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5. GHADĪR (THE POND OF) KHUMM AND ITS SIGNIFICANCE (3) As we know in order to understand the Qur’ān properly we have to know, among other things, the explanation of it from the Qur’ān, namely, the Qur’ān explains itself. As one of the duties of the Prophet (( )ﷺs.a.w.) was to explain the Qur’ān, we also have to know his explanation through the ḥadīith as well as the occasion which led to the revelation of the verses. In Qur’ānic science it is called asbāb al-nuzūl. Similarly, in the science of Ḥadīth, not knowing the occasion that made the Prophet ( )ﷺsay any statement would lead us to misunderstanding what he had said. It is called asbāb alwurūd. One example of misunderstanding the verse of the Qur’ān for ignoring the ḥadīth of the Prophet ( )ﷺis Dr. Rashad Khalifa’s translation. As a person who claimed to be “God’s Messenger of the Covenant” he denied the validity of the Ḥadīth and translated the Qur’ān his own way, called Quran: the Final Testament. Allah says in the Qur’ān: )99:ك ْال َيقِينُ (الحجر َ ك َح َّتى َيأْ ِت َي َ َواعْ ب ُْد َر َّب And worship your Lord until there comes to you the certainty (i.e. death) (Q. 15:99) Asad’s translation is: “and worship thy Sustainer till death comes to thee.” His commentary of this verse is: Lit., “till there comes unto thee that which is certain (al-yaqīn)” – a term which in the Qur’ān is often used as a metonymy for “death” (Bukhārī, Kitāb al-Tafsīr). Pickthall’s translation is, “And serve thy Lord till the inevitable cometh unto thee” where it could mean “death” which is inevitable. A. Yusuf Ali’s translation starts becoming ambiguous, namely, “And serve your Lord until there comes unto you the Hour that is certain.” In Rodwel’s translation the term “al-yaqīn” becomes more ambiguous, namely, “And serve thy Lord till the certainty o’take thee.” Rashad Khalifa’s