سورة البقرة

Imam Askari (peace be upon him): O Children of Israel, remember when you were wandering lost in the desert (one of the punishments of the Children of Israel was their wandering in the desert) - We made the clouds a shade for you to protect you from the heat of the sun and the cold of the moon.

Ali ibn Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him): When Musa (peace be upon him) brought the Children of Israel across the sea, they reached a wilderness and said to Musa (peace be upon him): "You have led us to destruction and killed us; for you have brought us from town and habitation to a wilderness in which there is neither shade, nor tree, nor water." [After that, by Allah's command] during the day a cloud would come and cast a shade over them against the sun.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Roasted fowl and manna would descend upon the Children of Israel between the two dawns (between the break of dawn and sunrise), and whoever slept during that hour was left without his share, and when he woke up he had no choice but to beg and ask others for it.

Ali ibn Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him): At night, too, manna would fall upon them, landing on plants, trees, and stones, and the people would gather it and eat it.

Imam Askari (peace be upon him): What is meant by 'manna' is tarangabin, which fell from the sky onto the trees, and the people would eat from it.

The Messenger (peace be upon him and his family): Manna is a kind of tarangabin that was sent down upon the Children of Israel, and it is a healer for the eye.

Ali ibn Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him): In the evening, a roasted bird would descend upon their tables, and after [the Children of Israel] ate from it and were satisfied, it would spread its wings and leave.

Imam Askari (peace be upon him): As-Salwa is the quail, which has the best meat among birds, and Allah would send it down upon the Children of Israel, and they would hunt this bird.

Al-Husayn (peace be upon him): A Jewish scholar from the land of Sham, in the course of a long speech, said to Imam Ali (peace be upon him): "This is Musa (peace be upon him), who was given roasted quail and manna — was anything like this given to Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family)?" Imam Ali (peace be upon him) said: "It was indeed so, and Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) was given something even better than this: Allah made war spoils lawful for Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) and his ummah, which had not been made lawful for anyone before him; so this is better than the roasted quail and manna." The Jewish scholar said: "Clouds shaded Musa (peace be upon him) — did something like this happen for Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) too?" The Imam (peace be upon him) said: "It is indeed so; that happened to Musa (peace be upon him) while he was wandering in the wilderness, but Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) was given something better than that. Allah ordained a cloud that continuously shaded his blessed head, in travel and at home, from the day he was born until the day he passed away. So this is better than what was given to Musa (peace be upon him)."

Imam Askari (peace be upon him): Eat from these pure and wholesome provisions, and value My blessing, and honor the one whom I have honored, and revere the one whom I have revered. These are Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) and his pure family (peace be upon them), regarding whom I took a covenant and pledge from you.

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): A heretic came to Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) and said: "Were it not for the contradiction and inconsistency in the Qur'an, I would certainly have embraced your religion." His Eminence (peace be upon him) said: "What contradiction and inconsistency have you found in the Qur'an?" He said: "I have found this expression: وَ ما ظَلَمُونا وَ لکِنْ کانُوا أَنْفُسَهُمْ یَظْلِمُونَ [and they did not do Us any harm, but they made their own souls suffer the loss]. How can Allah be wronged? And who are these wrongdoers?" ... Ali (peace be upon him) answered him: "As for this saying of Allah, وَ ما ظَلَمُونا وَ لکِنْ کانُوا أَنْفُسَهُمْ یَظْلِمُونَ [and they did not do Us any harm, but they made their own souls suffer the loss], indeed Allah the Exalted is greater than that anyone should wrong Him. Rather, [the meaning is that] He appointed His trusted ones over His creatures and made the creatures know the greatness and lofty rank and station of these trusted ones with Him, and He also made the people understand that wronging His trusted ones is in reality wronging Him Himself. As He said: وَ ما ظَلَمُونا [and they did not do Us any harm], meaning that by their hatred and rancour towards My awliya (peace be upon them) and by aiding their enemies against them, they did not wrong Me. [Rather, they wronged themselves]."

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Zurara said: I asked Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) about the saying of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, وَ ما ظَلَمُونا وَ لکِنْ کانُوا أَنْفُسَهُمْ یَظْلِمُونَ [and they did not do Us any harm, but they made their own souls suffer the loss]. He answered: "Allah the Exalted is greater, mightier, more majestic and more inaccessible than that He should be wronged; rather, He has joined us to Himself, and has made wrong done to us a wrong done to Him, and our wilayah His wilayah."

Imam Askari (peace be upon him): When they altered [Allah's command] and said other than what they were commanded, and did not fulfill the covenant they had made, [in reality] they did not wrong Us, because the disbelief of the disbeliever does not diminish Our sovereignty and dominion, just as the faith of the believer does not add to Our sovereignty.

Imam Askari (peace be upon him): Rather, they wrong themselves, because [through disobedience] they made Paradise forbidden to themselves and made eternity in the Fire obligatory upon themselves.

Imam Askari (peace be upon him): They have harmed [themselves] because of their disbelief and their distortion.

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family): There are five traits mentioned in the Book of Allah; whoever possesses them, their harm returns upon their owners. They said: "O Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family)! What are those five things?" He said: "Breaking of covenants, plotting, transgression, deceit, and oppression ... And as for oppression, Allah has said in the Quran: وَ ما ظَلَمُونا وَ لکِنْ کانُوا أَنْفُسَهُمْ یَظْلِمُونَ [And they did not do Us any harm, but they made their own souls suffer the loss]."