Assessment of the Relation between Verse 7 of Sūrat al-Inshirāḥ and the Appointment of Imam Ali (A.S.)

According to some traditions of the Ahl al-Bayt (A.S.) the Revelation of the blessed Sūrat al-Inshirāḥ and in particular the verse before the last, (So when you are done, appoint,) refers to the event of Ghadir Khumm and the appointment of Imam Ali (A.S.) to Imamate of the Muslim Community. The impression of the verse is as follows: “So when you are done with your Prophethood, appoint Ali as Imam.” Proving this impression faces three serious challenges: A. lack of narrational origin; B. the sūra being Meccan; C. not being coordinated with the reading (qarā‘a). Examining these three challenges shows that presenting such interpretation of the verse and the sūra is not only not improbable but seems very acceptable and receives much attention as well; since A. from among seventeen traditions available in the Sunni and Shī‘a sources, at least in two of the traditions with sound chain of transmission it is interpreted as above; B. the blessed Sūrat al-Inshirāḥ is Medinan as evidenced by the context of its verses and the explicit and implied confirmation of a number of the Sunni and Shī‘a interpreters; C. in its popular qarā‘a, the verse is more consistent with meaning of the imperative naṣb (appoint), although this interpretation is also harmonious with the meaning of getting tired in the popular interpretation, as well.