We are referring to the two Ayah of the Glorious Qur’an
which refers to the deal of “Buying and Selling” of souls. The buyer is the
Omnipotent Allah (s.w.t.) and the sellers are the true mominin who fight for
the cause of Allah (s.w.t.) to destroy His enemies and to sacrifice themselves.
Surah al-Tawbah
Ayah 111: “”Allah has purchased the souls and property of the believers in
exchange for Paradise. They fight for the cause of Allah to destroy His enemies
and to sacrifice themselves. This is true promise which He has revealed in the
Torah (Taurait), the Gospel (Injeel), and the Qur’an. No one is more true to His
promise than Allah. Let this bargain be glad news for them. This is indeed the
supreme triumph.”
Surah al-Baqarah Ayah
207: “And among men there is one who sells his self (soul) seeking the pleasure
of Allah (s.w.t.) and verily, Allah (s.w.t.) is affectionate to His (faithful)
servants.”
The Surah al-Tawbah Ayah 111 refers to all believers who
possess those qualities, but the Commander of the Faithful, the hero of all the
battles fought during the apparent life of the Noble Prophet (s.a.w.a.s.), Imam Ali (a.s.) is the prominent addressee of the Ayah. But the Ayah 207 of Surah al-Baqarah refers
exclusively to the Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali (a.s.), as all the Shia
and Sunni commentators including Tha’labi, Ghazali, Ibn Abil Hadid Mu’tazili,
Ibn Abbas and the author of Ahyaul Uloom, are unanimous in saying that Imam Ali
(a.s.) was the one in whose praise this Ayah was revealed.
The back ground of the revelation of the Ayah is that
when the Polytheists of Makkah out of frustration decided to martyr the Noble
Prophet (s.a.w.a.s.) in his bed at home. They prepared a plan to martyr the
Noble Prophet (s.a.w.a.s.) by joining hands with all the tribes of Polytheists
so that no one tribe would be blamed and face the retaliation from Bani Hashim
to which the Noble Prophet (s.a.w.a.s.) belonged. It was night time when the
gang of this chosen murderers had surrounded the house of the Noble Prophet
(s.a.w.a.s.) and Allah commanded him to leave Ali (a.s.) in his bed and
immediately leave Makkah for Madinah. The Noble Prophet (s.a.w.a.s.) could not
leave the house leaving his bed vacant as the enemies were watching from
outside frequently. Since one must necessarily lie down in the bed covering him
with the same mantle-cloth which the Noble Prophet (s.a.w.a.s.) used, under the
circumstances lying in the bed of the Noble Prophet (s.a.w.a.s.) was nothing
but courting death. The one who would
agree to offer himself instead of the Noble Prophet (s.a.w.a.s.) must
essentially have:
The safety of the Noble Prophet
(s.a.w.a.s.) preferred to his own safety.
Implicit faith in the duty of
man to earn the pleasure of Allah (s.w.t.) and His Noble Prophet (s.a.w.a.s.)
at any cost even at the
cost of his own life.
The courage of surrendering
himself willingly with the utmost peace of mind and sleep under the swords.
The confidence and faith in
Allah (s.w.t.)’s protection.
Resemble to the Noble Prophet
(s.a.w.a.s.)
The mother of believers, Hazrat A’isha had said that when
the Noble Prophet (s.a.w.a.s.) would sleep, a light used to emit from his face
beyond the mantle. Hence when Imam Ali (a.s.) slept in the Noble Prophet
(s.a.w.a.s.)’s bed, the light must have been emitting from the mantle as the
murderers continued to watch the bed the whole night presuming the Noble
Prophet (s.a.w.a.s.) was sleeping! Allah
(s.w.t.) addressed the Angels Jibr’il and Mika’il and said: “I have formed
brotherhood between you and enhanced the age of you. Which one of you will
sacrifice his life for the other?” When they did not respond, Allah told them
that Ali (a.s.) has sacrificed his life is was sleeping in his cousin (The
Noble Prophets.a.w.a.s)’s bed asked them to go on the earth and protect Imam
Ali (a.s.).
So in a nut shell,
Imam Ali (a.s.) is the seller of his soul, and the buyer is Allah (s.w.t.), the
merchandise is the soul of Imam Ali (a.s.), and the price is Allah’s pleasure
and Paradise!
Sources used:
Translation of the Glorious Qur’an (Urdu) by
Maulana Farman Ali
Translation of the Glorious Qur’an (English) by
Ayatollah Agha Pooya & Mir Ahmed Ali
Translation of the Glorious Qur’an (Urdu) by
Ayatollah Nasir Makrem Shirazi
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