سورة النحل

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): Burayd ibn Asram said: I heard Imam Ali (peace be upon him) say: "وَ أَقْسَمُوا بِاللهِ جَهْدَ أَیْمانِهِمْ لا یَبْعَثُ اللهُ مَنْ یَمُوتُ [And they swear by Allah with the most energetic of their oaths: Allah will not raise up him who dies] was revealed concerning me."

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): وَ أَقْسَمُوا بِاللهِ جَهْدَ أَیْمانِهِمْ لا یَبْعَثُ اللهُ مَنْ یَمُوت [And they swear by Allah with the most energetic of their oaths: Allah will not raise up him who dies] ... was revealed concerning Ali (peace be upon him).

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Abu Basir said: I asked Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) about the verse: وَ أَقْسَمُواْ بِاللهِ جَهْدَ أَیْمَانِهِمْ لاَ یَبْعَثُ اللهُ مَن یَمُوتُ بَلَی وَعْدًا عَلَیْهِ حَقًّا وَلکِنَّ أَکْثَرَ النَّاسِ لاَ یَعْلَمُونَ [And they swear by Allah with the most energetic of their oaths: Allah will not raise up him who dies. Yea! it is a promise binding on Him, quite true, but most people do not know]. He said: "O Abu Basir! What do you say about this verse?" I said: "The polytheists used to claim this, and they would swear to the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) that Allah does not bring the dead back to life." He said: "Woe to whoever has given such an interpretation! Did the polytheists swear by Allah, or by [the idols] Lat and Uzza?!" I said: "May I be your ransom! Then make it clear and evident to me." He said: "O Abu Basir! When our Qaim (may Allah hasten his noble reappearance) rises, Allah will bring back to life a group of our Shia — those who keep the hilts of their swords ever on their shoulders (ready for battle). News of this reaches a number of our Shia who are still alive, and they say: 'So-and-so and so-and-so and so-and-so have risen from their graves and are with the Qaim (may Allah hasten his noble reappearance).' This news also reaches a group of our enemies, and they say: 'O Shia! How great liars you are — this is your state, and you say whatever lies you wish about it. By Allah, these people never lived, nor will they live until the Day of Resurrection.' So Allah has here recounted their words: وَأَقْسَمُواْ بِاللهِ جَهْدَ أَیْمَانِهِمْ لاَ یَبْعَثُ اللهُ مَن یَمُوتُ [And they swear by Allah with the most energetic of their oaths: Allah will not raise up him who dies]."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): It is narrated from Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) that he said: "What do people say about this verse?" It was said: "They say: it was revealed concerning the disbelievers." He said: "The disbelievers did not swear by Allah. This verse was certainly revealed concerning a group from the people of Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) to whom it was said: 'You will return to the world after death and before the Resurrection,' but they swore that they would not return. So Allah replied to them, saying: لِیُبَیِّنَ لَهُمُ الَّذِی یَخْتَلِفُونَ فِیهِ وَلِیَعْلَمَ الَّذِینَ کَفَرُواْ أَنَّهُمْ کَانُواْ کَاذِبِینَ [So that He may make clear to them that concerning which they differ, and that those who disbelieved may know that they were liars] — meaning: during the time of the Raj'a, Allah will bring them back and kill them, so that the hearts of the believers may be gladdened and delighted by this event."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Sirin said: I was with Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) when the Imam (peace be upon him) asked me: "What do people say about this verse: وَأَقْسَمُوا بِاللهِ جَهْدَ أَیْمَانِهِمْ لَا یَبْعَثُ اللهُ مَن یَمُوتُ [And they swear by Allah with the most energetic of their oaths: Allah will not raise up him who dies]?" I said: "They say it means there is no resurrection, no rising, and no Day of Gathering." He said: "By Allah, they lie! This matter concerns the appearance of the Qa'im (may Allah hasten his noble relief). When he appears and those who return come back with him [and prepare to accompany him in battle], that group who opposes you will say: 'O Shi'a! Your state has been established, and what you say — that so-and-so and so-and-so have returned — is one of your lies; no, by Allah, Allah does not raise the dead to life.' Do you not see that Allah has said: وَأَقْسَمُوا بِاللهِ جَهْدَ أَیْمَانِهِمْ [And they swear by Allah with the most energetic of their oaths]?! The polytheists held Lat and Uzza in such great esteem that they would swear by none other than these two. And Allah said: بَلَی وَعْدًا عَلَیْهِ حَقًّا * لِیُبَیِّنَ لَهُمُ الَّذِی یَخْتَلِفُونَ فِیهِ وَلِیَعْلَمَ الَّذِینَ کَفَرُوا أَنَّهُمْ کَانُوا کَاذِبِینَ * إِنَّمَا قَوْلُنَا لِشَیْءٍ إِذَا أَرَدْنَاهُ أَن نَّقُولَ لَهُ کُن فَیَکُونُ [Yea! it is a promise binding on Him, quite true * so that He may make clear to them that in which they differ, and so that those who disbelieve may know that they were liars * Our word for a thing when We intend it is only that We say to it, 'Be,' and it is]."

Imam al-Rida (peace be upon him): Ahmad ibn Muhammad said: al-Husayn ibn Mihran wrote a letter to Imam al-Rida (peace be upon him). He was a man of the Waqifi sect (those who did not accept the Imamate of Imam al-Rida (peace be upon him)) and was in doubt about his belief. In his letter he was instructing Imam al-Rida (peace be upon him) to do such and such and not to do such and such. Imam al-Rida (peace be upon him) wrote in reply: "بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِیمِ [In the name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Ever-Merciful]; may Allah grant well-being to us and to you. Your letter, in which you mentioned that person against whom a crime was committed and who suffered loss, has reached me. In that letter you stated that you have seized him, and you were reminding me of how you deal with me concerning him and are sending me another instead of him. You argued at length and have fallen into blindness of heart; you too wish to enter into the same affair! You said that he, in my matter, acted according to his own opinion and view for his own benefit, and wanted people to incline to him and for the affair to be in his hand, so that he could act as he wished; and he imagined that I too would follow him in the recommendations he put forward. You yourself are also guiding me by your own opinion as to how I should act after you. This matter cannot be set right except in one of two ways: either I accept the matter as it stands, or I give the people whatever they want and settle the affair; otherwise, in our view the matter is not finished and not correct, and the people will not hand over the wealth in their possession and will take it away. The matter is not set right by your intellect and opinion. Concerning what you have given them, do not act by opinion and consultation, for the affair is in the hand of the one Allah. He does with people whatever He wills. Whomever Allah guides, none can lead astray, and whomever He leads astray, there is no guide for him, and you will never find any leader for him. You said: deal with them by cunning and trickery; how can you use cunning when Allah the Mighty and Majestic says: وَ أَقْسَمُوا بِاللهِ جَهْدَ أَیْمانِهِمْ لا یَبْعَثُ اللهُ مَنْ یَمُوتُ بَلی وَعْداً عَلَیْهِ حَقًّا [And they swear by Allah with the most energetic of their oaths: Allah will not raise up him who dies. Yea! it is a promise binding on Him, quite true]; this is a true promise which is also in the Tawrat and the Injil, up to this part of the verse: وَ لِیَقْتَرِفُوا ما هُمْ مُقْتَرِفُونَ [and that they may commit what they are to commit] (al-An'am/113). If you accept their opinion they will come along and submit."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: I heard this word of Allah in which He says: وَ أَقْسَمُوا بِاللهِ جَهْدَ أَیْمانِهِمْ لا یَبْعَثُ اللهُ مَنْ یَمُوتُ [And they swear by Allah with the most energetic of their oaths: Allah will not raise up him who dies]; do you suppose that [Allah] gathers the people of the two groups in a single house, and that is the Fire of Hell? [Never is it so; rather the Resurrection will be established and the people of Paradise and Hell will be separated].

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Salih ibn Maytham said: I asked Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) about the verse: "Whatever is in the heavens and the earth submits to His command willingly or unwillingly" (Al Imran/83). He said: This verse relates to the time when Imam Ali (peace be upon him) says: "I am the most entitled and most worthy of this verse among all people: وَأَقْسَمُواْ بِاللهِ جَهْدَ أَیْمَانِهِمْ لاَ یَبْعَثُ اللهُ مَن یَمُوتُ بَلَی وَعْدًا عَلَیْهِ حَقًّا وَلکِنَّ أَکْثَرَ النَّاسِ لاَ یَعْلَمُونَ * لِیُبَیِّنَ لَهُمُ الَّذِی یَخْتَلِفُونَ فِیهِ وَلِیَعْلَمَ الَّذِینَ کَفَرُواْ أَنَّهُمْ کَانُواْ کَاذِبِینَ [And they swear by Allah with the most energetic of their oaths: Allah will not raise up him who dies. Yea! it is a promise binding on Him, quite true, but most people do not know; so that He might make manifest to them that about which they differ, and that those who disbelieve might know that they were liars]."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Umar ibn Udhayna narrates from Fudayl ibn Yasar who said: I said to Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): "If the Sufyani rises, what do you command me to do?" He said: "In that case I will write you a letter [containing instructions]." I said: "How will I know that the letter is from you?" He said: "I will write to you with such-and-such a sign." And he recited a verse from the Qur'an. I asked Fudayl: "What was that verse?" He said: "I have not told it to anyone except Burayd al-Ijli." Zurara said: "I will tell it to you: وَأَقْسَمُواْ بِاللهِ جَهْدَ أَیْمَانِهِمْ لاَ یَبْعَثُ اللهُ مَن یَمُوتُ بَلَی وَعْدًا عَلَیْهِ حَقًّا [And they swear by Allah with the most energetic of their oaths: Allah will not raise up him who dies. Yea! it is a promise binding on Him, quite true]." Fudayl remained silent and neither rejected nor confirmed what he said.