
Ibn Kathir Abū al-Fiḍā’ ‘Imād ad-Dīn Ismā‘īl ibn ‘Umar ibn Kathīr al-Qurashī al-Damishqī (Arabic: إسماعيل بن عمر بن كثير القرشي الدمشقي أبو الفداء عماد; – 1373), known as Ibn Kathīr (, was ...
() and al-Kashani () suggest that the verse was revealed after
Ubada ibn al-Samit 'Ubadah ibn al-Samit ( ar, عبادة بن الصامت ) was a companion of Muhammad and a well-respected chieftain of the Ansar tribes confederation. He participated in almost every battle during Muhammad's era. His official title, according t ...
broke his ties with the Jewish clans and pledged his allegiance solely to Muhammad. Alternatively, the Sunni exegeses '' Tafsir al-Jalalayn'' and ''Asbab nuzul al-Qur'an'' consider this verse a response to some companions who complained about social ostracization by some Jewish tribes. The Sunni
Ibn al-Kalbi Hishām ibn al-Kalbī ( ar, هشام بن الكلبي), 737 AD – 819 AD/204 AH, also known as Ibn al-Kalbi (), was an Arab historian. His full name was Abu al-Mundhir Hisham ibn Muhammad ibn al-Sa'ib ibn Bishr al-Kalbi. Born in Kufa, he spent ...
() writes that the verse was revealed when
Abd Allah ibn Salam Abdullah ibn Salam ( ar, عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ سَلَامٍ, translit=ʿAbdullāh ibn Salām, lit=God's servant, the Son of Peace, links=), born Al-Husayn ibn Salam, was a companion of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, and was a Jew ...
and some others converted to Islam and the Jewish tribes subsequently revoked their contract of clientage ().


Ali

In contrast, Shia and some Sunni commentators, including the early influential Ibn Abbas () and Mujahid, consider this verse a specific reference to Ali. Such reports are included in the works of the Shia
al-Mufid Abu 'Abd Allah Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn al-Nu'man al-'Ukbari al-Baghdadi, known as al-Shaykh al-Mufid () and Ibn al-Mu'allim (c.9481022 CE), was a prominent Twelver Shia theologian. His father was a teacher (''mu'allim''), hence the name Ibn ...
() and the Sunni al-Baydawi (), Ibn Kathir,
al-Tabari ( ar, أبو جعفر محمد بن جرير بن يزيد الطبري), more commonly known as al-Ṭabarī (), was a Muslim historian and scholar from Amol, Tabaristan. Among the most prominent figures of the Islamic Golden Age, al-Tabari ...
(),
al-Zamakhshari Abu al-Qasim Mahmud ibn Umar al-Zamakhshari (; 1074 –1143) was a medieval Muslim scholar of Iranian descent. He travelled to Makkah and settled there for five years and has been known since then as Jar Allah ‘God's Neighbor’. He was a Mu't ...
(), al-Wahidi (),
al-Razi Razi ( fa, رازی) or al-Razi ( ar, الرازی) is a name that was historically used to indicate a person coming from Ray, Iran. People It most commonly refers to: * Muhammad ibn Zakariya al-Razi (865–925), influential physician, alchemist ...
(), Ahmad al-Tabari (), and
al-Suyuti Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti ( ar, جلال الدين السيوطي, Jalāl al-Dīn al-Suyūṭī) ( 1445–1505 CE),; (Brill 2nd) or Al-Suyuti, was an Arab Egyptian polymath, Islamic scholar, historian, Sufi, and jurist. From a family of Persian or ...
(). In these reports, verse 5:55 is connected to when Ali gave away his ring to a beggar while he was bowing in worship. Al-Tabari narrates a tradition to this effect from the Shia Imam al-Baqir () but also includes a contradictory report in which al-Baqir explicitly denies any specific link to Ali. The two traditions share a common origin in the which Lalani regards as problematic. The attribution of this anti-Shia report to al-Baqir may also suggest some early debates about the status of al-Baqir as a Shia Imam. A minority of traditions link verse 5:55 to Abu Bakr. Nasr et al. suggest that the frequent association of this verse with Ali in early Sunni sources strongly support its authenticity. In particular, the Sunni Ahmad al-Tabari includes the following detailed account on the authority of
Abu Dharr Abu Dharr Al-Ghifari Al-Kinani (, '), also spelled Abu Tharr or Abu Zar, born Jundab ibn Junādah (), was the fourth or fifth person converting to Islam, and from the Muhajirun. He belonged to the Banu Ghifar, the Kinanah tribe. No date of bir ...
(), a companion of Muhammad.


Exegesis

For the Sunni al-Tabari, 'believers who give alms while bowing down in prayer' describes believers in general, whereas the Sunni al-Razi and al-Zamakhshari view them as sincere believers who are untainted by hypocrisy. The verse may also signal that one should perform these religious deeds in a state of humility, according to these two authors.


Debate about Ali

For the Shia, in this verse is interpreted as spiritual authority. Verse 5:55 thus describes Ali as the rightful authority over the believers, after God and Muhammad, and signifies his right to succeed Muhammad as the spiritual and political leader of the Muslim community. The hadith literature, consensus among scholars, and the occasion of the revelation are cited in Shia sources to support this interpretation. Verse 5:55 might be the most frequently cited verse by the Shia in support of Ali's rights. Alternatively, those Sunni authors who acknowledge a link between this verse and Ali reject any Shia implications. For the Sunni al-Zamakhshari, the verse encourages Muslims to emulate Ali, who did not delay charity even until the end of his prayer. On the other hand, the Sunni Ibn Kathir questions the authenticity of the related hadiths.


Extent of

Similarly, the Sunni al-Razi denies that in this verse is anything more than friendship or mutual support. In particular, verse 9:71 of the Quran depicts all believers as (, s) of each other. In response, Shia authors note that the particle () confines the in this verse to God, Muhammad, and those believers who gave alms while praying. As such, in this verse has a different significance than mere friendship. The in this verse, they argue, is similar to that in verse 33:6, "The prophet has a greater claim () on the faithful that they have on themselves."


Singular and plural forms

The use of in this verse, instead of the plural form , supports the Shia interpretation that the verse exclusively refers to Ali. Yet 'those' in the verse suggests otherwise. In response, the Shia al-Tusi () lists other instances in the Quran where the plural form is used but a single person is meant, including verse 3:168 about
Abd Allah ibn Ubayy ʿAbd Allāh ibn 'Ubayy ibn Salūl ( ar, عبد الله بن أبي بن سلول), died 631, was a chieftain of the Khazraj tribe of Medina. Upon the arrival of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, Ibn Ubayy seemingly became a Muslim, but Muslim tradi ...
. Alternatively, Shah-Kazemi is of the view that 'those who believe' in this verse are symbolized by Ali, referring to the prophetic hadith that described Ali as "faith, in its entirety." In his view, the authority in this verse is limited to God, Muhammad, Ali, and those believers who reach the rank of sainthood, regardless of their religion.


See also

*
Hadith of Warning The hadith of warning ( ar, يوم الإنذار , translit=yawm al-inzar), also known as the invitation of the close families of Muhammad ( ar, دعوة ذو العشیرة, translit=da'wat dhul-ashira), is an Islamic tradition (hadith) that de ...
*
Verse of Obedience The Verse of Obedience ( ar, آيَة ٱلطَّاعَة) refers to verse 4:59 of the central religious text in Islam, the Quran, which reads In Sunni Islam, "those in authority" () in this verse variously refers to Caliphs Abu Bakr and Umar, ...
*
Verse of Ikmal al-Din The Verse of Ikmal al-Din ( ar, إِکْمَال الدِّيْن) or the Verse of Ikmal is verse 5:3 of Islam's central religious text, the Quran, which includes the passage The interpretation of the Verse of Ikmal is disputed between the ...
*
Verse of Mawadda The Verse of Mawadda (Arabic: آية الْمَوَدَّة, ) refers to verse 42:23 of the Quran, the interpretation of which is disputed. This verse is often cited in Shia sources to support the elevated status of the family of the Islamic prop ...
* Verse of Purification * Ghadir Khumm


References


Sources

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Further reading

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