سورة يونس

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): What is meant by بِفَضْلِ الله [by the grace of Allah] is the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family), and what is meant by رَحْمَتُهُ [His mercy] is the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him).

Imam Rida (peace be upon him): It is narrated from Muhammad ibn Fudayl that he said: I said to Imam Rida (peace be upon him): "[What is the interpretation of the verse] قُلْ بِفَضْلِ اللهِ وَ بِرَحْمَتِهِ فَبِذَلِکَ فَلْیَفْرَحُواْ هُوَ خَیْرٌ مِّمَّا یَجْمَعُونَ [Say: In the grace of Allah and in His mercy—in that they should rejoice; it is better than that which they gather]?" He said: "The wilayah of Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) and the family of Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) is better than all that they gather of their world."

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): It is narrated from Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) that one day the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) addressed Imam Ali (peace be upon him) and said: "O Abu al-Hasan (peace be upon him)! By the Allah who raised up Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) as a Prophet in truth, whoever denies you has not believed in me, and whoever opposes you and does not recognise your right has not affirmed me, and whoever disbelieves in you [and conceals your right] has not believed in me. Your excellence and knowledge is from me, and my excellence is from Allah, and Allah has confirmed this important matter in the verse قُلْ بِفَضْلِ اللهِ وَ بِرَحْمَتِهِ فَبِذَلِکَ فَلْیَفْرَحُواْ هُوَ خَیْرٌ مِّمَّا یَجْمَعُونَ [Say: In the grace of Allah and in His mercy—in that they should rejoice; it is better than that which they gather]."

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): It is narrated from the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) that in the interpretation of the verse قُلْ بِفَضْلِ اللهِ وَ بِرَحْمَتِهِ فَبِذَلِکَ فَلْیَفْرَحُواْ [Say: In the grace of Allah and in His mercy—in that they should rejoice], he said: "Our Shia should be joyful because of us [and because of following our wilayah]; for indeed this is better than the gold and silver that has been given to our enemies."

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): It is narrated from Abu Hamza: I said [to the Imam (peace be upon him): what is meant by the verse]: قُلْ بِفَضْلِ اللهِ وَ بِرَحْمَتِهِ فَبِذَلِکَ فَلْیَفْرَحُواْ هُوَ خَیْرٌ مِّمَّا یَجْمَعُونَ [Say: In the grace of Allah and in His mercy—in that they should rejoice; it is better than that which they gather]? It is the acknowledgement of the prophethood of Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) and following Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him), and these are more and better than all that these people possess in this world.

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): What is meant by the grace of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, is the Quran and the knowledge of its interpretation, and what is meant by "His mercy" — the divine mercy — is His granting the success of following Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) and his purified family (peace be upon them) and being an enemy to their enemies. How could this loyalty (tawalli) and disavowal (tabarri) not be better than everything the people gather?! For this is the price of Paradise and its blessings. Because by this means the pleasure of Allah and the success of being in the presence of Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) and his pure family (peace be upon them), which is better than Paradise, is attained. Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) and his pure family (peace be upon them) are the noblest of the adornments of Paradise. Allah, by means of this Quran and knowledge of its interpretation and following us the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them) and disavowing our enemies, raises up peoples and makes them leaders and guides of others in goodness, so that others follow them, look to their deeds, and imitate their conduct. The angels are eager for their friendship and rub their wings against them, and in their prayers they send blessings upon them and seek forgiveness for them; so much so that every fresh and dry thing, even the fish and creeping creatures of the sea, the beasts of the land, the cattle, and the sky and its stars, seek forgiveness for them.

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): What is meant by فَضْلِ اللهِ [the grace of Allah] is the prophethood of your Prophet, and what is meant by the divine mercy is the wilayah of Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him); فَبِذلِکَ so the Shia should rejoice at that, meaning prophethood and wilayah, because this (wilayah and prophethood) is better than all that [their opponents in this world] have gathered — meaning what their opponents in the life of this world gather of family, wealth and children.

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): قُلْ بِفَضْلِ اللهِ وَ بِرَحْمَتِهِ [Say: In the grace of Allah and in His mercy] — whoever Allah apportions the love of us the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them) to as his provision, this love is better for him than the kingship of our enemies; خَیْرٌ مِّمَّا یَجْمَعُونَ [better than that which they gather].

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): It is narrated from Imam Sajjad (peace be upon him) and Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) that they recounted the will of Imam Ali (peace be upon him). He made his will to his son [Imam] Hasan (peace be upon him), and called [Imam] Husayn (peace be upon him), Muhammad [ibn al-Hanafiyya], all his other children, the leading figures of the Shia and his household as witnesses to this will: "My companions, upon whom be the mercy and pleasure of Allah, were martyred, and all of them were from my household. Ubayda ibn al-Harith was martyred at [the battle of] Badr, and my uncle Hamza (may Allah have mercy on him) was martyred at the battle of Uhud, and my brother Ja'far (may Allah have mercy on him) was martyred at the battle of Mu'ta. Allah revealed concerning me and my companions this verse: 'Among the believers are men who have been true to the covenant they made with Allah; some of them fulfilled their pledge [and drank the draught of martyrdom in His path], and some are still waiting, and they have never changed [their covenant] in the least.' (Ahzab/23). By Allah! I am the one waiting [for martyrdom], and I have made no change [in my covenant]. And in another verse, we have been promised reward from the divine grace: قُلْ بِفَضْلِ اللهِ وَ بِرَحْمَتِهِ فَبِذلِکَ فَلْیَفْرَحُوا هُوَ خَیْرٌ مِمَّا یَجْمَعُونَ [Say: In the grace of Allah and in His mercy—in that they should rejoice; it is better than that which they gather]. And now, according to the promises that have been given to me, it is time for me to rejoice in the blessing of my Lord [and hasten to meet Him]." At this, those around him remembered him with kind words and wept.

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): Whoever Allah has guided to Islam and honoured with the understanding of the Quran, and yet he complains of poverty and destitution, Allah will stamp the mark of misery on his forehead until the Day of Resurrection. قُلْ بِفَضْلِ اللهِ وَ بِرَحْمَتِهِ فَبِذَلِکَ فَلْیَفْرَحُواْ هُوَ خَیْرٌ مِّمَّا یَجْمَعُونَ [Say: In the grace of Allah and in His mercy—in that they should rejoice; it is better than that which they gather].