Verse No. 18

“He sent a Prophet from among them and sends others from among them who are not Prophets but are the caliphs of the Prophet.”

قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى:

﴿هُوَ الَّذِي بَعَثَ فِي الْأُمِّيِّينَ رَسُولًا مِنْهُمْ يَتْلُو عَلَيْهِمْ آيَاتِهِ وَيُزَكِّيهِمْ وَيُعَلِّمُهُمُ الْكِتَابَ وَالْحِكْمَةَ وَإِنْ كَانُوا مِنْ قَبْلُ لَفِي ضَلَالٍ مُبِينٍ ۝ وَآخَرِينَ مِنْهُمْ لَمَّا يَلْحَقُوا بِهِمْ ۚ وَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ ۝ ذَلِكَ فَضْلُ اللَّهِ يُؤْتِيهِ مَنْ يَشَاءُ ۚ وَاللَّهُ ذُو الْفَضْلِ الْعَظِيمِ﴾[1]

Translation:

Allah Almighty has said:

He is the One Who sent among the unlettered a Messenger from among themselves to recite to them His verses, purify them, and teach them the Book and wisdom, even though they were in manifest misguidance before. And others from among them who have not yet joined them. And He is the Mighty, the Wise. This is Allah’s grace that He grants to whomever He wills, and Allah possesses great grace.

Considerations

1 . أَخْبَرَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ حَبِيبٍ الطَّبَرِيُّ، قَالَ: سَأَلْتُ الْمَنْصُورَ عَنْ قَوْلِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى: ﴿هُوَ الَّذِي بَعَثَ فِي الْأُمِّيِّينَ رَسُولًا مِنْهُمْ﴾، إِلَى قَوْلِهِ: ﴿وَآخَرِينَ مِنْهُمْ لَمَّا يَلْحَقُوا بِهِمْ﴾، فَقَالَ: بَعَثَ رَسُولًا مِنْهُمْ وَيَبْعَثُ آخَرِينَ مِنْهُمْ لَيْسُوا رُسُلًا، وَلَكِنَّهُمْ خُلَفَاءُ الرَّسُولِ، فَيُزَكُّونَهُمْ وَيُعَلِّمُونَهُمُ الْكِتَابَ وَالْحِكْمَةَ، أَلَا تَرَى أَنَّهُ يَقُولُ: ﴿ذَلِكَ فَضْلُ اللَّهِ يُؤْتِيهِ مَنْ يَشَاءُ ۚ وَاللَّهُ ذُو الْفَضْلِ الْعَظِيمِ﴾؟ قُلْتُ: وَأَيُّ دَلَالَةٍ فِي هَذَا؟ قَالَ: هُوَ الْخِلَافَةُ يُؤْتِيهَا مَنْ يَشَاءُ، وَلَا يُؤْتِيهَا مَنْ يَشَاؤُونَ.

Translation:

Abdullah ibn Habib al-Tabari informed us, he said: I asked Mansoor about the statement of Allah Almighty, where He has said: “He is the One Who sent among the unlettered a Messenger from among themselves,” up to where He has said: “And others from among them who have not yet joined them.” So he said: “He sent a Prophet from among them and sends others from among them who are not Prophets but are the caliphs of the Prophet. Then they purify them and teach them the Book and wisdom. Do you not see that He says: ‘This is Allah’s grace that He grants to whomever He wills, and Allah possesses great grace’?” I said: “What indication is there in this?” He said: “It is the caliphate that He grants to whomever He wills, not to whomever they will.”

2 . أَخْبَرَنَا الْحَسَنُ بْنُ الْقَاسِمِ الطِّهْرَانِيُّ، قَالَ: سَأَلْتُ الْمَنْصُورَ عَنْ قَوْلِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى: ﴿وَآخَرِينَ مِنْهُمْ لَمَّا يَلْحَقُوا بِهِمْ﴾، فَقَالَ: هُمْ خُلَفَاءُ الرَّسُولِ وَاحِدًا تِلْوَ الْآخَرِ حَتَّى تَقُومَ السَّاعَةُ، وَهُمْ مِنَ الْعَرَبِ مِنْ أَهْلِ بَيْتٍ كَانَ مِنْهُمُ الرَّسُولُ، قُلْتُ: إِنَّ هَؤُلَاءِ يَقُولُونَ أَنَّهُ بَعَثَ رَسُولًا فِي الْأُمِّيِّينَ وَآخَرِينَ، أَوْ بَعَثَ رَسُولًا يُزِكِّي الْأُمِّيِّينَ وَآخَرِينَ، قَالَ: إِنَّمَا قَالَ: ﴿آخَرِينَ مِنْهُمْ﴾، وَلَمْ يَقُلْ: آخَرِينَ، قُلْتُ: وَهَلْ يَبْعَثُ اللَّهُ أَحَدًا إِلَّا رَسُولًا؟! قَالَ: نَعَمْ، كَمَا بَعَثَ طَالُوتَ مَلِكًا، وَلَمْ يَبْعَثْهُ رَسُولًا.

Translation:

Hasan ibn Qasim al-Tehrani informed us, he said: I asked Mansoor about the statement of Allah Almighty, where He has said: “And others from among them who have not yet joined them.” So he said: “They are the caliphs of the Prophet, one after another until the Day of Judgment. And they are from the Arabs and from the Ahl al-Bayt that the Prophet was from.” I said: “They say that He sent a Prophet among the unlettered and others, or that He sent a Prophet to purify the unlettered and others.” He said: “He has said: ‘Others from among them,’ and He has not said: ‘Others.’” I said: “Does Allah send anyone other than a Prophet?!” He said: “Yes, just as He sent Talut as a ruler and did not send him as a Prophet.”

3 . أَخْبَرَنَا صَالِحُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ السَّبْزَوَارِيُّ، قَالَ: قَالَ لَنَا الْمَنْصُورُ: لَا تُحَدِّثُوا النَّاسَ بِمَا لَا يَعْرِفُونَ، أَتُحِبُّونَ أَنْ يُكَذِّبُوا اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ؟! إِنَّ مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ آيَاتٍ لَا يَعْلَمُ تَأْوِيلَهَا إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَالرَّاسِخُونَ فِي الْعِلْمِ، مِنْهَا قَوْلُهُ تَعَالَى: ﴿وَآخَرِينَ مِنْهُمْ لَمَّا يَلْحَقُوا بِهِمْ ۚ وَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ﴾، فَكُفُّوا عَنْ هَؤُلَاءِ السَّفْلَةِ، وَلَا تَدْعُوهُمْ إِلَى أَمْرِكُمْ، فَوَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ لَمْ يَزَالُوا فِي ضَلَالٍ وَاخْتِلَافٍ فِي الدِّينِ وَتَبْدِيلٍ لِمَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ فِي كِتَابِهِ وَإِظْهَارِ الْبِدَعِ وَإِبْطَالِ السُّنَنِ وَاتِّبَاعِ الْجَبَابِرَةِ مُنْذُ قَبَضَ اللَّهُ نَبِيَّهُ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِلَى يَوْمِهِمْ هَذَا، فَذَرُوهُمْ يَخُوضُوا وَيَلْعَبُوا حَتَّى يُلَاقُوا يَوْمَهُمُ الَّذِي يُوعَدُونَ!

Translation:

Salih ibn Muhammad al-Sabzawari informed us, he said: Mansoor said to us: “Do not tell people something they do not understand! Do you like them to deny Allah and His Messenger?! Indeed, there are verses from the Quran that no one knows their true interpretation except Allah and those firmly grounded in knowledge. One of them is this statement of Allah Almighty, where He has said: ‘And (He sends) others from among them who have not yet joined them. And He is the Mighty, the Wise.’ So leave these lowly people alone and do not invite them to your cause; because, by the One in Whose hand is my life, from the day Allah took His Prophet  to Himself until today, they have always been in misguidance and discord in religion and engaged in altering what Allah has revealed in His Book, giving rise to innovations, nullifying traditions, and following tyrants! So leave them to plunge and play until they meet the day they are promised.”