Ayat ut Tatheer: To Whom Does the Purification Verse Refer To?

Parenthetical Clause

If we accepted the verity of the statement that the purification verse refers to the wives of the Prophet (SA) based on its context, we will find that the purification verse here will turn into a parenthetical clause (Jumla E’teradiya). In other words, if you delete that verse from the group of verses surrounding it, you will find that it does not at all affect the verses and it flows of ideas and meaning is not interrupted because it is simply a parenthetical clause.

Indeed, if you try to recite all the verses without the purification verse, you will not find any difference at all in the context of the meaning, monologue, and speech. Rather, you will find that the flow of ideas presented is logical and this deletion does not affect the drift of verses which are as follows:

“And stay in your houses and do not display your finery like the displaying of the ignorance of yore; and keep up prayer, and pay the poor-rate, and obey Allah and His Messenger. And keep to mind what is recited in your houses of the communications of Allah and the wisdom; surely Allah is Knower of subtleties, Aware.”

So, do you find any difference or anything missing from theses verses or not? Actually, there is no difference at all! Thus, if the purification verse were indeed addressing the wives of the Prophet (SA), then based on the observation that we just made, the purification verse would be a parenthetical clause (from a grammatical point of view). It would be an insignificant statement that would not affect the verses by its addition or deletion.

Can one ever imagine that such a great and important verse (which specifies to us the purified individuals whom we will use as our source of guidance and who will be our Imams, guides, and religious authorities) be a trivial statement that does not affect by its presence or absence?! Can such a verse that will determine the path and direction of Islam and the Muslims be insignificant within the context and structure of the other verses?!

This cannot be and it is illogical to be accepted by any mature and wise mind. The verse of purification cannot simply be a petty and pointless statement. And if it can’t be so, then it is also impossible for it to be directing and referring to the wives of the Prophet (SA).

That is because we have already reached the conclusion that if the purification verse was referring to the wives of the Prophet (SA), then it has to be considered as a parenthetical clause since the context of the verses will force it to be so. But since it is not possible nor appropriate for this important verse to be trivial, this indicates to us a clear proof that this verse does not address the wives of the Prophet (SA). Rather, it addresses other individuals and completely eliminates the possibility that the wives are the ones referred to by this great, critical, and crucial verse to Islam and the Muslims.