*In the Name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful* ** *Assalaamu alaykum, Brothers/Sisters,* * * *A few days back, I had heard a Shia Moulvi on the TV, telling his audience that the Arabic phrase sab'anm minal mathaani (seven of the oft-repeated things) occurring in Verse 15.87 does not allude to Surah Al-Fatiha as generally believed. According to him it alludes to the Imams in whom the Shias believe.* ** *The Moulvi's argument is that since Surah Al-Fatiha is a part of the Qur'aan, it makes no sense that Allah should bestow the Surah separately when He says in the same Verse that He has bestowed the Qur'aan. The Moulvi therefore rules out sab'anm minal mathaani to mean Surah Al-Fatiha.*
*The Arabic phrase, the Moulvi says, alludes to seven oft-repeated things that are not included in the Qur'aan. And since the Shia Imams are not mentioned in the Qur'aan, and since some of the Imams have the same names like Muhammad and Ali, the Moulvi ingeniously reduced the 12 Shia Imams to seven, to make them synchronise with the subject Verse.* * The Verse 15.87 in original is: <http://www.islamicity.com/MOSQUE/ARABICSCRIPT/AYAT/15/ra101_15-87.ram> Transliteration: Walaqad ataynaka sabAAan mina almathanee waalqurana alAAath eema Translation: And We have bestowed upon thee the Seven Oft-repeated (verses) and the Grand Qur'an.(Yusuf Ali) The Shia Moulvi's argument, I repeat, was that since Surah Al-Fatiha is part of the Qur'aan, 'the seven oft-repeated' mentioned in the Verse quoted above, could not mean the said Surah. In this context, I would like to invite readers' attention to another Verse, 2.98. The Arabic text of this Verse is: <http://www.islamicity.com/MOSQUE/ARABICSCRIPT/AYAT/2/ra101_2-98.ram> Transliteration: Man kana AAaduwwan lillahi wamalaikatihi warusulihi wajibreela wameekala fainna Allaha AAaduwwun lilkafireena Translation: Whoever is an enemy to Allah and His angels and apostles, to Gabriel and Michael,- Lo! Allah is an enemy to those who reject Faith. (Yusuf Ali) In this latter Verse, as one may see, besides the word angels, the names, Gabriel and Michael, are also mentioned. But Gabriel and Michael are angels! So, the Shia Moulvi's argument won't stand. The Qur'aanic practice is to mention both the 'whole' and its 'parts' in the same sentence, when the 'parts' need to be highlighted. In Verse 2.98, although Gabriel and Michael are both included in 'angels', they were separately mentioned to highlight their importance in the history of the Jews, to whom the Verse related. Similarly, it could be said that in Verse 15.87, sab'anm minal mathaani was separately mentioned to highlight its importance, although it is part of the Qur'aan. The Opening Chapter (Surah Al-Fatiha) of the Qur'aan has seven Verses and these are most often repeated by Muslims in their prayers or even otherwise. Therefore the description of 'seven oft-repeated' most aptly applies to the said Opening Chapter. This Opening Chapter of the Qur'aan is in the form of a Prayer by Mankind to their Creator; and the rest of the Qur'aan is the Creator's response to that Prayer. The importance of the Opening Chapter is thus self-evident, and the mention of it in addition to the mention of 'the Qur'aan', in the aforesaid Verse 15.87, is to highlight this importance. The Shia Moulvi's inference that the phrase in question refers to the Shia Imams, on the other hand, is obviously contrived and far-fetched. It was not clear to me as to how he manipulated the number of 12 Shia Imams to 7. Perhaps he took into his account only those Imams whose names were either Muhammad or Ali. There are 4 of those with Ali as their names, and 3 with Muhammad. Are the other 5 Imams just left out becuse they do not suit the Moulvi's calculations? The Moulvi's calculations are beyond my understanding. That apart, Verse 15.87, as one may see, is primarily addressed to the Prophet (peace be upon him). The 'seven oft-repeated' were bestowed upon the Prophet, along with the Qur'aan. But at the time of the Prophet, only one Imam (Ali) was existing. The bestowal of the other (then non-existing) Imams to the Prophet, does not stand to reason. Maybe, the Moulvi has some other ingenuity to explain that. Wassalaam, Mohammad Shafi islam-n-interest.com <http://www.islam-n-interest.com> * -- Keep us on the Right Path, Allah!
