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The 24th of Dhu al-Hijjah revives one of the most beautiful memories in Islamic culture; a day when Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (Peace Be Upon Him), in an act of selfless charity, gave his ring to a beggar while in the state of prayer (salat). His act surpassed all present in the mosque, making him worthy of Allah‘s praise and recognition. He was further honored by the receipt of the Medal of the Verse of Wilayah (guardianship), as delivered by the Messenger of Revelation. This verse, “Your Wali (Guardian) can be only Allah; and His messenger and those who believe, who establish worship and pay the poor-due while bowing down (in prayer)” (Quran 5:55), eternally engraved the nobility of his act in Islamic history.
Conceptualization of Wilayah
Wilayah and its derivatives, which can be translated as guardianship, stewardship, or authority, are among the frequently used terms in the Holy Quran. Sometimes, Wilayah refers to the act of Allah, in which case it becomes synonymous with monotheism and is considered one of the names and attributes of the Divine. This type of Wilayah, which signifies divine providence and the cause-and-effect relationship between the Creator and the creation, is exclusive to Allah. As the Wilayah of Allah is inherent, the Wilayah of some prophets and infallible Imams is seen as a reflection and manifestation of Allah’s Wilayah.
At times, Wilayah is legislative, meaning it is contractual and recognized, signifying law-giving in the world of creation. This Wilayah is also attributed to Allah.
Wilayah, on occasion, pertains to human action, and in this context, it aligns with legislative guardianship. This form of Wilayah is studied in Islamic jurisprudence and includes guardianship over the incapacitated, the elite of society, or the ‘Wilayat al-Faqih‘ (Guardianship of the Islamic Jurist).
Islamic theologians believe that not all prophets were holders of Wilayah and according to the Quranic verses, only some prophets, such as Prophet Muhammad and Prophet Ibrahim, achieved this status. They also believe that the introduction of a Wali (Guardian), based on the rule of divine grace, is obligatory for Allah. For this rule to be fulfilled, the Wali must be infallible and introduced by another infallible entity, like a prophet.
The Necessity and Philosophy of Wilayah
In the Holy Quran, Wilayah narrates the reality of a human being whose potential, through the bond with Allah’s complete and true divine Wilayah, and his inherent nature of divinity, is brought into manifestation and appearance via the path of worship and servitude. This process culminates in the individual reaching the utmost summit of human status, becoming a perfect human. Consequently, they gain access to divine positions of high stature, including prophecy, apostleship, Imamate, and the like. Given that, each prophet’s mission is tied to their prophecy, and their prophecy is linked to their Wilayah, the direction of the perfect human’s connection to the sublime Allah is their Wilayah.
Their connection to human society is their mission, and the nexus between the two is their prophecy. The differences among the missions are contingent on the variances among prophecies and the distinctiveness of prophecies, in turn, hinges on the differences in Wilayah.
Wilayah is the guarantor of the execution of Quranic and Islamic mandates, and it ensures the practical implementation of religion in all human affairs.
Religion needs a guarantor for its execution, and the guarantor of religion’s implementation should possess comprehensive knowledge and understanding of religious sciences. Indeed, they should be a reflection of the religion, and after the Prophet, none other than Imam Ali could assume this role.
A mirage never quenches a person’s thirst, and flowers do not bloom from barren land.
Those individuals who derive no benefit from monotheism, prophecy, the afterlife, religious knowledge, or the facets of divine beauty, majesty, and perfection, and who lack knowledge of the vast ocean of Islamic jurisprudence to the extent that they sometimes cannot understand the meaning of a single verse, are certainly not qualified to occupy the high position of Wilayah.
The leader and Wali (Guardian) of people can only be someone who embodies both physical and intellectual perfection. And who, other than Imam Ali, could hold such a lofty position?
Wilayah in the Quran
Contrary to the claims of the misdirected, who assert that Allah has not mentioned Imam Ali (AS), the Commander of the Faithful, anywhere in the Quran nor made any reference to him, it is established by numerous narrations from the Infallible Imams (AS) and companions that the Quran indeed alludes to the personal attributes of Imam Ali (AS). Moreover, it explicates his position on the Day of Judgment, and the status of his family, and identifies the enemies of the Ahlul Bait (AS). Allamah Haskani, in his book “Shawahid al-Tanzil”, has quoted Asbagh ibn Nabatah’s narration from Imam Ali (AS):
“The Quran was revealed in four sections: one-fourth about us, Ahl al-Bayt; one-fourth about our enemies; one-fourth clarifying what is permissible (halal) and forbidden (haram); and the last fourth explaining duties and decrees. However, the section that pertains to us is the most confidential part of the Quran.”
This narration is also found in “Tafsir Furat Kufi”, “Tafsir Ayyashi”, “Tafsir Safi”, and “Tafsir Al-Burhan”. It should be noted that such narrations abound in the authentic books of both Shia and Sunni schools of thought.
Revelation of the Verse of Guardianship
Abu Dharr said, “O people! One day, I performed the noon prayer with the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his family, in the mosque. After the prayer, a needy man stood up and asked for assistance from the people, but no one gave him anything. He raised his hands towards the sky and said, “O Allah! Bear witness, in the Mosque of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his family, I asked the Muslims for help, but no one responded positively to me.”
At that moment, Ali, peace be upon him, who was in a corner of the mosque in the state of bowing in prayer, signaled to the beggar with his little finger which had a ring on it. The beggar approached and took the ring from his hand. The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his family, who was observing this incident during his prayer, when he finished his prayer, turned his face to the sky and said: “O Lord! My brother Moses asked you: ‘O Lord! Expand my chest, make my task easy, untie the knot from my tongue so that my words become fluent! Moses, peace be upon him, also requested: ‘O Allah! Make my brother Aaron my minister and assistant! Strengthen me through him and make him a partner in my task!”
Then the Prophet, peace be upon him and his family, said: “O Lord! I, too, am Muhammad, your chosen Prophet. O Allah! I request you to expand my chest, ease my task, and among my family, make Ali my minister and supporter!”
Abu Dharr continued: The prayer of the Prophet, peace be upon him and his family, had not yet ended when the Angel Gabriel descended and said, “O Muhammad! Recite!’ The Prophet, peace be upon him and his family, asked, ‘What should I recite?’ He replied, recite: “Your guardian can be only Allah; and His messenger and those who believe, who establish worship and pay the poor due while they are bowing down (in prayer).”
The Interpretation of the Verse of Guardianship
” Your guardian can be only Allah; and His messenger and those who believe, who establish worship and pay the poor due while they are bowing down (in prayer)” (Quran 5:55)
The verse starts with the word “إِنَّمٰا”, which carries the sense of “exclusivity”. That is, only Allah, His Messenger, and those who believe, establish prayer, and give charity while bowing are your guardians and allies.
The term “guardian” in the verse cannot be interpreted as “friend” or “supporter”, because friendship and support are not limited to those who give charity while bowing. Rather, it is a command for all Muslims to love and support each other, whether or not they are required to give charity, and whether they give charity during prayer and bowing or at other times.
Thus, it is understood that “guardian” in this noble verse means leadership and spiritual guidance, especially given that the guardianship of those who give charity during prayer and bowing is equated with the guardianship of Allah and His Messenger, for which the Quran clearly says about the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH): “The Prophet is more worthy of the believers than themselves.” (Quran 33:6).
This noble verse explicitly and clearly indicates the leadership and spiritual guidance of a specific group or individual who has given charity while bowing in their prayer.
The Verse of Wilayah in Narrations
Zurarah, Fudhayl bin Yasar, Bukayr bin A’yan, Muhammad bin Muslim, Yazid bin Mu’awiyah, and Abu al-Jarud, all have reported from Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) that: “Allah Almighty commanded His Messenger to accept the wilayah (guardianship) of Amir al-Mu’minin Ali and sent down this verse to him: “Your ally is none but Allah and [therefore] His Messenger and those who have believed – those who establish prayer and give zakah, and they bow [in worship].” (Quran 5:55).
And He made it obligatory to obey the Ulil Amr (those vested with authority), but people did not know what ‘wilayah’ was. Therefore, Allah commanded Muhammad (peace be upon him) to interpret ‘wilayah’ for them, just as he had explained prayer, fasting, and Hajj and had shown their features.
When this order came from Allah, the heart of Allah’s Messenger tightened, fearing that people might abandon their religion and apostatize. He turned to Allah Almighty in prayer, and Allah revealed to him: “O Messenger, announce that which has been revealed to you from your Lord, and if you do not, then you have not conveyed His message. And Allah will protect you from the people.” (Quran 5:67).
And following this revelation, the Messenger of Allah publicly announced this matter and declared Ali’s wilayah at Ghadir Khumm. He called the people to congregational prayer and ordered all present to transmit the matter to those who were absent.
Umar bin Udhayna, who narrates this account, says: All narrators except Abu al-Jarud said:
Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) said: “Each obligation was followed by another obligation until the obligation of wilayah was the last of the obligations and duties. Then Allah Almighty sent down this verse: ‘Today I have perfected your religion for you, completed My favor upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion.’” (Quran 5:3), meaning Allah says: After this, I will not impose any obligation or duty upon you, for I have perfected the obligations for you with the wilayah.
Doubts and Responses
Critics of the school of the Ahlul Bait have stated: if we accept the proposition that the Verse of Guardianship (Wilayah) was revealed about Imam Ali (PBUH) and that Wilayah here signifies leadership and authority, then it was incumbent on the Imam to openly claim this form of Wilayah, thus absolving himself from the responsibility of delivering the trust of Allah and His messenger. However, for him to refrain from mentioning this matter for twenty-five years, is inconsistent with the courage of that lion-hearted man and other early Muslims.
In response to this question, it should be said: these objections are abundant in Shi’a sources, but they are rarely mentioned in Sunni sources, or they are very understated. This is due to the erasure and distortion of truths, and unfortunately, Sunni hadith scholars, historians, and interpreters have recorded in their books what they wanted, not what the truth was.
Although considering the above issues, there is less discussion of such objections in Sunni sources, the truth does not always remain hidden from everyone, and Allah always ensures that there are those who express the truth. Among them:
Hafiz Sulayman bin Ibrahim Qunduzi Hanafi, the author of Yanabi’ al-Mawaddah, in Chapter 38 of his book, recounts:
During Uthman’s caliphate, a group of Muhajirun and Ansar were sitting in the mosque, with Imam Ali (PBUH) among them. Everyone was speaking about themselves, but he remained silent. When the narration of their virtues concluded, they turned to the Imam and said:
O Abul Hassan, speak! The Imam replied: “O Quraysh and Ansar, I ask you, did Allah grant these virtues to you on your own merit, or because of someone else?” They said: “Allah bestowed these favors on us through the intermediary of Muhammad (PBUH).”
Then, the Imam narrates a part of the verses that were revealed about him and gets them to acknowledge that these verses were revealed about him. He then said:
“I swear you by Allah, do you know when the Verse of Guardianship (Innama waliyyukumullah…) and other verses were revealed, Allah commanded His messenger to introduce the stewards of the community’s affairs to them and explained guardianship to them. Following this, the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) appointed me as the Imam of the people at Ghadir Khumm.”