سورة مريم

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Abu Basir said: I asked Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): "What does the phrase لَا یَمْلِکُونَ الشَّفَاعَةَ إِلَّا مَنِ اتَّخَذَ عِندَ الرَّحْمَنِ عَهْدًا [They shall not control intercession, save he who has made a covenant with the Beneficent Allah] mean?" He said: "Allah has here made an exception for those whom He has honored with the wilayah of Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) and the other Imams (peace be upon them), and this is the covenant with Allah."

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Jabir ibn Yazid al-Ju'fi said: Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) said: "Whoever recites this supplication once in his lifetime, it is written on a parchment and raised in the register of Hazrat al-Qa'im (may Allah hasten his noble relief). So when the Qa'im of the Ahl al-Bayt (may Allah hasten his noble relief) appears, he will be called by his name and his father's name. Then this writing will be handed to him and it will be said to him: 'Take this covenant document by which you made a covenant with us in the abode of this world.' And this is the saying of Allah the Exalted, who has said: إِلَّا مَنِ اتَّخَذَ عِنْدَ الرَّحْمنِ عَهْداً [save he who has made a covenant with the Beneficent]."

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): It is narrated from Ibn Mas'ud: One day the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) said to his companions: "Is any of you unable to take a covenant with Allah every morning and evening?" They said: "How is that?" He said: "[Every morning and evening] he should say: 'O Allah! O Originator of the heavens and the earth, Knower of the hidden and the manifest, I make a covenant with You that I bear witness that there is no deity except You, alone, You have no partner, and that Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) is Your servant and Your messenger, and that if You leave me to myself You bring me near to evils and take me far from good, and I trust in nothing except Your mercy. So establish for me with You a covenant which You will fulfill for me on the Day of Resurrection; indeed You do not break Your promise.' When he says it, it is sealed with a seal and placed beneath the Throne, and when the Day of Resurrection comes, a caller will cry out: 'Where are those who have a covenant with Allah?' Then [on account of that covenant of theirs] they enter Paradise."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) said: "Whoever does not make a proper will at the time of death, it is a defect in his manliness and his intellect." It was said: "O Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family)! How should one make a will?" He said: "When his death approaches and people gather around him, he should say: O Lord! O Originator of the heavens and the earth! O Knower of the unseen and the seen! O Merciful to friend and foe! O Lord! In this world I make a covenant with You and confess and bear witness before You that there is no god but You, You are alone, You have no partner, and that Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) is Your servant and Your Messenger, and that Paradise and Hell are true, and reckoning, resurrection, the Scale and destiny are true, and that the Qur'an is as You have sent it down, and that You Yourself are Allah, the True, the Manifest. May Allah grant Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) the best of rewards, and may He bestow upon Muhammad and his family the best of salutations. O Lord! O my provision at the time of my distress, O my helper at the time of my hardship, O Guardian of my blessings! You who are my Allah and the Allah of my fathers and forefathers, do not leave me to myself for even a moment, for if You leave me to myself for the blinking of an eye, I draw near to evil and become distant from good. O Allah! Be the companion of my loneliness in my grave, and grant me this covenant on the day I meet You. Then he should give instructions regarding his needs. This is the will which Allah has mentioned: لا یَمْلِکُونَ الشَّفاعَةَ إِلَّا مَنِ اتَّخَذَ عِنْدَ الرَّحْمنِ عَهْداً [They shall not control intercession, save he who has made a covenant with the Beneficent Allah]. This is the covenant of the deceased, and making a will is a right upon every Muslim, and it is necessary that he preserve this and act by it." Amir al-Mu'minin Ali (peace be upon him) said: "The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) taught me this manner of making a will, and he said: Jibra'il taught it to me."