The Answering-Ansar team states in their revised edition of ‘Ali un-Wali Allah; in Kalima & Adhan’:

However, the only thing that becomes crystal clear after reading this quote cited by the Answering-Ansar team and checking the two referenced texts is that this is an outright case of misquoting and distorting Sunnī texts.

The verse inaccurately transliterated and mentioned by the Answering-Ansar team is a part of a longer verse:

الْيَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِينَكُمْ وَأَتْمَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ نِعْمَتِي وَرَضِيتُ لَكُمُ الْإِسْلَامَ دِينًا

“Today, I have perfected your religion for you, and have completed My blessing upon you, and chosen Islam as religion and a way of life for you.” [5:3]

And the references provided for the quote mentioning the two narrations which support the argument of Answering-Ansar are:

1.      Tafsīr al-Qur’ān al-`Ažīm of Abū al-Fidā’ Ibn Kathīr (d. 774)

2.      al-Durr al-Manthūr fi al-Tafsīr bi al-Ma’thūr of Jalāl al-Dīn al-Suyūţī (d. 911)

Let us now check these two references and see what the authors of these two books have, in reality, said in their works.

The Tafsīr of Ibn Kathīr

What Ibn Kathīr actually states about this verse and those two narrations in his Tafsīr is:

وقد روى ابن مردويه من طريق أبي هارون العبدي عن أبي سعيد الخدري أنها نزلت على رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يوم غدير خم حين قال لعلي من كنت مولاه فعلي مولاه ثم رواه عن أبي هريرة وفيه أنه اليوم الثامن عشر من ذي الحجة يعني مرجعه عليه السلام من حجة الوداع ولا يصح لا هذا ولا هذا بل الصواب الذي لا شك فيه ولا مرية أنها أنزلت يوم عرفة وكان يوم جمعة كما روى ذلك أمير المؤمنين عمر بن الخطاب وعلي بن أبي طالب وأول ملوك الاسلام معاوية بن أبي سفيان وترجمان القرآن عبد الله بن عباس وسمرة بن جندب رضي الله عنه وأرسله الشعبي وقتادة بن دعامة وشهر بن حوشب وغير واحد من الأئمة والعلماء واختاره ابن جرير الطبري رحمه الله

“Ibn Mardawayh has narrated with the chain of Abū Hārūn al-`Abdī, from Abū Sa`īd al-Khudrī that it was revealed upon the Messenger of Allāh (saws) on the day of Ghadīr Khumm, when he said to `Alī: ‘Anyone whose mawlá I am, `Ali is his mawlá.’ Then he also narrated that from Abū Hurayra, which included that it was the eighteenth day of Dhū al-Ĥijja, which means the day of his (saws) return from Ĥijjat al-Widā`. This, however, is not authentic; neither the first (narration) nor the second. Rather, the correct opinion, in which there is no doubt and dispute, is that the verse was revealed on the day of `Arafa, and that was on a Friday, as narrated by the Commander of the Believers, `Umar ibn al-Khaţţāb, `Alī ibn Abī Ţālib; the first king of Islam, Mu`āwiya ibn Abī Sufyān, `Abd Allāh ibn `Abbās, the dragoman of the Qur’ān and Samura ibn Jundub (ra), and reported in a dispatched manner by al-Sha`bī, Qatāda ibn Di`āma, Shahr ibn Ĥawshab and several others from among the Imāms and scholars; and this is the opinion preferred by Ibn Jarīr al-Ţabarī (ra).”

·         Tafsīr al-Qur’ān al-`Ažīm, of Abū al-Fidā’ ibn Kathīr (d. 774), volume 2, page 15 [Beirut]

·         Tafsīr al-Qur’ān al-`Ažīm, of Abū al-Fidā’ ibn Kathīr (d. 774), page 579-580 [Beirut]

Ibn Kathīr’s words in his Tafsīr have been, as obvious, half-quoted by the Answering-Ansar team to deceive the readers.

al-Durr al-Manthūr of al-Suyūţī

al-Suyūţī, after mentioning several authentic narrations from Şaĥīĥ al-Bukhārī and other Sunnī texts that disprove the notion pushed forth by the Answering-Ansar team about the verse in discussion, writes:

وأخرج ابن مردويه وابن عساكر بسند ضعيف عن أبي سعيد الخدري قال لما نصب رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم عليا يوم غدير خم فنادى له بالولاية هبط جبريل عليه بهذه الآية اليوم أكملت لكم دينكم وأخرج ابن مردويه والخطيب وابن عساكر بسند ضعيف عن أبي هريرة قال لما كان يوم غدير خم وهو يوم ثماني عشر من ذي الحجة قال النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم من كنت مولاه فعلى مولاه فأنزل الله اليوم أكملت لكم دينكم

“It is documented by Ibn Mardawayh and Ibn `Asākir, with a weak chain of transmission, from Abū Sa`īd al-Khudrī that he said: ‘When the Messenger of Allāh (saws) appointed `Alī on the day of Ghadīr Khumm and announced the guardianship for him, Jibrīl descended upon him with this verse: ‘Today, I have perfected your religion for you…’’ [5:3]. And Ibn Mardawayh, al-Khaţīb and Ibn `Asākir document, with a weak chain of transmission, from Abū Hurayra that he said: ‘When it was the day of Ghadīr Khumm, which was the eighteenth day of Dhū al-Ĥijja, the Prophet (saws) said: ‘Anyone whose mawlá I am, `Ali is his mawlá.’ So, Allāh revealed ‘‘Today, I have perfected your religion for you…’’ [5:3].”

·         al-Durr al-Manthūr fī al-Tafsīr bi al-Ma’thūr, of Jalāl al-Dīn al-Suyūţī (d. 911), volume 2, page 259 [Beirut]

·         al-Durr al-Manthūr fī al-Tafsīr bi al-Ma’thūr, of Jalāl al-Dīn al-Suyūţī (d. 911), volume 5, page 186-187 [Cairo]

It is clear from al-Suyūţī’s actual words in al-Durr al-Manthūr that the narrations of these two Companions (ra) are unreliable, for they are related with a weak chain of transmission. This part, of course, was deceptively left out by the Answering-Ansar team. Readers should read the quotes of Ibn Kathīr and al-Suyūţī again, and compare it to what Answering-Ansar quotes:

The misquotation and distortion is quite clear.

Why Such Deception?

It should be evident to all from reading the above that had the Answering-Ansar team completely quoted what Ibn Kathīr and al-Suyūţī said while mentioning these two narrations, it would have been impossible for them to substantiate their argument and say:

Thus, of course, they chose the Shī`ī way of handling Sunnī texts, by misquoting them to give readers the entirely opposite picture of what they really mention and establish.

May Allāh (swt) save us from deception and misquotation of religious texts.

It is only Allah (swt) who gives success, and blessings and peace be on the Seal of the Prophets, his Pure Progeny and his Noble Companions

♦        ♦        ♦

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Works Cited

Sunnī texts:

1.       Tafsīr al-Qur’ān al-`Ažīm

Abū al-Fidā’ ibn Kathīr (d. 774)

Dar al-Ma`rifa

Beirut, Lebanon

2.       Tafsīr al-Qur’ān al-`Ažīm

Abū al-Fidā’ ibn Kathīr (d. 774)

Dar Ibn Hazm

Beirut, Lebanon

3.       al-Durr al-Manthūr fī al-Tafsīr bi al-Ma’thūr

Jalāl al-Dīn al-Suyūţī (d. 911)

Dar al-Ma`rifa

Beirut, Lebanon

4.       al-Durr al-Manthūr fī al-Tafsīr bi al-Ma’thūr

Jalāl al-Dīn al-Suyūţī (d. 911)

Markaz Hajr li al-Buhuth wa al-Dirasat

Cairo, Egypt