Al-Waaqia (The Inevitable)

79. Which none can touch but the purified.

80. A Revelation from the Lord of the worlds.

81. Do you regard the Word, the Holy Qur’an possessing the aforesaid Attributes insignificant?

82. And instead of thanking Allah for the provisions He gives you, you deny it?

The blessed Verse 79 treats of the third Attribute of the Holy Qur’an, saying:

"Which none can touch but the purified.”

Following traditions narrated by the Infallible Imams (as), many Qur’an exegetes maintain that the Holy Qur’an may not be touched by the impure, namely those who have not performed the minor and major ritual ablutions (wudhu, ghusl).

However, some others hold that the blessed Verse refers to the pure angels who know the Holy Qur’an or served as intermediaries of Revelation conveying the Divine Message to the Noble Prophet's (S) heart. It stands in contrast to the polytheists' belief as per which such words were inspired by devils.

Some exegetes also believe that the sublime truths and meanings of the Holy Qur’an may solely be comprehended by the pure, as it is reflected elsewhere in the Holy Qur’an¹ :

"This is the Book whereof there is no doubt, a Guidance to the God fearing."

In other words, possession of minimum purity required for the spirit of truth seeking is needed for the minimum comprehension of its meanings. The purer one becomes, the more one may understand the meanings and the contents of the Holy Qur’an.

It is worthy of note, however, that the three exegeses are not inconsistent and the contextual meaning of the blessed Verse may reflect all the three exegeses.

According to the traditions narrated from Ahl al-Bayt, Imam ‘Ali ibn Musa al-Ridha (as) is quoted as saying:

"Do not touch the Holy Qur’an without having performed the minor and major ablution (wudhu, ghusl) as God Almighty says: 'None but the pure touch it.'"2

Similar traditions have been narrated from Imam Baqir (as) and Imam Sadiq (as) with minor alterations.²

Similar traditions are attested in Sunni sources amongst which mention may be made of the tradition recurrently narrated from the Noble Prophet (S):

"None but the pure may touch the Holy Qur’an."4

A tradition is narrated from the Noble Prophet (S) on the authority of Ibn ‘Abbas concerning spiritual touch:

"The Holy Qur’an is in the Concealed Book [the Preserved Tablet] recorded on pure pages and none but the pure, namely those nearest unto Divine Threshold, may touch it."5

The point stands to reason as well since although the Holy Qur’an has been revealed for guiding all mankind and we know that there were many people who heard the Noble Prophet (S) recite Qur’anic Verses and had access to the pure water of truth springing from the fountainhead of Revelation, but they were preoccupied with bias, obduracy, and enmity as a consequence of which they could not benefit from it in the least.

However, those who purified their selves and turned to Divine Revelation through their truth seeking attitude, attained to Guidance. Thus, the more one purifies himself and fear God Almighty, the more they comprehend more profound meanings of the Holy Qur’an. Thus, the blessed Verse in question applies to both material and spiritual dimensions.

It goes without saying that the Noble Prophet (S), the Infallible Imams (as) and the Archangels nearest unto Divine Threshold are nearest to God Almighty and further comprehend the Qur’anic truths, since they are the treasures of Divine Secrets and the Trust of Divine Light and they are the interpreters and expounders of the Holy Qur’an and eminent scholars who have attained to the purity and knowledge emanating from the Light of Divine Guardianship according to their capacities stand second to them in the interpretation and exposition of Qur’anic knowledge and learning.

The blessed Verses 80 and 81 treat of the last Attribute of the Holy Qur’an saying that it is revealed by the Lord of the worlds, the Lord and Fosterer of all the inhabitants of the worlds. The Holy Qur’an was revealed to His Noble Prophet's (S) heart for the Guidance of mankind, such that as He is the Owner and Fosterer of the world of existence, all legislation is from Divine Source.

The blessed Verse 81 is asking whether disbelievers underestimate the Holy Qur’an possessing the said Attributes, whereas the tokens of its Veracity and Truth are crystal clear. Divine Word is supposed to be acknowledged with utmost seriousness and encounter the same as a great reality.

"This word" (hadha al-hadith) refers to the Holy Qur’an and the Arabic verbal form mudhinun ("you underestimate") derives from dahn denoting "oil," since it is used for softening the body or other things.

The Arabic gerund idhan denotes toleration and gentility and at times the same connotes softness and lack of serious encounter. Since liars and hypocrites are often mild in their disposition, the word may connote denial and belying and both meanings are possible for the blessed Verse in question.

The blessed Verse 82 is saying that disbelievers, instead of showing gratitude for Divine Blessings, particularly the great Blessing of the Revelation of the Holy Qur’an, they deny it. Some Qur’an exegetes maintain that the blessed Verse intends to say that their share of the Holy Qur’an is denying it or that they make use of such denial to earn their sustenance.

However, the former exegesis is further consistent with the preceding blessed Verses. It may also mean that the Holy Qur’an is their spiritual sustenance and it may rejuvenate their hearts and by attending to its blessed Verses they may strengthen their hearts and their souls, but owing to their denial and enmity, they deprive themselves of it.³