What is the meaning of the phrase 'the great news' in the narrations?
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1 Answer
Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings.
To begin with, scholars have distinguished between the terms 'interpretation' and 'exegesis'. The former deals with explaining the linguistic meaning and what is apparent from the verses according to customary rules and the integration of verses.
The interpreter's role is to uncover the mysteries and veils of the apparent Quran with the help of explaining the words and understanding the contexts of the language, along with other methods mentioned in the rules of interpretation.
The latter, exegesis, refers to identifying the most prominent examples according to what has been indicated in the narrations from the noble Ahl al-Bayt.
In other words, it is the application of concepts and verses in reality, that is, determining the external instances of the meanings of the verses.
The scholar in 'Al-Mizan' addressed the first aspect, stating:
The 'great news' refers to the news of resurrection and the Day of Judgment, which the great Quran emphasizes in its Meccan surahs, especially in the early revelations during the mission.
This is supported by the context of the verses in the surah, which focuses on describing the Day of Judgment and the preceding arguments that affirm its reality.
It has also been said that it refers to the great news of the Quran itself, but this is countered by the fact that the context is foreign to this interpretation, even though the discussion does not lack implicit references to it.
Another interpretation suggests that the 'great news' pertains to what they disagreed upon regarding the existence of the Creator, His attributes, angels, messengers, resurrection, paradise, hell, and others. It seems that the one who proposed this considered the references in the surah to the truth of all these matters as part of the true Islamic call.
This interpretation is countered by the fact that references to all of this are inherent in the description of resurrection, which includes the reward for true belief and righteous deeds, as well as disbelief and wrongdoing, and it is included in the surah's description of the Day of Judgment as a secondary aspect.
As for the second aspect,
It is clear to us and considered a fundamental belief in our doctrine according to what has been narrated from our Imams, peace be upon them:
The prominent example of the 'great news' is our Master, the Commander of the Faithful.
How could it not be so, when the owner of 'Bihar al-Anwar' narrated from our Master, the one who strikes the enemy, that he said: 'There is no greater sign from God than me, nor is there a greater news from God than me.'
It has also been mentioned in some narrations that it refers to the guardianship.
As mentioned in 'Al-Kafi' from Abu Abdullah, peace be upon him, regarding the verse: 'About what are they asking one another concerning the great news?' He said: 'The great news is the guardianship.' When I asked him about the verse: 'There, the true guardianship belongs to God,' he said: 'The guardianship of Amir al-Mu'minin, peace be upon him.'
May God make us and you among those who hold onto His rope and follow His path, by the right of our Master Muhammad and his noble family.