Verse No. 16

“A rope from Allah is His Book, and a rope from people is His Caliph.”

قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى:

﴿ضُرِبَتْ عَلَيْهِمُ الذِّلَّةُ أَيْنَ مَا ثُقِفُوا إِلَّا بِحَبْلٍ مِنَ اللَّهِ وَحَبْلٍ مِنَ النَّاسِ﴾[1]

Translation:

God Almighty has said:

“Ignominy will overtake them wherever they are found, except with a rope from God and a rope from people”.

Consideration

أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ عَبْدِ الْبَارِئِ الْقَنْدَهَارِيُّ، قَالَ: سَأَلْتُ الْمَنْصُورَ عَنْ قَوْلِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى: ﴿ضُرِبَتْ عَلَيْهِمُ الذِّلَّةُ أَيْنَ مَا ثُقِفُوا إِلَّا بِحَبْلٍ مِنَ اللَّهِ وَحَبْلٍ مِنَ النَّاسِ﴾، فَقَالَ: الْحَبْلُ مِنَ اللَّهِ كِتَابُهُ وَالْحَبْلُ مِنَ النَّاسِ خَلِيفَتُهُ، قُلْتُ: أَمَّا كِتَابُهُ فَقَدْ عَرَفْتُهُ، وَلَكِنْ مَنْ خَلِيفَتُهُ؟ قَالَ: هُوَ رَجُلٌ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْبَيْتِ يُبَيِّنُ لِلنَّاسِ كِتَابَهُ حَتَّى تَقُومَ السَّاعَةُ، أَلَمْ تَسْمَعْ قَوْلَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «إِنِّي تَارِكٌ فِيكُمُ الثَّقَلَيْنِ إِنْ تَمَسَّكْتُمْ بِهِمَا لَنْ تَضِلُّوا بَعْدِي، أَحَدُهُمَا أَكْبَرُ مِنَ الْآخَرِ: كِتَابُ اللَّهِ حَبْلٌ مَمْدُودٌ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ إِلَى الْأَرْضِ وَعِتْرَتِي أَهْلَ بَيْتِي، وَإِنَّهُمَا لَنْ يَفْتَرِقَا حَتَّى يَرِدَا عَلَيَّ الْحَوْضَ»؟! قُلْتُ: هَذَا وَاللَّهِ لَقَوْلٌ قَوِيٌّ، وَلَكِنَّ الْمُفَسِّرِينَ لَا يَقُولُونَ بِهَذَا! قَالَ: أَفَتَعْبُدُ الْمُفَسِّرِينَ؟ قُلْتُ: لَا، قَالَ: فَإِلَيْهِمْ تُحْشَرُ فَيُعَذِّبُونَكَ؟ قُلْتُ: لَا، قَالَ: فَيُغْنُونَ عَنْكَ مِنْ عَذَابِ اللَّهِ مِنْ شَيْءٍ؟ قُلْتُ: لَا، قَالَ: فَقُلْ بِالْحَقِّ وَدَعْ أَقْوَالَ الْمُفَسِّرِينَ!

Translation:

Abu Bakr ibn Abd al-Bari al-Qandahari informed us, he said: I asked Mansoor about the words of God Almighty that says: “Ignominy will overtake them wherever they are found, except with a rope from God and a rope from people”, so he said: A rope from God is His Book and a rope from people is His Caliph. I said: I know His Book, but who is His Caliph? He said: He is a man from the Ahl al-Bayt who explains His Book to people until the Day of Judgment arrives, have you not heard the words of the Messenger of God, peace and blessings of God be upon him and his family, that said: “I leave among you two precious things that if you hold firmly to them, you will never go astray after me, one of them is greater than the other: The Book of God, which is a rope stretched from the sky to the earth, and my Itrah, my Ahl al-Bayt, and those two will never be separated until they come to me by the Pond”[2]?! I said: I swear to God, this is a strong statement, but interpreters do not believe in it! He said: Do you worship interpreters? I said: No, he said: Then will you be gathered toward them and they will punish you? I said: No, he said: Then will they bear a portion of the punishment of God instead of you? I said: No, he said: Then believe in the truth and leave the sayings of interpreters!