['Aalim Network QR] Al-Qur'an 42:23 (II)

[Mustafa Rawji <mrawji@sciborg.uwaterloo.ca>]

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|       In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the All-Merciful       |\
|  Greeting of Allah be upon Muhammad and the pure members of his House |\
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Salaamun alaykum,

	The following is a supplementary post regarding the above ayah.  
Shaykh Husein Khimjee has kindly provided proofs from the Sunni sources that 
prove that the verse quoted below refers to the Ahl-ul-Bayt (as).

Wasalaam,

Mustafa Rawji
Moderator, 'Aalim Network

---------- Forwarded message ----------
  QUESTION:
  
  
  In Al Quran Sura 42 (Ash-Shu'ra) verse 23 it says:
  
  "...Say thou (O' Our Apostle Muhammad!):  I demand not of you any recompense
  for it (the toils of apostleship) save the love of (my) relatives..."
  
  This translation is from Mir Ahmed Ali and in his commentary he has
  mentioned the Ahlul-Bayt as the relatives that are referred to.  I was  also
  reading Maualna Maudoodi's commentary and he raises a seemingly valid point.
  He starts out by stating that there are 3 different interpretations of this
  aya'h.  One of the interpretations that he mentions is the Shi'a version
  where the Ahlul-Bayt are reported as the relatives to whom this verse
  refers.  Maulana Maudoodi rejects this explanation based on historical
  features.  His contention is that this Sura was revealed in Makkah when Ali
  and Fatima were not yet married and when Imam Hasan and Husain were not yet
  born.  Based on this historical fact,  he feels that the relatives referred
  to in this aya'h cannot be the Ahlul-Bayt.
 
  I will welcome any input on this issue, especially from our Alims.
 

 SUPPLEMENTARY POST:

 In the name of Allah Subhanahu wata'ala the Compassionate, the Merciful.
 
	Further to the above reply, and at the request of the Moderator, I
would like to quote some interesting Sunni sources as a further
explanation in reply to the above question.. 

	For example, Ibn Kathir in his " Tafsir al Qur'an al 'Azim" 
Mukhtasar Vol. 4 pp.100-103 explaining this Aayat, refers at one point in
his explanation to an interesting dialogue that took place between Imam
Zayn al Abidin (Alayhi Salam) during his captivity after Kerbala and a
local man from Shaam. This was at the time when the Imam with Bibi Zaynab
and others had reached Shaam as captives and people had gathered on the
streets of Shaam to see them.  At that time a local man approaches Imam
Zayn al Abidin (Alayhi Salam) and tells him that he thanks Allah that they
got killed and captured. At this point Imam Zayn al Abidin asked this man
if he had read this verse from the Qur'an (...Qul laa asalukum 'alyhi
ajran illal mawaddata fil Qurbaa...). The man said that indeed he had read
it. Imam Zayn al Abidin reminded the man that this Ayat referred to them
who were the Ahl al Bayt.

	Ibn Kathir has given other references as part of his Tafsir on
this verse which indicates that this refers to the Ahl al Bayt (Alayhimu
Salam). 

	Ibn 'Arabi (Allama Muhyiddin Ibn 'Arabi) in his "Tafsir al Quran
al Karim"  Vol.2, pp. 432-433 explains. When Rasul Allah (Salallahu Alayhi
wa Aalihi wasallam) was asked:
    'Ya Rasul Allah, which of your relatives are these making Waajib upon us
to love them, 
     He replied, "Ali and Fatema and al Hasan and al Husayn and children 
of both these." 

	Shaykh Muhammad Ali Taha al Ddart in his "Tafsir al Quran al Karim
wa al A'arabuhu wa Bayanuhu" Vol.13 pp71-75, quotes other Sunni source from
al Tirmidhi confirming the validity of his explanation citing the event of
al Ghadir.

In the end, it is Only Allah Subhanahu wa ta 'aala who knows the Best.

Husein Khimjee.