THE READING OF "YOU WERE THE BEST NATION BROUGHT FORTH FOR MANKIND." [3:110]

Question

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How authentic is the narration attributed to Ibn Sinan which states that when he recited the verse: "You were the best nation brought forth for mankind" (Qur'an 3:110) in the presence of Imam al-Sadiq (peace be upon him), the Imam corrected him, asserting that the correct reading is: "You were the best Imams brought forth for mankind"?

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The narration in question was reported by al-Qummī in his exegesis. He stated:

وحدَّثني أبي عن ابن أبي عمير عن ابن سنان قال قرأتُ عند أبي عبد الله عليه السلام: ﴿كُنْتُمْ خَيْرَ أُمَّةٍ أُخْرِجَتْ لِلنَّاسِ﴾ فقال أبو عبد الله عليه السلام: "خير أمة " يقتلون أمير المؤمنين والحسن والحسين عليهم السلام؟! فقال القاري جُعلت فداك كيف نزلت؟ قال: نزلتْ كنتم خيرَ أئمةٍ أُخرجت للناس ألا ترى مدحَ اللهِ لهم: ﴿تَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَتَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ وَتُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ﴾

"My father narrated to me from Ibn Abī ʿUmayr, from Ibn Sinān, who said: I recited before Abū ʿAbdillāh (Imam al-Sādiq, peace be upon him) the verse: 'You were the best nation brought forth for mankind' (Qur'an 3:110).

Abū ʿAbdillāh (peace be upon him) responded: 'The best nation? A nation that killed the Commander of the Faithful (ʿAlī), al-Hasan, and al-Husayn (peace be upon them)?!'

The reciter then asked: 'May I be your ransom, how was it revealed?'

The Imam replied: 'It was revealed as: You were the best Imams brought forth for mankind. Do you not see how God praises them: You enjoin what is right, forbid what is wrong, and believe in God (Qur'an 3:110)?'" [1]

The narration is considered reliable in terms of its chain of transmission. However, it must be interpreted as an explanation of the intended meaning of 'ummah' [nation] in the verse. According to the narration, the term 'ummah' [nation] refers to the Imams. Thus, the statement "It was revealed as: You were the best Imams brought forth for mankind" means that its ta’wīl (interpretative meaning) was revealed in this sense, while the actual wording revealed in the Qur'an remains as recorded in the noble muṣḥaf as:

كُنْتُمْ خَيْرَ أُمَّةٍ أُخْرِجَتْ لِلنَّاسِ

"You were the best nation brought forth for mankind" (Qur'an 3:110).

The same applies to what is reported in Tafsīr al-ʿAyyāshī from Abū Baṣīr, who narrated from him [Imam al-Sādiq, peace be upon him] who said:

إنَّما أُنزلت هذه الآية على محمد (صلَّى الله عليه وآله وسلم) فيه وفي الأوصياء خاصَّة، فقال: كنتم خير أئمةٍ أُخرجت للناس تأمرون بالمعروف وتنهون عن المنكر، هكذا واللهِ نزل بها جبرئيل، وما عنى بها إلا محمداً وأوصياءَه صلوات الله عليهم

"This verse was revealed to Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) concerning him and the designated successors (awṣiyāʾ) exclusively. He said: 'You were the best Imams brought forth for mankind, enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong.' By God, this is how Gabriel revealed it, and it referred only to Muhammad and his successors, peace be upon them." [2]

The intended meaning of the statement ‘By God, this is how Gabriel revealed it’ is that the interpretation—or say, the esoteric meaning (taʾwīl)—that Gabriel conveyed regarding the verse is ‘You were the best Imams’. What may further support the idea that the narration is concerned with the esoteric meaning (taʾwīl) of the verse is the latter part of the report: ‘and it was intended for none other than Muhammad and his successors, peace be upon them.’

If this esoteric interpretation is valid, then it stands. However, if not, then both narrations must be dismissed and deemed unreliable as they belong to the category of solitary reports (akhbār al-aḥād). As such, they are insufficient to challenge the widely transmitted (mutawātir) reading of the Qurʾanic text. Moreover, this alternative reading contradicts the explicit assertions of the Noble Qurʾān, as stated in:

وَإِنَّهُ لَكِتَابٌ عَزِيزٌ

لَا يَأْتِيهِ الْبَاطِلُ مِنْ بَيْنِ يَدَيْهِ وَلَا مِنْ خَلْفِهِ تَنْزِيلٌ مِنْ حَكِيمٍ حَمِيدٍ

“Indeed, it is a mighty Book. Falsehood cannot approach it from before it or from behind it; [it is] a revelation from One who is Wise and Praiseworthy.” (Qurʾān 41:41-42)

And in His statement:

إِنَّا نَحْنُ نَزَّلْنَا الذِّكْرَ وَإِنَّا لَهُ لَحَافِظُونَ

“Indeed, We have sent down the Reminder, and indeed, We will preserve it.” (Qurʾān 15:9)

What we have mentioned represents the essence of what Shaykh al-Mufīd (may Allah have mercy on him) stated in al-Masāʾil al-Sarawiyyah. [3]

A similar position is found in Ajwibat al-Masāʾil al-Mihnāʾiyyah by al-ʿAllāmah al-Ḥillī (may Allah have mercy on him), where he was asked:

ما يقول سيدنا في الكتاب العزيز، هل يصح عند أصحابنا أنَّه نقص منه شيءٌ أو زِيد فيه أو غُيِّر ترتيبه أم لم يصح عندهم شيءٌ من ذلك. أفدنا أفادك اللَّه من فضلِه وعاملك بما هو من أهله.

"What does our master say regarding the Noble Book? Do our scholars hold that anything has been omitted from it, added to it, or that its order has been altered? Or is none of this considered valid by them? Guide us, may Allah grant you from His bounty and treat you in accordance with what befits Him."

The response:

الحق أنَّه لا تبديل ولا تأخير ولا تقديم فيه، وأنَّه لم يزد ولم ينقص، ومن نعوذ باللَّه تعالى من أنْ يُعتقد مثل ذلك وأمثال ذلك، فإنَّه يوجب التطرُّق إلى معجزة الرسول(ص) المنقولة بالتواتر

"The truth is that there has been no alteration, postponement, or advancement within it, nor has anything been added or removed. We seek refuge in Allah, Exalted is He, from believing in such things or anything similar, for such a claim would undermine the miracle of the Messenger (peace be upon him) that has been transmitted through tawātur (mass transmission).” [4]

Were it not for the concern of prolongation, I would have cited numerous statements from our esteemed scholars, both from the early and later generations. However, these can be readily found in their respective sources.

References

[1] Tafsīr al-Qummī , ʿAlī ibn Ibrāhīm al-Qummī , Volume 1, Page 110

[2] Tafsīr al-ʿAyyāshī , Muḥammad ibn Masʿūd al-ʿAyyāshī , Volume 1, Page 195

[3] Al-Masāʾil al-Sarawiyyah, Shaykh al-Mufīd, Page 84

[4] Ajwibat al-Masāʾil al-Muhannāʾiyya, al-ʿAllāma al-Ḥillī, Page 121

The original text in Arabic can be found here

Answer

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