Fifth Proof

Since the discussion of Wilayat is not restricted to any particular word in the meaning of guardianship and control, Verses of Qur’an can certify the discussion of Wilayat regarding the rulership of Almighty Allah.

Divine Authority In View Of Qur’anic Verses

There are different kinds of Verses regarding the authority of Almighty Allah. In some, authority of anyone other than Allah is absolutely negated and they prove the supreme authority for Allah, as mentioned in the 40th Verse of Surah Yusuf in the following manner:

“You do not serve besides Him but names, which you have named, you and your fathers; Allah has not sent down any authority for them; judgment is only Allah’s” (12:40).

In this Verse, every kind of natural and legislative authority is divested from anyone other than Allah and authority is attributed to the Almighty and after that it is said regarding the authority of Allah:

“He has commanded that you shall not serve aught but Him; this is the right religion but most people do not know” (12:40).

Some Verses only state that Almighty Allah is the supreme authority, whereas some other Verses divest authority from anyone other than Allah. In the same way, some more Verses deny obstacles and say that just as there is no ruler other than Allah, in the same way, there is no obstacle before His command.

It is mentioned in the 26th Verse of Surah al-Kahf:

“There is none to be a guardian for them besides Him, and He does not make any one His associate in His Judgment” (18:26).

There are many other Verses of the same meaning.

Divesting Authority From Anyone Other Than Allah

The secret of there being no partner in the command of Almighty Allah is found in Surah Saba. It is said that if there had been anyone else other than Allah, who seeks influence in natural or legislative Wilayat, he should be having one of the following ranks; whereas all of them are invalid and they are as follows:

Either he should be the independent owner of at least one particle of the universe so that he should be the ruler and wali on it. Or that he should be a partner and helper in the kingdom of A Hah.

All these three cases have the condition of rational restriction. According to books of rational sciences, two disjoined factual matters come into existence in it, because in rational restriction a thing either exists or does not, and since a thing cannot have more than one contradiction, therefore, the disjoined matter, which explains rational restriction, cannot have more than two aspects.

The cause of restriction in a disjoined factual matter is that its preceding and succeeding are contradictory to each other and since the law is that the vertical and horizontal is impossible, thus, neither the preceding and succeeding can both be true nor both of them can be false.

Whatever is mentioned in the form of two disjoined factualties in Surah Saba, its explanation is as follows:

If anyone other than the Almighty Allah is the master, is his mastership independent or not and if it is not independent, is he having partners or not?

In the last case there is neither independent mastership nor sharing; in fact, it is not mastership; on the contrary, it is a kind of influence and domination in ownership, which is called as co-operation or help.

These three kinds are mentioned as follows in the 22nd Verse of Surah Saba:

“Say: Call upon those whom you assert besides Allah” (34:22).

That is anyone or anything other than Allah, on whom you rely and whom you call. In that condition you will see that:

“They do not control the weight of an atom in the heavens or in the earth” (34:22).

“Nor have they any partnership in either” (34:22).

“Nor has He among them any one to back (Him) up” (34:22).

If someone is not an independent or sharing master, just because of being a helper, he can only have influence in the kingdom, whereas Allah has also not made them His helpers also.

However, from negation of these three aspects it is known that no particle of universe is having any interference of anyone other than the Almighty Allah.

It can be concluded from the following Verse of Surah at-Tawhid that authority is divested absolutely from anyone other than Almighty Allah:

“And none is like Him” (112:4).

For if the Almighty Allah is absolutely not having an equal and He definitely has no peer, in mastership also He would be without an equal and from the aspect of partner and helper also He would not have any equal as no one is His equal in His being, quality and act.

From the above discussions, the meaning of the following two Verses of Surah al-Kahf and Surah Yusuf becomes clear:

“There is none to be a guardian for them besides Him, and He does not make anyone His associate in His Judgment” (18:26).

And:

“Judgment is only Allah’s” (12:40).

Since in the natural and legislative sense there is no partner in the rulership of Almighty Allah; therefore, in the 17th Verse of Surah al-Kahf it is said:

“Whomsoever Allah guides, he is the rightly guided one, and whomsoever He causes to err, you shall not find for him any friend to lead (him) aright” (18:17).

Here, the common noun is used in the sense of negative, from which generality can be concluded. Thus, the meaning of the command of Allah in the Verse is that if someone does not benefit from divine guidance, he is misguided in legislative matters, framing of laws and also in matters of nature and divine good sense (Tawfiq).

On the basis of divesting of authority from those other than Allah, it is said in the 41s' Verse of Surah ar-Ra’ad:

“And Allah pronounces a doom - there is no repeller of His decree, and He is swift to take account” (13:41).

And:

“The judgment is only Allah’s; He relates the truth” (6:57).

Divine Command And Ignorant Order

After explaining these three aspects in two continuous judgments and after knowing that there is no existing thing in different circumstances of man, which independently or as a partner or helper has the least effect and influence, it is clear that except for Almighty Allah no one is having the power to nurture man and neither can anyone frame a law, which may depend on Nature, because whoever relies on anyone other than Allah, whether he relies on his view and issues a command or takes advantage from the views of other intellectuals; in both cases he is ignorant about that order.

Here ignorant implies, ignorance in comparison to sensibility, and in comparison, to the learned. Thus, if someone is considerably learned and is aware of science and other knowledges, but does not follow divine law, he is an ignorant person, because reason demands that the discretion of command should be with one having a say in kingdom and ownership. That is why command is divided into two kinds in the Holy Qur’an: one is ignorant and the other, divine. It is said:

“Is it then the judgment of (the times of) ignorance that they desire? And who is better than Allah to judge for a people who are sure?” (5:50).

If someone entrusts the nurturing of man to someone other than Almighty Allah he has followed the law of ignorance, because there is no one other than Allah, who can from any aspect be the master of anyone in human conditions and manners, what to say of having the right of legislation?

Reason is that through which the worship of Allah should be performed and the Paradise of Rizwan should be obtained.

Therefore, intelligent is one, who worships Almighty Allah and he should act on the best of the laws known to the people of certainty, and if he treads some other path, he would become a target of ignorance and deviation1.

“And what is there after the truth but error” (10:32).

From the aspect of this ignorance, there is no difference between the first and the second ignorance. Not only the Holy Qur’an compares them to ignorance and deviation; that they do not accept whatever is revealed from Allah; on the contrary, it also calls them as disbelievers, transgressors and unjust.

In the 44th Verse of Surah al-Ma’idah, after the mention of divine laws in Taurat and other heavenly books, it is mentioned:

“And whoever did not judge by what Allah revealed, those are they that are the unbelievers” (5:44).

And:

“And whoever did not judge by what Allah revealed, those are they that are the unjust” (5:45).

And also:

“And whoever did not judge by what Allah revealed, those are they that are the transgressors” (5:47).

It is noteworthy that from the above Verses, in no Verse is it said that if someone issues any command other than whatever is revealed from Almighty Allah, he is a disbeliever, transgressor or unjust; on the contrary, it is said that if he does not command according to whatever is revealed from Allah, he would be having the mentioned qualities. Not commanding according to whatever is revealed from Allah is absence of authority. In the meaning that if in some society, atmosphere is favourable for the order revealed from the Almighty and man is shortcoming in its fulfilment, it leads to his being deemed as disbeliever, transgressor and unjust.

In the 65th Verse of Surah an-Nisa’, it is mentioned as follows regarding the conditions of faith:

“But no! by your Lord! they do not believe (in reality) until they make you a judge of that which has become a matter of disagreement among them, and then do not find any straitness in their hearts as to what you have decided and submit with entire submission” (4:65)

That they can never reach to the position of faith as long as they don’t make Allah a judge in their disputes. “Disagreement” is in the meaning of difference of opinion, because when different views, like branches of trees joined with each other and merged into each other, it is called mushajara. disagreement. And if behaviour with branches of trees is adopted with views also, in that case, the gardener would have to be called to adjudge; so that he may save a particular branch and cut off the other and, in this way, maintain justice and discipline among them. Since the Almighty Allah is the gardener of the system of this creation, in 17th Verse of Surah Nuh it is mentioned:

“And Allah has made you grow out of the earth as a growth:” (71:17)

Therefore, only He is capable of ending these disagreements and controversies and the believer is one who in this aspect, accepts the rulership of Almighty Allah. Contrary to the acceptance of rulership of others, the meaning of accepting the authority of Allah is not that only silence is to be observed before the command of the ruler; on the contrary, this silence should be accompanied by acceptance and support.

That is the reason, He says in this Verse, regarding the believers; that they are such that when a command is issued, not only are they eager, on the contrary, they accept it from the depths of the heart; and they come out of the court with an expanded breast.

Authority Of The Prophet And Presentation Of Divine Laws

In Surah an-Nisa’, after deeming submission to the command of the Prophet as a condition of faith, in the 105th Verse, the method of his rulership is clarified. It is said:

“Surely We have revealed the Book to you with the truth that you may judge between people by means of that, which Allah has taught you; and be not an advocate on behalf of the treacherous” (4:105)

In the beginning of this Verse, there is a hint to the general principles of divine laws, whereas the last part is about detailed laws. Arabic ‘B’ in bi ‘l-haqq (with the truth) is for companionship or dressing. If it is for companionship the meaning of the first part of the Verse is that when the collective laws of the Almighty Allah are revealed from Allah till the time they reach to the heart of the Prophet they continuously remain in the company of God. That is neither God separates from them nor they separate from the laws of truth. Thus, on no stage does Shaitan reach them that he should cause any increase or decrease in them. If ‘B’ is for dressing, it would mean that from the beginning, revelation is dressed in truth. In that case also, divine revelation remains safe from every kind of deviation and defect.

It is clear that the system of society does not function with the collective principles of revelation; on the contrary, it is necessary to clarify the partial issues in the light of those laws; therefore, regarding that it is said with reference to acts:

“That you may judge between people by means of that, which Allah has taught you” (4:105).

Thus, whatever explanation and justification the Messenger of Allah (S) gave by enforcing the collective laws of Allah, or on whichever practice he acted, he did not do so according to his personal wishes or that of the society; on the contrary, he only acted according to divine commands. That is like the request of Ibrahim Khalilullah according to the testimony of:

“Show us our ways of devotion” (2:128).

The Almighty Allah taught him the rituals of Hajj. He also informed the Holy Prophet (S) about the details of divine laws and said:

“That you may judge between people by means of that, which Allah has taught you” (4:105).

The following holy Verse also hints to this reality:

“Nor does he speak out of desire” (53:3).

For ‘speaks’ does not imply writing or doing; on the contrary, it is a simile for the lifestyle of the Prophet. In it, his silence, standing and sitting, all are included. In the following Verse, ‘speak’ is like ‘word’:

“He utters not a word but there is by him a watcher at hand” (50:18).

It means: The angels are ready to note down whatever the man does or utters and not that they only record words and overlook everything else, because the Verse before that mentions their number as follows:

“When the two receivers receive, sitting on the right and on the left” (50:17).

From the aspect of the broadness of meaning, this Verse is similar to the following:

“And do not swallow up your property among yourselves by false means” (2:188).

It does not mean only appropriating the property of others by wrong means; on the contrary, it implies that every kind of use in the property of others is wrong; whether it be wearing a usurped garment or something like this.

From the previous discussion, it is amply clear that the authority of Prophet is not in the latitude or longitude of the Almighty Allah; on the contrary, it is the presentation of the authority of the Almighty Allah. The meaning of monotheism in rulership can also be derived from the 59th Verse of Surah an-Nisa’:

“O you who believe! obey Allah and obey the Apostle and those in authority from among you; then if you quarrel about anything, refer it to Allah and the Apostle, if you believe in Allah and the last day; this is better and very good in the end” (4:59).

Three points of reference are mentioned in the beginning of the Verse: Allah, Messenger and those vested with authority; and when it is said that if there is a dispute among you, you should refer to Allah and His Messenger. Thus, here two points of reference are mentioned: If there is controversy regarding ‘those vested with authority’ then the one vested with authority cannot solve the dispute himself; on the contrary, one would have to refer to Allah and His Messenger; whereas in the end, it is said that if you have faith in creation and resurrection, you should fulfil these laws.

Thus, if along with it the Messenger and Imams are also mentioned, their obedience is not in the latitude or longitude of the obedience of Almighty Allah; on the contrary, it is an expression of obedience of Almighty Allah. In the same way, their command is also an expression of the command of Almighty Allah.

And praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds.

• 1. Usul al-Kafi, Book of Reason and Ignorance, H. 3.