سورة الكهف

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Khalid ibn Najih narrates: Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: "On the Day of Judgement, the record of a person's deeds will be given into his hand and he will be told: Read." I asked: "Does the person know what is written in it?" He said: "He will recall all those deeds — moment by moment, word by word; every step he took and every act he did, he will remember as if he had done it in that very moment. That is why they say: یا وَیْلَتَنا ما لِهذَا الْکِتابِ لا یُغادِرُ صَغِیرَةً وَ لا کَبِیرَةً إِلَّا أَحْصاها [Ah! woe to us! what a book is this! it does not omit a small one nor a great one, but numbers them all]."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Khalid ibn Najih narrates: Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said, concerning His words اقْرَأْ کِتابَکَ کَفی بِنَفْسِکَ الْیَوْمَ [Read your book; sufficient is your own self this day] (Al-Isra 17:14): The servant, by looking at the record of his own deeds, remembers all that he has done and that has been recorded, as if he had done it in that very moment. And it is for this reason that they say: یا وَیْلَتَنا ما لِهذَا الْکِتابِ لا یُغادِرُ صَغِیرَةً وَ لا کَبِیرَةً إِلَّا أَحْصاها [Ah! woe to us! what a book is this! it does not omit a small one nor a great one, but numbers them all].

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) — Asbagh ibn Nubata said: Salman (may Allah have mercy on him) said to me: "Take me to the graveyard, for the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) said: 'O Salman (may Allah have mercy on him), when your death draws near, a dead person will indeed speak with you.'" So when I took him there and he called out to the dead, one of them answered him. Salman (may Allah have mercy on him) asked him about what he had seen of death and what came after it, and he answered with long stories and great terrors that had come upon him, until he said: "When my family bade me farewell and wished to depart from my grave, regret seized me and I said: 'Would that I too could return.' Someone from a corner of the grave answered me: كَلَّا إِنَّها كَلِمَةٌ هُوَ قائِلُها وَ مِنْ وَرائِهِمْ بَرْزَخٌ إِلى يَوْمِ يُبْعَثُونَ [By no means! It is but a word he says; and behind them is a barrier until the day they are raised up]. I said: 'Who are you?' He said: 'Munabbih, an angel whom Allah has appointed over all His creation to make them aware of their deeds after their death, so that they may write down their own deeds before Allah.' Then he pulled me and sat me up, and said to me: 'Write down your deeds.' I said: 'I cannot count them.' He said: 'Have you not heard the word of your Lord, who says: أَحْصاهُ اللهُ وَ نَسُوهُ [Allah has kept count of them, and they have forgotten them] (Al-Mujadila/6)?' Then he said: 'I will dictate to you and you write.' I said: 'Where is the paper?' He pulled a corner of my shroud and it became paper, and he said: 'This is your paper.' I said: 'From where shall I bring a pen?' He said: 'Your index finger.' I said: 'And the ink?' He said: 'Your saliva.' Then he dictated to me everything I had done in the world, and left out nothing small or great, just as Allah says: وَ يَقُولُونَ يا وَيْلَتَنا ما لِهذَا الْكِتابِ لا يُغادِرُ صَغِيرَةً وَ لا كَبِيرَةً إِلَّا أَحْصاها وَ وَجَدُوا ما عَمِلُوا حاضِراً وَ لا يَظْلِمُ رَبُّكَ أَحَداً [And they say: 'Ah! woe to us! what a book is this! it does not omit a small one nor a great one, but numbers them (all)'; and what they had done they shall find present (there); and your Lord does not deal unjustly with anyone]. Then he took the book, sealed it, and hung it around my neck, and it felt as if all the mountains of the world had been hung as a collar around my neck. I said to him: 'O Munabbih, why do you do this to me?' He said: 'Have you not heard the word of your Lord, who says: And every human — We have fastened his deeds to his neck, and on the Day of Resurrection We shall bring forth for him a book which he will find spread open! [This is the very record of his deeds!] [And We will say to him:] Read your book; it is enough that you yourself are the reckoner of yourself today! (Al-Isra/13–14) — and this is what will be addressed to you on the Day of Resurrection, and you will be brought forth with your book spread open before your eyes, being yourself a witness against yourself.' Then he departed from before my eyes."

Imam Husayn (peace be upon him): O Mu'awiya! Beware, for you will be subjected to retribution, and be certain that you will be called to account. Know that Allah the Almighty has arranged a record of deeds which لا یُغادِرُ صَغِیرَةً وَ لا کَبِیرَةً إِلَّا أَحْصاها [does not omit a small one nor a great one, but numbers them all]. Allah will not forget these crimes of yours — crimes such as your suspecting people, slandering and killing the friends of Allah, exiling the friends of Allah from their homes to lands of estrangement, forcing people to pledge allegiance to your son, who is a young lad, a drinker of wine, and one who plays with dogs. I regard you as one who will bring loss upon himself, lose his religion, deceive his own subjects, betray his trust, listen to the words of the foolish and ignorant, and terrify the pious and Allah-fearing for the sake of such wrongdoers!

Imam Sajjad (peace be upon him): Muhammad ibn Ajlan said: I heard Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) say: "When the month of Ramadan arrived, Ali ibn al-Husayn (peace be upon him) would never chastise his male or female servants. Whenever a male or female servant committed a fault, he would record it with the person's name and the date, and would not punish him, until they accumulated. When the last night of the month of Ramadan came, he would summon them all and gather them around himself, and would produce the note he had written and show it to them, and would call each one by name, and that person would say: 'Yes, O son of the Messenger of Allah.' Until the note reached its end, and in this way he took confession from all of them. Then he would stand up in their midst and say: 'Say aloud: O Ali ibn al-Husayn! Just as you have numbered all our deeds, your Lord too has numbered all your deeds, and with Him there is a record that speaks against you with truth, and لا یُغادِرُ صَغِیرَةً وَ لا کَبِیرَةً [it does not omit a small one nor a great one] of what you have done مِمَّا أَتَیْتَ إِلَّا أَحْصاها [but numbers them all], and just as we found our deeds present with you, you too will find all your deeds present with Him. So, just as you hope that the absolute Sovereign will pardon you, pardon us and overlook our faults; and just as you love that the absolute King should pardon you, pardon us, so that you will find Him greatly forgiving, merciful, and forgiving toward you, and لا یَظْلِمُ رَبُّکَ أَحَداً [your Lord does not deal unjustly with anyone]. Just as with you there is a record that speaks against us with truth, and did not leave any of our deeds, small or great, but numbered them all — O Ali ibn al-Husayn! Remember your standing in humility before your Lord, the Just Judge, who does not wrong anyone even by the weight of a mustard seed.'"

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): People are of two kinds: the righteous and Allah-fearing, and the wicked and wretched. And the abode is only two — there is no third. And the record of deeds is one; لا یُغادِرُ صَغِیرَةً وَ لا کَبِیرَةً إِلَّا أَحْصاها [it does not omit a small one nor a great one, but numbers them all].

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): When affairs come to an end and those who are in the graves are raised up, and what is within the breasts becomes manifest (Adiyat/9-10), you will at that time stand before Allah the Great. Hearts will be fearful and troubled from the dread of sins, and they will know what they have done; the veils will be lifted and things will be exposed, and faults will become manifest and secrets will be laid bare. On that day, everyone will find whatever they did in the world and will see the consequences of their deeds. Allah says: "And to Allah belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth, that He may recompense those who did evil with what they have done, and recompense those who did good with the best [reward]" (Najm/31). وَ وُضِعَ الْکِتابُ فَتَرَی الْمجْرِمِینَ مُشْفِقِینَ مِمَّا فِیهِ وَ یَقُولُونَ یا وَیْلَتَنا ما لِهذَا الْکِتابِ لا یُغادِرُ صَغِیرَةً وَ لا کَبِیرَةً إِلَّا أَحْصاها وَ وَجَدُوا ما عَمِلُوا حاضِراً وَ لا یَظْلِمُ رَبُّکَ أَحَداً [And the Book shall be placed, then you will see the guilty fearing from what is in it, and they will say: Ah! woe to us! what a book is this! it does not omit a small one nor a great one, but numbers them (all); and what they had done they shall find present (there); and your Lord does not deal unjustly with anyone].

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): یا وَیْلَتَنا ما لِهذَا الْکِتابِ لا یُغادِرُ صَغِیرَةً وَ لا کَبِیرَةً إِلَّا أَحْصاها [Ah! woe to us! what a book is this! it does not omit a small one nor a great one, but numbers them (all)]; the "small" is a mocking smile at a believer, and the "great" is a loud laugh with that intent.

Ali ibn Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him): وُضِعَ الْکِتابُ فَتَرَی الْمجْرِمِینَ مُشْفِقِینَ ... لا یَظْلِمُ رَبُّکَ أَحَداً [The Book shall be placed, then you will see the guilty fearing ... and your Lord does not deal unjustly with anyone] — whatever they have done, they find written down.

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): From the sayings of the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him): Then, beyond that, are the terrors of the Day of Resurrection, the Day of Regret and Remorse — the day when the scales will be set up and the records unrolled, counting every small sin and revealing every great one. Allah the Exalted says in His Book: وَ وَجَدُوا ما عَمِلُوا حاضِراً وَ لا یَظْلِمُ رَبُّکَ أَحَداً [And what they had done they shall find present (there); and your Lord does not deal unjustly with anyone].

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): [A zindiq] asked Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): "Did Allah create creation for mercy or for punishment?" He said: "For mercy, and before creating them He knew that a group of them, on account of their evil deeds and their denial, would head to His punishment." He asked: "Granted that the punishment of the deniers is a deserved punishment, why does He punish the monotheists and the gnostics?!" He said: "He subjects the deniers of His divinity to an everlasting punishment, and those who acknowledge Him (the monotheists and gnostics) He punishes because of disobedience to the obligations, then they come out of that punishment, وَ لا یَظْلِمُ رَبُّکَ أَحَداً [and your Lord does not deal unjustly with anyone]."

Imam al-Askari (peace be upon him): Among the statements which Imam al-Hadi (peace be upon him) made in his letter in reply to the people of Ahwaz, when they had asked him about jabr (compulsion) and tafwid (delegation), are these words: ... The Imam (peace be upon him) said: "As for jabr (compulsion), jabr is the statement of the one who believes that Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, has compelled His servants to commit sins and [yet] punishes them for [committing] those sins. Whoever holds such a belief has wronged Allah and given Him the lie, and has rejected this saying of Allah: وَ لا یَظْلِمُ رَبُّکَ أَحَداً [And your Lord does not deal unjustly with anyone], and also this saying of Allah: [and We shall say to them]: 'This is because of what your hands sent forward, and indeed Allah is never unjust to His servants!' (Hajj/10), and likewise many other verses with this meaning. Therefore, one who believes that he is compelled to commit sins has [in reality] transferred his own sin onto Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, and — since he believes that Allah [still] punishes him for it — he has reckoned Allah as unjust; and whoever reckons Allah as unjust has given the lie to His Book; and whoever gives the lie to the Book of Allah is, by the consensus of all [sects of] the ummah, a disbeliever. The example given in this matter is the example of a man who has a slave — a slave who owns nothing but himself and possesses none of the goods of this world, and whose master knows this about him, yet the master, knowing this, orders him to go to the market and buy the goods he needs, but does not give him money for those goods; and the master knows that there is a guardian over those goods who will not let anyone take them from him without giving him the price he is satisfied with. [All this is the case while] this slave's master has described himself as being characterised by justice and fairness and the manifestation of wisdom and the negation of oppression, and has threatened his slave that if he does not bring the needed goods to him he will punish him. The slave goes to the market and tries to bring the needed goods for which the master has sent him, but he finds someone over the goods who will not let him take them without payment. The slave, who does not have the price of the goods, returns to the master disappointed, without having fulfilled the master's need; and the master becomes angry and punishes him for that. Such a master is [in truth] a wrongdoer and a transgressor, and his claim to possess justice and wisdom and fairness is a false claim. And if he does not punish him, he has given the lie to his own [earlier] words. Is it not obligatory that he not punish him? Since falsehood and injustice are incompatible with justice and wisdom. Allah is far more exalted than what the Jabriyya believe of Him." Then the Imam (peace be upon him), after other lengthy statements, said: "As for the tafwid (delegation) which Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) declared invalid and whose adherents he judged to be in error, it is this: that someone should hold that Allah the Exalted has consigned the choice of His command and prohibition to His servants and left them to themselves. On this matter there is a subtle point, whose depth and subtlety none has reached except the guiding Imams from the House of the Messenger (peace be upon him and his family). They have said: If Allah had consigned His affair to them by way of neglect [and indifference], it would follow that He be pleased with whatever they chose and that they would deserve reward for it, and — if neglect were the case — they should not be punished for the deeds they had committed. This statement can carry two meanings: either the servants united against Allah and by their own opinions forced Him, of necessity, to accept whatever choice they made — whether He disliked it or liked it — He would be bound to accept their having choice; and this entails weakness in Allah. Or the exalted and holy One was unable to make them worship Him by the command and prohibition He Himself wills, and so consigned His command and prohibition to them, and — since He was unable to make them worship Him by the command and prohibition of His own will — He assigned command and prohibition according to their own liking and entrusted the choice of unbelief and belief to them themselves. The likeness of this is that of a man who has bought a slave so that [that slave] may render to him the right of his mastery and carry out his command and prohibition, and the man himself claims that he is powerful, mighty and wise; the man commands and prohibits his slave and promises him a great reward if he follows his command, and threatens him with a painful punishment if he disobeys him. But the slave opposes the will of his master and does not carry out his command and prohibition, and does not do the things his master has commanded or forbidden according to the master's wish; rather, he acts according to his own wish. The master sends him after something needed, but the slave, in opposition to the master, goes after something else... and follows his own wish and follows his own desire. When he returns to his master, the master sees that what he has brought is contrary to what he had commanded. The slave says: 'I relied on the delegation which you gave me in these matters, so I followed my own desire and my own wish; because one to whom a matter has been delegated is no longer restricted, for it is not possible to both delegate and restrict.' The Imam (peace be upon him) then said: Therefore, whoever believes that Allah has consigned the acceptance of His command and prohibition to His servants has affirmed inability in Allah and has made it obligatory upon Allah to accept all of the servants' deeds, whether good or evil, and has rendered null the command and prohibition of Allah the Exalted."

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): Salman al-Farsi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: One day I came into the presence of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family). He said: "O Salman (may Allah have mercy on him), Allah did not send any prophet except that He appointed twelve chiefs for him." I said: "O Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family)! I have heard this matter from the Jews and Christians as well." He said: "O Salman (may Allah have mercy on him)! Do you know who those twelve are whom Allah has chosen for leadership after me?" ... I wept and said: "Will I live to see them?" He said: "O Salman (may Allah have mercy on him)! You and those like you who love them will, through recognition of them, meet them." Salman (may Allah have mercy on him) said: I thanked Allah, then I said: "O Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family), will I live until their time?" He said: "O Salman (may Allah have mercy on him), recite this verse: When the first of the two promises comes, We shall raise against you a group of Our servants of great might [so that they may crush you severely, even for the purpose of seizing the criminals], they shall search through the dwellings, and this is a promise that shall certainly be fulfilled. Then We will give you back the victory over them, and We will aid you with wealth and children, and We will make you more numerous [than the enemy]. (Isra/6-5)." My weeping intensified out of longing and I said: "O Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family), will this be in your time?" He said: "Yes, by Allah, at that time I, Ali, Fatima, Hasan, Husayn and the nine Imams from the offspring of Husayn (all of whom were the oppressed ones of my Ahl al-Bayt) will all be gathered together in one place. Then Iblis and his hosts, and the true believers and the true disbelievers will be present so that they may take retribution from one another, وَ لا یَظْلِمُ رَبُّکَ أَحَداً [And your Lord does not deal unjustly with anyone]."