of Nokounam, May His Secret be Sanctified (Session 1782)
Surahs Ahzab and Sajdah, two radiant gems of the Holy Qur'an, reflect the exalted station of man within the cosmic order like a clear mirror. These two surahs, through profound and spiritual discourse, speak of mans intrinsic dignity as the noblest of creation, introducing him as a being endowed with boundless intellectual and spiritual capacities, capable of bearing the Divine Trustan onerous responsibility that the heavens and the earth refused to undertake. This exegesis, with a systematic and deep perspective, analyses key verses of these two surahs, particularly the Verse of Purification (Ahzab: 33) and the Verse of the Trust (Ahzab: 72), exploring mans station, obstacles to his authority, and pathways to attaining divine perfections. The purpose of this writing is to elucidate the truth that man, like a tiger in the jungle of existence, can reclaim his inherent grandeur by purging himself of defilements and connecting to the Divine Will.
The Holy Qur'an introduces man as a distinguished entity, endowed with a divine spirit, superior even to angels among the creations. This grandeur stems from the Divine Breath, described in a verse from Surah Sajdah as follows:
ثُمَّ نَفَخَ فِيهِ مِنْ رُوحِهِ
"Then He breathed into him of His Spirit."
This Divine Breath transforms man into a being with infinite intellectual and spiritual capacities. Surah Ahzab, especially in the Verse of the Trust, emphasises this grandeur:
إِنَّا عَرَضْنَا الْأَمَانَةَ عَلَى السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَالْجِبَالِ فَأَبَيْنَ أَنْ يَحْمِلْنَهَا وَأَشْفَقْنَ مِنْهَا وَحَمَلَهَا الْإِنْسَانُ إِنَّهُ كَانَ ظَلُومًا جَهُولًا
"Indeed, We offered the Trust to the heavens and the earth and the mountains, and they declined to bear it and feared it; but man undertook to bear it. Indeed, he was unjust and ignorant."
This verse portrays man as a being possessing the courage to bear a trust that even the greatest of creations feared. This courage attests to mans inherent grandeur, present both in the righteous such as the prophets and saints, and in the transgressors such as Pharaoh and Nimrod.
Despite this grandeur, many humans, influenced by environmental and educational factors, fall prey to an illusion that perceives them as limited beings, confined merely to eating and subsisting at a rudimentary level. The Holy Qur'an challenges this illusion in a verse from Surah Isra:
وَلَقَدْ كَرَّمْنَا بَنِي آدَمَ
"And We have certainly honoured the children of Adam."
This intrinsic honour indicates mans boundless capacities, reaffirmed in Surah Ahzab by the emphasis on his ability to bear the Divine Trust. This illusion of limitation acts like a dust upon the mirror of human existence, preventing the radiance of his true reality.
Surah Ahzab, focusing on social issues and rulings related to the life of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), especially in the Verse of Purification, points to the spiritual grandeur of the Ahl al-Bayt:
إِنَّمَا يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ لِيُذْهِبَ عَنْكُمُ الرِّجْسَ أَهْلَ الْبَيْتِ وَيُطَهِّرَكُمْ تَطْهِيرًا
"Indeed, Allah desires to remove all impurity from you, O People of the House, and to purify you thoroughly."
This verse, by shifting the pronoun from the feminine plural (referring to the wives of the Prophet) to the masculine plural, alludes to the 'Five Pure Ones' (Khamsa Tayyiba): the Prophet, Ali, Fatimah, Hasan, and Husayn (peace be upon them). This pronoun shift is not only stylistically significant but also theologically profound, signalling the distinguished station of the Ahl al-Bayt within the cosmic order.
The term "Ahl al-Bayt" appears only twice in the Qur'an: once in Surah Hud:
رَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ عَلَيْكُمْ أَهْلَ الْبَيْتِ
"May the mercy and blessings of Allah be upon you, O People of the House."
and once in Surah Ahzab (the Verse of Purification). Both occurrences point to extraordinary statuses. In Surah Hud, Ahl al-Bayt refers to the family of Ibrahim (peace be upon him), whose greatness is signified by the miraculous birth of Ishaq under exceptional conditions. In Surah Ahzab, Ahl al-Bayt denotes the Khamsa Tayyiba, whose purity and infallibility establish them as an unparalleled model of spiritual authority.
The positioning of the Verse of Purification amidst the verses concerning the Prophets wives acts as a precious gem within a shell, preventing its distortion or omission by opponents of the guardianship of the Ahl al-Bayt. This Qur'anic arrangement itself is a miracle, manifesting divine wisdom in safeguarding the truth about the Ahl al-Bayt. The enemies of the guardianship, due to the cohesion and continuity of the verses, failed to excise this verse from the Qur'an.
Defilement (Rijs), denoting both outward and inward impurity, acts as a dark shadow over the human existence, impeding the realisation of his inherent authority. This impurity encompasses anxiety, distraction, sin, and even unlawful earnings, which impair memory, talent, and connection with the unseen realm. The Verse of Purification, by stressing the removal of defilement, presents the solution for liberation from these obstacles.
Beyond spiritual contamination, defilement exerts negative psychological effects. It diminishes concentration, knowledge, and intuition, depriving man of divine sciences and mystical insights. The Qur'an, in Surahs An-Nas and Al-Falaq, underscores the necessity of seeking refuge in God to avoid defilement:
قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ النَّاسِ
"Say: I seek refuge in the Lord of mankind."
قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ الْفَلَقِ
"Say: I seek refuge in the Lord of the daybreak."
Man can approach the Divine Will by avoiding defilement through adherence to lawful sustenance, living in a pure environment, and performing regular acts of worship. Prayers such as "Allahumma adkhilni fi kulli khayrin adkhaltahu an-nabiyya wa alihi" (O God, admit me to every good into which You have admitted the Prophet and his family) demonstrate that man can attain the perfections of the Ahl al-Bayt:
This supplication not only signifies human aspiration for greatness but also provides a means for connection to the Divine Will and attainment of spiritual perfections.
Spiritual opportunities, like celestial descents, appear at specific times and places. Man must be vigilant to recognise and utilise these moments to connect to the Divine Will. Practices such as pilgrimage, supplication, and regular worship are among these opportunities that draw man nearer to divine perfections.
The Verse of the Trust, emphasising mans capacity to bear the Divine Trust, distinguishes him from other creatures. However, the pronoun "إِنَّهُ" ("indeed he") in this verse refers to a diminished man, one who has, due to injustice and ignorance, distanced himself from his inherent grandeur. This distinction aligns with the rhetorical principle of pronoun restriction, where a pronoun following a general noun refers to a specific subset.
The phrase "ظَلُومًا جَهُولًا" ("unjust and ignorant") in the Verse of the Trust serves as functional attributes rather than inherent ones. These qualities result from mans erroneous choices regarding the Divine Trust, which progressively alienate him from perfection. The imperfect verb "كَانَ" ("was") indicates the gradual development of injustice and ignorance.
Surahs Ahzab and Sajdah, by emphasising the Verses of Purification and the Trust, present man as a being of inherent grandeur capable of bearing the Divine Trust. This grandeur fully manifests in the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them), who serve as a paradigm for human spiritual authority. Defilement, as the principal barrier to perfection, through both external and internal pollutions, deprives man of his limitless capacities. Nonetheless, man can reconnect to the Divine Will and return to his primordial station within the cosmic order by avoiding defilement, committing to worship, and seizing spiritual opportunities. This exegesis, through literary and theological analysis of the verses, underscores the imperative of revising rhetorical sciences and deepening Qur'anic comprehension to enable man to attain his true authority.
Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa Aali Muhammad
Under the supervision of Sadegh Khademi
