salams!
Here is the third installment of the translation I completed. Here is the original Arabic: http://www.al-majalis.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3790
Please correct any mistakes.
Student Ali
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Third: the Almighty says, “To those who dispute with you after knowledge has come to them, say: Come! Let us summon our children and your children, our women and your women, ourselves and yourselves and then pray to God to curse the liars.” (3:61)
In Saheeh Muslim in the chapter of the virtues of Ali (as) Amr bin Said bin Abi Waqqas from his father said:
“Mu'awiya bin Abi Sufyan said to Said: ‘What prevents you from cursing Abu Turab ?’ He replied: ‘It is because of three things which I remember the Messenger of God , peace and blessings be upon him and his progeny, having said about him that I would not abuse him! Even if I find one of those three things for me, it would be more dear to me than the red camel…(The third occasion is) when the (following) verse was revealed: ‘Let us summon our children and your children...’ The Messenger of God , peace and blessings be upon him and his progeny, called Ali, Fatima, al-Hassan and al-Hussein and said: ‘O Allah, they are my Family (ahli)!’"
And what one can relate from our research of this blessed verse concerning Ali (as) is that he is the “self” (nafs) of the Messenger of God , peace and blessings be upon him and his progeny,. This is clear after knowing that this verse was revealed concerning the Five Companions of the Cloak. It is evident from the previous narration of Muslim that “our children” in verse applies to the two al-Hassans, upon them be peace; “our women” refers to al-Zahra (i.e. Fatima), upon her be peace; and one cannot avoid that Ali (as) is referred to by the term “ourselves.”
Ibn Kathir-even with his fanaticism- relates in his exegesis, after the story of the mutual cursing (al-Mubahila) quoting Ibn Mardawiya from Jabir, he (i.e. Jabir) said: “Concerning when it was revealed {…our children and your children and our women and your women, ourselves and yourselves…}: Jabir said ‘ourselves and yourselves’ means the Messenger of God , peace and blessings be upon him and his progeny, and Ali bin Abi Taalib. ‘Our children’ means al-Hassan and al-Hussein and ‘our women’ refers to Fatima.”
The important point is that the verse had been received after the Almighty’s statement {And Allah chose Adam, Noah, the family of Abraham, and the family of Imran over all the worlds} (3:33), {The offspring of some of them from others. And God is the All-Hearing, All Knowing.} (verse 34). Then the story of the family of Imran is detailed from the Almighty’s statement: {When the wife of Imran said…} (verse 35) Then after that, there’s the story of Zakaria seeking offspring to inherit the family of Jacob and answer the call of God. Then the verse relates the story of Mary and his choosing her, and then the story of Jesus Christ the son of Mary (as) to verse 60 of the surah. It then comes the Almighty’s statement: {To those who dispute with you after knowledge has come to them, say: Come! Let us summon our children and your children…}
It is clear from the context of the verse that the statement applies to the People of the Prophet’s House , peace and blessings be upon him and his progeny. Such is similar to the family of Imran stated in detailed histories. The amazing thing is that the verses that follow refers to and complements the Christ (as) {Say: O people of the book, come to the word that both agree on…} in verse 64, and then Almighty says: {Here you are—those of you who have argued about that which you have knowledge, but why do you argue about…} in verse 66. Then, the Almighty’s states {Truly Abraham was neither a Jew nor a Christian, but he was upright, a Muslim. He was not of the polytheists (verse 67). Indeed, the (true) patrons of Abraham among the people are those that follow him and this Prophet and those who believe. God is the patron of the believers} (verse 68 ). Is not the one who believes here other than the same “self” expressed in the verse of patronage (ayat al wilaaya)?—as we will further demonstrate. The significance of the verse is clear with a general meaning. The partial meaning is the one linked to the verse of the mutual cursing (al-mubahila) . It is a general and special proof to show the distinct virtues of the People of the House, upon them be peace, over all else.