Verse of the Truthful (Ayat al-Sadiqin)

Verse 119 of Surah At-Tawbah is called the “Verse of the Truthful” (Ayat al-Sadiqin): “O you who have believed, fear Allah and be with those who are true” (Quran 9:119).

In this verse, Allah commands believers to maintain a strong relationship with the truthful and those who remain steadfast to their covenants. Regarding who is meant by “the truthful,” commentators have offered various interpretations. The Quran itself has explained “the truthful” in several verses.

In verse 177 of Surah Al-Baqarah, after prohibiting Muslims from unnecessary discussions about the change of the Qiblah, it defines true righteousness as follows: faith in Allah, the Last Day, the angels, the divine books, and the prophets; then spending in the way of Allah for the needy and deprived; establishing prayer; paying zakat; fulfilling promises; and remaining steadfast in the face of hardships during jihad. After mentioning all these, it states: those who possess these qualities are the truthful and the God-fearing. Thus, a truthful person is one who has faith in all sacred things and, as a result, acts in all areas of life. In verse 15 of Surah Al-Hujurat, “truthfulness” is introduced as a combination of faith and action without any doubt or deviation. In verse 8 of Surah Al-Hashr, the deprived believers who remained steadfast despite all difficulties, were expelled from their homes and possessions, and sought nothing but the pleasure of Allah and the support of the Prophet (peace be upon him) are described as the truthful.

From these verses, we conclude that the truthful are those who fulfill their commitments to faith in Allah without hesitation, retreat, or fear of overwhelming difficulties, proving their sincerity through various sacrifices. Undoubtedly, these qualities have degrees, with some reaching the pinnacle, whom we call the infallibles (ma’sumin), and others at lower levels.

However, many narrations indicate that the term “the truthful” here refers exclusively to the infallibles. Salim ibn Qays al-Hilali narrates that one day, the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) was discussing with a group of Muslims and said: “I swear by Allah, do you know when Allah revealed ‘O you who have believed, fear Allah and be with those who are true,’ Salman asked: ‘O Messenger of Allah, is this command general or specific?’ The Prophet (peace be upon him) replied: ‘The command is for all believers, but the title of “the truthful” is specific to my brother Ali (peace be upon him) and his successors until the Day of Judgment.’ When Ali (peace be upon him) asked this question, the attendees said: ‘Yes, we heard this from the Prophet (peace be upon him).'”

Nafi’ narrates from Abdullah ibn Umar that in interpreting this verse, he said: “Allah first commanded Muslims to fear Him, then said: ‘Be with the truthful,’ meaning with Muhammad and his family (the Prophet of Islam and his household).”

Although some Sunni commentators, such as the author of Tafsir al-Manar, have narrated the above tradition as “with Muhammad and his companions,” considering that the verse is general and applies to all times, and knowing that the Prophet’s companions existed only for a limited time, the version narrated in Shia sources from Abdullah ibn Umar seems more accurate.

The author of Tafsir al-Burhan has narrated a similar meaning through Sunni sources, stating: “Muwaffaq ibn Ahmad, through his chain of narrators, narrates from Ibn Abbas regarding this verse: ‘It is Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him).'” He then adds: “Abd al-Razzaq has also mentioned this in his book Rumuz al-Kunuz.”

However, the more important point is that the verse contains two commands: first, to fear Allah, and second, to be with the truthful. If “the truthful” were meant to be general and include all sincere and steadfast believers, the verse should have said: ‘Be from the truthful,’ not ‘Be with the truthful.’ This is clear evidence that “the truthful” in the verse refers to a specific group. Moreover, being with them does not mean merely accompanying them but undoubtedly means following their path. Can someone who is not infallible be unconditionally commanded to follow and align with them? Does this not prove that this group is exclusively the infallibles?

Interestingly, the famous commentator Fakhr al-Razi, known for his bias and skepticism, has accepted this truth (though most Sunni commentators have remained silent on this issue!) and says: “Allah has commanded believers to be with the truthful, so the verse implies that those who are fallible must follow someone who is infallible to remain protected from error, and this applies to every era. However, he adds: ‘We accept that the verse implies this and that there must be an infallible in every era, but we believe this infallible is the entire Ummah, not an individual!’ In other words, this verse is evidence for the authority of the consensus of believers and the infallibility of the entire Ummah. However, if ‘the truthful’ refers to the entire Ummah, the follower is also part of that group, and the follower becomes part of the leader, merging the follower and the followed, while the verse clearly distinguishes between followers and leaders. Therefore, this verse is one of those that indicate the existence of an infallible in every era.

The only remaining question is that “the truthful” is plural, so there must be multiple infallibles in every era.

The answer to this question is also clear: the addressees are not limited to one era but include all eras and generations. It is certain that the collective addressees of all eras will be with a group of the truthful. In other words, since there is an infallible in every era, when considering all eras, the discussion will be about a group of infallibles, not a single individual. A clear example of this is that during the time of the Prophet (peace be upon him), no one other than him was obligatory to follow, yet the verse undoubtedly applies to the believers of his time.

[1] Tafsir Nemuneh, vol. 8, p. 171; Al-Durr al-Manthur fi Tafsir bi al-Ma’thur, vol. 3, p. 289; Majma’ al-Bayan fi Tafsir al-Quran, vol. 5, p. 122; Tafsir Nur al-Thaqalayn, vol. 2, p. 280; Al-Mizan fi Tafsir al-Quran, vol. 1, p. 402; Tafsir al-Qummi, vol. 1, p. 308; Al-Tafsir al-Kabir, vol. 16, p. 166.