The Red Line Drawn by the Qur'an

A very large number of Qur'anic verses introduce the enemies of God and His Messenger. The Qur'an has given great attention to this matter, to the point that many Qur'anic stories, indeed all Qur'anic stories, address the confrontation between two groups. A very interesting point that must be noted, and unfortunately has not been examined carefully enough, is that the Noble Qur'an introduces two kinds of enemies for the prophets. Or, better stated, God in the Qur'an has two kinds of enemies: one group opposed the prophets from every angle and were alien to them, such as Nimrod and Pharaoh; but many Qur'anic stories warn their audience of a danger greater than Pharaohs and Nimrods.

These were enemies counted among those who had believed in the prophets, or often belonged to the prophets' own people and tribes. The war of Abel with Cain, the war of Moses with the Samiri and the followers of the Samiri, is very important; the Samiri was among those who crossed the sea with the people of Moses and saw the miracle of the sea splitting with his own eyes. Likewise, Qarun's opposition to Moses, Jesus' conflict with those who deviated among the Children of Israel, and the deviation of the wives of prophets who lived in the prophets' homes and were under the care and authority of divine prophets, yet according to the explicit text of the Noble Qur'an some of them betrayed and were afflicted with divine punishment.

Truly, why are so many Qur'anic verses devoted to the conflict of divine prophets with enemies who were from the prophets' own families and tribes, or from those who had believed in them? What does the Qur'an want to say? The Qur'an was certainly not revealed to entertain Muslims, and undoubtedly these stories must have instances in this community so that they can be lessons for Muslims.

By introducing the enemies of God and the people of Hell, the Qur'an draws a red line for Islam. Crossing this red line means entering the ranks of God's enemies. This red line preserves divine religion, because all communities that deviated and were afflicted with divine punishment crossed this red line. In simpler language, one of the most important lessons of the Qur'an that preserves the survival of religion is enemy recognition.

The Qur'an has given us a complete lesson in enemy recognition. Interestingly, whoever does not know enemy recognition in the Qur'an knows nothing of the Qur'an; and whoever does not pay attention to the Qur'an's enemy recognition turns himself into an enemy of the Qur'an. Therefore, enemy recognition in the Qur'an is the Qur'an's red line.

Internal enemies, or in Qur'anic language hypocrites, attacked the person of the Prophet indirectly in order to demolish religion and destroy the Qur'an. They did not openly and officially oppose the foundation of Islam; rather, they attacked the red line of the Qur'an. In truth, through these policies they changed the direction of the Qur'an's red-line arrow toward the Household of infallibility and purity. They displayed themselves in the position of the Qur'an's righteous ones, and those whom people had been commanded to love were made objects of hostility, while those from whom people had the duty of disavowal were made objects of love. “And they were made to drink the calf into their hearts.”

In reality, the red line that the Noble Qur'an states for followers of the Qur'an can be compared to border guards who defend the borders. A border guard's duty is to protect the border from enemy infiltration. Without hesitation, he targets any stranger who approaches the border with his weapon. The border guard constantly observes and watches the border, and the enemy knows this well; therefore, as long as the border guard is alert, the enemy will not desire to violate the borders.

If there is no border guard, there will be no security in that country. The enemy will always dominate that country, because the way for the enemy's mischief will continually be open.

The Noble Qur'an, sent down by the wise Lord, has given special attention to this important matter. Therefore, it has defined a red line for the path of human guidance. This red line is, in practice, the doctrinal border guard of religion and school. By introducing the enemies of God and His religion, and the behavioral and doctrinal methods of the enemies, the Noble Qur'an grants protection to travelers on the divine path.

If someone crosses the Qur'an's red line, even if he spends his whole life worshiping in the holiest places of existence, God will give him no weight, and all his deeds will be fire. But whoever pays attention to the Qur'an's red line and declares war and enmity against God's enemies, even if those enemies are his father, brother, or relatives, God names such people with a lofty expression and describes them as “the party of God” in Surat al-Mujadila. Therefore, according to this noble verse, one belongs to God's party when one recognizes the enemy. Not merely recognition, but declaring disavowal from these enemies and their way and doctrine. Such a person, in addition to belonging to God's party, is supported by God with a spirit from Himself according to the explicit text of the Noble Qur'an in Surat al-Mujadila.

These Qur'anic expressions show that this red line of the Qur'an is extremely important: by crossing it we enter the valley of Satan's party, and by preserving and paying attention to it we enter God's party. Narrations also address this matter. In truth, these narrations provide a more precise and clearer explanation of this red line for the guidance of the Shi'a. Leaving aside the fact that most of these narrations have strong and unimpeachable chains, indeed they are beyond the discussion of chains and above mass transmission, these narrations cannot be doubted, because they accord with this Qur'anic principle.

Considering the severe and intense tone of the verses and narrations on this subject shows that this red line is of very high importance. It can also be understood that the Qur'an's audience is vulnerable and inattentive regarding this important subject. For this reason, God has warned about this red line with repeated emphases. Only those can avoid crossing this red line who have hatred, enmity, and disavowal toward God's enemies, even if that enemy of God is one's father, brother, or relative (1).

Muhammad, the son of Abu Bakr, said to the Commander of the Faithful: give me your blessed hand so that I may pledge allegiance to you. The Imam said: have you not already pledged allegiance? He said: yes. The Imam extended his blessed hand toward him. Muhammad took the Imam's hand and said: I testify that you are an Imam whose obedience is obligatory upon everyone, and my father is in the Fire.

The Imam said: Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr's nobility was from his mother Asma, not from his father (2). Thus, he testified that his father was in the Fire and took the reality and truth of the Noble Qur'an as his criterion for action, declaring disavowal from his father. Truly, who will be in Hell except those cursed by God and His Messenger?

Whoever claims faith and says he believes in God is either a hypocrite or a true believer. If he is truthful in his speech, he is a true believer; but if he is lying, he is not merely an unbeliever but a hypocrite. God, the Wise, in His Book has warned in many verses about the sedition and danger of hypocrites. But what is the criterion for the truthfulness of the claim of faith? How do we know whether there is hypocrisy in our hearts or not? Should we consider everyone who claims love for the Household to be a lover merely because of this claim?

It was said to Imam al-Sadiq (a): so-and-so has your guardianship and claims to love you, except that he is weak in disavowal and enmity toward your enemies. The Imam said: far from it. He lies, whoever claims to love us but does not disavow our enemies (3).

The Imam (a) considered the criterion for truthfulness in the claim of faith to be enmity toward the enemies of faith. Whoever does not oppose the enemies of the Household and the usurpers of their right has left the circle of faith and crossed the Qur'an's red line.

A man said to the Commander of the Faithful (a): I love you and I also love so-and-so. He named some of Ali's enemies and said: I also love the usurpers of the caliphate. The Imam said: you are now one-eyed; either you will become blind, or you will gain insight. The Imam did not find him to possess insight and did not see him as a person of insight, because he did not recognize the enemy. In reality, this person paid no attention to the Qur'an's red line (4).

Imam al-Sadiq (a) said: “It is confirmed and certain upon God that He will not admit into Paradise anyone in whose heart there is a mustard seed's weight of love for those two” (5).

The Imam (a) regards love for those who usurped the caliphate as equivalent to unbelief, because only the people of unbelief will not enter Paradise. It is obvious that this red line has great importance in our religious teachings and occupies a very high station in the texts and sources, meaning the Qur'an and the Household.

In truth, crossing the Qur'an's red line is not possible except by stepping over the Qur'an and denying it. Ignoring the Qur'an's red line means destroying all of religion. Therefore, the Household (a) have a very serious and unforgiving stance toward those who prevent people from this important principle, disavowal, and create doubt about it. It is as if there is no such threatening and warning tone regarding prayer, Hajj, and fasting; they introduced those who prevent disavowal as worse than Dajjal.

Imam al-Rida (a) said: “The sedition of some of those who claim to love us is harder upon our Shi'a than the sedition of Dajjal.” The narrator asked: why? He said: “Because they befriend our enemies and show enmity toward our friends. This action mixes truth and falsehood and makes the matter confused for people, until the believer can no longer be distinguished from the hypocrite” (6).

Imam al-Rida (a) introduces the forgetting of the Qur'an's red line as more dangerous and more deadly than the sedition of Dajjal.

When Ammar rebuked Abu Musa al-Ash'ari for refusing to pledge allegiance to the Commander of the Faithful (a), and reproached him, Abu Musa said to him: stop blaming me; I am your brother. Ammar said: but I am not your brother (7). Ammar, about whom the Noble Prophet said, “Ammar is with truth, and truth is with Ammar” (8), does not accept as a brother someone who has not observed the Qur'an's red line and has gone toward the enemies of God.

The meaning of Ammar's act is that whoever does not observe the Qur'an's red line is outside the circle of faith and is not included in the address “the believers are brothers.” He gives us an important lesson: in addition to recognizing the enemy, we must not address as brothers or love those who have failed to recognize the enemy, deviated from the path of truth, and crossed the boundary of the Qur'an's warning and red line.

When enemy recognition in the Qur'an has such a degree of importance, someone who has not reflected and been precise in the Qur'an and has not been able to recognize the red line drawn by the Qur'an is inevitably an unbeliever. It is obvious that the death of God's enemies and the enemies of the Qur'an is a day of joy for believers and the Household. The duty of true enemy recognizers, those who have properly understood the Qur'an's red line, is to make these days days of happiness and joy in harmony with the Household and by following them.

The people most filled with happiness and joy on the days of the collapse of the usurpers are the Imam of the Age and the progeny of the noble Prophet of Islam, especially Lady al-Siddiqa al-Kubra and her equal, the Commander of the Faithful. As the Commander of the Faithful taught Hudhayfa seventy names for the day of the death of the usurpers of the caliphate.

Imam Ali (a) says to Hudhayfa: I know seventy names for today (9). Since the hadith is very long, only a few of those names are mentioned. The Imam stated these names as follows: “The day of Eid for the Household, the day of joy for the Shi'a, the day of uncovering innovations, the day of affection, the day of the believer's delight, and...” Although each of these names needs detailed explanation, here it is enough merely to mention them.

Since the Household (a) are the interpreters of the Qur'an and the true actors upon God's commands, the day when the enemies reach their doom is a great Eid for them. Therefore, the Shi'a of those holy lights also live in delight and joy.

1. Surat al-Mujadila, verse 22.
2. Rijal al-Kashshi, p. 64.
3. Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 27, p. 58, chapter 1.
4. Ibid.
5. Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 27, p. 57.
6. Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 72, p. 391.
7. Amali of Shaykh al-Tusi, pp. 181-182.
8. al-Kashshi, p. 30.
9. Mustadrak Nahj al-Balagha, vol. 2, p. 264.