Questions and Answers about the Qur’anic Verse of Tatheer

It is appropriate now to answer some questions about the Qur’anic verse of Tatheer

Question One
It is understood from the aforementioned discussions that the desire expressed in the Qur’anic verse is ontological. It follows that the spiritual purification of Ahl al–Bay, is definite and immutable. Wouldn’t the acceptance of this idea lead to ascribing determinism to them?

Answer
God’s, ontological desire will entail determinism only if they do not have the will to act but if God has ontologically desired that the Ahl al–Bayt be kept away from uncleanness and sin on the basis of insight and knowledge, it will not lead determinism, but will affirm a free choice and negate of determinism. According to this assumption, God has not willed that they are not to do things which they do not want. God’s desire is that they are to obey (Him) by exercising a free choice. The existence of free will contests (the idea) of determinism.
Furthermore, we can say that ismah (inerrancy), means an extensive and profound insight and knowledge which an infallible person enjoys and which never lets him deviate from obeying God or think of committing sins. Enjoying such insight and knowledge will make the evil of sins so manifest that one will never seek to commit sins voluntarily, just as it is impossible for ordinary people to drink dirty water. The reason is that their insight and knowledge prevents them from doing so.

Question Two
In the holy Qur’anic verse: “Allah only desires to keep away uncleanness from you O Ahl al–Bayt and purify you a thorough purifying”, the use of the two phrases “اذهاب”, “to keep away” and “تطهير”, “to purify” indicate that “uncleanness” previously existed but was removed when these words were revealed. This use of the phrases “to keep away” and “to purify” indicates that Ahl al–Bayt used to commit sins, but their “uncleanness” is then removed. They, therefore, became “pure after a time”

Answer
In this verse the word “اذهاب”, “preceded by” “عن” meaning “from” is a transitive verb which means “to keep away” uncleanness from Ahl al–Bay and this desire is pre–existent, not that the opposite state existed in Ahl al–Bayt and God removed it from them. The word “تطهير”, “purifying” does not mean “removal of not previously uncleanness, been clean”, but it refers to the pre–existence of Ahl al–Bayt’s purity”. This is similar to the idea in the Qur’anic verse, “and they shall have pure mates”. (2:25)
The definite evidence supporting the above view, is that “Ahl al–Bayt” includes the very Prophet (saws) about whose being “Ma’sum” from the very beginning no one doubts. No one can say that he was not so before the revelation of the verse of Tatheer and became “inerrant” afterwards. When we say that the two concepts i.e. “keeping away” and “purifying” do not indicate previous “uncleanness” in the case of the Prophet (saws) the same can be said about the members of Ahl al–Bayt, otherwise the two concepts with regard to the Prophet (saws) would mean something and regarding his Household something else.

Question Three
The holy Qur’anic verse contains no clue to indicate that Ahl al–Bayt enjoy this kind of purity before the verse was revealed; rather the verse indicates that this God’s desire concerns the future because the verb يريد refers to something to come.

Answer
First: The verb yurid يريد (want) does not indicate futurity, and this is clear in similar applications, as in these examples: “God desires to explain to you, and to guide you into the ways of those before you” (4:26)
Also, “And Allah desires that He should turn to you (mercifully)” (4:27).
Accordingly, in the Qur’anic verse (in question) God’s desire does not indicate futurity but it means that God, the Mighty and High, still has this desire and it is still in effect.
Second: Including the Prophet (saws) in the desire is a confirmation of this idea, for none would say that previously God’s desire of purification did not include the Prophet, and it occurred later on. The purity of the noble Prophet (saws) is pre–existent. It is thus evident that “yuridu” is not used with regard to the Prophet in a different meaning from that of his Household.

Question Four
Probably the letter “L, ل” in “ليذهب” expresses cause and the object of the verb “يريد” is the duties assigned to the noble Prophet’s family, God bless them. Then the meaning of the verse will be: in view of the particular obligations and duties assigned to you, the Household, God, the Most High, “desires” to remove uncleanness from you, and make you thoroughly pure. If so, the verse cannot be an indication of the Household’s inerrancy.

Answer
First: (To claim) that the object of the verb “desire” is omitted and unsaid opposes the rule, which leaves nothing unsaid. If there is a contextual clue, it will be possible to ignore this principle. But there is no such clue in the Qur’anic verse (under discussion).
Second: Since there are several possible views concerning the function of the letter “ل” with the verb “يذهب” (to keep away) some consider God’s “desire” to be ontological and some consider it to be legislative, the most probable one that agrees with the context is its being ontological. We already introduced some reasons for its being ontological, for example, with legislative desire” there is no need to praise this dear family, whereas we see that Prophet’s Household are highly praised in the Qur’anic verse, as in the aforementioned hadiths have clearly stated.
Therefore, in this case, the letter “ل” has special purpose; i.e. to make the verb transitive, and what follows it, is the object of the verb yuridu as can be seen in other Qur’anic verses where the verb ‘desire’ can be in the transitive form whether with or without the letter “ل”.
Now, let us consider the following examples: “Let not then their property and their children excite your admiration; Allah only wishes to chastise them with these in this world’s life…”55
Also: “And let not their property and their children excite your admiration; Allah only wishes to chastise them with these in this world”.56.
“They desire to put out the light of Allah with their mouths, and Allah will not consent save to perfect His light though the unbelievers are averse”.57
“They desire to put out the light of Allah with their mouths, but Allah will perfect His light, though the unbelievers may be averse”.58 In one of the verses the verb yuridun (they desire) has been made transitive without the use of letter “ل” and in another by using the of letter “ل”

Question Five
“The Household” in the verse, do not mean only five people. It includes other relatives of the Prophet (saws) too, because some traditions mention that the Prophet (saws) placed his uncle Abbas and his children under a covering, and said, “These are my Household” and prayed for them.

Answer
There are so many hadiths confirming that “The Household” includes only the five or the fourteen infallible persons, and so, the mentioned traditions are by no means valid. Besides, they are not trustworthy (for the following reasons): In the chain of the narrators of this hadith there is the name of Mohammad ibn Yunus, concerning whom ibn Hajar has quoted ibn Habban to have said, “He fabricates hadiths. He has made up more than thousand hadiths, falsely attributing them to trustworthy people. “Ibn Adi has also accused him of making up narrations”.59
Another narrator of this hadith is Malik ibn Hamzeh, about whom Bukhari mentions in his book that he is among the weak narrators60
Abdullah ibn Uthman ibn Ishaq is another narrator of this hadith, concerning whom ibn Hajar has quoted Uthman to have said, “I asked ibn Mo’in about this narrator. He answered that he did not know him. Ibn Adi said, ‘He is not known”.
In view of the above notes, the mentioned tradition cannot challenge the (authentic) hadiths at all.

Question Six
When Umm Salamah asked the Prophet (saws) if she was among the members of Ahl al–Bayt, the noble Prophet said, “You are (moving) towards the good”; in another version, “You are on the good path”, meaning: there is no need for me to pray for you because the Qur’anic verses have, from the beginning, commended you. The expression “You are on the good path” also means: you are in a better position. This does not suggest that Umma Salamah was not among the members of Ahl al–Bayt.

Answer
From the previous discussions on the context of verse, it can be concluded that the verse of Tatheer and those preceding it do does not have the same siaq (context) thus the wives of the Prophet (saws) are excluded from Ahl al–Bayt.
The word “good” in the expression “on the good path” or “moving towards the good” does not mean preference and not indicate that the Prophet’s wives are superior to the five pure people. There are some indications in these hadiths which support this idea, such as Umm Salamah’s wishing that she was joined to the Household, a position which she preferred to all that on which the sun shines.
A deliberation upon the Qur’anic verses related to the wives of the Prophet (saws) including those preceding the verse of Tatheer and what the reasons and conditions of their revelation are and those in the Surah of Prohibition makes the above mentioned point completely clear. Let us, for example see the following Qur’anic: “If you both turn to Allah (in repentance), then indeed your hearts are already inclined (to this)”; “Perhaps should he divorce you, his Lord would grant him even better wives than you are in your stead wives better than you, submissive (to Allah), believing, pious, penitent, devout, inclined to fasting, widows and maids”. “Allah sets forth an example to those who disbelieve the wife of Nuh and the wife of Lut: they were both under two of Our righteous servants, but they acted treacherously towards them so they availed them naught against Allah, and it was said: Enter both the fire with those who enter”. (66:4, 5 & 10)

Question Seven
Traditions report that the Prophet (saws) prayed for his family after the verse of Tatheer was revealed. He said, “O God, take uncleanness away from them and purify them a thorough purifying”. This request of the Prophet (saws) is inconsistent with the idea that inerrancy can be inferred from the verse, because it would not be reasonable to ask God to confer inerrancy on Ahl al–Bayt if the Qur’anic verse indicated their inerrancy.

Answer
First: This supplication clearly indicates that God’s desire to purify the Household is an ontological not a legislative one, because asking God “to take away uncleanness” and (to grant) “purification” is in no way not a legislative matter and the Prophet’s supplication is certainly granted. Therefore, this supplication emphasizes the content of the verse of Tatheer.
Second: Inerrancy is a blessing granted by God to chosen people in each and every moment of their lifetime because, like other creatures, they always need God in each and every moment. One cannot assume that God’s grace given to them in one moment will make them needless of God’s blessings in other moments.
This is like the case of the Prophet’s repeatedly saying, “Guide us along the Straight Road”, asking God for guidance, although he has attained guidance in its most perfect form. It is an indication that whatever ranks a God’s servant attains, essentially he is still in need of Allah, and so his expressing the need and imploring God’s blessings is but perfection.
One’s knowledge that God’s blessings will be granted in the future does not prevent one from praying and a similar example is found in Ulu al–Albab’s supplication to which God refers here: “Our Lord! And grant us what Thou has promised us by Thy apostles and disgrace us not on the day of resurrection; surely Thou does not fail to perform the promise (3:194)
They implore God although they know that Allah, the Mighty and High, will not fail to perform His promise to the believers.
With regard to the noble Prophet’s supplication, we notice that although “purification” and “divine protection” have already been attained and will also be granted in the future, the Prophet’s supplication indicates that in spite of the lofty rank of the Household they are always in need of Allah, whose great and invaluable bliss reaches them every moment.
Therefore, the holy Prophet’s supplicating before or after the revelation of the verse of Tatheer, does not contest their inerrancy.

Question Eight
Prophets’ inerrancy is necessary for safeguarding divine revelation. Why should we believe that those who are not prophets are infallible?

Answer
First: In the Shi’ites’ view, Imamate is a continuation of prophet hood, and is equal to or higher in position than prophet hood.61 Imams play the same role as that of the Prophet (saws) except that they are not revealed to. The belief of Imamiyyah Shi’ites in the inerrancy of Imam is based on intellectual (aqli) and transmitted (naqli) proofs.
Second: Having no necessary intellectual condition for the inerrancy of Imam does not justify the absence of inerrancy.
Explanation: As regards the prophet and Imam intellect is the criterion of their being, but those other than the Prophet and the Imam do not have such privilege. Inerrancy is a special divine blessing that God gives to whoever He considers good.
As for the Prophet and the Imams, there is an intellectual demonstration of their being inerrant, but regarding other than them, if there is a transmitted proof supporting their being inerrant, it must be taken for granted, and the verse of Tatheer is a proof of the inerrancy of the Prophet, Imams, and Hazarat Fatimah (p.b.u.th.) all.

Question Nine
In his Sahih,62Muslim has quoted Zayd ibn Arqam, one of the Companions, to have reported that the Prophet (saws) said, “I am leaving behind two precious things among you: the book of Allah … and Ahl al–Bayti (my Household)”. Zayd ibn Arqam was asked, “Who are the Ahl al–Bayt?” Are the women included with the Prophet’s Household?”
He said, “No”. When he was asked, “Who are they?”, he said, “The Prophet’s Household are those to whom paying of sadaka (the voluntary alms) is forbidden. They are: Ali’s family, Abbas’s family, Ja’far’s family and Aqil’s family”. Now, how can Ahl al–Bayt be confined to the five pure members of Ale al–Aba, or to the fourteen infallibles (p.b.u.th.)?

Answer
First: This tradition indicates that the wives of the Prophet (saws) are excluded from Ahl al–Bayt.
Second: This tradition, though reported by various transmitters, ends a Yazid ibn Hayan, who is not qualified to challenge the content of (thaqalayn) tradition and many other hadiths.
Third: Even if (he) is proved (to be qualified), we cannot consider the independent judgement of one of the Companion as a convincing argument.
Fourth: Zayd ibn Arqam has reported the tradition of Thaqalayn in different ways all of which contain the following sentence: “if you hold fast to them, you will not be misguided at all, i.e. the Book of Allah and my Ahl al–Bayt will never separate until they return to me by the pond (of Kawthar)”.
These notes which indicate Ahl al–Bayt’s leadership and their inseparability from the Qur’an, do not agree with the above mentioned interpretation quoted from Zayd ibn Arqam, according to which the Abbasid caliphs are, in spite of their oppression and tyranny, regarded among Ahl al–Bayt. This is in opposition with the content of the verse of Thaqalayn.

Question Ten
Some traditions report that in answer to Umm Salamah’s inquiry: “Am I among Ahl al–Bayt?” and in another version “Let me be with them”, the Prophet (saws) answered “Yes, if God wills”, and “You are among my family”. It can, therefore, be said that the term Ahl al–Bayt is not limited to five people.

Answer
In the numerous traditions previously cited, the particular term Ahl al–Bayt, includes no one other than the Five People of Ale al–Aba. It can be said that the traditions referred to in the above question which are concerned with the literal meaning of “Ahl” or “Ahl al–Bayt” include the wives of the Prophet (saws).
Mention is made here of a Sunni leading figure in fiqh and hadith, Abu Ja’far al–Tahawi, who considers Ahl al–Bayt only five people, and that the wives of the Prophet (saws) are not among those referred to in the holy Qur’anic verse. On pages 332–3 of his Mushkil al–Athar he quotes
Umm Salamah to have asked the Prophet (saws) to let her be among them ( Ahl al–Bayt). The Prophet (saws) said, “انت من اهلي, you are among my family”. Tahawi then continues: “From these traditions it can be understood that it is sometimes permissible to consider Umm Salamah one of the Prophet’s Ahl, because she is a wife of the Prophet, and his wives are his Ahl”.
Having quoted eight traditions supporting the idea that Umm Salamah is not one of Ahl al–Bayt referred to in the verse of Tatheer, al–Tahawi adds: “It can be understood from the words of the Prophet (saws) to Umm Salamah, as we previously mentioned ,that there exists no hadith which states that Umm Salamah is one of (the members of) Ahl al–Bayt as it is meant by the Qur’anic verse recited. No one is meant by this verse other than God’s Messenger, peace be on him and his family, Ali, Fatimah, al–Hasan, and al–Husain (p.b.u.th.)”.
Another possible explanation given by al–Tahawi is that by the phrase “انت من اهلي You are among my Ahl” the Prophet (saws) meant to tell Umm Salamah that she was among his family because she was following his creed, expressing the same idea in the case of the Prophet Nuh when he was told that his son was excluded from his family as in the verse, “surely he is not of your family”63 which indicates that the members of his family are those who (believe) and do good deeds.
Tahawi offers the above possible explanation after he quotes Wathileh’s report which confirms the presence of the five pure persons, their being covered with kisa, and the Prophet’s supplicating “O God, these are my Ahl al–Bayti, and my Ahl al–Bayt are most deserving”. Then, Wathileh says: I asked, “O Messenger of God, am I among (the members of) your Ahl?” The Prophet said, “You are among my Ahl”.
Tahawi continues in this way: “Wathila, a member of Bani Layth not a Qurayshi, was farther from the Prophet (saws) than Umm Salamh whereas Umm Salamah, the Prophet’s wife, belonged to the Quraysh tribe yet the Prophet says to him, “You are among my Ahl”, meaning “because you follow the religion and have faith in me you are among my family”.
In his book al–Sunan al–Kubra, Bayhaki quotes Wathila’s narration and says, “The Prophet seems to have used a metaphorical, not literal way when placing Wathila among the members of his family”.
Therefore, it is not a problem to say that Ahl al–Bayt has an exclusively reference.

Question Eleven
The Qur’anic verse: “Allah only desires…” (33:33) is similar to the verse: “…Allah does not desire to put on you any difficulty, but He wishes to purify you and that He may complete His favour on you…” (5:6) and similar to the verse, “…and to take away from you the uncleanness of Satan…” (8:11)
Now, if the verse of Tatheer suggests “inerrancy”, then we can attribute inerrancy to many Companions.

Answer
The first sentence comes at the end of the verse dealing with wudu (i.e.washing for the ritual prayer) and total ablution. The verse is: “O you who believe! When you rise up to prayer, wash your faces and your hands as far as the elbows, and wipe your heads and your feet to the ankles; and if you are under an obligation to perform a total ablution, then wash (yourselves) and if you are sick or on a journey, or one of you come from the privy, or you have touched the women, and you cannot find water, betake yourselves to pure earth and wipe your faces and your hands therewith, Allah does not desire to put on you any difficulty, but He wishes to purify you and that He may complete His favour on you, so that you may be grateful”. (5:6)
In the above verse, God, the Mighty and High, having issued the command on washing for prayers, total ablution, and betaking to pure earth, says that (by legislating these laws) He does not desire to put you in any difficulty, but wishes to purify you by your washing and betaking to pure water. “Purity” in this verse has nothing to do with the ontological purity mentioned in the verse of Tatheer.
In the second verse “uncleanliness of Satan\", refers to the wet dream which (a group of) Muslims had during the Battle of Badr. God, the Mighty and High, sent down rain on them. They washed themselves with it and removed the defilement.
This verse too refers to a particular purification required for removing the stain which occurred as a result of wet dream to (a number of) the Companions who had participated in the war. This purification has nothing to do with the absolute ontological purification referred to in the Qur’anic verse ot Tatheer.
Notes:
55. – Surah 9, verse 55.
56. – Surah 9, verse 85.
57. – Surah 9, verse 32.
58. – Surah 61, verse 8.
59. – Tahdheeb al-Tahdheeb, vol. 9, p. 542, printed in India.
60. – Mizan al-I’tidal, vol. 3, p. 425; Dar al-Ma’rifah, Beirut.
61. – See the pamphlet on “Imammate in the hadiths of Ghadeer, Thaqalayn an Manzilat, by Rida Kardan.
62. – Muslim’s Sahih, the book of Faza’il, the section on “the Merits of Ali ibn Abi Talib, peace be on him”.
63. – Surah 11, verse 46.