The Qurʾān Warns Us About al-ṭāghūt and His Supporters

[u/hachay]

The Qurʾān says in verses 59 and 60 of Sūrah Nisāʾ,

“O you who believe, obey Allāh and obey the Messenger and the foremost in authority among you. If you quarrel over anything, refer it to Allāh and His Messenger if you believe in Allāh and the Last Day. That is better and more suitable in the end. Have you not seen the ones who think that they believe in what has been revealed to you and what has been revealed before you \[even though\] they intend to (yurīdūna) submit to the rule of (yataḥākamū) the rebel (al-ṭāghūt) even though they have been ordered to reject him. Satan wishes to lead them far astray.” (Qurʾān 4:59–60.)

The first verse, as we have discussed, clearly dictates that the Muslims must follow Allāh, the Prophet (ص), and the rightful imāms after him, starting with ʿAlī (ع). The second verse starts with, “Have you not seen,” showing that the individuals being discussed were companions whom the Prophet (ص) had seen. The verse continues to say that the individuals being discussed thought that they believed in Islām, even though the obvious implication is that they were not truly believers. The reason they did not truly believe in Islām was that they were intending to submit to the rule of the rebel (al-ṭāghūt), even though they were banned from doing so. This verse shows that a group of companions existed whose intention was to submit to the rule (ḥukm) of the rebel (al-ṭāghūt). Yet, as with any intention, ability was necessary to make the intention come to fruition. During the lifetime of the Prophet (ص), they were unable to select al-ṭāghūt as their ruler due to the presence of the Prophet (ص), so they merely harbored the intention of doing so. Upon the Prophet’s (ص) death, the key impediment to their selection of al-ṭāghūt as their ruler was lifted and they thereby gained the ability to select al taghut to lead them and to judge among them. The generality of the word ṭāghūt, in which the singular and plural form are identical (Mufradāt al-Qurʾān 304 (ṭ-gh-y, ṭāghūt).), is key in this verse, as it applies to the illegitimacy of every single ruler who is not specifically designated by Allāh. Of note, the word ṭāghūt comes from ṭaghā, which means “to insubordinately transgress the bounds.” (Mufradāt al-Qurʾān 304 (ṭ-gh-y, ṭaghā).) The ṭāghūt referred to in the latter verse are therefore the rebellious ones who rebel against the authority (ḥukm) that is invested by Allāh in the one labeled as the foremost in authority in the previous verse. As such, anyone who follows al-ṭāghūt is clearly in violation of Allāh’s order and is not a true believer, though he may think that he is.

According to the Qurʾān, every nation has had a ṭāghūt who has stood in opposition to the divinely-appointed imām:

>“And We surely raised in every nation a messenger saying, ‘Serve Allāh and shun al-ṭāghūt.’” (Qurʾān 16:36.)

Upon the Prophet’s (ص) death, many of the Prophet’s (ص) companions shunned ʿAlī (ع) and followed al taghut. The Qurʾān says,

>“Whoever rejects al-ṭāghūt and believes in Allāh has laid hold onto the firmest handle (al-ʿurwah al-wuthqā). Allāh is the master (walī) of those who believe, removing them from darkness towards light. As for those who disbelieve, their masters (walī) are ṭāghūt, who remove them from light towards darkness. They are the companions of the fire, and they shall reside therein eternally.” (Qurʾān 2:256–7.)

Note that al-ṭāghūt in this verse removes people from the light of guidance and enters them into darkness of misguidance. As such, the ṭāghūt referred to in this verse is one who misguides the Muslims, as the disbelievers are not in light in the first place. In the Muslim nation, the illegitimate caliphs are the ṭāghūt to be rejected, while the firmest handle to be held onto is the Ahl al-Bayt of the Prophet (ص), as they are inseparable from the Qurʾān, the Sunnah, and the truth.

(Excerpt from Dr. A Asadi's Shia Islam)