سورة النحل

Ali ibn Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him): ثُمَّ أَوْحَیْنَا إِلَیْکَ أَنِ اتَّبِعْ مِلَّةَ إِبْرَاهِیمَ حَنِیفًا [Then We revealed to you: Follow the faith of Ibrahim, the upright one] — what is meant is the ten Ibrahimi practices which Ibrahim (peace be upon him) left behind as a sunnah: five sunnahs concerning the body and five sunnahs concerning the head. The sunnahs of the head are: trimming the hair of the head, the beard and the moustache, the miswak (tooth-stick), and the khilal (cleaning between the teeth). The sunnahs concerning the body are: the ritual bath after janabah (major ritual impurity), purification with water, trimming the nails, removing bodily hair, and circumcision. These sunnahs remain in force until the Day of Resurrection.

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): Be hanif (upright), meaning: be upon the faith of Ibrahim (peace be upon him). The hanifi faith which Ibrahim (peace be upon him) brought consists of ten rulings, which have not been abrogated and will not be abrogated until the Day of Resurrection — and this is the meaning of Allah's words to His Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): ثُمَّ أَوْحَیْنا إِلَیْکَ أَنِ اتَّبِعْ مِلَّةَ إِبْراهِیمَ حَنِیفاً [Then We revealed to you: Follow the faith of Ibrahim, the upright one]. Of these ten rulings, five concern the head and five concern the body. The rulings concerning the head are: shaving the head, trimming the moustache, letting the beard grow long, using the miswak (tooth-stick), and khilal (cleaning between the teeth). Another narration mentions among the rulings of the head: rinsing the mouth (madmadah), drawing water into the nose (istinshaq), the miswak, and trimming the moustache. The rulings concerning the body are: shaving the excess hair of the body, circumcision, trimming the nails, the ritual bath from janabah (major ritual impurity), and purifying with water. Another narration records them as: istinja (purification with water), circumcision, shaving excess bodily hair, trimming the nails, and plucking the hair from under the armpits. [Acting upon] these rulings is the meaning of حَنِیفاً مُسْلِماً [upright, submitting].

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): The hanif religion has left nothing out — even down to trimming the moustache, clipping the nails, cutting the moustache, and circumcision.

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): For discerning and intelligent believers there is no safer or better path than following [distinguished people of insight], because following such people is the clearest way and the entirely correct course. Allah the Exalted says to His most honoured servant, the noble Messenger (peace be upon him and his family): "These are the ones whom Allah has guided, so follow their guidance" (al-An'am/90); and He also says: ثُمَّ أَوْحَیْنا إِلَیْکَ أَنِ اتَّبِعْ مِلَّةَ إِبْراهیمَ حَنیفاً [Then We revealed to you: Follow the faith of Ibrahim, the upright one]. If there had been for Allah's religion any way more upright, better and firmer than following, then surely His awliya and prophets would have been called to that way. And the noble Messenger (peace be upon him and his family) says: "In the hearts of the believers there is a hidden light which is not made bright and manifest except through following the truth and walking upon the straight path, and it is a ray of the light of the prophets which has been placed in the hearts of the believers."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): No one is upon the faith of Ibrahim (peace be upon him) except us and our followers, and the rest of the people are far from this path.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Abbad ibn Ziyad said: Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said to me: 'O Abbad! No one other than you [Shia] is upon the faith of Ibrahim (peace be upon him).'