سورة الفاتحة

Imam Baqir and Imam Sadiq (peace be upon them both): صِراطَ الَّذِینَ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَیْهِمْ [the path of those You have favored] — those whom You guided to Islam and to the wilayah (guardianship) of Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him), and upon whom You never showed wrath, and who never went astray. غَیْرِ الْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَیْهِمْ [not those who earned wrath] — that is, the Jews and the Christians, and the doubters who do not recognize the imamate of Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him). وَ لَا الضَّالِّینَ [nor those who go astray] — those who have strayed from the imamate of Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him).

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): The Shia of Ali (peace be upon him) are those upon whom the wilayah (guardianship) of Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him) has been bestowed; [Allah] does not become wrathful with them, and they do not go astray.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): صِراطَ الَّذِینَ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَیْهِمْ [the path of those You have favored] means Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) and his pure progeny (peace be upon them).

Imam Rida (peace be upon him): Indeed, whoever transgresses the bounds of servanthood with regard to Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) is among those who have incurred wrath and among those who have gone astray.

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): We are the clear path and the straight Sirat to Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, and we are the favor of Allah upon His creation.

Imam Rida (peace be upon him): صِراطَ الَّذِینَ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَیْهِمْ [the path of those You have favored] is an emphasis explaining the request and the plea, and an exaggeration in it, and a longing before the presence of the sacred Divine Essence, and a remembrance of the favors that Allah the Exalted has bestowed upon His friends, and an arousing of the desire and longing for a favor like those favors.

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): صِراطَ الَّذِینَ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَیْهِمْ [the path of those You have favored] means the favor that Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, gave before us to the prophets (peace be upon them) and the truthful ones. And with this phrase we ask Him to give it to us as well.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): الصِّراطَ الْمُسْتَقِیمَ [the straight path] is the path of the prophets (peace be upon them); they are the ones upon whom Allah has completed His favor (Nisa/69).

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): صِراطَ الَّذِینَ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَیْهِمْ [the path of those You have favored] — this is the same favor that Allah bestowed upon the past prophets (peace be upon them); we ask Allah to make us too included in His favor, just as He made them.

Imam al-Askari (peace be upon him): صِرَاطَ الَّذِینَ أَنعَمتَ عَلَیهِمْ [The path of those upon whom You have bestowed favors] — that is, say: guide us to the path of those to whom You have granted the success of following Your religion and obeying You. They are those about whom Allah the Exalted said: وَ مَنْ یُطِعِ اللهَ وَ الرَّسُولَ فَأُولئِکَ مَعَ الَّذِینَ أَنْعَمَ اللهُ عَلَیْهِمْ مِنَ النَّبِیِّینَ وَ الصِّدِّیقِینَ وَ الشُّهَداءِ وَ الصَّالِحِینَ وَ حَسُنَ أُولئِکَ رَفِیقاً [And whoever obeys Allah and the Messenger, they shall be with those upon whom Allah has bestowed favors from among the prophets and the truthful and the martyrs and the righteous, and excellent are they as companions] (Nisa/69). They have not been given the blessing of wealth and bodily health — although these too are the outward blessings of Allah. Do you not see the disbelievers and the wicked? Allah has not called upon you to pray that you be guided to their path; rather, He commanded you to pray that you be guided to the path of those who have been granted the blessing of faith in Allah and of affirming His Messenger (peace be upon him and his family), and of walayah (loyalty) to Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) and his pure family and his noble and lofty-lineaged companions; and also the blessing of good taqiyyah (dissimulation) by which they gain safety from the evil of Allah's servants and do not cause the sins and disbelief of Allah's enemies to increase; rather, they deal gently with them and do not provoke them into harming them or the other believers; and also the blessing of knowing the rights of their brethren. For there is no man or woman who loves and follows Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) and his family (peace be upon them) and is an enemy of their enemies, except that Allah takes him into a mighty fortress and under a shielding protection from His punishment. And there is no man or woman who deals with Allah's servants with the best of gentleness, without falling into their falsehood or departing from truth, except that Allah makes his breath a tasbih (glorification), purifies his deed, and grants him — for his patience in concealing our secret and enduring the anger of what he hears from our enemies — the reward of one who rolls in his own blood in the way of Allah the Exalted. And there is no servant of Allah who compels himself to fulfill the rights of his brethren — paying them what he can, giving them whatever is possible, being content that they excuse him, not being petty with them, and overlooking their slips against himself — except that Allah the Mighty and Majestic says to him on the Day of Resurrection: "O My servant! You fulfilled the rights of your brethren and did not press them over what was due to you from them, and I am more generous, more noble, and more deserving to act as you did with forbearance and generosity. So today I will pay you the right I promised you, and I will add to it from My vast bounty, and I will not be petty with you over your shortcomings in some of My rights." And He will join him to Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) and his family (peace be upon them), and they too will place him among their good Shia.

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): Indeed, Allah has commanded His servants to ask Him for the path of those upon whom favor has been bestowed, and they are the prophets (peace be upon them), the truthful, the martyrs and the righteous.

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): As for غَیْرِ الْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَیْهِمْ [not of those who earned anger] — they are the Jews.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): الْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَیْهِمْ [those who earned anger] — they are the Nasibis (those hostile to the Ahl al-Bayt).

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): المَغضُوبِ عَلَیهِمْ [those who earned anger] — they are the Jews.

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): غَیْرِ الْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَیْهِمْ [not of those who earned anger] — they are the Jews, who exchanged Allah's favor for disbelief, so Allah became angry with them and turned them into apes and pigs. We ask Allah that He not become angry with us as He became angry with them.

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): Allah commanded His servants to seek refuge with Him from the path of those upon whom His wrath has fallen, and they are the Jews about whom Allah the Exalted said: هَلْ أُنَبِّئُکُمْ بِشَرٍّ مِنْ ذلِکَ مَثُوبَةً عِنْدَ اللهِ مَنْ لَعَنَهُ اللهُ وَ غَضِبَ عَلَیْهِ [Say: "Shall I inform you of those whose recompense with Allah is worse than that? Those whom Allah has cursed and upon whom He has poured His wrath"] (Ma'idah/60).

Imam Rida (peace be upon him): غَیْرِ الْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَیْهِمْ [not of those who earned anger] — this is the servant's seeking refuge and help so as to disown being among the obstinate and the disbelievers, who belittle Allah's greatness, power and will, and hold His commands and prohibitions in contempt.

Imam Baqir and Sadiq (peace be upon both of them): المَغضُوبِ عَلَیهِمْ [those who earned anger] — they are the Jews and the Christians, and the doubters who do not recognize the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him).

Imam Rida (peace be upon him): Whoever exceeds due bounds regarding the servitude owed to the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) is among those who have earned anger and among the astray.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): As for anger in us, it is that when we become angry our temperament changes, and at times our joints tremble and our complexion changes, followed afterward by consequences. This state is called anger, and it is known among people in this way. Anger has two aspects: one of them arises in the heart. As for the meaning that is in the heart, it is negated of Allah, glorified is His majesty; and likewise His pleasure, His displeasure and His mercy are all of this same kind.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): الضَّالِّینَ [the astray] — they are the Jews and the Christians.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): الضَّالِّینَ [the astray] — meaning, the Christians.

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): A letter to Caesar of Rome from Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him): As for وَ لَا الضَّالِّینَ [nor of those who are astray] — it is you and those like you, O worshipper of the cross. You went astray after Isa ibn Maryam (peace be upon him). We ask our Lord not to let us go astray as you have gone astray.

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): Allah has commanded His servants to seek refuge in Him from the path of those who go astray, and they are those about whom Allah the Exalted said: Say: "قُلْ یا أَهْلَ الْکِتابِ لا تَغْلُوا فِی دِینِکُمْ غَیْرَ الْحَقِّ وَ لا تَتَّبِعُوا أَهْواءَ قَوْمٍ قَدْ ضَلُّوا مِنْ قَبْلُ وَ أَضَلُّوا کَثِیراً وَ ضَلُّوا عَنْ سَواءِ السَّبِیلِ [O People of the Book! Do not exceed the bounds in your religion, and do not say anything but the truth, and do not follow the desires of a people who went astray before and led many others astray, and deviated from the straight path]" (Ma'idah/77), and they are the Christians.

Imam Rida (peace be upon him): وَ لَا الضَّالِّینَ [nor of those who are astray] is holding fast to Allah against being among those who went astray without knowledge of Allah and did not find His way, while thinking they were doing good. So in this blessed surah there is gathered such a measure of good and wisdom concerning the matters of this world and the next as is not gathered in any other speech.

Imam Baqir and Imam Sadiq (peace be upon both of them): الضَّالِّینَ [the astray] — meaning, those who have strayed from the imamate of Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him).

The Imams (peace be upon them): They are the doubters who do not recognize Imam Ali (peace be upon him).

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): Whoever disbelieves in Allah is the one upon whom anger has fallen and who has strayed from the path of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Mu'awiya ibn Wahb said: I asked Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): When the prayer leader says: "غَیْرِ الْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَیْهِمْ وَ لَا الضَّالِّینَ [Not (the path) of those upon whom Thy wrath is brought down, nor of those who go astray]", may I say "amin"? The Imam (peace be upon him) said: "What is meant by al-Maghdub 'alayhim wa al-Dallin is the Jews and the Christians"; and [on account of taqiyya] he did not answer my question. [The Imam's (peace be upon him) not answering, on account of taqiyya, is a proof that saying "amin" after Surah al-Hamd is not permissible.]