Imam Ali al-Rida Using Deuteronomy 33:2 "Ten Thousand Holy Ones"

 

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

الصلاة والسلام عليك يا سيدي يا رسول الله

وعلى آلك واصحابك يا سيدي يا نور الله

فداك ابي وامي يا رسول الله

In the Name of Allah, the Rahman, the Merciful

We previously examined a prophecy in the Torah concerning the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, and his Companions (Deuteronomy 33:2):

أتَى اللهُ مِنْ سِينَاءَ وَأشرَقَ عَلَيْنَا كَالشَّمْسِ مِنْ سَعِيرَ أشرَقَ مِنْ جَبَلِ فَارَانَ وَمَعَهُ عَشَرَاتُ الأُلُوفِ مِنْ قِدِّيسِيهِ وَجُنُودُهُ الأقوِيَاءُ عَنْ يَمِينِهِ

(Arabic Bible: Easy-to-Read Version)

This Text is significant in that it not only speaks of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, associated with Mount Paran located near Mecca, but also ten thousand holy ones who are with him, meaning the Sahabah particularly the ten thousand which accompanied him during the liberation of Mecca in 630 CE. According to Strong’s Lexicon, 6290: “Paran is a desert region mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, often associated with the wilderness experiences of the Israelites. It is depicted as a place of desolation but also of divine encounters and guidance. Paran is also associated with the nomadic lifestyle of the ancient Near Eastern peoples, including the Ishmaelites, who are said to have settled there.”

The Rafidah Shi’ah are infamous for rejecting, disassociating from and even cursing the Companions of the Prophet, may Allah be pleased with them all. According to a Rafidi narration, falsely attributed to Imam Muhammad al-Baqir:

ارتد الناس إلا ثلاثة نفر سلمان وأبو ذر والمقداد قال قلت فعمار قال قد كان جاض جيضة ثم رجع

The people committed apostasy except for three: Salman, Abu Dharr and al-Miqdad. I (Abu Bakr al-Hadrami) said: And Ammar? He said: He deviated then came back (Bihar al-Anwar; v.22, p.440)

Now it is quite illogical and inconceivable that of all the tens of thousands of Companions who openly believed in the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, during his lifetime would suddenly commit apostasy when he passed away from this world, except for three individuals. And such a view certainly runs counter to the prophecy in the Torah if it is interpreted as referring to the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, and the ten thousand “holy ones” that are with him. Yet, the eighth Imam of the Twelver Shi’ah, Ali al-Rida, may Allah have mercy on him, is known to have quoted this prophecy from the Torah in his debate with the Exilarch of the Jews, and argued that it refers to the Prophet Muhammad and his Ummah:

قَالَ الرِّضَا أَنَا أُخْبِرُكَ بِهِ أَمَّا قَوْلُهُ جَاءَ النُّورُ مِنْ قِبَلِ طُورِ سَيْنَاءَ فَذَلِكَ وَحْيُ اللَّهِ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى الَّذِي أَنْزَلَهُ عَلَى مُوسَى عَلَى جَبَلِ طُورِ سَيْنَاءَ وَأَمَّا قَوْلُهُ وَأَضَاءَ لَنَا مِنْ جَبَلِ سَاعِيرَ فَهُوَ الْجَبَلُ الَّذِي أَوْحَى اللَّهُ إِلَى عِيسَى ابْنِ مَرْيَمَ وَهُوَ عَلَيْهِ وَأَمَّا قَوْلُهُ وَاسْتَعْلَنَ عَلَيْنَا مِنْ جَبَلِ فَارَانَ فَذَاكَ جَبَلٌ مِنْ جِبَالِ مَكَّةَ بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَهَا يَوْمٌ

Al-Rida said: I will tell you about it. As for his saying: The light came from the direction of Mount Sinai, that is the revelation of God, the Blessed and Most High, which He sent down to Moses on Mount Sinai. As for His saying: And it shone for us from Mount Seir, it is the mountain on which God revealed to Jesus, son of Mary, while he was on it. As for his saying: And it shone upon us from Mount Paran, that is a mountain from the mountains of Mecca

وَكِتَابُكُمْ يَنْطِقُ بِهِ جَاءَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى بِالْبَيَانِ‏ مِنْ جَبَلِ فَارَانَ وَامْتَلَأَتِ السَّمَاوَاتُ مِنْ تَسْبِيحِ أَحْمَدَ وَأُمَّتُهُ

And your Scripture speaks of it. Allah, Most High, came with the Bayan from Mount Paran, and the Heavens were filled with the glorification of Ahmad and his Ummah (Uyun Akhbar al-Rida; v.1, p.165)

So by affirming the divine prophecy in the Torah, in the second verse of the thirty-third chapter of Deuteronomy, Imam Ali al-Rida affirmed that holiness of the tens of thousands of Companions of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. And it is inconceivable that Allah, Holy and Exalted is He, would call people who became apostates after their Prophet passed away “holy ones” קֹ֑דֶשׁ