A reflection upon the meaning of "bowing" through a referrence to the noble verse

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Abstract

Most hadiths quoted by Shi’is and Sunnis suggest that when
the verse of guardianship was revealed the Commander of the
Faithful (pbuh), while in bowing, gave his ring to a poor. This
specifies the primary and definitive referent of the third group of
the guardiansـafter God and the Holy Prophet (PBUH)ـ; and, in
addition, it confirms the translation of the term wali (guardian) into
“supervisor and one vested with authority”. Thus, if the relation
between the verse and its occasion of revelation is confused, it will
be advantageous for those who introduce suspicions. That is why
some people have tried to interpret the term ruku’ (bowing) in the
sense of khusu’ (humility) and thus to go in this way. In the present
article, the author will review the history of this suspicion and some
traces of it in the present time, and then he will show that this claim
is not scientifically supported

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