A033
Surah: 003 - Ayah: 033
Click here to see the translations
3:33
The light of guidance which had entered the forehead of Hazrat Adam by the name of the Divine Spirit and which according to the verse of "Selection (istafa, 3:33)" had to continue and last in the chain of the prophets and imams of the children of Hazrat Adam continued generation after generation, in his children and manifested in Hazrat Ibrahim, as is mentioned in the Qur'an: "And when his Nourisher tried Ibrahim with certain Words (kalimat), and he fulfilled them, He said: Lo! I am going to appoint thee a leader (Imam) for mankind. (Ibrahim) said: And of my offspring also? He said: (Yes, but) My covenant is not within the reach of wrongdoers" (2:124). The main thing which we are searching for, in this verse, is "Words (kalimat)" which included both "Names (asma) and "Words (kalimat)", which Hazrat Ibrahim completed one after the other. And at the end of these "Words (kalimat)" was the Divine Word (kalimah-i bar!)", which contains everything and is the fountainhead of the light and the ultimate destination of the spiritual journey.
Istafa (He chose)
It is mentioned in verses (3:33-34): "Verily, Allah chose Adam and Nuh and the descendants of Ibrahim and the descendants of cImran above all people." The chain of the descendants of Ibrahim continues through Muhammad (s.a.s.) and his descendants.
Istafa (He chose, he selected)
It is mentioned in verses (3:33-34): "Verily, Allah chose Adam (i.e. He chose him for Prophethood and Imamat from among the people of the time) and Nuh and the descendants of Ibrahimm and the descendants of cImrÀn above the people of the world (or the personal worlds), offspring, one of the other."
Aqib (2) (Children, progeny)
It is mentioned in verses (3:33-34): "Verily, Allah chose Adam (i.e. He chose him for Prophethood and Imamat from among the people of the time) and Nuh and the descendants of Ibrahimm and the descendants of cImran above the people of the world (or the personal worlds), offspring, one of the other."
Hazrat-i Imran:
Question: Since there are many Imrans, who is the one, the choice of whose progeny is mentioned in the holy Quran? Please explain in detail.
Answer: Your question is related to the verse of “istafa (choice)” which is: “Indeed, God has chosen Adam and Noah and the progeny of Abraham and the progeny of Imran above [all His] creatures” (3:33). Your question is a good and important one. It is true that there are many Imrans and there is a difference of opinion in determining the one mentioned in the Quran, such as: (1) Imran the father of Hazrat-i Musa, (2) Imran bin Mathan, who was the sixth Imam in the cycle of Hazrat-i Musa, (3) Imran (the father of Mary), (4) Imran (Hashim), the son of Abd Manaf, and (5) Imran i.e. Hazrat-i Abu Talib.
If in the eyes of God, Adam and Noah were not the guide (Imam) of the people in their time, then God, as is mentioned in the Qur’an (3:33) would not have chosen them. It should be understood that the one whom God chooses from among the people, becomes the guide (Imam) of the people, for the guide means leader, and in reality, the leader is the one who must be chosen on the basis of his qualifications [such as the breathing of the Divine Spirit into him (15:29) and granting him Divine knowledge (2:31)].
According to the custom of God, the Wise, we should note the principle that He always chooses for the task of guidance from the family of Prophethood, just as He chose Hazrat Adam, Hazrat Nuh, the progeny of Hazrat Ibrahim and the progeny of Hazrat cImran above all the people of the world (3:33), as he granted the progeny of Hazrat Ibrahim the Book, wisdom and the great kingdom (4:54) and as in accordance with this Divine law Hazrat Ibrahim prayed for this special mercy that the Imamat may remain in his progeny until the Resurrection (2:124).
Question: From the verse of "Tathir" (33:33), one gets the impression that the ahl-i bayt, namely, Hazrat Muhammad, Hazrat cAli, Hazrat Fatimah, Hazrat Hasan and Hazrat Husayn were purified during some years of the time of Prophethood and not before that. How can one then accept that they were born pure by their very nature?
Answer: The most fundamental point is to accept that the other Prophets before the Holy Prophet were the mirrors of his attributes. Thus when we see that the Holy Prophet and his ahl-i bayt in the mirror of Hazrat cIsa, we find them infallible and pure from the very beginning. We believe this because according to the Qur’an (33:33) they are together in purity and the Holy Prophet’s universal attributes are not only those where he is mentioned as a person in the Holy Qur’an but also in the exalted examples of the other Prophets. Now, according to this wisdom-filled law, let us look at the purification of the ahl-i bayt in the purification of Hazrat cIsa. In the first part of this subject you should have read about the ta’wili wisdom of the purification of Hazrat cIsa (3:55) which only means that all the particles of the souls of unbelievers which had entered his personal world were completely destroyed. This event takes place when the Perfect Man passes through the magnificent wonders of the station of cIzra’il. This shows that the purification of Hazrat cIsa and the ahl-i bayt was not due to any personal impurity of theirs but that it was necessary
because of the particles of the souls of the unbelievers. Because the Prophets and the Imams have the status of the House of God, the polytheists have to be expelled from it for they are impure in belief (9:28). From this Qur’anic proof it is clear that the noble ahl-i bayt are pure from birth because they are the chosen servants of God.
The special field of spiritual science becomes evident by studying the Wise Qur'an with the experience of spirituality and wisdom. Spiritual science is an extraordinary task and its results too, are extraordinary. For instance, it is the miracle of spiritual science to establish in the light of the Holy Qur'an that, prior to the Adam of the present cycle, there have passed many cycles and many Adams. Among the many bright proofs of the Holy Qur'an, one is verse (3:33) related to selection or choice: "Verily, Allah chose Adam and Nuh and the descendants of Ibrahim and the descendants of Imran above the people of the world." This verse shows that Allah chose Hazrat Adam from the people of his time, as He did the other personalities mentioned in this verse.
Sayyid cAli (peace be upon him):
Root: sin, waw, dal. Sayyid means chief, leader, the progeny of Hadrat Fatimah, the progeny of the Prophet. Sayyid cAli: cAli is chief, the one who is chief, namely, the Imam on behalf of Mawla cAli. These meanings of the word Sayyid, in addition to religious literature, are also found in authentic dictionaries. Authentic dictionaries are very logical. Thus when it is accepted that terms like sayyid or al-i Muhammad or al-i rasul, namely the progeny of the Prophet are applicable only to those who are the children of Hadrat Fatimah-i Zahra’, cannot they be included in the verse Istifa’ (selection): “Lo! God has selected Adam and Nuh and progeny of Ibrahim and the progeny of cImran …” (3:33)? Definitely, they can be! For the term the “progeny of Muhammad” or al-i Muhammad is an elaboration and an explanation of the term “the progeny of Ibrahim” and “progeny of cImran”.
Q142 It is mentioned in verse (3:33-34): “Verily, Allah chose Adam and Noah and the descendants of Abraham and the descendants of cImran above [all] people (for Prophethood and Imamat), offspring, one from the other; and Allah is hearing, knowing.” According to these verses, since these dignitaries were chosen from the people of the entire world, does this mean that there were people in the time of Hazrat Adam(c) also? Choice or selection is on the basis of certain virtues - what were their virtues? It is obvious that in the chain of this selection the forefathers of the holy Prophet are included as well, because it is they who are the descendants of Abraham(c) specifically. Now, please tell us what religion were they following and what rank was granted to them by Allah?
A142 Yes, according to verse (3:33-34) there were people in the time of Hazrat Adam(c), because they were the children of Adam(c) in a true sense and according to verse (17:70) Allah has granted great honour to the children of Adam(c). The forefathers of the holy Prophet were following the religion of Abraham(c) (hanifiyyah). See verses (2:130, 135; 3:95; 4:125; 22:78) in the Qur’an that the same religion of Abraham(c) is called “Islam” and the chain of the mustaqarr (permanent) Imams continued in the forefathers of the holy Prophet.
Q309 It is mentioned in verse (3:33): “Verily, Allah selected Adam and Noah and the descendants of Abraham and the descendants of cImran above all people.” The questions here are: Were these Perfect Men only selected in their own times? What was the purpose of selecting them? Three cImrans are mentioned in the Qur’an: the father of Moses(c), the father of Maryam(c) and the father of cAli(c). Which one is mentioned in this verse?
A309 Perfect Men are selected forever. The purpose in this selection was to provide guidance to the people of the world. The cImran(c) in this verse is the revered name of Hazrat Abu Talib(c), from whose descendants the chain of Imamat continues forever as the khilafat of Adam(c) (2:30), the essential sharicat of Noah(c) (42:13) and the excellence of the descendants of Abraham(c) (4:54) for always, even though all of them according to “light upon light” are different links in the same chain of guidance.
Part 95
In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful.
The final and highest decisive realities and recognitions are in the spiritual resurrection and the same bounties are also in the wise Qur’an. One important and great example of this reality is: Allah chose Adam from among the people of his time (3:33) and He spiritually created all human beings from this Single Soul, i.e. Adam (39:6). The children of Adam gradually progressed and entered the paradise of the sacred Sanctuary and attained the same favours of God, which were bestowed on Adam. God alluding to these countless favours, asked them: “Am I not your Lord?” (7:172) God favours all human souls with His proximity and speech of “Am I not your Lord?” in every spiritual resurrection. In this sacred and wisdom-filled Divine speech is alluded to countless favours and also to their access to the sacred Sanctuary or the Throne. It is in this sense that Mawla has said: “You can see paradise and the Throne in this very world”.108
If you have forgotten such great miracles, you can be sure of them by means of the knowledge of certainty.
In paradise every forgotten bounty will come in front of you according to your wish. And the characteristic of paradise is such that there every bounty gives you utmost happiness.
This verse has been referred 13 times.