Caliphate on Earth

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We read in Noor sura, verse 55:

وعدالله الّذین آمنوا منکم و عملوا الصّالحات لیستخلفنّهم فی الارض کما استخلف الّذین من قبلهم و لیمکننّ لهم دینهم الذّی ارتضی لهم و لیبدّلنّهم من بعد خوفهم امنا یعبدوننی لایشرکون بی شیئاً و من کفر بعد ذلک فاولئک هم الفاسقون

In this verse, three things have been explicitly promised to those who form the group of believer and competent persons.

And we know that there are three pillars in a promise:

The one who promises who is God in here; and those who are being promised to who are “الّذین آمنوا منکم و عملوا الصّالحات” that means righteous believers; and what is being promised which are the three following matters:

1) “استخلاف فی الارض” - “government on the earth as the successors of God”; which means the government of truth and justice.

2) Deference to religion - “spiritual influence and government of divine laws on the entire life”

3) Converting the fear to security; and removing all causes of fear and insecurity; and establishment of complete security and peace on earth.

The purpose of “deference to religion”, as it can be understood from other uses of the word deference, is that the teachings of religion influence all aspects of life constantly and deeply, not in the way of the words peace, freedom and human rights which are today playthings of their false defenders and they only tear their throats for hot mottoes about this matter, and there is no external sign of that; maybe they are just dreamy expressions which cannot be achieved in other than the world of dreams.

In that day, freedom-giving and life-giving teachings of Islam, not in the form of series of formalities, and not in the form of a bunch of mummified expressions, but as a school of life will expand its roots everywhere and efforts of reconstruction will be made on the roots, not on branches and leaves and designs.

That day, awareness and feeling of responsibility will be public; and its expansion and generalization will prevent some people to play with words, and transform constructive meanings; however, these kinds of acts is only possible to be performed in societies in which there is no public awareness and feeling of responsibility, or it has not reached the minimum needed amount, otherwise, no place remained for this childish games.

That day, personal and individual benefits won’t remove correct public judgment, not like today that when a group of removers of human rights give speeches so much exciting, on the chairs of wide and large so-called global assemblies established for defending human rights that mouths remains open wide of surprise; even they consider available declarations about human rights (which in fact they didn’t have acted according to any of them) incomplete and not enough, and even leaders of human rights in the world applause for them, because they are friends of each other and their interests will be in danger without these acts.

In that day, peace and security is not mixed with fear, not like the security which appears sometimes in today’s world and it is the result of fear of terrible and horrible weapons.

This is the balance of fear not the balance of peace! This peace is the result of great fear of the painful effects of war not the real peace! Therefore, anytime that balance of fear is disordered then the pillars of this security and false peace will fall.

***

The result of these three divine promises is preparations for human-making and more perfection in human definitions and pure servitude of God, and breaking all idols in all forms (یعبدوننی لا یشرکون بی شیئا).

It is better to look at the expressions of interpreters and what has been said about the cause of revelation of the above verse:

Some of interpreters believe that this verse revealed when the companions of prophet (pbuh) had immigrated to Medina.

A new movement was formed; a movement which shook the old and rotten society which was filled with superstitions and full of ignorance, oppression, ignorant discrimination and naturally the flags of opposition was high in any place.

Although, limited but devoted companions of this divine revolution was in fact controlling the situation by using the great dynamism of the new religion, but the number of oppositions was so many and the jangled so much loud that their truthful cries were lost among them.

Severity of opposition of tribes was so much that revolutionary soldiers of prophet (pbuh) were always alert; they slept every night with weapons and woke up in the mornings with weapons and in tight and heavy clothes of war.

Continuing this condition for a long time was surely harmful. How is it possible to sleep with armor and boot beside sword and shield?! An interrupted sleep accompanied by awakening!

Sometimes, they wished that the time comes when they can sleep one night in peace in comfortable bed; without any threatening danger from the enemy. Neither to fear from the sudden assault of the enemy during prayer nor to fear from their camisado; worship the God freely; break the idols; and live a peaceful life under the shadow of Government of justice of Qur’an.

Therefore, sometimes they worried about their conditions and asked each other that will such day come?!

Meantime, the above verse revealed and promised them that:

Yes, such day will come and this is the great promise of God; certain and inviolable promise!

And we saw in the history of Islam that how that day came by complete conquer of prophet (pbuh) over the Arabian Peninsula.

This cause of revelation seems completely natural for the verse, but as we are familiar with different verses of Qur’an and their causes of revelation, we know that it is never possible to restrict the vast meanings of verses to the boundaries of their causes of revelation; but always, cause of revelation is one of the examples of the verse.

Specifying a verse to its cause of revelation is exactly like that we throw away a weapon which we were using in war against the enemy after the way, although it is still useful, precious and rare.

Albeit, at the end of the age of prophet (pbuh) a part of the meaning of the verse became practical, but establishment of complete meaning of the verse and caliphate on the entire earth has not been established yet, and world is waiting for that.

The verse promises all competent believers in all ages and centuries that finally, government of the world will be for the competent ones and won’t be the plaything for a bunch of selfish dictator imperialist, who pas the world to each other like a ball, forever.

Therefore, we read in narratives that this verse has been interpreted to the rise of promised Mahdi; for instance, “Tabarsi”, the precious interpreter, quotes from Imam Sajjad (pbuh) in “Majma’ al-Bayan” that:

هم والله شیعتنا اهل البیت یفعل الله ذلک بهم علی یدی رجل منّا و هو مهدی هذه الامّه

(This group is those followers of us who accomplish this matter with a man of our dynasty and he is Mahdi of this nation).

Then he quotes the same matter from Imam Baqir (pbuh) and Imam Sadiq (pbuh).

Afterwards, he adds that the verse is absolute and includes the caliphate on the entire earth and we should wait for it because the promise has not been realized yet.

And in the interpretation “Burhan”, several narratives have been quoted from Imam Sadiq (pbuh) and Imam Baqir (pbuh) beneath this verse that the verse refers to the rise of He Who Arises (pbuh).

It is also necessary to remind that by considering the word “منکم”, existence of a competent, believer and righteous minority is enough who start their global revolution when the backgrounds are ready, and this sinking ship reaches the coast of rescue by their leadership.

3) It is mentioned in Tawbah sura, verse 33:

هوالذّی ارسل رسوله بالهدی و دین الحق لیظهره علی الدّین کلّه ولو کره المشرکون

For understanding the meaning of this verse, we should return to the previous verse which says:

یریدون ان یطفؤا نور الله بافواههم و یأبی الله الّا ات یتمّ نوره ولو کره الکافرون

(Enemies desire to put out the light of God by their mouths, but God intends to complete his light, although the unbelievers are averse).

It is cleared well from this verse that the God’s will is to complete the light of Islam and its real perfection is the time when it covers the entire world.

Then God says this truth more explicitly in the next verse:

He is the one who sent his messenger with guidance and religion of truth, in order to prevail over all religions, although the polytheists are averse.

The same promise is repeated in Fath sura, verse 28, with a little difference:

هوالذّی ارسل رسوله بالهدی و دین الحق لیظهره علی الدّین کلّه و کفی بالله شهید

(He is the one who sent his messenger with guidance and religion of truth, in order to prevail over all religions, and God is enough as the witness (of this great promise)).

And finally for the third time, we see this great promise in Saff sura, verse 9, with the same expression of Tawbah sura:

هوالذّی ارسل رسوله بالهدی و دین الحق لیظهره علی الدّین کلّه ولو کره المشرکون

The importance of this divine promise can be briefly understood from these verses which are mentioned in three suras of holy Qur’an.

But it is important to clear the meaning of the phrase “لیظهره”:

Firstly, does the pronoun “ه” refer to the prophet (pbuh) or to “دین الحق”?

In the first case, its meaning is the victory of the prophet (pbuh) over all religions, and in the second case, the victory of religions of Islam.

But by considering that “دین الحق” is closer, according to the literature rules, reference of the pronoun to that seems to be more correct (although it has not much difference in the result).

Moreover, victory of a religion over other religions is more proper that the victory of a person over other religions. (Attention!)

Secondly, (and the important part is this) what is the purpose of “ظهور” in here? There is no doubt that here, “ظهور” doesn’t mean appearance and manifestation but it means to prevail and victory; because one of the famous meanings of the word is this; in the book “Qamoos” which is one of the famous resources of Arabic language, it is mentioned that: ظهر به و علیه غلبه.

In the book “Mufradat” written by Raghib is also mentioned that: ظهر علیه غلبه.

This word has been used in the meaning of “prevail and victory” in several verses of holy Qur’an in Mu’min, Kahf and Tawbah suras. For example:

کیف و ان یظهروا علیکم لایرقبوا فیکم الّا و لاذمّه(1)

(How their pact has respect, while if they prevail over you then they don’t observe the kinship and the pact!)

یا قوم لکم الملک الیوم ظاهرین فی الارض2

(O you pharaonic group! Today you have victory on the earth (but…)).

انّهم ان یظهروا علیکم یرجموکم3

(If they have victory over you (companions of Kahf) then they will stone you!)

***

But the discussion is that what kind of victory is the purpose of the victory of this religion over other religions?

Interpreters have expressed three interpretations for that:

1) Logical victory; it means that by comparing Islam with other religions which are mostly mixed with superstitions, the victory of its reasonable logic over other logics is clear.

Adherents of this interpretation believe that whenever we compare the pure Islamic monotheism with monotheisms mixed with polytheism or pure polytheism then the superiority of the school of Islam over other schools will be cleared, also other discussions.

This divine promise has been realized; even comparing the motto of Adhan, which is a communicative and motivating motto, with the motto of bell and other religions which have no motto, clears this logical victory.

2) The purpose is practical victory and external conquering over other religions, but in a regional scale not global and general.

This has been also realized; because Islam conquered the Arabian Peninsula in the time of prophet (pbuh) and after that, conquered a great flourished part of the world and followers of other religions and faiths in these regions which was from the Great Wall of China - maybe beyond the Great Wall of China - to the shores of the Atlantic Ocean, mostly surrendered themselves to Islam. Even when the dominance of Islamic government was removed from these regions then Islam still remained as a religion in these regions.

3) The purpose is practical and external victory and dominance over the entire world, which includes cultural, economical and political victory; and this interpretation has been accepted by some of Sunni interpreters adding to Shiites.

Certainly, this promise has not been realized yet and it only matches the government of the promised Mahdi that the government of truth and justice covers everywhere and this religion will prevail over other religions in global scale.

And we have evidences which prove the priority of the third interpretation over other interpretations, because:

Firstly, dominance and victory which is derived from the word “ظهور” is appeared in sensible, objective and external dominance, not intellectual and mental dominance; therefore, in none of the cases which we expressed from Qur’an, “ظهور” is not mentioned in the meaning of mental dominance, but if we return to previous verses and notice then we see that in all these cases the meaning is objective and external dominance.

Secondly, mentioning the word “کلّه” for stressing clears that the dominance is not regional and limited and it includes all religions and faiths of the world and it is not possible without comprehensiveness of Islam in the entire world.

Thirdly, narratives which we have in interpretation of the above verse strengthen the third interpretation, like the following narratives:

1) “Ayyashi” quotes from “Abayah” referring to “Imran ibn Maytham” that:

Amir al-Mu’mineen Ali (pbuh) asked his companions when he recited the verse “هو الذّی ارسل رسوله بالهدی و دین الحق...”:

اظهر ذلک؟ (Is this victory achieved?)

They said: Yes!

He said:

کلُا فوالّذی نفسی بیده حتّی لا یبقی قریة الّا و ینادی فیها شبهادة ان لا اله الا الله بکرة و عشیّاً4

(No! I swear to the one whom my life is in his hands, this victory won’t appear, except for the time when there is no village remained on the earth except “لا اله الا الله” is heard from that!

2) We read in another hadith from Imam Baqir (pbuh):

انّ ذلک یکون عند خروج المهدی من آل محمّد فلا یبقی احدا الّا اقر بمحمّد5

(This victory will be in the time of the rise of Mahdi from the dynasty of Mohammad (pbuh), in the way that nobody remains on the world except that testifies to Mohammad (pbuh).

3) Miqdad ibn Aswad says:

سمعت رسول الله (ص) یقول لا یبقی علی ظهر الارض بیت مدر و لا و بر الًا ادخله الله کلمة الاسلام6

(No brick house and no tent (in the desert) will remain on the entire earth, except that Islam enters that).

There are also some other narratives in interpretation of the above verse with the same meaning.

***

This was a part of the verses of holy Qur’an which affirm universal peace and justice, and belief of Islam and monotheism on the entire world.

 


 

1. Tawbah sura, verse 8.
2 Mu’min (Ghafir), verse 29.
3. Kahf sura, verse 20.
4. Majma’ al-Bayan, beneath the verse 9, interpretation of Saff sura.
5. Interpretation Burhan, vol. 2, page 121.
6. Mama’ al-Bayan, beneath the verse 33, Tawbah sura.
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