Verses 97 to 99 of Surah Al-Baqarah function as a clear mirror, unveiling the enmity and pretextual objections of the People of the Book, particularly the Jews, against the divinely purified agents. These verses, through profound insight into the role of Gabriel in the revelation process and critical examination of deviant behaviours, present two principal and subsidiary themes: hostility towards divine manifestations and pretextual denial of the truth. This treatise, by consolidating and reformulating the content of the lectures and exegetical analyses, elucidates these verses in an exalted and scholarly manner for a specialised and academic audience. The aim is not merely a deep comprehension of these verses, but also the revelation of the semantic interconnections among enmity, faith, and the cosmic order.
Qul man kna aduwwan lijibrli fa-innah nazzalah al qalbika bi'idhni Allhi muaddiqan lim bayna yadayhi wa hudan wa bushr lil'mu'minn
Translation: Say: Whoever is an enemy to Gabriel, then indeed he has revealed it upon your heart by the permission of God, confirming what was before it and a guidance and glad tidings for the believers.
Man kna aduwwan lillhi wa malikatihi wa rusulihi wa jibrli wa mkl fa-inna Allha aduwwun lil-kfirn
Translation: Whoever is an enemy to God, His angels, His messengers, Gabriel and Michael, then indeed God is an enemy to the disbelievers.
Wa laqad anzaln ilayka ytin bayyintin wa m yakfur bih ill al-fsiqn
Translation: And indeed We have revealed to you clear verses, and none disbelieve in them except the defiantly disobedient.
These three verses, like a string of pearls, present a coherent argument against the enmity and pretextual objections of the People of the Book. The main axis is a critique of hostility toward Gabriel, the angels, the messengers, and the divine verses, which are the pillars of divine guidance.
The principal theme concerns hostility against the divine agents (Gabriel, angels, messengers), which stems from resistance to the truth. The subsidiary theme pertains to pretexts manifested through superficial distinctions, such as acceptance of the prophetic figures of Isaacs lineage and denial of the prophetic figures of Ishmaels lineage, or acceptance of the Torah and denial of the Quran. These pretexts act as a veil over the fundamental enmity.
Verses 97 to 99 of Surah Al-Baqarah, with a coherent structure, portray the enmity of the People of the Book as a branch of disbelief and pretextual denial as its leaves. These verses, emphasising the role of Gabriel and the clear verses, close the path to any justification against the truth.
Instead of direct confrontation with God, the People of the Book direct their enmity towards the divinely purified agents (Gabriel, angels, messengers). This behaviour, like a shadow cast over the sun of truth, is an effort to avoid confrontation with absolute truth.
Verse 97, emphasising Gabriels role in the revelation of the Quran, and verse 98, referring to enmity against God, His angels, messengers, Gabriel, and Michael, reveal that hostility towards the divine agents is, in essence, hostility towards God.
The People of the Book resort to pretextual objections rather than explicit hostility. Accepting Michael but denying Gabriel, or accepting the Torah but denying the Quran, serves as a pretext that conceals truth behind the veil of ethnic prejudices.
The People of the Book superficially accept God but harbour enmity towards the divine agents. This conduct is akin to avoiding the sun and seeking refuge in shadow.
Verse 98, with the phrase "man kna aduwwan lillh", clarifies that enmity towards the agents is secondarily enmity towards God.
The People of the Book profess faith in the Torah, prophets of Isaacs lineage, and even the divine manna and quails, yet deny Gabriel, Michael, and the Quran. This superficial acceptance is like a mask concealing prejudices.
Enmity towards the purified agents and the pretextual objections of the People of the Book are two sides of the same coinan effort to deny the truth under the guise of prejudices. These verses explicitly criticise such conduct and reveal the profound connection between the divine agents and God.
In contemporary society, some claim to accept God and the Prophet but reject sect or scholars. This fallacy is like an attempt to separate water from its stream, which is impossible without the conduit of Sharah.
These verses, by reasoning through Gabriels role in the revelation of the Quran, demonstrate that denial of the divine agents amounts to denial of the truth of religion.
The fallacy of separating religion and sect is reinforced from two sides: some people separate religion from sect, while some scholars claim that acceptance of religion necessitates acceptance of them. Both approaches, like two branches of a corrupt root, stray from the truth.
Obedience to the non-infallible, such as Mujtahids, is conditional upon justice, sincerity, and detachment from worldly attachments. These conditions act as a filter ensuring legitimate representation of the infallibles.
The Mujtahid functions as a clear mirror, extracting religious rulings with sincerity rather than legislating independently.
Religious rulings are issued exclusively by the infallibles (God, the Prophet, Imams). This truth is a firm pillar guaranteeing the validity of the rulings.
Some scholars mistakenly place themselves in the position of the infallibles, claiming their words are divine rulings. This conduct resembles a claim of being the sun in the presence of the light of the infallibles.
Abd al-Azim asan, despite his scholarly status and saintly lineage, presented his religion to the infallibles to ensure its correctness. This conduct serves as a beacon illuminating the path of humility.
