ভূমিকা

Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books The Shia Rebuts Question 30 : Do the Shi‘ah think that Jibra’il (Archangel Gabriel) has committed treachery when he conveyed the message {risalah} to Muhammad instead of ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib? Reply: Before proving the groundlessness of this loathsome accusation made against the Shi‘ah by some ignorant or spiteful people, it is appropriate to trace its origin.

The origin of this accusation The noble verses of the Qur’an and some relevant hadith s show that Jews were of the opinion that Jibra’il ( ‘a ) has committed treachery while conveying the message { risalah } claiming that God had ordered him to entrust the prophethood { nubuwwah } to the progeny of Isra’il (Ya‘qub or Jacob) from the line of Ishaq (Isaac), but he did not comply with that divine order by entrusting it to the offspring of Isma‘il (Ishmael)!

Thus, a group of Jews regard Jibra’il ( ‘a ) as an enemy[^1] and assume that “The truthful { al-amin } (Jibra’il) has betrayed!” Therefore, in reproaching them and proving the groundlessness of their claim, the Qur’an refers to Jibra’il ( ‘a ) in the verse below as truthful { al-amin } and honest angel: نزل به الروح الأمين على قلبك لتكون من المنذرين.

“{It (Qur’an) was} brought down by the Trustworthy Spirit, upon your heart, so that you may be one of the warners.” [^2] In another verse, the Qur’an states: قُلْ مَنْ كانَ عَدُوًّا لِجِبْريلَ فَإِنَّهُ نَزَّلَهُ عَلى‏ قَلْبِكَ بِإِذْنِ اللّهِ “Say, ‘Whoever is an enemy of Gabriel {should know that} it is he who has brought it down on your heart with the will of Allah.” [^3] From the quoted verses and their commentaries, we realize that a group of Jews were hostile to Jibra’il ( ‘a ) for some reasons, branding him as the “angel of tribulation” { mala’ikah al-‘adhab } and accusing him of treachery in conveying the message { risalah }.

Therefore, the slogan, “The truthful (Jibra’il) has betrayed” originates from the superstitions of the Jews. Some ignorant writers who have ancient enmity toward the Shi‘ah make use of the Jews’ statement to dastardly attribute it to the Shi‘ah.

Prophethood {nubuwwah} from the Shi‘ah viewpoint Following the Book (the Qur’an) and the Sunnah , and relying on the explicit traditions of the Prophet’s ( ‘a ), the Shi‘ah not only consider Muhammad ibn ‘Abd Allah (S) as a prophet in truth appointed by God as a universal messenger, but also regard him as the Seal of the Prophets { khatam al-anbiya’ } and the greatest divine envoy.

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