سورة هود

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family): Allah existed before everything, and His throne (of power) was upon the water, and He wrote the name of every thing on the Preserved Tablet.

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): Allah the Mighty and Majestic sent down the great laws of the shari'ah and the verses relating to the obligations at different times, and He created the heavens and the earth in six days (six periods), and had He wished to create them in less than the blink of an eye, He could have; but Allah wished to make "granting respite" and "gentle dealing" a model and method for His trustees (the Imams and Prophets), and He wished to complete the proof upon the people [therefore in this manner He sent down the rulings and created the heavens and earth].

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Allah the Blessed and Exalted created the world in six days (six periods). Then He subtracted those six days from the number of days of the year, so the year is 354 days.

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family): Allah had determined the measures and characteristics of the creatures fifty thousand years before He created the heavens and the earths; وَ کانَ عَرْشُهُ عَلَی الْماءِ [And His throne was upon the water].

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Allah the Exalted created good on Sunday, and it was not that He would create evil before good. On Sunday and Monday He created the earths, and on Tuesday He created their sustenance. On Wednesday and Thursday He created the heavens, and on Friday He created their sustenance, and this is the meaning of the verse: خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضَ فِی سِتَّةِ أَیَّامٍ [He created the heavens and the earth in six days].

Imam al-Rida (peace be upon him): Ma'mun asked Imam al-Rida (peace be upon him) about the interpretation of the verse: وَ هُوَ الَّذِی خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَ الأَرْضَ فِی سِتَّةِ أَیَّامٍ وَ کَانَ عَرْشُهُ عَلَی المَاءِ لِیَبْلُوَکُمْ أَیُّکُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلاً [And He it is Who created the heavens and the earth in six days, and His Throne was upon the water, that He might try you, which of you is best in action], and the Imam (peace be upon him) said: "Allah the Exalted created the Throne, the water and the angels before the heavens and the earth, and the angels, by means of their own existence and the Throne and the water, used to reason to the existence of Allah the Mighty and Majestic. Then the Lord placed His Throne upon the water so as to show His power to the angels by this means, so that the angels would know that He is powerful over everything. Then Allah raised the Throne with His power and placed it above the seven heavens, and then, while established over His Throne, He created the heavens and the earth in six days (six periods), although He was able to create them in the blink of an eye; but Allah the Exalted created them in six days in order to display to the angels, one by one, all the things He was creating. Allah did not create the Throne out of any need for it, for He is free of need of the Throne and of all His creation, and He cannot be described with the attribute of being situated upon the Throne, for He is not a body, and He is far exalted above being described with the attributes with which the creatures of Allah are described."

Ali ibn Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him): The verse: هُوَ الَّذِی خَلَقَ السَّماواتِ وَ الْأَرْضَ فِی سِتَّةِ أَیَّامٍ وَ کانَ عَرْشُهُ عَلَی الْماءِ [He it is Who created the heavens and the earth in six days, and His Throne was upon the water] relates to the beginning of creation, when the Lord, Blessed and Exalted, created the air, then created the Pen and commanded it to move and write. [The Pen] said: "O Lord! About what shall I write?" He said: "About everything that exists." Then He created darkness from the air; created light from the air; created water from the air; created the Throne from the air; created al-'aqim, which is the fierce wind, from the air; created fire from the air; and created all creatures from these six things, which themselves had also been created from the air. He set the fierce wind upon the water and it struck it and raised up much wave and foam, and its vapour spread out into the atmosphere. When the time He had intended arrived, He said to the foam: "Solidify!" and it solidified. And He said to the wave: "Solidify!" and it solidified, and He made the foam into earth and made the waves into mountains that became the anchors of the earth. When He had solidified the two, He said to "the Spirit" and "the Power": "Erect My Throne over the heaven." And [they] erected His Throne above the heaven.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik went to Hajj together with al-Abrash al-Kalbi, and the two of them came upon Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) in al-Masjid al-Haram. Hisham said to al-Abrash, "Do you know him?" He said, "No!" He said, "He is the one whom the Shia, on account of the abundance of his knowledge, consider to be [like] the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family)." Al-Abrash said, "I will ask him a question which none can answer except a prophet (peace be upon him and his family) or the successor of a prophet (peace be upon him and his family)." Hisham said to al-Abrash, "I would like you to do so." Al-Abrash went to Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) and said to him: "O Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him)! Tell me about this saying of Allah where He says: 'Have those who disbelieve not seen that the heavens and the earth were joined together, and We parted them?' (al-Anbiya/30) — what was their being joined and what was their being parted?" Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: "O Abrash! It is just as Allah Himself described it: کانَ عَرْشُهُ عَلَی الْماءِ [His Throne was upon the water], and the water was upon the air, and the air had no limit. On that day there was no creation other than these two. The water on that day was sweet and pleasant. When Allah willed to create the earth, He commanded the wind to blow upon the water; the wind blew and produced waves and foam. [Allah] gathered that foam in the place which is [now] the site of the Ka'bah, and made a mountain of foam, and spread out the earth from beneath it."

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Everything was water, and His Throne was upon the water. Then Allah the Exalted commanded the water, and it blazed up as fire. Then He commanded the fire, and it died down, and from its dying down there rose a smoke. From that smoke Allah created the heavens, and He created the earth from the ashes of that fire. Then the water, the fire and the wind quarrelled and disputed with one another. The water said, "I am the greatest army of my Lord!" The fire said, "I am the greatest army of Allah!" The wind said, "I am the greatest army of Allah!" Then Allah revealed to the wind and said, "You are My greatest army!"

Imam Sajjad (peace be upon him): The Throne was the fourth thing that Allah the Exalted created, for before creating it He had created nothing but three things: the air, the pen, and the light. Then He created the Throne from different lights; among them was a green light, from which green [things] took their green colour; a yellow light, from which yellow [things] became yellow; a red light, from which red [things] took their red colour; and a white light, which is the highest light and from which comes the brightness of day. Then He made it (the Throne) seventy thousand layers, the thickness of each layer being like [the distance from] the top of the Throne down to the lowest of the low, and every one of these layers is engaged in glorifying, exalting and praising its Lord with different sounds and dissimilar tongues; and if permission were given to one of those tongues to let anything [of the sound of its glorification] reach the ears of the creatures beneath the Throne, [the intensity and awe of that sound] would without doubt bring about the destruction of the mountains, the cities and the fortified strongholds, and the waters of the seas would sink [and dry up], and everything would be annihilated. The Throne has eight pillars, and upon each of its pillars are so many angels that none knows their number except Allah the Exalted, and they are engaged night and day in glorifying Allah without any slackness or weariness; and if anything above it (the Throne) were to be perceived, it would not endure even the blink of an eye. [There is nothing perceptible above the Throne.] Between it (the Throne) and perceptible things [there are several layers, which are] al-Jabarut (omnipotence), al-Kibriya (grandeur), al-‘Azamah (majesty), al-Quds (holiness), al-Rahmah (mercy), and then al-‘Ilm (knowledge); and beyond this no more can be said.

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): "هُوَ الَّذِی خَلَقَ لَکُمْ ما فِی الْأَرْضِ جَمِیعاً ثُمَّ اسْتَوی إِلَی السَّماءِ فَسَوَّاهُنَّ سَبْعَ سَماواتٍ [He it is Who created for you all that is in the earth, then He directed Himself to the heaven, so He made them seven heavens] (al-Baqarah/29). Allah's Throne was set upon the water, and before the water He had not created anything. And when He willed to create the creatures, He brought forth from the water a vapour, and it rose above the water, and since it stood above it He named it 'heaven' (sama). Then He dried the water and made it a single continuous piece of earth. Then, in two days — Sunday and Monday — He split it apart and turned it into seven earths, and placed the globe of the earth upon the back of a fish."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): The Imam (peace be upon him) said in the supplication of the Day of Arafah: "O Allah! You are the One Existent who existed before the existence of any created thing, and it is You who granted existence to all things ... Praise be to Allah whose Throne was established upon the water; when no sun was shining, no moon was moving, no sea was flowing and no wind was blowing, no sky was raised up, no earth was spread out, no night was dark and no day [that would be hidden behind the night]. [At that time] no spring was gushing forth and no sound was heard, there was no mountain to be an anchor for the earth, no cloud to rain, no human created, no jinn brought into being, no noble angel and no accursed Satan, no extended shadow, and nothing that could be counted."

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): The Imam (peace be upon him) was asked: "How long was the divine Throne upon the water before the creation of the heavens and the earth?" He said: "Can you calculate?" He said: "Yes!" He said: "If from the east of the earth to the west and from the earth to the heavens were filled with (tiny) mustard seeds, and — with all your weakness — you were charged to carry those mustard seeds one by one from the east to the west until the last seed was also finished, that would be [equal to] one quarter of one tenth of the total of seventy thousand parts of the duration of the Throne's remaining upon the water before the creation of the earth and the heavens." Then the Imam (peace be upon him) said: "I have only given you an example. [And the reality is beyond this]."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Dawud al-Raqqi said: I asked Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) about the interpretation of the verse: کانَ عَرْشُهُ عَلَی الْماءِ [And His Throne was upon the water]. He said: "What do others say about this?" I said: "They say: the Throne was upon the water and the Lord was above the Throne!" The Imam (peace be upon him) said: "Whoever holds such a belief has lied! He [with such a description] has placed Allah upon something and has described Him with the attribute of created things (occupying a place), and the necessary consequence of such a belief is that the thing which carries Allah would be stronger than Him." I said: "May I be your ransom! Explain [this matter] to me." He said: "Before Allah created the heavens or the earth, the jinn or humankind, the sun or the moon, He placed His religion and His knowledge upon the water; and when He willed to create the creatures, He scattered them before Him and in His presence and asked: 'Who is your Lord?' The first ones to speak were the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) and Ali (peace be upon him) and the pure Imams, who said: 'O Allah! You are our Lord.' So Allah entrusted the knowledge and the religion to them. Then He said to the angels: 'These are the bearers of My religion and My knowledge and My successors and those in charge among My creation.' Then He said to the children of Adam (peace be upon him): 'Confess the Lordship of Allah, and accept the wilayah and obedience of these persons.'"

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): A person asked Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) about the word of Allah the Mighty and Majestic who says: He is the Originator of the heavens and the earth. (al-An'am/101) The Imam (peace be upon him) said: "Allah the Mighty and Majestic created all things by His knowledge, without any prior model. He created the heavens and the earths while before that there was neither heaven nor earth. Do you not hear His own words: وَ کانَ عَرْشُهُ عَلَی الْماءِ [And His Throne was upon the water]."

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): When Allah the Mighty and Majestic created water, He placed His Throne upon it, before He created the heavens and the earth. And this is the word of Allah the Mighty and Majestic: هُوَ الَّذِی خَلَقَ السَّماواتِ وَ الْأَرْضَ فِی سِتَّةِ أَیَّامٍ وَ کانَ عَرْشُهُ عَلَی الْماء [He it is Who created the heavens and the earth in six days, and His Throne was upon the water]; meaning that before He created the heavens and the earth, His Throne was placed upon the water. Then Allah sent the winds upon the water, and the water raised waves, and smoke rose from it and settled above the foam on the surface of the water. From that smoke He created the seven heavens, and from that foam He created the seven earths. He spread the sphere of the earth upon the water, and placed the water upon the rock (safa), and the rock upon the fish, and the fish upon the bull, and the bull upon a stone which Luqman (peace be upon him) described to his son, saying: My son! If [a good or evil deed] be equal to the weight of a mustard seed, and were it in the heart of a rock or in [a corner of] the heavens or the earth, Allah will bring it forth [on the Day of Judgement for reckoning]; indeed Allah is Subtle and All-Aware. (Luqman/16) And that rock He placed upon moist soil, and none but Allah knows what lies beneath that moist soil.

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): It is narrated from Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him) that one day I was present in the gathering of Umar ibn al-Khattab, and Ka'b al-Ahbar was also with him. Umar said: "O Ka'b! Do you know the Torah by heart?" Ka'b said: "I have memorised a large portion of it." A man who was beside Umar said to him: "O Commander of the Faithful! Ask him where Allah the Mighty and Majestic was before He created His Throne, and from what did He create the water upon which He placed His Throne?" Umar said: "O Ka'b! Do you have any knowledge of this?" Ka'b said: "Yes, O Commander of the Faithful! In the wise source it is found that Allah the Blessed and Exalted, before He created the Throne, was ancient [and eternally existent], and He was in the air upon the rock of Bayt al-Muqaddas. When He wished to create His Throne, He cast forth some spittle, and from it the deep and surging seas came into being. Then Allah created His Throne from a portion of that rock which was beneath Him, and the last part of that rock which remained is a mosque (Bayt al-Muqaddas) which He sanctified." Ali (peace be upon him) was present [in this gathering]. ... [As a sign of astonishment and regret at the false and baseless words of Ka'b] he said "Allahu Akbar", rose to his feet, and shook out his garment [intending to leave, but] Umar swore an oath upon him to return to the gathering, and Ali (peace be upon him) returned. Umar said: "O diver of the deep seas of knowledge and understanding, dive into this scholarly discussion! What do you say, O Abu al-Hasan (peace be upon him)?! For we know you as the one who removes distresses [that arise from ignorance of scholarly matters]!" Ali (peace be upon him) turned to Ka'b and said: "Your Jewish companions have erred and have distorted the divine books, and have opened the door of fabricating lies against Him. Woe to you, O Ka'b! The rock upon which you imagine [the Throne of Allah rests] cannot bear the greatness of Allah and does not have the capacity for His majesty, and [the duration of the existence of] the air you mentioned does not encompass the surroundings [of the duration of the existence] of Him. And if the rock and the air are also ancient [and eternal] alongside Allah, would they too then possess the attribute of Allah's being ancient?! [Which is not the case.] Allah is far too mighty and greater than to be said that He has a place in which He resides. Allah is not as the deviants say and as the ignorant suppose. The truth is that Allah existed and there was no place, in such a manner that minds cannot reach the comprehension of it. And that I said 'Allah was' is to make His existence known, and this is among the words that Allah has taught, where Allah the Mighty and Majestic says: '[Allah] created man and taught him speech.' (al-Rahman/43) So this saying of mine concerning Allah, when I say 'He was', is among the words He has taught me, so that I may speak with the proof of the greatness of Allah al-Mannan [the Bestower] [otherwise even the expression of this much would not be possible for the mind and tongue of man without Allah's exposition and His guidance]. And our Lord is always powerful over whatever He wills; He encompasses all things. Then whatever He willed, He created, without any new thought coming to [His mind] [for the creation of new beings] and without any doubt entering into His will. Allah the Mighty and Majestic [at the beginning of creation] created a light and began the creation of that light from 'nothing'. Then from that light He created darkness, while He was able to create darkness from nothing, just as He created light from 'nothing'. Then from darkness He created a light, and from the light He created a ruby whose vastness is like the vastness of the seven heavens and the seven earths. Then He rebuked that ruby such that [the ruby] melted from His awe and became a trembling water, and it will remain trembling until the Day of Resurrection. Then He created His Throne from its light and placed it upon the water. The divine Throne has ten thousand tongues, and with each tongue it glorifies Allah in ten thousand tongues (languages), and no tongue or language among them resembles another. The divine Throne was upon the water, and below it were veils (curtains) of mist. [And this matter] is the interpretation of the verse: وَ کَانَ الْعَرْشُ عَلَی المَاءِ لِیَبْلُوَکُمْ [And His Throne was upon the water, that He might test you]. Woe to you, O Ka'b! One by whom, according to your saying, the seas were created as a result of a single casting of His spittle, is far greater than that the rock of Bayt al-Muqaddas should contain Him, or that the air to which you pointed, in which He was situated, should hold Him within itself!" Umar ibn al-Khattab laughed and said: "This is the reality, and knowledge is such as this, not like your knowledge, O Ka'b! I wish that at the time when I do not see Abu al-Hasan (peace be upon him) [and he has departed from the world], I too should not be alive [for without him difficulties are not resolved]."

Imam Ali (peace be upon him)- Imam Hasan al-Mujtaba (peace be upon him) said: "I saw my father with Umar ibn al-Khattab, and Ka'b al-Ahbar was also with him ... Ka'b said to Umar: 'Explain to me the meaning of this word of Allah: وَ کانَ عَرْشُهُ عَلَی الْماء [And His Throne was upon the water]; where was the earth? Where was the heaven? And where were all the created beings?' Umar said: 'Which of us knows the unseen, except for what one of us has heard from the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family)?' He said: 'But I think that if Abu al-Hasan (peace be upon him) were asked about this, he would explain it just as we read it in the Torah.' Umar said to him: 'Watch yourself [and your words]!' After that, murmuring and disagreement arose in the gathering. When Ali (peace be upon him) came in upon Umar and his companions, they wanted to bring down Amir al-Mu'minin Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him), [and with this intent] Ka'b said: 'O Abu al-Hasan (peace be upon him)! Explain to me the meaning of this word of Allah the Exalted in His Book: وَ کانَ عَرْشُهُ عَلَی الْماءِ لِیَبْلُوَکُمْ أَیُّکُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلًا [And His Throne was upon the water, that He might test which of you is best in deed].' Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) said: 'Yes! His Throne was upon the water, at a time when neither the earth had been spread out, nor the heaven raised up, nor a sound heard, nor a spring gushing forth, nor was there any close-brought angel, nor any sent prophet, nor a star moving, nor a moon in its course, nor a shining sun; and His Throne (of power) rested upon the water. Allah was not in awe of [or dependent upon] any of His creation; He magnified and sanctified Himself as He willed. Then He resolved to create the creation. He stirred up the waves of the seas, and through the blowing of the wind upon the water of the seas, something like smoke, as great as the greatest of Allah's creations, arose upon the water, and from it He created the heaven as a single joined mass; then He spread out the earth from beneath the present location of the Ka'ba, which is the middle of the earth. Then He turned to the heaven, which was smoke (Fussilat/11), this smoke being from the water which He had created in those seas [and which had taken this form through the blowing of the wind]. With a word which none but He knows, He made it into seven layers, and in each heaven He placed dwellers from among the angels, whom He created infallible from a light drawn from sweet seas, which is the sea of mercy. He made their food to be tasbih (glorification), tahlil (declaring His oneness) and taqdis (sanctification). When these works were completed and His creation was firmly established over His dominion, He was praised as befits Him. Then He measured and proportioned His dominion, and in each heaven He hung, in numbers which none but He can count, glowing stars like the lamps hung in mosques. The size of one heavenly star is like the size of the largest city on earth. Then He created the sun and the moon, and made both of them shining. Had Allah the Exalted left the two of them in that state and abandoned them as they had been created the first time [without an orbit or motion], night could not be told from day, month and year, winter and summer, spring and autumn could not be distinguished, the religious would not know the times of their religious duties, the labourer would not know when to go about his livelihood and when to rest. But Allah, out of the compassion He has for His servants, provided for them: He sent Jibra'il, who with his wings transformed one of the two suns; this act took away its rays, beams and the brightness of its light and left its glow [and it became the moon]. This is the word of Allah the Exalted: 'We made the night and day two signs of Our unity and greatness, then We erased the sign of the night and made the sign of the day light-giving, so that [in its light] you may seek the bounty of your Lord [and rise to strive for a livelihood], and know the number of years and the reckoning; and We have explained everything clearly and distinctly.' (al-Isra/12) And Allah made the moon and the sun so that they move in their orbital path, and the orbit (falak) is like a sea filling the space between heaven and earth, extending in the heaven up to three farsakhs. The sun and the moon, while in motion, are held firmly within their orbit; both are in swift movement and three hundred angels pull them; in the hand of each angel is a ring by which they draw them along in the depths of that sea. Each of those angels has a loud voice and cry in tahlil, tasbih and taqdis, such that if one of them were to come forth from the depths of that sea, [from the intensity of hearing that loud sound] everything on the face of the earth, even the mountains and rocks and whatever Allah has created, would burn. When Allah created the heavens and the earth, and the night and day and the stars and the orbit, and placed the earths upon the back of a fish, this weight pressed heavily upon the fish and it trembled, so Allah stilled it by means of the mountains. When the creation of what was in the heavens and the earth was complete, and the earth on that day was empty [of every living being] and no one was in it, Allah said to the angels: "I am placing on the earth a successor [a representative]." The angels said: "Our Lord! Will You place therein one who will spread corruption and shed blood?! [For other earthly beings that existed before this Adam were also stained with corruption and bloodshed. If the aim of creating this human is worship], we glorify Your praise and sanctify You." The Lord said: "I know realities that you do not know." (al-Baqara/30)'"

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): وَ کانَ عَرْشُهُ عَلَی الْماءِ [And His Throne was upon the water] — upon what did the water rest? He said: "It rested upon the back of the wind."

Imam Sajjad (peace be upon him): The meaning of the verse: "On that Day this earth shall be changed into another earth, and the heavens [into other heavens]." (Ibrahim/48) is an earth upon which no sins have been committed; a bare earth upon which there are neither mountains nor plants, but is in the same form in which He first spread it out. And He shall return His Throne upon the water as it was the first time, independent [of all others] in His greatness and power.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Muhammad ibn Imran al-Ijli said: I said to Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): "When, according to the word of the Lord, everywhere was water, and His Throne (of power) rested upon the water, what was there in the present location of the House of the Kaaba?" He said: "A white crystal, that is, [something like] a pearl."

Imam Rida (peace be upon him): Ma'mun al-Abbasi asked Imam Rida (peace be upon him) about the tafsir of the verse: وَ هُوَ الَّذِی خَلَق السَّمَاوَاتِ وَ الأَرْضَ فِی سِتَّةِ أَیَّامٍ وَ کَانَ عَرْشُهُ عَلَی المَاء لِیَبْلُوَکُمْ أَیُّکُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلاً [And He it is Who created the heavens and the earth in six days, and His Throne was upon the water, that He might try you, which of you is best in deed]. And the Imam (peace be upon him) said: "Regarding the verse: لِیَبْلُوَکُمْ أَیُّکُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلاً [that He might try you, which of you is best in deed] — Allah the Exalted created His creatures in order to test them by obligating them to obedience and worship of Him, but not for the sake of experimenting with them and testing them [so as to derive some result Himself]; for indeed Allah has always been Knowing and Aware of everything."

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): Regarding the verse: "We shall certainly test all of you until We make known those among you who truly strive and are patient, and We shall test your reports." (Muhammad/31); and the verse: "We shall gradually seize them with punishment from where they do not know." (A'raf/7); and the verse: "Do they think that they will be left [alone] on saying, 'We believe,' and that they will not be tested?" (Ankabut/2); and the verse: "And indeed We tested Sulayman." (Sad/34); and the verse: "Indeed We have tested your people after you, and al-Samiri led them astray." (Taha/85); and the verse: "This is nothing but Your trial." (A'raf/155); and the verse: "Allah wishes to test you in what He has given you." (Ma'idah/45); and the verse: "Then Allah turned you away from them, [so your victory turned to defeat,] that He might test you." (Al Imran/152); and the verse: "Indeed We have tested them as We tested the owners of the garden." (Qalam/17); and the verse: "That He might try you, which of you is best in deed" — all of these have come in the Quran with the meaning of testing.

Imam Kazim (peace be upon him): Allah created creation while He Himself knew what path they would take, and He commanded and forbade them. For every command He gave them, He also prepared and made available the way and means to carry it out, and for everything He forbade, He also made available the way and means to abandon it [He did not command what cannot be done]. Yet the creatures neither do anything nor leave anything undone except by the permission and command of Allah. Even so, Allah has not compelled any human being to disobedience, but rather He has tested them with various trials, as He Himself has said: لِیَبْلُوَکُمْ أَیُّکُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلًا [that He might try you as to which of you is best in deed].

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): O son of Mas'ud! The word of Allah the Exalted: لِیَبْلُوَکُمْ أَیُّکُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلًا [that He might try you as to which of you is best in deed] means He tests you so that it may be known which of you is more abstemious in the world. The world is the abode of deception and the house of one who has no house, and none but a fool gathers anything for the sake of the world. The most foolish of people is the one who seeks the world.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): لِیَبْلُوَکُمْ أَیُّکُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلًا [that He might try you as to which of you is best in deed]; the intent is not that your greater amount of deed [and worship] is the criterion, rather the intent is that your deed be correct, and the correct deed is fear of Allah, having a truthful intention, and doing good.

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): Allah does not seek help from you out of lowliness, nor does He take a loan from you out of poverty. He has sought your help while to Him belong the armies of the heavens and the earth, and Allah is Mighty, Wise. (Fath/7) He takes a loan from you while to Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and the earth, and Allah is Self-Sufficient, Praiseworthy. (Luqman/26) He has willed only to try you, to see which of you is best in deed.

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): Allah lifts the veil from the inner selves of the servants, not because He is unaware of the hidden secrets they conceal or ignorant of what they harbour in their breasts, rather He wished to try you as to which of you is best in deed, so that reward may be the recompense for good and punishment the requital that befits evils.