Certainly your Master is ...

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                        Certainly your Master is ...

     Certainly your Master is Allah and His Messenger and those who
     believe who eshtablish prayer and give charity while they bow.
     And who ever takes Allah and His Messenger and those who believe
     as a guardian, so surely the party of Allah will be victorious.
     (Quran 5:55-56)

It is unanimous that the verse descended about Imam Ali (AS) when he gave
away in charity his ring while he was in a state of kneeling in his prayer.
This is also authenticated successively according to the 12 Imams. Here are
some of the Shi'ite references

- Bihar al-Anwar, by Allama Majlisi
- Tafseer al-Mizan, by Allama Tabatabai
- Tafseer al-Kashaf, by Allama Muhammad Jawad Mughniyah
- al-Ghadir, by Allama Abdul Husain Ahmad al-Amini
- Asbat al-Hudate, by Allama Muhammad Ibn Hasan Amuli

But for the sake of the readers I shall produce some Sunni references, and
traditions in this respect through other sources. Many Sunni commentators
of the Quran confirm the fact that the above verse descended on the honor
of Imam Ali (AS) and many Sunni scholars have also mentioned the unanimity
or consensus of opinion in their books. Here are some references in this
regard:

(1) Tafsir al-Kabir, by Ahmad Ibn Muhammad al-Tha'labi, under Verse 5:55
(2) Tafsir al-Kabir, by Ibn Jarir al-Tabari, v6, pp 186,288-289
(3) Tafsir Jamiul Hukam al-Quran, by Muhammad Ibn Ahmad Qurtubi, v6, p219
(4) Tafsir al-Khazin, v2, p68
(5) Tafsir al-Durr al-Manthoor, by al-Suyuti, v2, pp 293-294
(6) Tafsir al-Kashshaf, by al-Zamakhshari, Egypt 1373, v1, pp 505,649
(7) Asbab al-Nuzool, by Jalaluddin al-Suyuti, Egypt 1382, v1, p73 on the
    authority of Ibn Abbas
(8) Asbab al-Nuzool, by al-Wahidi, on the authority of Ibn Abbas
(9) Sharh al-Tjrid, by Allama Qushji
(10) Ahkam al-Quran, al-Jassas, v2, pp 542-543
(11) Musnad Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, v5, p38
(12) Kanzul Ummal, by al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, v6, p391, Tradition #5991
(13) al-Awsat, by Tabarani, narrated from Ammar Yasir
(14) Ibn Mardawayh, on the authority of Ibn Abbas
... and more.

There is also a tradition related by Ibn Salam whose chain of sources rises
up to the Prophet (PBUH&HF) himself. Please refer to the Sahih of Nisa'i or
the commentary of Sura Ma'idah in Jam'a Bayn al-Sihah al-Sittah.

In Ghayah al-Maram, p18, Sayyid al-Bahrayni forwards twenty four (24)
traditions from sources other than the Ahlul-Bayt, all supporting the above
fact.

For the sake of brevity, I am going to confine my self to a tradition
occuring in the commentary of the Quran by Abi Is'haq Ahmad Ibn Muhammad
ibn Ibrahim Nisaboori al-Tha'labi. A few comments on the respected
personality: He died in 337 AH and Ibn Khallikan gives an account of his
death saying: "He was unique as a commentator of the Quran and his Tafsir
al-Kabir is superior to all other interpretations."

When he reached this verse he recorded this in his Tafsir al-Kabir on the
authority of Abu Dhar al-Ghifari, who said:

     Both of my ears may turn deaf and both of my eyes may become blind if
     I speak a lie. I heard the Messenger of Allah, Allah's blessings and
     peace be upon him and his posterity, saying, "Ali is the guide of the
     righteous and the slayer of the infidels. he who has helped him is
     victorious and he who has abandoned him is forsaken." One day I said
     my prayers in the company of the Prophet. A beggar came to the mosque
     and begged for alms, but nobody gave him anything. Ali was in a state
     of kneeling in the prayer. He pointed out his ring to the beggar, who
     appraoched him and removed the ring from his finger. Thereupon the
     Prophet, Allah's blessings and peace be upon him and his posterity,
     implored Allah the Mighty and Glorious, saying: "O Allah! My brother
     Moses begged you saying, 'My Lord, delight my heart and make my task
     easy and undo the knot in my tongue so that they may understand me,
     and appoint from my kinsmen, Haroon, my brother, as my vizier, and
     strenghthen my back with him and make him participate in my mission so
     that we may glorify You and remember You more frequently. Certainly
     You see us.' And You inspired him: 'O Musa! All your requests have
     been granted.' O Allah! I am your slave and your prophet. Delight my
     heart and make my task easy and appoint from among my kinsmen Ali as
     my vizier and strengthen my back with him."

     Abu Dhar, then, proceeded

     By Allah, the Messenger of Allah, Allah's blessings and peace be upon
     him and his posterity had not yet finished his supplication when the
     trustworthy Gabriel descended to him with this Verse

     "Certainly Allah is Your Master, and His Prophet and those who believe
     who establish prayer and give charity while they bow. And whoever
     takes Allah and His Messenger and those who believe as a guardian, so
     surely the party of Allah will be victorious."

Sunni reference: Tafsir al-Kabir, by al-Tha'labi under the commentary of
                 verses 5:55-56 of Quran.


========================================
A few comments by the other Commentators
========================================
Allama al-Tabarsi, while commenting on this verse in Majma' al-Bayan
states: "The plural form has been used for Ali, Commander of the faithful,
in order to express his honor and eminence." And masters of the Arabic
language use the plural form for an individual to show respect.

Allama al-Zamakshari in his Tafsir al-Kashshaf, has mentioned another nice
point which is as follows:

     If you inquire how this plural word is applicable to Ali, may Allah be
     gracious to him, who is an individual, I shall say that though this
     verse is about Ali, an individual, the plural form is used in order to
     presuade others to act similarly and to give alms as readily as Ali
     did. There is also an implied instruction that the faithful should
     keep themselves always on the look out for occasions of acts of
     sympathy, benevolence and charity to the poor and the needy, and
     readily do the needful without waiting till the completion of even so
     important a duty as saying a prayer.

Sunni reference: Tafsir al-Kashshaf, by al-Zamakhshari, v1, p649

Please refer to the Part II of the article of Ghadir Khum for further
argument in this regard.