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Chapter 13 - A Commentary On: Faya Dha Al-Manni Wa La Yumannu ‘Alay-Ka

A Commentary on the phrase Faya Dha al-manni wa la yumannu ‘alay-ka, munna ‘alayya bifakdki raqabati min an-nar, fi man tamunnu ‘alay-hi

فَيَا ذَا الْمَنِّ وَلَا يُمَنُّ عَلَيْكَ، مُنَّ عَلَيَّ بِفَكَاكِ رَقَبَتِي مِنَ النَّارِ، فِي مَنْ تَمُنُّ عَلَيْهِ

Therefore, O Possessor of weighty favours, upon Whom favours cannot be bestowed, favour me with the release of my neck from the Hell-Fire, from among those whom You favour

لَقَدْ مَنَّ اللَّهُ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ

“Allah certainly greatly favoured the faithful...” (3:164).

... بَلِ اللهُ يَمُنُّ عَلَيْكُمْ أَنْ هَدَاكُمْ لِلْإِيمَانِ .

... Rather it is Allah who has done you a great favour in that He has guided you to faith ... (49:17).

وَنُرِيدُ أَن نَّمُنَّ عَلَى الَّذِينَ اسْتُضْعِفُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ

“And We desire to greatly favour those who are abased in the land ...” (28:5).

*****

يَا ذَا الْمَنِّ

O Possessor of weighty favours

The word mann signifies a weighty favour (an-ni‘mah al-thaqilah). The Holy Qur’an employs it in different places. For example:

لَقَدْ مَنَّ اللَّهُ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ إِذْ بَعَثَ فِيهِمْ رَسُولًا مِنْ أَنْفُسِهِمْ يَتْلُو عَلَيْهِمْ آيَاتِهِ وَيُزَكِّيهِمْ وَيُعَلِّمُهُمُ الْكِتَابَ وَالْحِكْمَةَ وَإِنْ كَانُوا مِنْ قَبْلُ لَفِي ضَلَالٍ مُبِينٍ

“Allah certainly greatly favoured the faithful [laqad manna Allahu ‘ala al-Mu’minin] when He raised up among them an apostle from themselves to recite to them His signs and to purify them, and to teach them the Book and wisdom, and earlier they had indeed, been in manifest error” (3:164).

يَمُنُّونَ عَلَيْكَ أَنْ أَسْلَمُوا ۖ قُلْ لَا تَمُنُّوا عَلَيَّ إِسْلَامَكُمْ ۖ بَلِ اللَّهُ يَمُنُّ عَلَيْكُمْ أَنْ هَدَاكُمْ لِلْإِيمَانِ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ صَادِقِينَ

“They count it as a great favour to you that they have embraced Islam. Say, ‘Do not count it as a favour to me your embracing of Islam. Rather it is Allah who has done you a favour [bal Allahu yamunnu ‘alaykum] in that He has guided you to faith, should you be truthful.’” (49:17).

يَا ذَا الْمَنِّ

O Possessor of weighty favours

If the article al prefixed in al-mann is for genus (li al-jins), it would signify that He is the possessor of all kinds of great favours, which is a reality beyond doubt.

يَا ذَا الْمَنِّ

O Possessor of weighty favours

The definite article al prefixed in al-mann can refer to a specific great favour, which possibly signifies guidance, for according to verse 49:17, mann signifies guidance. And since being released from Hell-Fire is equal to attaining guidance in the true and ontological sense, the context of the verse hints that al-mann is guidance.

…وَلَا يُمَنُّ عَلَيْكَ…

...who is not given any favour...

Whilst Allah is the Possessor of weighty favours, we declare the fact that He is independent in bestowing favours, and receives no favour from anyone whatsoever. Every kind of perfection is from Him and entirely His property. Hence it is impossible for Him to receive any kind of favour, let alone great favours.

…مُنَّ عَلَيَّ بِفَكَاكِ رَقَبَتِي مِنَ النَّارِ…

...favour me with the release of my neck from the Hell-Fire ...

Here we are asking for the outstanding favour of getting released from the Hell-Fire. So outstanding is this favour that Imam al-Husayn (‘a) in his concluding verses of Du’a’ ‘Arafah says the following:

وَأَسْأَلُكَ اللَّهُمَّ حَاجَتِي إِلَيْكَ الَّتِي إِنْ أَعْطَيْتَنِيهَا لَمْ يَضُرَّنِي مَا مَنَعْتَنِي، وَإِنْ مَنَعْتَنِيهَا لَمْ يَنْفَعْنِي مَا أَعْطَيْتَنِي، أَسْأَلُكَ فَكَاكَ رَقَبَتِي مِنَ النَّارِ

And, I ask of You, O Allah, my need, which if You grant to me what You hold back from me will cause me no harm, and if You hold it back from me what You grant me will not profit me: I ask You to deliver me from the Hell-Fire1.

On the Day of ‘Ashura’, when we address Imam al-Husayn (‘a) in the well-known Ziyarah al-Ta‘ziyah, we say:

يَا مَوْلَايَ يَا أَبَا عَبْدِ اللهِ أَنَا ضَيْفُ اللهِ وَضَيْفُكَ وَجَارُ اللَّهِ وَجَارُكَ وَلِكُلِّ ضَيْفٍ وَجَارٍ قِرَى وَقِرَايَ فِي هَذَا الْوَقْتِ أَنْ تَسْأَلَ اللَّهَ سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى أَنْ يَرْزُقَنِي فَكَاكَ رَقَبَتِي مِنَ النَّارِ

O my master, O Aba ‘Abdillah, I am Allah’s guest and your guest, and Allah’s refugee and your refugee; and for every guest and refugee there is a banquet; the banquet I need at this moment is that you ask Allah, Immaculate and Exalted is He, to provide me with the freedom of my neck from the Hell-Fire2.

In the well-known supplication of al-Jawshan al-Kabir, we address Allah after every ten names as follows:

خَلَصْنَا مِنَ النَّارِ يَا رَبِّ

Deliver us from the Hell-Fire, O Lord!3

It is noteworthy that seeking the release (fakak) of oneself from Hell-Fire (an-nar) presumes one’s entanglement in the Hell-Fire, otherwise it makes no sense to ask for release, and a different expression instead would be appropriate, for example: ‘Do not place me in the Hell-Fire’.

…مُنَّ عَلَيَّ بِفَكَاكِ رَقَبَتِي مِنَ النَّارِ…

...favour me with the release of my neck from the Hell-Fire ...

According to the insightful scholars4 the kernel of this world is Hell-Fire. One, therefore, who is attached to this world is entangled in the Hell-Fire. Therefore, releasing oneself from the Fire would require one to struggle to curb one’s inner faculties and bring them into the state of their equilibrium and vanquish any remnant of attachment one has to the world.

…مُنَّ عَلَيَّ بِفَكَاكِ رَقَبَتِي مِنَ النَّارِ…

...favour me with the release of my neck from the Hell-Fire ...

Seeking the release of one’s neck from Hell-Fire has also been implicitly alluded to in the Holy Qur’an:

فَلَا اقْتَحَمَ الْعَقَبَةَ

“Yet he has not embarked upon the uphill task” (90:11).

وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا الْعَقَبَةُ

“And what will show you what is the uphill task?” (90:12).

فَكُّ رَقَبَةٍ

“[It is] the freeing of a slave” (90:13).

أَوْ إِطْعَامٌ فِي يَوْمٍ ذِي مَسْغَبَةٍ

“Or feeding [the needy] on a day of starvation” (90:14).

يَتِيمًا ذَا مَقْرَبَةٍ

“Or an orphan among relatives” (90:15).

أَوْ مِسْكِينًا ذَا مَتْرَبَةٍ

“Or a needy man in desolation” (90:16).

Al-Aqabah in verse 11 above that we have rendered as ‘uphill task’ is a difficult path which entails climbing the hill5.

The exoteric and outer interpretation of the abovementioned verses is clear and we would not like to expound more on it. In short, the ‘aqabah which is an uphill path is equated with spending open-handedly in the way of Allah by freeing a slave, feeding the poor on a day of starvation or an orphan from among one’s relatives or a needy man in desolation. One who performs such tasks has really embarked upon the uphill path.

The Ahl al-Bayt (‘a) have also enlightened us with the inner meaning of the verses which are worthy of mention here:

Shaykh al-Huwayzl in his Tafsir Nur al-Thaqalayn under verse 11 of chapter 90 brings the following noteworthy hadith:

Imam as-Sadiq (‘a) is reported to have said about the following verses, ‘Yet he has not embarked upon the uphill task (al-’aqabah). And what will show you what is the uphill task? [It is] the freeing of a slave... ’ that He (Allah) meant by His word ‘fakku raqabah (freeing a slave)’ the guardianship (wilayah) of Amir al-Mu’minin (‘a), for indeed, that is fakku raqabah (freeing a slave)6.

In another hadith again reported from Imam as-Sadiq (‘a), Aban Ibn Taghlib asks the Imam (‘a) about the verse ‘Yet he has not embarked upon the uphill task (al-’aqabah)’ and he says:

من أكرمه الله بولايتنا، فَقَدْ جَازَ الْعَقَبَةَ، وَنَحْنُ تِلْكَ الْعَقَبَةُ الَّتِي مَنْ اقْتَحَمَهَا جا

Whosoever is ennobled by Allah through our wilayah has indeed, crossed the uphill path; and we are that uphill path upon which if one embarks, he will be emancipated7.

Other traditions also clearly inform us that the uphill path is the guardianship of the Imams of the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a). However, they also add that one who follows their wilayah gets freed from Hell- Fire. And that is the inner meaning of freeing a slave.

Imam as-Sadiq (‘a) is reported to have said the following about Allah’s words ‘freeing a slave (fakku raqabah):

الناس كلهم عَبِيدُ النَّارِ إِلَّا مَنْ دَخَلَ فِي طَاعَتِنَا وَوَلَا يَتِنَا فَقَدْ فَكَ رَقَبَتَهُ مِنَ النار، والعقبة ولايتنا

All of mankind are the slaves of Hell-Fire save one who enters into our obedience and our guardianship, for verily such a person has freed his neck from Hell-Fire, and al-‘Aqabah [in the verse] is our wilayah (guardianship)8.

Hence, while we say ‘munna ‘alayya bifakaki raqabatl min an-ndr we must resolve to completely adhere to the wildyah of the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a), for that is the ‘aqabah that would free us from Hell- Fire. It is noteworthy to find the imperative verb munna in this supplication, which tells us that what we are asking is a weighty bounty.

There are other traditions that also teach us acts that would deliver us from Hell-Fire. We must understand them in light of the aforementioned traditions. Examples of these are:

1. Imam as-Sadiq (‘a) is reported to have said:

إِذَا فَرَغَ أَحَدُكُمْ مِنْ وُضُونِهِ فَلْيَأْخُدُ كَفَاً مِنْ مَاءٍ فَلْيَمْسَحْ بِهِ قَفَاهُ يَكُونُ ذَلِكَ فَكَاكَ رَقَبَتِهِ مِنَ النَّارِ

When anyone of you is over with his Wudu he must take a palm of water and wipe with it on the back of his neck; and that would bring about the freedom of his neck from Hell-Fire9.

2. Imam as-Sadiq (‘a) is reported to have said:

مَنْ زَارَ قَبْرَ الْحُسَيْنِ (ع) لِلَّهِ وَفِي اللَّهِ أَعْتَقَهُ اللَّهُ مِنَ النَّارِ

Whosoever visits Imam al-Husayn (‘a) for the sake of Allah and in the way of Allah, Allah will free him from the Hell-Fire10.

3. Imam al-Husayn (‘a) is reported to have said:

سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللهِ (ص) يَقُولُ : مَنْ وَجَدَ لُقْمَةٌ فَمَسَحَ مِنْهَا أَوْ غَسَلَ مَا عَلَيْهَا ثُمَّ أَكَلَهَا، لَمْ تَسْتَقِرَ فِي جَوْفِهِ إِلَّا أَعْتَقَهُ اللَّهُ مِنَ النَّارِ

I heard the Apostle of Allah (S) say: Whosoever finds a morsel of food, and then wipes over it [removing the dirt on it] or washes what is on it [of dirt], and then eats it, it does not settle in his stomach save that Allah frees him from the Hell-Fire11.

4. Shaykh as-Saduq narrates the following tradition from Imam ar-Ridha’ (‘a) who narrates it from his grandfathers, regarding Imam al-Husayn (‘a):

أَنَّهُ دَخَلَ الْمُسْتَرَاحَ فَوَجَدَ لُقْمَةً مُلْقَاةً فَدَفَعَهَا إِلَى غُلَامٍ لَهُ، فَقَالَ: يَا غُلَامُ اذْكُرْنِي بِهَذِهِ اللُّقْمَةِ إِذَا خَرَجْتُ فَأَكَلَهَا الْغُلَامُ، فَلَمَّا خَرَجَ الْحُسَيْنُ (ع) قَالَ: يَا غُلَامُ اللُّقْمَةُ؟ قَالَ: أَكَلْتُهَا يَا مَوْلايَ قَالَ: أَنْتَ حُرُ لِوَجْهِ اللَّهِ، قَالَ لَهُ رَجُلٌ : أَعْتَفْتَهُ يَا سَيِّدِي؟ قَالَ: نَعَمْ، سَمِعْتُ جَدِّي رَسُولَ اللهِ (ص) يَقُولُ: مَنْ وَجَدَ لُقْمَةٌ فَمَسَحَ مِنْهَا أَوْ غَسَلَ مِنْهَا ثُمَّ أَكَلَهَا لَمْ تَسْتَقِرَ فِي جَوْفِهِ إِلَّا أَعْتَقَهُ اللَّهُ مِنَ النَّارِ، وَلَمْ أَكُنْ أَسْتَعْبِدُ رَجُلًا أَعْتَقَهُ اللَّهُ مِنَ النَّارِ

Imam al-Husayn (‘a) [once] entered the washroom and saw a morsel of food that had fallen. He [picked it up and] gave it to his slave and said to him: O man, remind me of this morsel when I come out. Thereafter the slave [instead of keeping the morsel] ate it. Then when Imam al-Husayn (‘a) came out, he said to the slave: O man, where is the morsel? He said: I ate it, O my master. Imam al-Husayn (‘a) said to him: You are free for the sake of Allah. A person nearby said to the Imam (‘a): You freed him, O my master? The Imam (‘a) said: Yes, for I heard my grandfather the Apostle of Allah (S) saying: whosoever finds a morsel of food and he wipes it or washes it and thereafter eats it, before it settles in his stomach Allah frees him from Hell-Fire. And I cannot enslave a person whom Allah has freed from the Hell-Fire12.

5. Imam ‘Ali (‘a) is reported to have said:

وَمَنْ أَحْيَا لَيْلَةٌ مِنْ لَيَالِي رَجَبٍ أَعْتَقَهُ اللهُ مِنَ النَّارِ، وَقُبِلَ شَفَاعَتُهُ فِي سَبْعِينَ أَلْفَ رَجُلٍ مِنَ الْمُذْنِبِينَ

And whosoever keeps awake one night from the nights of Rajab, Allah will free him from Hell-Fire and accept his intercession for seventy thousand sinners13.

6. The Holy Prophet (S) is reported to have said:

مَنْ أَعْتَقَ مُؤْمِناً أَعْتَقَ اللهُ عَز وَجَلَّ بِكُلِّ عُضْرٍ مِنْهُ عُضُوا مِنَ النَّارِ ....

Whosoever frees a faithful, Allah, the Invincible and Majestic, will free with every part of his [the faithful’s] body, a part of his body from Hell-Fire...14

We may try to ask ourselves that the opportunity of freeing slaves is not within our reach in the contemporary era, and hence the above tradition is not applicable to us. However, in light of other traditions the above tradition is applicable to us today: Imam as-Sadiq (‘a) is reported to have said:

سُئِلَ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَلِيٌّ (ع) مَا يَعْدِلُ عِنْقَ رَقَبَةٍ؟ قَالَ: إِطْعَامُ رَجُلٍ مُسْلِمٍ

Muhammad Ibn ‘Ali [al-Baqir (‘a)] was asked the equivalent of freeing a slave, and he said: Feeding a Muslim man15.

…مُنَّ عَلَيَّ بِفَكَاكِ رَقَبَتِي مِنَ النَّارِ…

...favour me with the release of my neck from the Hell-Fire ...

Here we seek release from Hell-Fire, depending on the level we are in. This is because there are different levels of Hell-Fire. One is the well-known level that has been mentioned in different verses of the Holy Qur’an and traditions of the Holy Prophet (S) and his infallible progeny. Another is a level of Hell-Fire which is beyond the comprehension of the common servants of God. It requires exalted people to be fearful of such fire. According to the insightful scholars, such fire is more intense than the normal fire. Amir al-Mu’minin (‘a) is reported to have said:

نَارُ الْفُرْقَةِ أَحَرُّ مِنْ نَارِ جَهَنَّمَ

The fire of separation is hotter that the Fire of Jahannam16.

In his well-known supplication that he (‘a) taught to Kumayl Ibn Ziyad an-Nakha‘i, he (‘a) says:

فَهَبْنِي يَا إِلَهِي وَسَيِّدِي وَمَوْلَايَ وَرَبِّي صَبَرْتُ عَلَى عَذَابِكَ، فَكَيْفَ أَصْبِرُ عَلَى فِرَاقِكَ ؟ وَهَبْنِي صَبَرْتُ عَلَى حَرِّ نَارِكَ، فَكَيْفَ أَصْبِرُ عَنِ النَّظَرِ إِلَى كَرَامَتِكَ

Then suppose, My God, my Master, my Guardian and my Lord that I am able to endure Your chastisement, how can I endure separation from You? And suppose that I am able to endure the heat of Your fire, How can I endure not gazing upon Your greatness?17

Hence those who are gifted with high levels of spirituality and can appreciate the higher meanings of the divine attributes, can appreciate what it means to be distant from the Absolute Perfect Being.

فِي مَنْ تَمُنُّ عَلَيْهِ

from among those whom you favour

According to a tradition, every night in the holy month of Ramadan many fasting ones are released from the Hell-Fire. Imam as-Sadiq (‘a) is reported to have said:

إِنَّ لِلَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فِي كُلِّ لَيْلَةٍ مِنْ شَهْرِ رَمَضَانَ عُتَقَاءَ وَطُلَقَاءَ مِنَ النَّارِ إِلَّا مَنْ أَفْطَرَ عَلَى مُسْكِرٍ

Indeed, Allah, the Invincible and Majestic, every night of the month of Ramadan, has slaves emancipated and freed from Hell-Fire, except one who breaks one’s fast with an intoxicant18.

The phrase ‘fi man tamunnu ‘alay-hi (from among those whom you favour)’ aptly alludes to this reality.

  • 1. Shaykh ‘Abbas al-Qummi, Mafatih al-Jinan, Arabic ed., p.334.
  • 2. ‘Allamah Al-Majlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, v. 98, p. 224.
  • 3. Shaykh ‘Abbas al-Qummi, Mafatih al-Jinan, Arabic ed., p. 127.
  • 4. Mulla Sadra, Tafsir al-Qur’an al-Karim, v. 6, p. 344.
  • 5. ‘Allamah Tabataba’i, al-Mizan, v. 20, p. 292.
  • 6. Shaykh Huwayzi, Tafsir Nur al-Thaqalayn, v. 5, p. 664.
  • 7. Sayyid al-Bahrani, al-Burhan ft Tafsir al-Qur’an, v. 5, p. 663.
  • 8. Al-Istrabadi, la’wil al-Ayat az-Zahirah fi Fada’il al-‘Itrah al-Tahirah, p. 773.
  • 9. Shaykh al-Kulayni, al-Kafi, v. 3, p. 72.
  • 10. Ibn Qulawayh, Kamil az-Ziyarat, p. 146.
  • 11. ‘Allamah al-Majlisi, Bihar al-Anwar. v. 63, p. 433.
  • 12. ‘Allamah al-Majlisi, Bihar al-Anwar. v. 63, p. 433.
  • 13. ‘Allamah Al-Majlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, v. 94, p. 33.
  • 14. Shaykh al-Kulayni, al-Kafi, v. 6, p. 180.
  • 15. Al-Barqi, al-Mahasin, v. 2, p. 393.
  • 16. Al-Mawa‘iz al-Adadiyyah, p. 61.
  • 17. Shaykh ‘Abbas al-Qummi, Mafatih al-Jinan, Arabic ed., p.102.
  • 18. Shaykh al-Kulayni, al-Kafi, v. 4, p. 68.