Study 3: Verses 5:55 and 5:56

"Only Allah is your Guardian and His Messenger and those who believe, those who keep up prayers and pay zakat while they bow (55). And whoever takes Allah and His Messenger and those who believe for a Guardian, then surely the party of Allah are they that shall be triumphant (56)."

1. What is the real meaning of "waliyy" and "tawallah" used in these two verses?
2. Who are ‘those who believe' mentioned in these verses?
3. Does the clause "pay zakat while they bow" imply an act  of charity?
4. How does the wilayah (mastership, guardianship) of the Messenger and the believers relate to that of Allah's?

Ibn Kathir

Actual Text from 'Abridged' English volume 3, pages 92-95:

Allah said, (Verily, your Protector is Allah, His Messenger, and the believers, those who perform the Salah, and give Zakah, and they bow down.)

(Verily, your Protector is Allah, His Messenger, and the believers...) means, the Jews are not your friends. Rather, your allegiance is to Allah, His Messenger and the faithful believers. (those who perform the Salah, and give the Zakah...) referring to the believers who have these qualities and establish the prayer, which is one of the most important pillars of Islam, for it includes worshipping Allah alone without partners. They pay Zakah, which is the right of the creation and a type of help extended to the needy and the poor. As for Allah's statement, (and they bow down,) some people thought that they give the Zakah while bowing down. If this were the case, then paying the Zakah while bowing would be the best form of giving Zakah. No scholar from whom religious rulings are taken says this, as much as we know. Therefore, (and they bow down,) means, they attend the prayer in congregation in Allah's Masjids and spend by way of charity on the various needs of Muslims. Allah said; (And whosoever takes Allah, His Messenger, and those who have believed, as protectors, then the party of Allah will be the victorious.)

Similarly Allah said; (Allah has decreed: "Verily, it is I and My Messengers who shall be the victorious.'' Verily, Allah is All-Powerful, Almighty. You will not find any people who believe in Allah and the Last Day, making friendship with those who oppose Allah and His Messenger, even though they were their fathers or their sons or their brothers or their kindred (people). For such He has written faith in their hearts, and strengthened them with a Ruh (proof) from Himself. And He will admit them to Gardens (Paradise) under which rivers flow to dwell therein (forever). Allah is pleased with them, and they with Him. They are the party of Allah. Verily, it is the party of Allah that will be the successful.) Therefore, those who accept the allegiance of Allah - His Messenger and the faithful believers - will gain success in this life and the Hereafter. Hence Allah's statement here, (And whosoever takes Allah, His Messenger, and those who have believed, as protectors, then the party of Allah will be the victorious.)

Ibn Kathir

Rough translation from the Arabic:

{{Verily, your Protector is Allah, His Messenger, and the believers, those who perform the Salah, and give Zakah, and they bow down.}} Allah said that the disbelievers are not your friends, but in fact you should be friends to Allah and His Rasul and the believers. The believers are those who have the following characteristics: those who establish prayers (pray five times a day regularly), which is the best and superior pillar of Islam and is only Allah's right; and those who pay charity (zakat), which is the right of Allah's poor, old and weak people. The last sentence caused a confusion among the people that "those who pay zakat" referred to the present condition meaning that they pay zakat while bowing down to Allah (in the state of genuflection). This is totally wrong. Even if we accept that then it will be obvious that paying zakat in the state of genuflection is preferred, and no scholar agrees to this. Some capricious people said about an incident that once ‘Ali Ibn Abi-Talib (RA) was in genuflection (rukoo) and a beggar came, and ‘Ali gave his ring to the beggar. According to Uthba, (the clause) "and the believers" refers to the Muslims and ‘Ali (RA) and these verses were revealed on that incident. In an exalted (murfoo) tradition, there is the story of the ring, and some exegetes also explained in the same way (with reference to the ring) but neither one has the correct proof (sanad). None of the narrators are reliable and trustworthy and so this incident of ring is not proved, confirmed, valid, or verified and is wrong.

These verses were revealed about Ubadah bin Saamit (RA) when he *openly* broke up with his Jewish friends and he was pleased with the friendship of Allah, the Messenger and the pious people. That's why at the end of these verses, Allah said {{whoever keeps friendship with Allah, His Rasul and His pious people he will enter in Allah's group and this group will overcome/dominate.}} Like Allah said, {{Allah has decreed: "Verily, it is I and My Messengers who shall be the victorious.'' Verily, Allah is All-Powerful, Almighty. You will not find any people who believe in Allah and the Last Day, making friendship with those who oppose Allah and His Messenger, even though they were their fathers or their sons or their brothers or their kindred (people). For such He has written faith in their hearts, and strengthened them with a Ruh (proof) from Himself. And He will admit them to Gardens (Paradise) under which rivers flow to dwell therein (forever). Allah is pleased with them, and they with Him. They are the party of Allah. Verily, it is the party of Allah that will be the successful.}} Therefore, those who accept the allegiance of Allah - His Messenger and the faithful believers - will gain success in this life and the Hereafter. Hence Allah's statement here, {{And whosoever takes Allah, His Messenger, and those who have believed, as protectors, then the party of Allah will be the victorious.}}

Allamah Tabataba'I

Actual Text from al-Mizan, English volume 11, pages 3-15:

GENERAL COMMENT:

The two verses, as you see, are placed between the verses, which prohibit taking the People of the Book and the unbelievers for a helper or guardian. That is why a group of Sunni exegetes has tried to join these two with the preceding and following verses in a single context; they have taken the whole group in one connotation, aiming to describe the believers' responsibility regarding people's wilayah (in the meaning of helping), and prohibition of taking the Jews, the Christians and the unbelievers as a helper. It confines the wilayah to Allah, His Messenger, and those believers who establish prayers and pay the zakat while they are bowing - they indeed are true believers. Thus it excludes the hypocrites and those in whose hearts is a disease; leaving the true believers whose wilayah is incumbent. The verse gives the same import that is shown by a collection of such verses as: ... and Allah is the Guardian of the believers (3:68); The Prophet has a greater claim on the believers than they have on themselves...(33:6); [and about the believers that] ... these are guardians of each other;. . . (8:72); And (as for) the believing men and the believing women, they are guardians of each other,. .. (9:71). [According to these exegetes] the verse under discussion makes Allah, His Messenger and the believers awliya' (here meaning helpers) of the believers.

However, there remains the difficulty of the circumstantial clause, "while they bow", which is attached to the clause, and pay zakat. They have tried to remove this difficulty by taking the bowing in a metaphorical sense, i.e., they submit themselves to Allah; or they are financially in a low position, etc. The verse then would mean: The Jews, the Christians and the hypocrites are not your guardian; rather your Guardians are Allah, His Messenger and those believers who keep up prayers and pay zakat, and they in all this surrender themselves to Allah with total obedience or, they pay zakat while they themselves are poor and in straitened condition.

This was the explanation given by them. But if you ponder on, and look minutely at the two verses and the ones surrounding them, and then at the general position of this chapter, you will reach at a conclusion different from what they have said.

The first thing which goes out of window is their claim that all these verses were in a single context, and that their aim was to describe the wilayah of helping and to differentiate between genuine and false help.

Yet, although it is accepted that the chapter was revealed during the last days of the Messenger of Allah' (s.a.w.a.) in the Last Pilgrimage; but it is also accepted that all its verses were not revealed together in one go; the chapter contains verses which were doubtlessly revealed before that time, and their meanings clearly show it; also their narrated reasons of revelation support their earlier revelation. If a verse is placed before or after a verse it does not give an indication that their context is one; nor does some affinity between one verse and another show that they were revealed together or in one context.

Moreover, the preceding verses [0 you who believe! Do not take the Jews and the Christians for friends ... ] forbid the believers to befriend the Jews and the Christians, and put to shame the hypocrites and those in whose hearts is a disease for hastening to them and looking after their interests, without addressing the Jews and the Christians or talking to them. And the following ones [0 you who believe! Do not take for guardians those who take your religion for a mockery and a joke, from among those who were given the Book before you and the unbelievers; ... Say: "0 People of the Book! Do you find fault with us (for aught) except that we believe in Allah. . ., and that most of you are transgressors], prohibit taking them for guardians and expose their condition by ordering to talk to them and put them to shame for hypocrisy and transgression. Thus the aims in the two sets of verses are quite different from each other. So, how the context can be the same?

Apart from that you have seen in the commentary of preceding verses [0 you who believe! Do not take the Jews and the Christians for friends ...] that the wilayah in the meaning of help is not suitable in that context, and the particularities of those verses and especially the words, they are friends of each other, and the words, and whoever amongst you takes them for a friend, then surely he is one of them, are not appropriate for such interpretation. Establishing the wilayah of help and its undertaking between two nations does not make the two into one nation nor does it attach one to the other. Also such prohibition cannot be justified by saying that, they are friends of each other. Such expressions can only be used when the aim is to prohibit wilayah of love, because love creates psychological and spiritual blending of both parties, and permits each to affect psychological and spiritual management in the other's life affairs; it brings two groups near each other in character and activities in a way that obliterates national characteristics.

Not only that. It is not correct to count the Prophet (s.a.w.a.) as a waliyy (in the meaning of helper) of the believers, while its opposite is correct. This help which is given by Allah, and the Qur'an mentions it in many of its verses, is the help in religion. Accordingly, it is proper to say that the religion belongs to Allah in the meaning that He has established it and laid down its shari’ah. Thus the Prophet (s.a.w.a.) or the believers or both together are exhorted to help it, or some helpers are invited to help Allah regarding the laid down religion, as He says: ... The disciples said: "We are helper of Allah". . . (61:14); ... if you help Allah, He will help you ... (47:7); And when Allah made a covenant with the prophets: ". . . you must believe in him, and you must aid him. ". . . (3:8 1); apart from other many such verses.

Also, it is proper to say that the religion belongs to the Prophet (s.a.w.a.) in the meaning that it is he who has called to it and conveyed it to us, for example. Or that the religion belongs to Allah and His Messenger in the meaning of legislation and guidance, and so they call people to help it or praise the believers for helping it; as Allah says: ... so those who believe in him and honor him and help him, . . . (7:157); ... seeking grace of Allah and (His) pleasure, and assisting Allah and His Messenger ... (59:8); ... and those who gave shelter and helped... (8:72); and other such verses.

Likewise, it is proper to say that the religion belongs to the Prophet (s.a.w.a.) and the believers in the meaning that they are obligated to follow its laws and act on it, so it is said that Allah is their Guardian and Helper; as He says: ... and surely Allah will help him who helps Him. (22:40); Most surely We help Our messengers, and those who believe in this world's life and on the day when the witnesses shall stand up (40:5 1); ... and helping the believers is ever incumbent on Us. (30:47), apart from other such verses.

However, it is not correct to ascribe the religion to the believers alone, thus making them as principal and putting the Prophet (s.a.w.a.) aside, and then to count the Prophet (s.a.w.a.) as their helper in their affairs; because whatever religious dignity there is, the Prophet (s.a. w.a.) has the lion's share in it. That is why we do not find a single example in the Qur'an where the Prophet (s.a.w.a.) has been mentioned as the believer's helper. Far be it from the divine speech to neglect the noble divine decorum in any instance.

This is one of the strongest proofs that wherever the Qur'an ascribes wilayah to the Prophet, it means the wilayah of Guardianship and authority or that of love and affection, as Allah says: The Prophet has a greater claim on the believers than they have on themselves.... (33:6); Only Allah is your Guardian and His Messenger and those who believe, . . . (5:55); note that the verse is addressed to the believers, and as you have been told earlier, there is no meaning in counting the Prophet (s.a.w.a.) their waliyy in the meaning of helper.

It is now clear that these two verses are different in the context from the preceding ones, even if we take the wilayah in the meaning of helping; do not be confused by the clause: the party of Allah are they that shall he triumphant, because triumph and prevailing points to the connotation of helping as much as it does to that of management and authority, and to that of love and affinity. Triumph of religion - the topmost desire of the people of religion takes place when the believers attach themselves to Allah and His Messenger with any possible means. Allah has clearly announced it to them in His words: Allah has written down: I will most certainly prevail, I and My Messengers;. . . (58:21); And certainly Our word has already gone forth in respect of Our servants, the messengers: most surely they shall be the assisted ones, and most surely Our host alone shall be the victorious ones (37:171-3).

On top of all, there are a lot of traditions declaring that these two verses were revealed about 'Ali (a.s.) when he gave his ring in charity while he was praying. Thus these verses are reserved for him and are not general. God willing, many of those traditions will be quoted under "Traditions".

If such numerous and so many accumulated traditions pointing to the reason of revelation can be ignored while explaining a verse, then obviously not a single verse could be explained with the help of the narrated reasons of revelation in the whole Qur'an. Therefore, there is no justification for generalizing the two verses and claiming that they point to the believers' friendship with one another.

However, the exegetes have objected to these traditions - although they should not have done so in view of their overwhelming numbers as follows:

First: These traditions are against the context of the verses that apparently point to the wilayah of help, as mentioned above.

Second: They want us to use plural and mean singular; because according to them, the clauses: those who believe and those. . ., refer to 'Ali, but language does not support it.

Third: According to these traditions, zakat would mean giving the ring in charity, and it is not called zakat.

Based on these objections, they say that the verses are general, and restrict the wilayah to the group mentioned therein. The hypocrites were hastening to the help of the People of the Book and emphasizing its importance; so Allah forbade it and said that their only helpers are Allah, His Messenger and the true believers, rather than the People of the Book and the hypocrites. There would remain only one difficulty: that this explanation did not agree with the apparent meaning of the conditional clause: while they bow. But, it could easily he removed if we took it in its metaphorical meaning, i.e. while they are humble before Allah; or even when they are themselves in need, in wretched condition.

This was the gist of their objections. But if you meditate on this and other similar verses, you will see that none of these stands on its legs.

As for the verse's position in the context of the ones denoting wilayah of help: You have seen that those verses do not give the meaning of help; and even if we suppose that the previous verses denote that meaning, this verse is not compatible with it.

As for the problem of using plural and meaning singular: You have seen the detailed reply to it under the verse of Mubahalah (3:61) in volume three (volume 6 in English) of this book. Also, it was explained there that there were two ways of speaking:

1. To use a plural word and mean a singular, a single entity.

2. To describe a general proposition, using a plural word, in order that it may be applied to all suitable candidates, even if at present there be only one person or thing to which it could be applied.

The language rejects the first style; but the second one is very common in use.

Would that I knew what would they say about the verse: 0 you who believe! Do not take My enemy and your enemy for friends; would you offer them love while they deny what has come to you of the truth, . . . would you manifest love to them? ... (60: 1). It is undoubtedly known that the verse refers to one man, Hatib ibn Abi Balta'ah, when he corresponded with the Quraysh.

Or about the verse: "They say: "If we return to Medina, the mighty will surely drive out the meaner there from,". .. (63:8). It is well known that the speaker one man, was 'Abdullah ibn Ubayy ibn Salul.

Or about the verse: "They ask you as to what they should spend ..." (2:215), and the questioner was one man.

Or about the verse: "(As for) those who spend their wealth by night and by day, secretly and openly, they shall have their reward ..." (2:274). It is narrated that the spender was 'Ali or Abu Bakr.

There are a lot of such verses in the Qur'an.

A very strange phenomenon appears before our eyes when we look at the clause: (they say), "We fear lest a calamity should befall us;". . . (5:52). The speaker was 'Abdullah ibn Ubayy, according to the narrated reason of revelation, which the objectors themselves do accept; and it is in between the verses under discussion. [They find no difficulty in applying the plurals to one man in this clause!]

It could be said that in the above-mentioned verses there were many people who agreed with that one person's views, or were pleased with their action; therefore Allah has used plurals in order that it may cover the doer together with those who agreed with him. However, it would show that using a plural for a single person was justified if there was a good reason for it. The verse under discussion too would come into this category; as it would prove that the religious nobilities including the said wilayah ? is not confined to one person to the exclusion of the others; rather it only depends on priority in sincerity and deeds.

Moreover, all the narrators of these traditions were the companions of the Prophet (s.a.w.a.) and their disciples who were with them in that very era. All of them were pure Arabs whose language was not perverted and whose tongues were not mixed up. if such usage was not allowed in the speech and people were not familiar with such expressions, they would not have accepted these narrations, rather they would have been the first to put forward this objection; but none of them is on record to speak against it on this ground.

As for the saying that charity of a ring is not called zakat: It should be kept in mind that the use of the word, zakat, specifically in its terminological meaning took place in the Muslim's expressions after the Qur’an laid it down as an obligatory act of religion; but in its literal sense it covers that terminological meaning and other spending altogether. When it is used without any restriction or joined with keeping up prayer, it indicates spending the property for the sake of Allah. See, for example, what Allah has mentioned regarding the previous prophets: He says about Ibrahim, lshaq, and Ya'qub: ... and We revealed to them the doing of good and the keeping up of prayer and the giving of zakat, . . . (21:73); and He says about Ismai’l: And he enjoined on his family prayer and zakat, and was one in whom his Lord was well pleased (19:5 5); and He quotes 'Isa (a.s.) saying in the cradle: ... and He has enjoined on me prayer and zakat so long as I live (19:3 1). And it is known that their shari'ah did not have the zakat of wealth as we understand it in Islam.

Likewise, look at the following verses, which were revealed in Mecca in early days of prophethood when the zakat (as we know it) was not legislated yet:

He indeed shall be successful who pays zakat, and remembers the name of his Lord and prays (87:14-15); [He] who gives away his wealth for zakat (92:18); Those who do not give zakat and they are unbelievers in the hereafter. (41:7); And who are givers of zakat (23:4). Would that I knew what did the Muslims understand from the word, zakat, in these verses!

Even the verse of zakat itself: Take alms out of their wealth, you would cleanse them and purify them thereby, and pray for them; surely your prayer is a relief to them,. . . (9:103), shows that zakat is a sort of alms and charity, and it has been named zakat [lit: purification] only because charity cleanses and purifies in general; and then its was predominantly used for that particular alms.

All of it clearly shows that there is no hindrance in calling general alms and spending in the way of Allah as zakat. Also it is evident that there is no reason for interpreting the word, bowing, in metaphorical sense. Similarly, there is no reason to look for far fetched justifications as to why Allah used in the beginning of the verse the word: your Guardian, in singular and brought in its predicate: those who believe, in plural. Think over it.

QUR’AN: Only Allah is your Guardian and His Messenger and those who believe:

ar-Raghib has said in his Muftadatu 'l-Quran: "al-Wilayah” and “at-tawallah” denote that two or more things are so positioned as nothing extraneous comes between them. Metaphorically it is used to indicate proximity in place, or affinity, or friendship, and in help, or in belief al-wilayah is help, and/or management.of affairs. It has been said that al-walayah and al-wilayah both are one like al-dalalah and al-dilalah and it really means management of affairs; and al-waliyy add al-mawla denote this meaning, and both are used as nomen agentis, i.e. guardian/manager; and as nomen patientis, i.e. one whose affairs are managed. A believer is called waliyy of Allah, but nowhere is he referred to as mawla of Allah; while Allah is called waliyy of the believers, as well as their mawla.

Further he says: "They say, tawalli when used without any preposition, gives the meaning of wilayah, indicating that it is related to the nearest objective; they say, 'I turned my ears/eyes/face to so and so. Allah says: ... so We shall surely turn thee to a qiblah which thou shalt be pleased with; turn then thy face towards the Sacred Mosque; and wherever you are, turn your faces towards it,.. . . (2:144); but when it is followed by preposition min (from) clearly or implied, it means turning away and leaving the proximity."

Apparently, man perceived the proximity (pointed to by wilayah first of all physically in bodies and their places and times; then it was borrowed for immaterial nearness, opposite to the abovementioned idea. We know that primitive man began his perceptive journey with the material things perceived through the five senses and was involved with them long before thinking about rational propositions and immaterial ideas and their related things.

When wilayah - a special proximity - is affected in spiritual/ immaterial affairs, it follows that Analyst has a right and an authority over the mawla, which others do not have (except through him). All such managerial aspects that may be delegated to another will automatically be taken over by the waliyy e.g. the waliyy of a deceased person. The estate, which the deceased used to manage by right of ownership, his heir, has the right to manage it by wilayah of inheritance. Likewise, the guardian of a minor manages that minor's financial affairs by wilayah of guardianship; and the helper manages the affairs of the helped one strengthening him in his defense; and Allah is the Guardian (Waliyy) of His servants and manages their affairs in this world and the hereafter ? there is no guardian except Him. So Allah is the Guardian of the believers, inasmuch as He manages the affairs of their religion through guiding, calling, and helping them and so on. And the Prophet is the Guardian of the believers inasmuch as he has the authority to decide between them, for them and against them through legislation and judgement. Likewise, the hakim (ruler, judge) is the guardian of the people over whom he rules within his jurisdiction. The same is the case with other examples of wilayah, like that of emancipation, covenant, protection, neighborhood and divorce; similarly, the wilayah of a cousin, of love and of a designated successor, and so on.

Also, His word: they shall turn (their) backs to you [33:15], i.e. they shall turn their backs towards the war and ignore its demands.

And His word: you turned back [5:92], i.e. you turned away from accepting it; you faced its opposite direction by turning away from it.

In short, looking at wilayah in its different usages, we get the meaning of a sort of proximity that gives its subject some authority of management and possession of planning.

Looking at the context of the verse under discussion: "Only Allah is your Guardian and His Messenger and those who believe", we find that the meaning of wilayah (guardianship) for all the guardians is the same, because "Allah, His Messenger and the believers", have all been ascribed to one word: "your Guardian", and clearly guardianship of each has the same meaning. This is also supported by the clause at the end of the second verse: then surely the party of Allah are they that shall be triumphant, as it indicates or clearly shows that all the guardians are the party of Allah, because they are under His Guardianship; thus the guardianship of the Messenger and of those who believe sprout from the root of Allah's Guardianship.

Allah has ascribed to Himself the following aspects of wilayah:

al-Wilayatu ‘t-Takwimiyyah (The Authority Over Creation): Through this authority He manages everything and disposes the creatures' affairs as He pleases and in whatever way He pleases. He says: Or have they taken guardians besides Him? But Allah is the Guardian.... (42:9); ... you have not besides Him any guardian or any intercessor; will you not then mind? (32:4); ... Thou art my guardian in this world and the hereafter; . . . (12: 10 1); ... he has no guardian after Him;_ . (42:44). The same is the implication of the verses: ... and We are nearer to Him than his life?vein. (50:16); ... and know that Allah intervenes between man and his heart, . . . (8:24).

Possibly related to it is the wilayah of help, which Allah ascribes to Himself. That is because Allah is the Protector of those who believe, and because the unbelievers shall have no protector for them (47:11); ... then surely Allah it is Who is his Guardian,. .. (66:4); and the same connotation is seen in the verse: ... and helping the believers is ever incumbent on Us (30:47).

al-Wilayatu 't-Tashri’iyyah (The Authority Over Legislation): Allah has ascribed to Himself this wilayah which concerns the believers' religious affairs: Legislation of the laws, guidance, advice, help and so on. He says: Allah is the Guardian of those who believe; He brings them out of the darkness into light,. . . (2:257); ... and Allah is the Guardian of the believers (3:68); and Allah is the Guardian of the pious ... (45:19) The same is the theme of the verse: And it is not for a believing man nor for a believing woman to have any choice in their affairs when Allah and His Messenger have decided a matter; and whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger, he surely strays off a manifest straying (3 3:3 6).

This is what Allah has described related to His wilayah, and it concerns the authority over creation and authority over legislation andYou may also call them the real wilayah and the wilayah from a subjective point of view.

Then Allah has mentioned for His Prophet (s.a.w.a.) the wilayah which is reserved for him, and it is al-Wilayatut-Tashri’iyyah: The Prophet (s.a.w.a.) has the right and authority to legislate the laws, call people to it, train the ummah accordingly, rule over them and decide in their affairs. Allah says: The Prophet has a greater claim on the believers than they have on themselves.... (33:6). The same is the connotation of the verses: 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; ... (4:105); ... and most surely you guide to the right path (42:52); ... a Messenger from among themselves, who recites to them His communications and purifies them, and teaches them the Book and the Wisdom.... (62:2); ... that you may make clear to men what has been revealed to them .... (16:44); . . . obey Allah and obey the Messenger ... (4:59); And it is not for a believing man nor for a believing woman to have any choice in their affairs when Allah and His Messenger have decided a matter; ... (33:36); And that you should judge between them by what Allah has revealed, and do not follow their low desires, and be cautious of them, lest they seduce you from part of what Allah has revealed to you; ... (5:49). It has been mentioned that Allah has not ascribed to the Prophet the wilayah of help for the ummah.

In short, the Prophet (s.a.w.a.) has the wilayah over the ummah, inasmuch as he leads them to Allah, rules over them, judges and decides in all their affairs. It is incumbent on them to obey him unconditionally. In this way, his wilayah springs from Allah's wilayah, in the meaning of the authority of legislation. In other words, the Prophet (s.a.w.a.) has precedence over them as they are bound to obey him, because his obedience is Allah's obedience. Thus, his wil4ah is the wilayah of Allah, as some previously quoted verses prove, for example: ... obey Allah and obey the Messenger ... (4:59); And it is not for a believing man, nor for a believing woman to have any choice in their affairs when Alldh and His Messenger have decided a matter; ... (33:36), apart from other such verses.

It is this meaning of wilayah as ascribed to Allah and His Messenger, which is bestowed on the believers in the verse under discussion, when it says: "Only Allah is your Guardian and His Messenger and those who believe." You have seen that the context proves that it is only one wilayah, and it belongs to Allah directly and to the Messenger and to those who believe indirectly by permission of Allah. Had the wilayah ascribed to Allah in this verse, been different from that ascribed to those who believe, it was more appropriate, in order to avoid any confusion, to bring another word of wilayah before mentioning "those who believe", as Allah has done in similar situations. For example, He says: Say: "A hearer of good for you (who) believes in Allah and believes the faithful. . . " (9:6 1). The word: "believes", has been repeated because its connotations in the two clauses are different. A similar style was used in the verse: ... obey Allah and obey the Messenger ... (4:59), as was explained in volume 8 (Eng.) of this book.

Moreover, the word: "Your Guardian", is singular and is ascribed to, "those who believe", i.e. plural. According to the exegetes, it is because wilayah here has a single meaning, and it directly belongs to Allah and as for the Messenger and the believers, it is indirectly, through Allah.

It is clear from above that the restriction in "Only" aims at confining the wilayah to those mentioned in the verse. It removes the possible misunderstanding that it might cover those who are mentioned and also the others. There is another possibility that this restriction negates the wilayah of all persons other than those mentioned therein.

QUR’AN: those who keep up prayers and pay the ZAKAT while they bow:

It gives further particulars of "those who believe"; "while they bow" is the conditional clause attached to the subject hidden in the verb "pay". ar-ruku is a particular position of body which is found in human beings only. An old man with bent back is called ar-raki (one who bows down.) In the language of shar’ah it is the name of a special position in worship. Allah says: ... (those) who bow down, who prostrate ... (9:112). Symbolically it represents humility and submission [to Allah]; but in Islam it is not allowed except in prayer, contrary to prostration.

And because it shows humility and submission, the word is sometimes used to allude to general humbleness, or to poverty and need, because a man in straitened circumstances usually shows humility before others.

QUR'AN: And whoever takes Allah and His Messenger and those who believe for guardian, then surely the party of Allah are they that shall be triumphant:

at-Tawalli (to take as a friend); "those who believe" points to the preceding: those who believe, together with their attributes: those who keep up prayers and pay the zakat while they how,? the clause: "then surely the party of Allah are they that shall be triumphant", is put in the place of the complement for the preceding conditional clause, although it is not the complement. Rather, the speech has put the major premise in place of the conclusion, in order to show the reason of the proposition. In effect it says: Whoever takes Allah and His Messenger and those who believe for guardian, shall be triumphant, because he belongs to the party of Allah and the party of Allah are they that are triumphant. It is an allusion that they are the party of Allah.

al-Hizb according to ar-Raghib, is a group having coarseness, ruthlessness, and harshness. Allah has described His party in another place in the Qur'an, with a nearly similar theme and has ascribed success to them. He says: You shall not find a people who believe in Allah and the latter day befriending those who act in opposition to Allah and His Messenger, even though they were their fathers, or their sons, or their brothers or their kinsfolk; these are they into whose hearts He has impressed faith, and whom He has strengthened with a spirit from Him: and He will cause them to enter gardens beneath which rivers flow, abiding therein; Allah is well pleased with them and they are well pleased with Him; they are Allah’s party: now surely the party of Allah are the successful ones (58:22).

al-Faw means victory and acquisition of the object of desire, i.e., triumph. It is this triumph and success, which Allah has promised to bestow on the believers - this being His best promise to them. He says: Successful indeed are the believers (23. 1). Many verses have this theme; and in all of them the promise is without any condition; obviously it denotes unrestricted victory and unconditional success. Gaining felicity, adhering to truth, vanquishing infelicity and refuting falsity in this world and the hereafter: In this world through good life which is found in virtuous society made up of the friends of Allah, in an earth cleansed from the friends of Satan ' based on piety; and in the hereafter, in neighborhood of the Lord of the worlds.

ALLAMAH TABATABA'I

Summary:

GENERAL COMMENT:

This chapter was revealed during the last days of the Messenger of Allah (during the Last Pilgrimage) but the meanings of the verses clearly show that the verses were not revealed in one go. The two verses are placed between the verses, which prohibit taking the People of the Book and unbelievers for a helper or guardian and the aim and context of these two sets of verses are different. Therefore, these two verses should not be explained using the preceding and following verses.

The wilayah in the meaning of help, as explained by some Sunni exegetes, is not suitable in the context of these two verses. In addition, it is not correct to consider the Prophet as a ‘waliyy’ (in the meaning of a helper) of the believers because he has the lion share of the religion as far as its legislation is concerned. The help is actually given by Allah (mentioned in many places in the Qur’an) and it is the help in religion and the Messenger and the believers are exhorted to help it. We do not find a single example in the Qur’an where the Prophet (s.a.w.a.) has been mentioned as the believer’s helper.

This proves that wherever the Qur’an ascribes wilayah to the Prophet, it means the wilayah of Guardianship and authority or that of love and affection, as Allah says: “The Prophet has a greater claim on the believers than they have on themselves…(33:6).

There are numerous traditions declaring that these two verses were revealed about ‘Ali (a.s.) when he gave his ring in charity while he was praying. Thus these verses are reserved for him and are not general. These traditions should not be ignored to explain the reasons for the revelation – otherwise the circumstances of the revelation of a single verse in the Qur’an cannot be explained.

Some exegetes have objected to these traditions (which are overwhelming in numbers) by saying that they go against the context of the verses that point to the wilayah of help. They also object by saying that the clauses: “those who believe and those…” refer to ‘Ali, but language does not support it. Their other objection is that the traditions point to giving the ring as an act of charity and this cannot be termed as zakat.

If one meditates upon their objections, you will find that they have no footings. We have already explained above that the wilayah in this case is not in the meaning of help. As for the problem of using plural and meaning singular, there are many verses in the Qur’an that use the plural for the action of one individual (63:8, 2:215, 2:274, 5:52, etc.). We wonder what do these people have to say about these verses. As for the saying that charity of a ring is not zakat, it should be noted that the use of this word took place in the Muslim expressions after the Qur’an laid it down as an obligatory act of religion and hence there is no hindrance in calling general alms and spending in the way of Allah as zakat.

Qur’an: Only Allah is your Guardian and His Messenger and those who believe:

Ar-Raghib has said that “al-wilayah” and “at-tawallah” denote that two or more things are so positioned as nothing extraneous comes between them. al-wilayah actually means management of affairs; and al-waliyy and al-mawla denote this meaning, and both are used to mean guardian/manager or one whose affairs are managed. Further, he says: “They say, when tawalli is used without any preposition, it gives the meaning of wilayah, indicating that it is in close proximity, and, when it is followed by the preposition min (from) it means turning away and thus leaving the proximity”.

When wilayah is affected in spiritual affairs, it follows that the Analyst has a right and authority over the mawla, which others do not have (except through him). So Allah is the Guardian of the believers inasmuch as He manages the affairs of their religion through guiding, calling and helping them, etc. And the Prophet is the Guardian of the believers inasmuch as he has the authority to decide between them, for them and against them through legislation and judgment.

Looking at the context of the verse under discussion: "Only Allah is your Guardian and His Messenger and those who believe", we find that the meaning of wilayah (guardianship) for all the guardians is the same, because "Allah, His Messenger and the believers", have all been ascribed to one word: "your Guardian", and clearly guardianship of each has the same meaning. This is also supported by the clause at the end of the second verse: then surely the party of Allah are they that shall be triumphant, as it indicates or clearly shows that all the guardians are the party of Allah, because they are under His Guardianship; thus the guardianship of the Messenger and of those who believe sprout from the root of Allah's Guardianship.

Allah has ascribed to Himself the following aspects of wilayah:

al-Wilayatu ‘t-Takwimiyyah (The Authority Over Creation): Through this authority He manages everything and disposes the creatures' affairs as He pleases and in whatever way He pleases. (42:9, 32:4, 42:44, 50:16, 8:24)

al-Wilayatu 't-Tashri’iyyah (The Authority Over Legislation): Allah has ascribed to Himself this wilayah which concerns the believers' religious affairs: Legislation of the laws, guidance, advice, help and so on. (2:257, 3:68, 45:19, 33:36)

Then Allah has mentioned for His Prophet (s.a.w.a.) the wilayah which is reserved for him, and it is al-Wilayatut-Tashri’iyyah. Allah says: The Prophet has a greater claim on the believers than they have on themselves.... (33:6). In short, the Prophet (s.a.w.a.) has the wilayah over the ummah, inasmuch as he leads them to Allah, rules over them, judges and decides in all their affairs. It is incumbent on them to obey him unconditionally. In this way, his wilayah springs from Allah's wilayah, in the meaning of the authority of legislation. In other words, the Prophet (s.a.w.a.) has precedence over them as they are bound to obey him, because his obedience is Allah's obedience. Thus, his wilayah is the wilayah of Allah, as some previously quoted verses prove, for example: ... obey Allah and obey the Messenger ... (4:59); And it is not for a believing man, nor for a believing woman to have any choice in their affairs when Allah and His Messenger have decided a matter; ... (33:36), apart from other such verses.

It is this meaning of wilayah as ascribed to Allah and His Messenger, which is bestowed on the believers in the verse under discussion, when it says: "Only Allah is your Guardian and His Messenger and those who believe." You have seen that the context proves that it is only one wilayah, and it belongs to Allah directly and to the Messenger and to those who believe indirectly by permission of Allah.

Moreover, the word: "Your Guardian", is singular and is ascribed to, "those who believe", i.e. plural. According to the exegetes, it is because wilayah here has a single meaning, and it directly belongs to Allah and as for the Messenger and the believers, it is indirectly, through Allah.

It is clear from above that the restriction in "Only" aims at confining the wilayah to those mentioned in the verse. It removes the possible misunderstanding that it might cover those who are mentioned and also the others. There is another possibility that this restriction negates the wilayah of all persons other than those mentioned therein.

AL-QURTUBI

Translated from Arabic:

In the verse {{Only Allah is your waliyy and His Messenger,}} Jabir bin Abdullah said that Abdullah bin Salam said to the Prophet (pbuh): “Our people from Quraitha and Nathir have abandoned us and swore never to sit with us, and we cannot sit with your companions because of the far distance of our homes;” so this verse was revealed, then he (Abdullah bin Salam) said: “ we accepted Allah and his Messenger and the believers as waliyys.” {{And those}} is general for all the believers. Abu Jaffar, Mohammed bin Ali bin Al Hussain bin Ali bin Abi Tali (RA), was asked about the meaning of {{only Allah is your waliyy and His Messenger and those who believe}} is he ‘Ali bin Abi Talib? He said: “ Ali, who is from the believers, says that this is for all the believers.” Al Nahhas said: “ this is correct because {{those}} is for a group,” and Ibn Abbas said: “ it was revealed for Abu Baker (RA),” and in other narration said: “ it was revealed for Ali bin Abi Talib (RA),” Mojahid and Al Siddy have said the same thing, and he carried them on that.

This is because someone begged (for charity) in the Prophet’s mosque, and no one gave him anything. ‘Ali was in the prayer in the position of rokoo’ (bowing), and in his right hand a ring. He signaled to the beggar with his hand until he (the beggar) took it (the ring.) Alkia Al Tabari said: “this proves that small actions do not void the prayer. Giving the ring as charity during rokoo’ is an action done during prayer and the prayer was not void. In the verse {{and pay the poor-rate while they bow}} proves that voluntary charity is (also) called zakah (poor-rate.) Ali paid charity with his ring during bowing and this is equivalent to the verse {{and whatever you give in charity, desiring Allah's pleasure…it is these (persons) that shall get manifold}} 30:39. The obligatory duties and the preferable duties became rightly arranged. Zakah became inclusive to both obligatory and preferable duties just like how Sadaqah (charity) and Salah (prayer) could mean the two duties.” I (Al-Qurtubi) said: the meaning of zakah here is giving the ring in charity, but to say that zakah is based on the giving the ring in charity – it has some distance (from truth.) This is because zakah does not appear unless with its exclusive literal meaning, which is, the obligatory zakah like previously mentioned in the beginning of chapter of “The Cow”.

Also, before it came {{keep up prayers}} the meaning of “keep up prayers” is to perform it at its time with its full requirements, and the meaning is the obligatory prayer. Then he (Allah) said {{while they bow}} to mean the preferable. It was said: “exclude the rokoo’ to only include dhikr to honor it”. It was also said: “believers during the revelation of the verse were between completion of the prayer and bowing.” Ibn Khoaiz Mindad said in the verse: {{and pay the poor-rate while they bow}} included the permissibility of small actions during prayer, because this (in the verse) came out as a praise, and the minimum that goes for praise is permissibility, and it was narrated that ‘Ali gave the beggar something whilst he was in prayer, and it could be that this prayer was voluntary, because this is Makrooh (undesirable) in the obligatory. And it is probable that the praise is directed upon the availability of two conditions. It is like he described who believes in the obligation of Salah and Zakah, so he expressed prayer as bowing, and in the belief of the obligation by action, like when we say “ the Muslims are the ones who pray” and we do not mean, by this, that only during that act they are praying, and praise is not given during prayer, but this is what the one who does this act wants and believes. Allah said: {{And whoso taketh Allah and His messenger and those who believe for waliyy, lo! the party of Allah, they are the victorious}} 5:56.

Our Conclusions:

Note: Ibn Kathir (and many other commentators) has explained the word ‘waliyy’ in the meaning of friendship; Allamah Tabataba’I has explained it in the meaning of mastership/guardianship and Al-Qurtubi has not explained it. Therefore, we decided to clarify the word ‘waliyy’ before presenting our conclusions and we arrived at the following:

The word “waliyy” (plural form is awliyaa) is derived from the root letters w-l-y, and it means: protector, guardian, master, friend, helper, etc. Thus the appropriate meaning of “waliyy” will depend on the context in which the word is used. We see that its meaning as a ‘friend’ and ‘helper’ is rejected by the context of the verse because the believers are already friends and helpers of each other as per verses 8:72, 5:2 and 49:10. Yet the strongest rejection of this meaning is that there is not a single verse in the Qur’an saying that the Prophet is the ‘helper’ of the believers.

The Arabic word “Innama” is used for restriction to limit the intention to one specific meaning or definite persons. Further, the particulars and characteristics of the ‘waliyy’ besides Allah and the Messenger is given in the circumstantial clause “while they bow”. The word “waliyy” in the meaning of “mastership” or “guardianship” in this verse makes more sense because the verse says Waliyyukum (your guardian) in a singular form, not 'awliyaa'ukum (your guardians) in plural form. This means that the essence of wilayah (Guardianship) of Allah, the Messenger, and “those who believe” is the same, and it is essentially one in nature as well as in effect. Hence the clause “and those who believe” cannot mean all the believers; otherwise their mastership would be one in nature and effect with that of Allah. This leads us to the fact that the ‘waliyy’ not only has to be appointed by Allah but he guides the people by the Command of Allah as well.

Ibn Kathir, has explained the word “waliyy” in this verse in the meaning of “friendship” and says that the sentence “Verily your friend is Allah…” means that we should be friends of Allah, His Messenger and those who believe and not friends of the Jews and Christians. We have seen in Tabataba’I’s tafseer how this interpretation is rejected because the context and aim of these verses under study are different from the preceding and following verses. Kathir seems to have considered all these verses (5:54-57) in a single context.

Further, his statement that the people who take the clause “those who pay zakat while bowing down” as an act of charity are confused and wrong, is not acceptable. Ibn Kathir tries to explain the circumstantial clause “while they bow” in a metaphorical sense - to remove the difficulty that remains when the word waliyy is explained in the meaning of help and friendship. In comparison, Tabatabai explains that everyone agrees this chapter and the verses (under study) were revealed in Medina during a time after the Qur’an had already laid down zakat as an obligatory act of religion. Therefore, the word zakat covers its terminological meaning and all other spending (for the sake of Allah). We see the clear proof here that giving charity while in the state of bowing down is also an act of zakat.

Ibn Kathir also claims that the traditions mentioning the story of ‘Ali Ibn Abi-Talib and the ring are ‘exalted’ (marfoo) and that the narrators of these traditions are either unreliable or not trustworthy. The fact is that all the narrators of these traditions were the companions of the Prophet and their disciples, and, this tradition is also mentioned in the ‘musnad’ of Ahmad Ibn Hanbal (a Sunni Jurist), volume 5, page 38. Allamah Tabatabai says the following: “If such numerous traditions pointing to the reason of revelation can be ignored while explaining a verse, then obviously not a single verse could be explained with the help of the narrated reasons of revelation in the whole Qur’an.”

Ibn Kathir then tells us that these verses were revealed about Ubadah bin Saamit when he *openly* broke up with his Jewish friends and he was pleased with the friendship of Allah, the Messenger and the pious people. How can Ibn Kathir deny the numerous traditions (pointing to the circumstances of the revelation of these verses) that mention the story of ‘Ali Ibn Abi-Talib and the ring and accept this one story about Ubadah when it does not even conform to the context of these two verses? Even some of the other Sunni exegetes like al-Zamakhshari in his Tafsir al-Kashshaf, al-Tha’labi in his Tafseer al-Kabir and al-Suyuti in Durr al-Manthur, all agree that the clause “pay zakat while they bow” was revealed in honor of ‘Ali Ibn Abi-Talib.

We can therefore reasonably conclude that Ibn Kathir has assumed the authority of rejecting those traditions that could possibly explain the circumstances of revelation of these verses, and, accepting the story that conforms to his thoughts rather than the context of the verses. If the Prophet was a waliyy of the believers in the sense of ‘helping’ or ‘friendship’ then one wonders who had the lion share of the religion of Islam (which was under the management of the Prophet) – the Prophet or the Believers?

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Allamah Tabataba’I first mentions that a group of Sunni exegetes have taken the four verses (5:54-57) in one connotation and thus they ended up describing the wilayah of Allah, the Messenger and “those who believe” in the meaning of helping. He rejects this description by showing how the aim and context of these two verses (5:55-56) is different from the preceding and following verses. Tabataba’I further says that there is not a single example in the Qur’an where the Prophet (s.a.w.a.) has been mentioned as the believers’ helper. He also says that it is not correct to make the people the principal of the religion and to count the Prophet as their helper, thus reducing the Prophet’s share in the religion when it is he who has called to it and conveyed it to us. The verse he quotes, 33:6 {“The Prophet has more right over the believers than they have over themselves..”}, to support his argument is very convincing. Therefore, it is very clear from the proofs Tabataba’I presents, that whenever the Qur’an mentions the wilayah of the Prophet, it is always in the meaning of “guardianship” and “authority” and not “friendship” or “help”.

Tabataba’I tells us that there are numerous traditions declaring that these two verses were revealed about ‘Ali (a.s.) when he gave his ring in charity while he was praying. Tabataba’I goes on to deal with the objections some of the exegetes have leveled against these traditions. The one in particular is the claim by these exegetes that the clause “those who believe and those…” refer to ‘Ali (a.s.) but language does not support it. He argues and quotes many verses that show the usage of plural for the action of one individual (60:1, 63:8, 5:52, 2:215, 2:274, etc).

Tabataba’I then leads us in stages to the actual meaning of verse 5:55 by first analyzing the words “al-wilayah”, “al-waliyy” and “al-mawla” and then explains that “al-wilayah” actually means management of affairs; the words “al-waliyy” and “al-mawla” both denote this same meaning and are used to imply guardian/manager and one whose affairs are managed. Thereafter he says, looking at the context of the verse, that the meaning of wilayah (guardianship) for all guardians is the same, because “Allah, His Messenger and the believers” have all been ascribed to one word: “your Guardian”, and guardianship of each has the same meaning. Tabataba’I shows how this explanation is supported by the clause at the end of the second verse, “then surely a party of Allah are they that shall be triumphant” – as it demonstrates that the guardians are the party of Allah, because they are under His Guardianship. This also shows that the Messenger and a believer can be called “waliyy” of Allah in the sense that they manage the affairs of the people under the Guardianship of Allah but never referred to as the “mawla” of Allah; while Allah is both the “waliyy” and “mawla” of the Messenger and the believers.

Towards the end of his exegesis, Tabataba’I talks about the two aspects of “wilayah” that Allah has ascribed to Himself – “The Authority Over Creation” and “The Authority Over Legislation” and how the second aspect is also reserved for the Prophet by quoting verses like 33:6, 4:105, 42:52, etc. In short, the Prophet has the wilayah (which is also the wilayah of Allah) over the ummah because he leads them to Allah, rules over them, judges and decides in all their affairs. Verses 4:59, 33:6 and 33:36 prove that the Prophet has precedence over the ummah as they are bound to obey him, because his obedience is Allah’s obedience. We find this part of Tabataba’I’s tafseer to be remarkable, as we now gather that it is this meaning of wilayah (management of affairs of the ummah), which is also bestowed on the believers, by the permission of Allah, in the verse under study.

From Tabataba’I’s tafseer we now understand that the guardianship of the Messenger and of those who believe, sprout from the root of Allah’s Guardianship. Based on this, we can conclude that “those who believe” cannot include ordinary believers and this is the reason why there is the presence of the circumstantial clause “pay zakat while they bow”. We have also seen how others have tried to explain this clause in a metaphorical way. The verse therefore reveals the attributes and particulars of “those believers” who, by the permission and under the Guardianship of Allah, are allowed to manage the affairs of the rest of the believers and hence they acquire the status of “waliyy of Allah”. Another important fact revealed in Tabataba’I’s tafseer is that the wilayah of the Messenger involves his right to legislate the laws of Allah, call people to it, train them and decide in their affairs. This would then mean that the waliyy (other than the Messenger) of Allah also assumes similar responsibilities because his wilayah also springs from Allah’s wilayah. We also saw under the study #2 pertaining to verse 5:3, that the wilayah of Allah and that of the Messenger is a Divine bounty bestowed on the ummah and that this bounty was completed when the waliyy of Allah (to succeed the Messenger) was appointed and the religion of Islam was thus perfected.

Finally, we end our conclusion by posing these two questions followed by the respective answers:

QUESTION: Does it make sense to say that the Messenger, who was also the waliyy of Allah, left us without appointing (by the Command of Allah) a waliyy who would assume similar responsibilities of his wilayah?

ANSWER: It does not make sense at all because otherwise the wilayah of the Messenger can never become complete. Moreover, the Divine Guidance promised by Allah has to be continuous so long as there is a human being living in the earth.

QUESTION: We have already seen (in Tabataba'I's tafseer) how Allah’s wilayah (Authority over Legislation) becomes complete through the wilayah of the Messenger. How does the wilayah of the Messenger become complete without the presence of another waliyy of Allah after the Prophet?

ANSWER: The wilayah (in the meaning explained above) of the Messenger can never become complete without the presence of a waliyy appointed by Allah. The revelation ended and the laws of the 'shari'ah' were ordained with the last Messenger of Allah (Muhammad, s.a.w.a.) but the management of the affairs of the Muslim ummah will never end until the earth ceases to exist.

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Al-Qurtubi, in his tafseer, has not paid any attention to the actual value of the word “waliyy” used in the verse under study. The story of Abdullah bin Salam he mentions to explain the reasons for the revelation of the verse 5:55 does not even conform to its context. As we mentioned before, the word “waliyy” means helper, friend, master, guardian, etc but an exegete cannot simply overlook the intent of its usage in a particular verse; especially a word which has so many meanings that can change the entire connotation of a verse.

In his explanation of the clause “and those”, Qurtubi says (quoting Abdullah bin Salam) that it is general for all the believers. He does not even show us how it can be considered general through exegesis. We have seen from Tabatabai’s tafseer that when the correct meaning of “waliyy” is applied and when the clause “and those” is connected with the clause “while they bow” the clause “and those” becomes more particular than general. The numerous traditions narrated about the circumstantial clause “while they bow” also points to this same understanding. The statement made by Abu Jaffer (quoted by Qurtubi) that ‘Ali Ibn Abi-Talib said that the clause “and those” is for all believers, if true, could therefore be taken to mean that the believers were in agreement with ‘Ali’s act of charity while in prayers.

Thereafter, Qurtubi takes the trouble of discussing the traditions that mention the story of ‘Ali and the ring and he also discusses the usage of the word “zakat” in the verse in a rather comprehensive manner but one can see that he has not made any connection to lead to the actual meaning of the verse. However, Qurtubi, unlike Ibn Kathir, does accept that giving the ring while in prayers is an act of zakat, although he says that it is not an obligatory act of zakat. Tabataba’I has shown in his tafseer that the usage of the word “zakat” in this verse covers its terminological meaning as well as all other spending done for the sake of Allah.

In short, Al-Qurtubi has paid too much attention to explain the circumstances of the revelation of verse 5:55 while we know that the verse contains many important clauses like “most surely”, “your waliyy” that require exposition and that can lead to the true meaning of the verse. Qurtubi, unlike Tabataba’I, has also not discussed the meaning of “wilayah” in this verse and therefore we do not expect to find in his tafseer the relationship of Allah’s “wilayah” with that of the Messenger and “those who pay zakat while they bow”.

Note: While translating Qurtubi’s Arabic rendition of this verse, we could not decide which appropriate English word to apply for the word “waliyy”. Therefore, the reader will notice that we have left alone the word ‘waliyy’ in the translation since Qurtubi has not explained its true meaning in his tafseer work.

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