In Verse 119 of Surah al‑Tawbah, God clearly points to the necessity of following individuals who are truthful and loyal—those who exemplify sincerity and faith. Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him) is recognized as a symbol of honesty, faith, and adherence to divine commandments. This verse recommends following such exemplars for the guidance and salvation of Muslims.
Verse 119 of Surah al‑Tawbah
آیه یا أَيُّهَا الَّذينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللهَ وَ كُونُوا مَعَ الصَّادِقينَ.
“O you who believe! Be mindful of God and be with the truthful.”
The passage of the al-Ghadir supplication states:
“The base-minded fools and the unjustly misguided deny what was revealed to Muhammad concerning your right, and they support those who oppose you, while God commanded obedience to you and called the believers to assist you. And the Almighty God said, “O you who believe! Be mindful of God and be with the truthful—meaning the prophets, the Ahl al‑Bayt (peace be upon them), and the elect friends of God.” (al‑Tawbah/119)
Verse 119 of Surah al‑Tawbah is considered among the Alawi verses of the holy Quran. It explicitly calls believers to piety and to accompany the truthful. Given the character of the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) as one of the most prominent embodiments of honesty, piety, and justice among the companions of the Seal of the Prophets, many exegetes and religious scholars have identified him as one of the foremost instances of this verse.
Imam al-Hasan al‑Askari (peace be upon him) narrated that his father, Imam al‑Hadi (peace be upon him), recited a visitation for Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him) on the Day of al-Ghadir, referring to Verse 119 of Surah al‑Tawbah with the following words:
“While the Almighty God has commanded obedience to you and has called the believers to assist you, saying, ‘O you who believe! Be mindful of God and be with the truthful. My master! The truth manifested with you, yet the people abandoned it.”
Hussain Said, citing a chain from Abu Said, narrated the following regarding the occasion of the revelation of this verse:
“When the verse ‘Be mindful of God and be with the truthful‘ was revealed, the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family) turned to his companions and said, ‘Do you know concerning whom this verse was revealed?’ They replied, ‘No, we do not know, O Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family).’ Abu Dujanah said, ‘O Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family), we are all among the truthful; we believed in you and affirmed you.’ He said, “O Abu Dujanah, it is not so; this verse was revealed specifically concerning my cousin Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him), and he is among the truthful.” (2)
Imam al‑Baqir and Imam al‑Sadiq (peace be upon them) explained the meaning of “the truthful” in this verse as follows:
“They are Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him), Lady Fatimah (peace be upon her), al-Hasan and al-Hussain (peace be upon them), and their pure progeny until the Day of Resurrection.” (3)
