A004
Surah: 068 - Ayah: 004
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68:4
Ethical Light:
The shadows of bad habits which are found in the world of humanity are the darkness of the un-ethical acts which can only be removed by the light of good ethics. It is because of this that God sent the Holy Prophet as the paragon of human character, as He says about him verse (68:4): “Verily you are on an exalted standard of excellent ethics”. That is, you are on the perfect rank of excellent habits, so that the people may have illumination of the light of guidance from each of your words and deeds and follow the light of that excellent model on the straight path.
The Holy Quran has called the Holy Prophet the luminous lamp (33:46), which first and foremost is applicable to his blessed and sacred personality, because those fortunate people who had attained the initial light of religion from him, had done so through his personality. In other words, the work of the luminous lamp which was sent to the world was to spread the light of humanity and ethics before spreading the light of intellect and soul, according to the order of human creation that, first is created the body, then the soul and finally the intellect.
If someone, despite the preceding explanation, were to question whether the personality of the True guide is included in the light of guidance or not, the answer is that his corporeality and personality are included in the light, because the illumination of the ethics, soul and intellect are not possible without the support of the body. It is because of this that in the Wise Quran, the light of guidance is compared to a lamp in which are included not only the flame and illumination, but also the vessel of the lamp and the niche, as it is said: “Allah is the light of the heavens and the earth; His light is as a niche in which there is a lamp” (24:35). In this wisdom-filled example of the Divine light are included not only flame and illumination, but also the vessel of the lamp and the niche. From this it can be established that not only are the ethics, spirit and intellect of the Holy Prophet and the pure Imam included in the light of guidance, but also their personality and family, because personality is like the vessel of the lamp of Divine Light and family is like the niche in which there is the lamp.
One of the meanings of Holy Prophet being sent by God as “a mercy for the worlds” ia that whatever human and ethical virtues are found in the world of humanity from the begininning to the end are due to his ethical light, otherwise its meanings would have remained incomplete. However, it is a different matter whether someone, after accepting his light of humanity and ethic, also accepts the grace of his spiritual and intellectual light or not.
It is a well-known historical event (Ghadir Khumm) that the Holy Prophet addressing the companions said: "O people! Know that Ali is to me like Harun was to Musa, except that after me there will be no other Prophets. And he is your wali after me. Thus he whose Mawla I am, Ali is his Mawla". Then he raised his hands and prayed: "O Allah! Befriend him who befriends him and be an enemy to him who is his enemy, and help him who helps him, and forsake him who forsakes him and turn the truth with him wherever he turns." This Hadith of the Holy Prophet is extremely important from many aspects: It is not only full of the fundamental realities of religion but also full of sublime wisdoms. Firstly, referring to the Divine law and the Qur’an, he indicates to that most important point that the inheritance of the Heavenly Book and the vicegerency of the Holy Prophet is not a new event but a continuation of the Divine law from the very beginning. The only difference being that there will be no further Prophets after the Holy Prophet Muhammad (s.a.s.), who was the last of the Prophets. In the Holy Qur’an, God has considered the appointment of the True Guide as His law (sunnat) and it is such that there cannot be any change in its spirit or essence. It is completely clear from this Hadith that Messengership and Prophethood end after the Holy Prophet but that wilayat and Imamat continue. This Hadith proclaims in the language of wisdom that the presence of Mawla and Imam is always necessary. For it is not possible for the possessor of exalted behaviour (68:4) to pray to Allah for Mawla Ali in this way if it had been contrary in any way to Divine law or the law of religion. Therefore the Holy Prophet recited this most beautiful prayer of Islam for the sake of the proper interpretation of religion and prayed that Allah should love all those who love His mazhar (the person through whom He manifests Himself). In this concept the Holy Prophet has revealed the greatest treasure of knowledge and wisdom.
This verse has been referred 4 times.