Quran and Exegesis

The verse “وَٱلزَّٰجِرَٰتِ زَجۡرٗا” refers to angels who sternly and forcefully restrain people from sin and wrongdoing; it may also be understood as the voice of conscience and inner promptings. “وَحِفۡظٗا مِّن كُلِّ شَيۡطَٰنٖ مَّارِدٖ” refers to the way being barred to rebellious devils who seek to penetrate the heavens. “لَّا يَسَّمَّعُونَ إِلَى ٱلۡمَلَإِ ٱلۡأَعۡلَىٰ وَيُقۡذَفُونَ” expresses the devils’ inability to hear the news of the heavenly realm and their being driven away from it.

Shia Muslims believe that the Qur’an was affirmed by each of the Infallible Imams, peace be upon them, who enjoined their followers to hold fast to it. In an effort to undermine the sanctity of the Qur’anic text, Islam’s adversaries raise various objections, including the claim that Aisha compiled and altered it.

The verse “Whoever desires the harvest of the Hereafter…” teaches that seeking worldly pleasures is blameworthy when it distracts a person from God; in any case, each person receives the provision allotted to them. Seeking God’s approval through faith and piety brings divine honour. The true harvest is also the noble rule of the Ahl al-Bayt (AS), described as the garden of God’s good pleasure.

Qur’an 64:14 speaks of enmity because some spouses and children can hinder a person’s obedience to God and worship, becoming obstacles along the way. The verse warns believers to be on their guard, while also affirming that God is Forgiving and Merciful when they pardon and forgive.

Verse 11 of Surah al-Taghābun speaks of guiding the heart because the heart is the human being’s center of communication and information. It is where the intellect resides and a source of knowledge and wisdom. To guide the heart is to guide all a person’s limbs and faculties, since the heart is their sovereign.

In verse 8 of Sūrat al-Taghābun, “light” refers to the Imams of the Household of the Prophet (AS). This is the light of God in the heavens and the earth, which illumines the hearts of believers and guides them. Imam al-Bāqir (AS) said that the light of the Imam in a believer’s heart is brighter than the sun shining in broad daylight.

Aḥṣā kulla shayʾ may be understood as the treasury of all things, the source of creation’s raw materials, and the seed and archetype of every creature. It is also the supreme mystery—the single point in which the Creator of existence has gathered all realities. The term may likewise refer to the letters of creation’s alphabet, from which the words and book of existence take shape.

The clear verses are those whose meaning is plain and which are to be acted upon. The ambiguous verses are those whose meaning may be unclear to the uninformed, and interpreting them requires turning to the Prophet’s family (Ahl al-Bayt), who are firmly grounded in knowledge. Such verses may seem ambiguous to ordinary people, but they are clear to the divinely appointed proof, who guides minds to the verse’s intended meaning. Abrogated verses belong to the ambiguous verses, while abrogating verses belong to the clear ones.

The word “nabaʾ” in the verse “For every message there is a fixed time” refers to the reports about the Day of Resurrection. Each report concerning the Resurrection has its own appointed time and place: it will reach its fulfillment, and its truth will become clear. Surely, all of God’s promises will come to pass on the Day of Resurrection.

Prophetic revelation is reserved for the great prophets; no one else can receive it. But divine inspiration may also come to ordinary people, in ways that vary according to their faith and piety. Such inspiration is not a source of religious authority and must be measured against the Qur’an and sound reports to guard against error and innovation.

Verse 50 of Sūrat al-Aḥzāb permits the Prophet (PBUH) to marry women among the spoils of war, as well as the daughters of his paternal uncles and aunts and his maternal uncles and aunts. This permission means that marriage to them is lawful; it does not mean that they are his sisters.

Verse 40 of Sūrat al-Aḥzāb rejects the pre-Islamic practice of treating an adopted son as though he were a biological son. Although the Prophet (PBUH) and Imam ʿAlī (AS) were not the biological fathers of any men, they are regarded as the spiritual and caring fathers of the community, with a greater claim upon it than its biological fathers.

The noble verse «و لقد خلقنا الإنسان و نعلم ما توسوس به نفسه و نحن أقرب إلیه من حبل الورید» tells us that God is closer to us than our jugular vein. “God stands between us and His own vein” means that God transcends life and all that exists. The sense of servitude that comes from Him is greater than life itself, and its sweetness cannot be compared with anything else.