The Twelfth Imam
The Twelfth Imam
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Article ID: 20
Article Date: 2023-07-07
Writer: Parsa Panahi
[17:4]
And We decreed in the Book for the Children of Israel You will certainly spread corruption upon the earth twice, and you will become exceedingly arrogant and tyrannical.
[17:5]
So when the time for the first of the two promises comes, We will send against you servants of Ours—mighty in warfare—who will penetrate even into your homes; and the promise of retribution will surely be fulfilled.
[17:6]
Then We will grant you once again the upper hand over them, and We will supply you with wealth and children, and increase you in numbers of warriors.
[17:7]
If you do good, it will be for your own benefit; and if you do evil, it will be against your own selves. Then, when the time for the second promise comes, We will send against you servants—strong and fierce in battle—so that the marks of humiliation, fear, and grief will be evident on your faces, and they will enter the Sacred Mosque, just as they entered it the first time, utterly destroying whatever they seize and completely annihilating whomever they overpower.
Given that the four verses mentioned (verses 4–7 of Surah al-Isra) are embedded within a larger pattern of divine decree, a brief note on the stylistic pattern of these verses seems appropriate. According to Allameh Tabataba'i(1), verses 2–8 of Surah al-Isra speak of a consistent divine pattern. In verse 2 we read: “And We gave Moses the Book and made it a light for the Children of Israel, charging you to take no guardian or helper besides Me.”
Since the report of these verses explicitly refers to a Book revealed to Moses (peace be upon him), it is evident that the Book in question is the Torah. But why does God not explicitly name the Torah in this verse, while in the Qur’an the name “Torah” is mentioned eighteen times? Allama Tabataba’i holds that by mentioning the word “the Book,” God warns the followers of all divine revelations—Jews, Christians, and Muslims—that the divine tradition is not restricted to a particular people or a specific religion; it runs among all nations. The purpose of the revelation of God’s books is to show humanity the paths of guidance within their own historical contexts. The condition for guidance is to act upon the content of these revelations; neglecting them and not acting accordingly leads to various divine punishments. This is an inexorable, universal law binding all of humanity and is not limited to individuals or tribes.
Moreover, immediately after this, the essence of all divine teachings is summarized in one succinct sentence: “... that you do not take other guardians or helpers besides Me.” If you do so, you have committed shirk, placing another creature on the same level as God. In essence, the core of all divine teachings in the books revealed to the prophets is that one must not depart from God’s path, for if you do, you will perish. All divine verses, wherever and whenever they were revealed, were and are meant to guide humanity toward the most perfect being—God.
In verse three, God provides a clear and exemplary instance of this divine law in action among His servants, which had happened previously: “O descendants of the people who We carried them on the ship with Noah, know that He was a grateful servant.” This verse, though short, is rich in meaning and refers to the story of Noah’s Flood. Those who disobeyed God’s commands and chose rebellion at Noah’s time were drowned in the flood, while those who believed in Noah and aligned their deeds with God’s commands boarded the ark and were saved from that unprecedented flood. This verse shows that this divine law has precedent and has always existed among people and will continue to do so.
The foretelling of the ominous fate of the Children of Israel in the End Times, as mentioned in verses 4–7 of Surah al-Isra, is, in fact, another instance of this same divine law.
وَقَضَيْنَا إِلَىٰ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ فِي الْكِتَابِ لَتُفْسِدُنَّ فِي الْأَرْضِ مَرَّتَيْنِ وَلَتَعْلُنَّ عُلُوًّا كَبِيرًا
"قضینا" (= Ghazayna) is from the root "قضاء" (= Ghaza). Raghib in Mufradat(2) defines this word as meaning to decide or settle a matter, whether by speech or by action. On this basis, the precise meaning of the first part of the verse is that We decreed a ruling for the Children of Israel in the Torah and settled it..
"عُلُو" (= Olove) means height, and in the verse under discussion it is a metaphor for tyranny and oppression, since the preceding clause speaks of corruption among the Children of Israel.
Thus the meaning of the verse is that: “We in the Torah informed the Children of Israel with a decisive notice, that surely you will soon cause corruption on the land in two successive times, and you will commit corruption and a very great tyranny.”
فَإِذا جاءَ وَعْدُ أُولاهُما بَعَثْنا عَلَيْكُمْ عِباداً لَنا أُولِي بَأْسٍ شَدِيدٍ فَجاسُوا خِلالَ الدِّيارِ وَ كانَ وَعْداً مَفْعُولاً
"بَاْسٍ" : ( = Baas) Raghib in Mufradāt defines this word as meaning severity and ugliness, and it is used primarily in the context of punishment.
جَاسُوا (= Jāsū). In Majmaʿ al-Bayān(3), it means to prowl or to search here and there.
This verse speaks of a punishment that will descend upon the Children of Israel as a consequence of the first corruption and tyranny mentioned in verse 4. It directly addresses the Children of Israel:
due to the oppression and corruption you commit initially, We will raise very strong and warlike servants against you. They will search through all of your houses. This threat of retribution is certain.
Allama Tabatabaʾi states :
“No one should say that God, by sending such enemies to subdue and subjugate the Children of Israel, has wronged them; rather, they wronged themselves. In this noble verse there is no evidence supporting the view of that mufassir who said: ‘A people whom God Almighty has placed under the dominion of believers.’ For when it says ‘We will raise up’ and also ‘We sent some of Our servants,’ neither of these two arguments proves that they were believers.” Allama notes that raising servants to exact revenge does not necessarily take place only through believers. And the phrase " and this punishment is indeed certain " emphasizes that this event will indeed come to pass.
ثُمَّ رَدَدْنَا لَكُمُ الْكَرَّةَ عَلَيْهِمْ وَأَمْدَدْنَاكُمْ بِأَمْوَالٍ وَبَنِينَ وَجَعَلْنَاكُمْ أَكْثَرَ نَفِيرًا
كَرَّة (= Karrat) is used by Sheikh al-Ṭabarī in Majmaʿ al-Bayān to mean both “a return” and “a reign/governance.”
The verse suggests that the Children of Israel would soon regain their former state of power and wealth, come to dominate their enemies after the first punishment, and gradually increase wealth and people.
Since The next verse indicates that if you do good, you do good to yourselves and if you do evil and wrong, you do so to yourselves. This implies that the increase in wealth and numbers after the first punishment results from turning away from disbelief and vice toward faith and goodness. Likewise, the second punishment is due to renewed oppression and rebellion by the Children of Israel.
اِنْ أَحْسَنْتُمْ أَحْسَنْتُمْ لِأَنْفُسِکُمْ وَإِنْ أَسَأْتُمْ فَلَهَا فَإِذَا جَاءَ وَعْدُ الْآخِرَةِ لِیَسُوءُوا وُجُوهَکُمْ وَلِیَدْخُلُوا الْمَسْجِدَ کَمَا دَخَلُوهُ أَوَّلَ مَرَّةٍ وَلِیُتَبِّرُوا مَا عَلَوْا تَتْبِیرًا
تَتْبير (=Tatbeēr) means annihilation or destruction; the idea is to devastate utterly.
لِيَسُؤُوا (=Liyaṣūū) means to cause distress, sorrow, or humiliation; i.e., to make their faces grim with shame.
المسجد (=Al-Masjid) refers to the Sacred Mosque, here understood as Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa in Jerusalem.
And this part of the verse “… and ruin whatever they reach, and overpower any who stand in their way, bringing severe destruction”indicates that they will utterly ruin or devastate whatever they overtake.
Allama Tabataba’i says:
comparing the first and second promises, the second is harsher for the Children of Israel, and in the second promise they are nearly to be completely destroyed. When the time of the second promise arrives—i.e., once their second corruption has reached its limit—we compel Our servants to produce sorrow and humiliation, to make their faces appear mournful, and, as in the first instance, they will enter the Sacred Mosque and destroy all that they overcome, laying waste the territories they cross.
Allama Tabataba’i states:
“From the day the Children of Israel attained independence and raised a banner of leadership among the people, they saw many calamities and afflictions—so much so that history records them; these calamities are more than two. And the verses under discussion can be applied to two of them. Yet the incident that is unquestionably one of the two events referenced by the verses is the one that befell them at the hands of Nebuchadnezzar (Nabû-kudur-uṣur II), king of Babylon, around six hundred years BCE. He was a powerful ruler and one of the tyrants of his era. At first he supported the Children of Israel; but when he perceived their rebellion and defiance, he sent forth numerous armies against them, besieged their cities, and reduced them to ruin; he destroyed the Al-Aqsa Mosque and burned the Torah and the Books of the Prophets, and slaughtered the people, so that only a few remained—mostly women, children, and the weak men. The rest were taken captive to Babylon, and the Children of Israel continued to live in humiliation and disgrace in Babylon, and until Nebuchadnezzar’s lifetime there was no one to support or defend them after his death. Then Cyrus the Great, one of the kings of Persia, decided to go to Babylon, conquer it, and, on conquering it, showed kindness to the exiles of the Children of Israel, allowing them to return to their homeland, the Holy Land, and assisted them in the rebuilding of the Temple (the Al-Aqsa Mosque) and the restoration of the ruined structures; he also granted Ezra, one of their priests, permission to write the Torah for them. These events occurred around four hundred and fifty-something BCE.
And the one who destroyed Jerusalem in the second instance was the Roman emperor Vespasian, who lived almost a century before the birth of Christ, and sent his minister Tutuz to destroy the mosque and to humiliate and discipline its people."
But the full story and events of this assault, according to the Jewish and Christian sources that describe it as one of the worst destructions of Jerusalem, are as follows:
The affair concerns the Jewish–Roman War in the years 66 to 73 CE, known as the Jewish War. The cause of the war was the revolt of the Jews living in Judea against Roman rule. This uprising sprang from heavy taxation, corruption of Roman governors, and religious issues.
During this period, the Roman emperor was Nero, but after his suicide (68 CE), the famous Roman general Vespasian was sent to suppress the Jewish revolt.
In 67 CE, Vespasian entered the region with a large army and initially besieged the towns around Galilee and the northern part of Judea. He progressively captured the regions one by one and cut off the Jews’ supply lines. Vespasian advanced in a highly orderly fashion and, through prolonged sieges, brought the cities to famine.
In 69 CE, Vespasian was chosen as Roman emperor (this year is called the Year of the Four Emperors). He entrusted the continuation of the war to his son Titus and returned to Rome.
In 70 CE, Titus, with an army of about 60,000, besieged Jerusalem. The siege lasted about five months, and the city suffered famine and disease. Historical sources report even cases of eating corpses or children. Ultimately, the Romans breached the walls and entered the city.
The most significant event was the complete destruction of the Second Temple of the Jews, which was, religiously, the greatest catastrophe in Jewish history up to that time.
Titus ordered the temple to be set on fire, looted all sacred objects, and slaughtered or enslaved many of the people. According to the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus, more than a million Jews were killed in this war and about 97,000 were taken captive.
-The end of Jewish political autonomy for centuries.
-The beginning of the great dispersion (Diaspora) of Jews across the Roman Empire.
-Religiously, Judaism entered the era of “Rabbinic Judaism,” which focused on Torah study and life without a temple.
But beside Allama Tabataba’i’s account of the events that befell the People of Israel as a result of widespread corruption and oppression, which in two occasions led to the destruction of a large number of them, there exist many other narrations in tafsir sources and in hadith sources, and likewise in various books and articles, that are completely different from the above narration.
The fundamental basis of all these narrations is the Qur’anic prophecy about these two events in the future, not a recounting of past events.
Some commentators, holding the view that the external realization of these events cannot be reconciled with the realities after the advent of Islam, have understood the realization of these stages as belonging to the pre-Islamic era; regarding the external examples they have relied on discordant and incomplete reports transmitted from the Companions and the Tabi‘un(4), and sometimes they have drawn on the history of the Children of Israel(5) and faced with numerous objections in applying these verses to those cases, they have treated them with laxity.
However, among the works of the early authorities there are hadiths from the Ahl al-Bayt (notation)(This refers to the family of the Holy Prophet of Islam and the 12 Imams.) that the realization of these verses concerns the future(6), and unfortunately in many tafsir works these matters are left unaddressed and neglected.
With the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, gradually some scholars have reflected anew on these verses and claimed a link between the noble verses and the present-day upheaval.
A concise summary of all the existing interpretations and narrations can be found in the words of Dr. Ali Reza Sharif, which he stated in an interview with Tasnim News Agency in 2017(7). The following of this article will present a summary of that interview, which reflects the consensus of many scholars and religious experts, especially among the Shi‘a:
In the Qur’an, the word corruption is attributed to six nations, and God severely punished and destroyed all of them, namely:
1) the people of Gog and Magog,
2) the people of Thamud,
3) the people of Lot,
4) the people of Shu’ayb,
5) the people of Pharaoh,
6) the Children of Israel.
And the corruption of the Children of Israel is not merely a prophecy; rather, in the Torah, God decrees a judgment upon them. This divine decree is announced in verse four of Surah Isra with the phrase “in the land they will corrupt twice.”
Thus, according to this understanding, God has given two covenants or promises to the Children of Israel. The first is based on: “And when the first of the two promises comes” (Al-Isra V. 5), and the second on: “And when the promise of the latter comes”(Al-Isra Verse 7). The apparent meaning of these two verses indicates a divine promise to subdue the corrupters, and the divine promise is inexorable: “and it was a promise to be fulfilled” (Al-Isra Verse 5).
As for why God discusses the destruction of the Children of Israel, it should be said that, as we know, God sent a book to Moses for the guidance of the Children of Israel. “Sending a book” is a fulfillment of the good promise God gave to their forefathers, i.e., to the survivors of Noah’s Ark. It is also the implementation of the divine law that has occurred in past nations. God, citing Al-Isra Verse 2, commanded the Children of Israel to follow guidance and not appoint others as guardians besides God. But the Children of Israel, instead of acting on what was expected of them—namely obedience to God’s command and gratitude—turned to disbelief and rebellion. Therefore, naturally, according to the divine law, they were subjected to punishment.
On the other hand, they were expected to imitate Noah (peace be upon him), whom God named in verse 3 of Surah Al-Isra as “the grateful servant” . Yet, according to verse 64 of Surah Al-Ma'idah, throughout history the Children of Israel have repeatedly done two things: “stoking the fires of war” and “seeking to sow corruption on earth.”
“...... that which allah has sent down to you will surely increase the tyranny and disbelief of many of them. we have stirred among them enmity and hatred up until the day of resurrection. whenever they kindle the fire of war, allah extinguishes it. they spread corruption in the land, and allah does not love those who corrupt. (Surah Ma’idah Verse 64).
In this verse, the phrase (until the Day of Resurrection) and the present-tense form indicate continuity: they continuously strive for corruption. As explicitly stated in verse 4 of Surah Isra, “And in the Book We told the Children of Israel that surely you will indeed commit two acts of corruption on the earth, and you will rise up with a great arrogance.” Accordingly, among the repeated corruptions, two instances are exemplary and extremely severe and widespread—so much so that they would encompass the entire earth; ultimately, after these two vast corruptions, God will subdue them through “servants of Ours—mighty in warfare”.
The phrase “a large number of them” in verse 64 of Surah Al-Ma’idah signals the division of the Children of Israel into two groups, indicating that not all members of this people fall into rebellion and disbelief, but a large number of them rebel and as a result deserve divine punishment, while the other portion remains faithful and adherent to the teachings of Moses until the Day of Resurrection. Of course, in the other verses of the same surah this division also exists regarding the Jews. The individuals under discussion are in fact people with extremist Zionist views, not all Jews.
As the early verses of Surah Isra indicate two corruptions of the Children of Israel, some commentators believe these corruptions occurred in past times, and among the numerous interpretations, a considerable number attribute the occurrence of this corruption and its suppression to the time of Nebuchadnezzar.
In a scientific study, while arguing against reasons for corruption before Islam, I examined and analyzed the possibility of corruption in the end times, and ultimately identified the probability of at least one of the corruptions of the Children of Israel in the contemporary era as stronger than other possibilities.
In some verses of Surah Al-Ma’idah, a group of true believers among the Jews is singled out from the rest, but a large number of them insist on corruption and inciting war, whose characteristics, however, correspond to Zionists.
According to the narrations and arguments presented in this treatise, the embodiment of “God will subdue them through “servants of Ours—mighty in warfare” are the supporters of the Mahdi who, by suppressing the corruption of the Children of Israel, realize this divine promise. For example, in volume two of the Tafsir of Aya Shi from Imam Baqir( peace be upon him) it is reported: “We will send against you servants of Ours—mighty in warfare”; these are the companions of the Mahdi.”
In the early verses of the blessed Surah Isra, there is a reference to two corruptions of the Children of Israel. Discovering the specifics of these corruptions, as will be explained below, has been a dispute among various Shiite and Sunni commentators. In the narrational tafsirs attached to these verses, numerous hadiths have been gathered. The existing narrations are divided into two major groups: interpretive and exegetical.
Many attempts in exegesis have been made to decipher the two corruptions of the Children of Israel in the first few verses of Surah Isra. As Dr. Homayun(8) states, “in introducing the two corruptions of this people, since the total corruption within their history exceeds what can be limited to two instances, the interpretations have fallen into a serious problem.”
And rightly so. Due to the numerous acts of oppression and corruption committed by the Children of Israel throughout history, it is not possible to prefer one over another.; the episodes of the massacre of Iranians, the killing of prophets and messengers, and among them a plan to kill Jesus (peace be upon him) are many examples mentioned in both the Qur’an and history.
A number of commentators believe these corruptions of the Children of Israel occurred in past times; these views are present in their exegetical books.
But it seems that most of these interpretations merely rewrite the previous expositions in a sequential manner and have not themselves sought to uncover the subject, because in these interpretations no new theory has been presented, or there is uncertainty in transmitting others’ opinions.
Dr. Homayoun, in the book “The History of Civilization and the Kingdom of the Mahdi”, page 21, writes: “In these verses the fate of the Children of Israel is foretold, and it is quite remarkable that even though there is a great confrontation after the Islamic Revolution between Iran and the Zionist regime, the interpretation and examination of these verses have not received serious attention.”
When the promise of one of these two corruptions comes, following the occurrence of corruption, “servants of Ours—mighty in warfare” enter into action to suppress it. That is, after the first corruption we should await the first suppression, and after the second corruption we should anticipate the second suppression. The scope of this corruption at least refers to lands over which the Children of Israel have domination.
In the present era, the Zionist lobby claims in a way that it should have presence in all countries and domination over them; Therefore, it can be said that the 'earth' mentioned in this verse—if it refers to the present time—would, if not encompassing the entire world, at least be relevant to a very vast expanse of it.
But the negative behaviors of the Children of Israel can be categorized into three groups:
1) Corruption: by reference to “You will certainly spread corruption upon the earth twice” (Al-Isra 4)
2) Engaging in a very great rebellion: by reference to “you will become exceedingly arrogant and tyrannical” (Israa 4)
3) The occupation of Jerusalem and its surroundings [the land of Palestine]. By reference to “and they will enter the Sacred Mosque, just as they entered it the first time” (Al-Isra 7) and to “will penetrate even into your homes” (Al-Isra 5)
There are two hypotheses for its time: before Islam and after Islam. Below we address the first hypothesis, i.e., the occurrence of corruption and suppression of the Children of Israel before Islam, which has been the consensus of most earlier scholars, and we will see that with strong arguments this hypothesis is rejected.
The first hypothesis is that the occurrence of corruption and suppression of the Children of Israel happened before Islam. For this hypothesis two possibilities are raised: one is corruption in the time of Solomon (peace be upon him), i.e., 950 years BCE, and the other in the time of Nebuchadnezzar (Bukt al-Nasr), i.e., 750 years BCE.
Regarding the first possibility that the corruption of the Children of Israel occurred in the time of Prophet Solomon (peace be upon him), the argument is that given the episode of “teaching and exploiting magic” by the Jews, the instance of corruption might be regarded as occurring in Solomon’s time. God says on this matter: “And [the Jews] followed what the devils in the time of the kingship of Solomon used to recite to the people concerning magic. Solomon did not become disbelieving, but the devils who taught people magic disbelieved” (Surah al-Baqarah Verse 102).
But the second possibility—that the realization of the first corruption occurred in the time of Nebuchadnezzar (750 BCE)—is attributed by al-Tabari in Jami’ al-Bayan and al-Tabrisi in Majma’ al-Bayan, Allama Tabataba’i in al-Mizan, al-Razi in Tafsir Abi al-Futuh, and some others.
In contrast, another group of narrational exegeses such as al-Burhan by Sayyid Hashim Bahrani and Tafsir Qummi and Tafsir Fi Zilal al-Qur’an by Sayyid Qutb do not indicate any reference to the occurrence of the corruption in Nebuchadnezzar’s time. Mosen Qura’ati, in Volume 5 of Noor (Tafsir al-Nur), regards assigning it to Nebuchadnezzar as incorrect, and Ayatollah Sobhani also does not deem the views of the expositors to agree with the apparent meaning of the verse.
Tabari, in Jami’ al-Bayan, cites a hadith from the Messenger of God (peace be upon him) that is among the oldest sources. It identifies the killing of Zakariyya (peace be upon him) by the Children of Israel as corresponding to the first corruption, and the killing of Yahya son of Zakariyya (peace be upon him) as corresponding to the second corruption; and the suppression of the Children of Israel by Nebuchadnezzar is described as the first suppression, while the suppression by Abtiyanhous is described as the second suppression. He also presents a third rebellion among the Children of Israel with two possible suppressions: one by Tyals and one by Qaqs ibn Esbayus.
I am of the view that for several reasons the corruption of the people in Solomon’s time cannot be the exemplar of this matter.
- Yet in rejecting the second possibility, namely the corruption and suppression in the time of Nebuchadnezzar (750 BCE), we point to these reasons:
- Historical nonconformity; when one refers to the historical chart, the chronological alignment between Yahya (John) and Nebuchadnezzar is clearly evident. The commentator of Tafsir-e Namah writes: the alignment of the history of Zakariya and Yahya with the history of Nebuchadnezzar and Spianus (or Antiochus) is not established; rather, according to some, Nebuchadnezzar was contemporary with Jeremiah or Daniel the Prophet, and his uprising occurred about 600 years before Yahya; therefore, how could Nebuchadnezzar’s uprising have acted to avenge the blood of Yahya?
Also:
- the reference to the future in the first verse of Surah Isra,
- the failure of the first narration to match the apparent meaning of that verse,
- the mismatch between “servants of Ours—mighty in warfare” and a tyrant such as Nebuchadnezzar,
- and the weakness of the narrations of the commentators,
- are additional reasons to reject the second possibility.
Footnotes:
1 – Allama Tabataba’i (1902–1981 CE) was an Iranian Shi’a commentator (mufassir), philosopher, usuli jurist, and mystic. The book "Tafsir al-Mizan," whose composition took 17 years, consists of 20 volumes in Arabic and 40 volumes in Persian, written by him on Qur’anic interpretation.
2 – Al-Raghib al-Isfahani (d. 1109 CE) was a lexicographer and one of the literati and wise men of Isfahan, and the author of the substantial book Mufradat. Mufradat is a work that discusses the meanings of words appearing in the Qur’an, considering their mention in each of the verses.
3 – Majma’ al-Bayan is among the most important Qur’anic exegesis books, written by al-Tabarsi (d. 1153 CE).
4 – Tarikh al-Tabari, 1412 AH, vol. 15, pp. 16–36.
5 – Ibn Ashur, 1997 CE, vol. 14, pp. 23–32.
6 – al-Ayyashi, 1380 AH, vol. 2, p. 281; and Majlisi, 1403 AH, vol. 57, p. 216.
7 – https://tn.ai/1443455
8 – The author of the book “History of Civilization and the Kingdom of the Mahdi.”
9 – By “ma‘sum” or “the Infallibles” in the view of Twelver Shi’ism are the Prophet Muhammad, Fatimah the Prophet’s daughter, plus the Twelve Imams beginning with Imam Ali and ending with Imam al-Mahdi.
10 – Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi, Tafsir Namuna (Tafsir-e Namuneh) Volume 12, p. 29.
11 – In the science of hadith, a “muwquf” narration means a report whose chain of transmission does not reach the Prophet (peace be upon him).
12 – In hadith science, it means a narration whose route of transmission has not reached the level of mutawatir, and the number of narrators at each tier is not large enough for unquestioned certainty of its transmission. In simple terms: if one or a few people at each tier of the chain transmit it, this becomes single report . If the number of narrators at each tier is so large that collusion among them to lie would be impossible, this becomes mutawatir.
