سورة الفرقان

Imam Hadi (peace be upon him) narrates from Imam Askari (peace be upon him) that he said: I said to my father, Imam Naqi (peace be upon him): "Did the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) ever debate with the Jews and his opponents when they raised objections against him?" He said: "Yes, on many occasions. Among them is this verse in which Allah reports their words: وَ قالُوا ما لِهذَا الرَّسُولِ یَأْکُلُ الطَّعامَ وَ یَمْشِی فِی الْأَسْواقِ لَوْ لا أُنْزِلَ إِلَیْهِ مَلَکٌ فَیَکُونَ مَعَهُ نَذِیراً، أَوْ یُلْقی إِلَیْهِ کَنْزٌ أَوْ تَکُونُ لَهُ جَنَّةٌ یَأْکُلُ مِنْها وَ قالَ الظَّالِمُونَ إِنْ تَتَّبِعُونَ إِلَّا رَجُلًا مَسْحُوراً [And they say: What is the matter with this Messenger that he eats food and walks about in the markets? Why has not an angel been sent down to him, so that he might be a warner with him, or a treasure been thrown down to him, or a garden from which he might eat? And the wrongdoers say: You are only following a man bewitched], and this verse: 'Why has this Qur'an not been sent down upon a great [and wealthy] man from these two towns (Mecca and Ta'if)?!' (Zukhruf/31), and the other verse: 'And they said: We will never believe in you until you cause a gushing spring to burst forth for us from this [dry and burning] land, or until you have a garden of date-palms and grapes and cause rivers to flow abundantly in their midst, or bring down pieces (of stones) from the sky upon us as you have claimed, or bring Allah and the angels before us, or you have a house adorned with gold, or you ascend into the sky — and even if you ascend into the sky we will not believe until you bring down to us a book we can read.' (Isra/90–93) ...

My father said: 'These events took place when the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) was one day sitting by the Ka'ba with his companions, reciting to them the verses of the Qur'an and the commands of the Lord. At this time a group of the leaders of Quraysh gathered — such as Walid ibn Mughira al-Makhzumi, Abu al-Bakhtari ibn Hisham, Abu Jahl, al-'As ibn Wa'il al-Sahmi, and Abdullah ibn Abi Umayya al-Makhzumi — along with a group of their followers, and they conferred with one another. ... The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) was among a group of his companions and was reciting the Qur'an to them. All of them came before the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family). Abdullah ibn Abi Umayya al-Makhzumi began first, saying: "O Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family)! You have made a great claim and uttered a difficult saying. You consider yourself the Messenger of Allah, though it is not fitting that Allah, the Creator of the world, should make someone like you His envoy and messenger — a human being who eats and drinks as we do and walks in the streets and markets. Look at the rulers of Rome and the kings of Persia: when they wish to send an envoy, they surely choose someone of standing and of wealth — with lofty palaces, beautiful gardens, and many male and female servants. Allah is greater and more powerful than all these rulers, and all of them are His servants. Beyond that, if you were a prophet, He would have sent along with you an angel to confirm you, and we would have seen him. If Allah had decided to send us a prophet, He would certainly have sent an angel, not a human being like ourselves. You are a man who is possessed and has lost his mind — not a prophet nor a messenger of Allah."

The Noble Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) said: "Do you have any further objection?" He said: "Yes. If Allah wished to send a prophet, He should have sent someone superior to all of us in wealth and standing. Why was this Qur'an, which you claim Allah has revealed to you, not revealed to one of the two eminent Arab personages: Walid ibn Mughira in Mecca or Urwa ibn Mas'ud al-Thaqafi in Ta'if?" ... Again the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) said: "Do you have anything more to say?" He said: "O Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family), was what I raised against you not enough? Nothing more remains. Now, whatever answer you have, state it clearly and openly. If you truly can, fulfil our demands; and if you have a proof, present it to us."

The Noble Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) said: "O Allah, You hear every voice and know everything; You have heard the words of these servants of Yours." Allah then revealed this verse to the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): وَ قالُوا ما لِهذَا الرَّسُولِ یَأْکُلُ الطَّعامَ وَ یَمْشِی فِی الْأَسْواقِ لَوْ لا أُنْزِلَ إِلَیْهِ مَلَکٌ فَیَکُونَ مَعَهُ نَذِیراً، أَوْ یُلْقی إِلَیْهِ کَنْزٌ أَوْ تَکُونُ لَهُ جَنَّةٌ یَأْکُلُ مِنْها وَ قالَ الظَّالِمُونَ إِنْ تَتَّبِعُونَ إِلَّا رَجُلًا مَسْحُوراً [And they say: What is the matter with this Messenger that he eats food and walks in the markets? Why has not an angel been sent down to him to be a warner with him, or a treasure been thrown down to him, or a garden from which he might eat? And the wrongdoers say: You are only following a man bewitched]. Then He says: انْظُرْ کَیْفَ ضَرَبُوا لَکَ الْأَمْثالَ فَضَلُّوا فَلا یَسْتَطِیعُونَ سَبِیلًا [See how they strike comparisons for you, and thus they have gone astray and cannot find a way]. Then He says: تَبارَکَ الَّذِی إِنْ شاءَ جَعَلَ لَکَ خَیْراً مِنْ ذلِکَ جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِی مِنْ تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهارُ وَ یَجْعَلْ لَکَ قُصُوراً [Blessed is He who, if He wills, can grant you better than that — gardens beneath which rivers flow — and He can grant you palaces].

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) said: "Now pay attention, O servant of Allah! As for your objection that I too eat food like you and your claim that for this reason I am not worthy of prophethood — this matter belongs to Allah. He does whatever He wills and decides whatever He wishes. His actions cannot be faulted, and it is not for you nor for anyone to question and dispute them. Do you not see that Allah has made some poor and some rich, some mighty and some lowly, some sound and healthy and others sick, some honoured and others debased? All of them eat food. The poor cannot say, 'Why have we been made weak and incapable while they are sound and able?' Nor can the lowly say, 'Why have we been abased while they have been honoured?' Nor can the ugly of face say, 'Why have You made us ugly and them beautiful?' If they were to say such a thing, they would be objecting to Allah, standing against Him, and disbelieving in Him. Allah will answer them: 'I am the Sovereign, who lowers and raises, enriches and impoverishes, honours and humiliates, gives health and gives sickness. You are the servants; you have nothing but to submit to Me and obey My command. If you submit, you are believing servants; if you refuse, you are disbelievers in Me and will suffer My punishment.'"

Then Allah revealed this verse to the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): 'Say: I am only a human being like you; it is revealed to me that your Allah is one Allah.' (Fussilat/6) Say: I too am a human being like you — I eat food and I am like you in humanness, except that Allah has chosen me for prophethood, just as He makes some wealthy and some healthy and gives beauty to one and not to another. You must not deny my prophethood simply because He has not granted you this distinction.

As for your saying that the king of Rome and the ruler of Persia choose their envoys and messengers from among the wealthy, who have palaces, houses, gardens, and male and female servants, and that Allah is greater than all of them since they are His servants — you must know that authority is in Allah's hand. He does not act according to your order, opinion or view, nor according to what you consider proper. Rather, He does whatever He Himself sees fit and decides upon, and in His actions there is no room for objection. Allah sent His prophets to draw people to religion, to turn them toward Allah, and to labour day and night without sparing themselves any effort in cultivating people's minds. If [a prophet] had palaces to reside within, with servants keeping people from reaching him, would not the message be lost and matters proceed slowly? Do you not yourself see that when kings sit behind the curtains of their palaces, how corruption and evil deeds spread beyond their sight, and they get no knowledge of it? O servant of Allah! Allah raised me up without wealth so that He might make His power and might known to you, and so that you might know that He is my helper and you have no power to kill me nor to stop the spread of His religion. This itself is a clear indication of Allah's power and of your weakness and inability. Soon He will grant me victory over you. ...

You said: 'If Allah wished to send us a prophet, He would send from the angels, not a human being like us.' You must know that you cannot perceive an angel with your senses, because he is of the substance of this air and is not embodied or visible. If your power of sight were increased so that you could see him, you would say, 'This is not an angel — he too is a human being,' because when he appears and becomes visible he takes the form of a human, which you are familiar with, so that you may understand his speech and grasp what he intends. From where, then, would you know the truthfulness of an angel's claim? Allah raised prophets from among human beings and gave them miracles so that people would realize that no one is able to bring the like of them. This very inability of people to bring the like of those miracles is a testimony from Allah to the truthfulness of the prophets' claim (peace be upon them). If He were to send [messengers] in the form of an angel and place these miracles at their disposal such that the other angels could not do the like — [it would need to be] so that his act would be a miracle to you. Do you not see with your own eyes that the flight of a bird is no miracle for it, since there are many of its kind that fly? But if a human being flew like the birds, that would be a miracle. Allah has made the matter easy for you and has completed His proof upon you easily, but you yourselves are choosing a difficult path in which there is no proof or evidence.

The Noble Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) said: "As for your saying that I am possessed and mad — how is such a thing possible when you fully recognize that I possess discernment and understanding, and an intellect superior to yours? From childhood until forty years of age, do you have any record of me witnessing any fault or defect, or misguidance, or lie, or treachery, or error in speech, deed or belief? Is it possible for a person to keep himself [thus] throughout such a period by his own strength, or is it by the strength and power of the Lord? To this very point Allah refers in this verse: انْظُرْ کَیْفَ ضَرَبُوا لَکَ الْأَمْثالَ فَضَلُّوا فَلا یَسْتَطِیعُونَ سَبِیلًا [See how they strike comparisons for you, and thus they have gone astray and cannot find a way]. They cannot establish any record against you with evidence, apart from baseless claims whose falsehood is very easy for you to refute."'"

Ali ibn Ibrahim: Allah also relates their statement and says: وَ قَالُوا مَالِ هَذَا الرَّسُولِ یَأْکُلُ الطَّعَامَ وَ یَمْشِی فِی الْأَسْوَاقِ لَوْلَا أُنزِلَ إِلَیْهِ مَلَکٌ فَیَکُونَ مَعَهُ نَذِیرًا، أَوْ یُلْقَی إِلَیْهِ کَنزٌ أَوْ تَکُونُ لَهُ جَنَّةٌ یَأْکُلُ مِنْهَا [And they say: What is the matter with this Messenger that he eats food and walks in the markets; why has an angel not been sent down to him, so that he might be a warner with him? Or why has a treasure not been sent down to him, or why does he not have a garden to eat from?]. Allah then responds to this and says: وَ ما أَرْسَلْنا قَبْلَکَ مِنَ الْمُرْسَلِینَ إِلَّا إِنَّهُمْ لَیَأْکُلُونَ الطَّعامَ وَ یَمْشُونَ فِی الْأَسْواقِ وَ جَعَلْنا بَعْضَکُمْ لِبَعْضٍ فِتْنَةً أَ تَصْبِرُونَ وَ کانَ رَبُّکَ بَصِیراً [And We did not send before you any messengers but that they ate food and walked in the markets; and We have made some of you a trial for others — will you be patient? And your Lord is ever Seeing]. [What is meant by] the word fitnah here is a test. The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) was reproached on account of his poverty, and Allah says regarding this: تَبَارَکَ الَّذِی إِن شَاء جَعَلَ لَکَ خَیْرًا مِّن ذَلِکَ جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِی مِن تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ وَ یَجْعَل لَّکَ قُصُورًا [Blessed is He Who, if He wills, will make for you better than that — gardens beneath which rivers flow — and will make for you palaces].

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): Rabi'a al-Sa'di said: I came to Hudhayfa ibn al-Yaman and said to him, "Narrate to me a hadith from the hadiths that you heard from the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) and saw him act upon." He said, "Hold fast to the Qur'an." I said, "I have read the Qur'an. I have come to hear from you a hadith that I have not seen and not heard from the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family). O Allah, I take You as witness that I came to Hudhayfa and asked him for a hadith — he heard but concealed." He said, "How harsh and severe you have been with me! Now listen to a short sentence from a long saying that comprehends all your affairs." He said, "The sign of Paradise eats food and walks about among these very people." I said, "Explain, so that I may know the sign of Paradise and follow him, and recognise the sign of the Fire and shun it." He said, "By the One in Whose hand is the soul of Hudhayfa, indeed the sign of Paradise and the guides to it until the Day of Resurrection are the Imams (peace be upon them) from the family of Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family), and indeed the sign of the Fire and the callers to it until the Day of Resurrection are their enemies."

The Messenger (peace be upon him and his family): Umar ibn Ibrahim Awsi said: When Abu Talib (peace be upon him) passed away, the polytheists intensified their harassment and persecution of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), and the Prophet began presenting himself to the tribes, calling them to Islam and faith. Whomever the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) went to, they rejected him, and some of them said: "The people of this man (the Prophet) know him better than we do. Do you think that a man who has ruined his own people can set us right?" Then the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) went to the tribe of Thaqif in Ta'if and found their chiefs seated. They were three brothers, and the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) presented himself to them and warned them of the Fire and the wrath of Allah, the All-Compelling. Then one of them said: "If Allah has sent you as a prophet, I will steal the coverings of the Ka'bah." Another said: "O Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family)! Was Allah unable to send someone other than you?" And the third said: "Do not speak to him, for if he is truly a messenger of Allah as he claims, then he is of too lofty a station to speak with us, and if he is lying about Allah, then he has gone too far in his words." Then they began to mock the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), and he set off, and with every step he took they would throw a stone in front of him, and by the time he had left their area, blood was flowing from his feet. He leaned against the wall of one of their vineyards and sat down there, grieved and dejected, and said: "O Allah! I complain to You of my loneliness, my sorrow, and my humiliation before the people. O most merciful of the merciful! You are the Lord of the oppressed, You are the Lord of the afflicted. O Allah! If there is no anger from You upon me, then I do not mind. But the breadth of well-being that You have bestowed upon me is greater for me. I seek refuge in You from Your wrath, and in Your pardon from Your punishment, and in You from Yourself. I cannot praise You as You deserve; You are as You have praised Yourself. Praise be to You until You are pleased, and there is no change and no power except by the aid of Allah, the Most High, the Most Great." It is said that Utbah ibn Rabi'ah and Shaybah were in the vineyard, and because of the enmity and hostility that these two bore toward the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), he did not wish to go to them. For this reason, these two said to their slave, who was called Addas: "Take these two clusters of grapes and this cup of water and bring them to him. He will ask you whether these are charity or a gift. If you say it is charity, he will not accept it from you. You must say that these are a gift." The slave went and placed them before the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), and the Prophet asked: "Are these charity or a gift?" Addas answered that it was a gift. Then the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) stretched out his hand and said: "بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِیم [In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful]." Addas, who was a Christian, was astonished upon hearing this phrase and began to gaze at the Prophet. The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) asked him: "O Addas, from where are you?" He replied: "From the people of Nineveh." The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) said: "From the city of the righteous servant, my brother Yunus ibn Matta (peace be upon him)?" Addas said: "Who informed you?" Then the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) told him his own story and that revelation had come to him. Addas asked: "Who was the prophet before Yunus (peace be upon him)?" The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) answered: "Nuh and Lut (peace be upon them)," and then he related their stories to him. Upon hearing this, Addas fell into prostration before the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) and began to kiss the hands of the Prophet, while his masters were watching him. Seeing this scene, one of them said to the other: "He has bewitched your slave." When Addas returned to his masters, they asked him: "What happened that you prostrated before him and kissed his hand?" Addas said: "O my master! There is no one on the face of the earth more noble, more gracious, and more knowing than him." They said: "Why?" He said: "He informed me of a matter which only the prophets know." The two said: "Woe to you, has he turned you away from your religion?" Addas said: "By Allah, he is a prophet who has been sent." They said: "Woe to you! Quraysh have resolved to kill him." He said: "By Allah! He will fight Quraysh and will hold mastery and dominion over them, and if they follow him, they will enter Paradise, and whoever disobeys him will be defeated." They wanted to beat him, whereupon Addas began to run toward the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) and embraced Islam.