سورة البقرة

Imam al-Askari (peace be upon him): Bani Israel changed their word — instead of "حطّه" (hittah), which they had been commanded to say, they said "هطا سمقانا", meaning "red wheat." This is the very alteration they made.

Ali ibn Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him): Bani Israel changed that [hittah] (forgiveness and pardon) and said "حِنطَةٌ" (meaning wheat) instead.

Imam al-Baqir (peace be upon him): As for those who were unjust, they had in mind [the word] "حنطه" [wheat], red wheat, [instead of "حطّه",] and so they changed it.

Imam al-Askari (peace be upon him): That is, they did not prostrate as they had been commanded, nor did they say what they had been commanded to say; rather, [out of disrespect,] they entered that city with their backs turned and said: "هنطا سمقانا", meaning "the red wheat we eat is better to us than this act and this word." (Their aim was alteration and mockery.)

Imam al-Askari (peace be upon him): Then the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) turned to the Jews and said: "Beware, lest by opposing the command of Allah and His Book, what befell your predecessors befall you too — those about whom Allah the Exalted said: فَبَدَّلَ الَّذِینَ ظَلَمُوا قَوْلًا غَیْرَ الَّذِی قِیلَ لَهُمْ [So those who were unjust changed the word to other than what was said to them]."

Imam al-Askari (peace be upon him): They altered and changed what was said to them, and did not submit to the wilayah (guardianship) of Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family), Ali (peace be upon him), and their pure family.

Ali ibn Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him): We sent down a punishment from heaven upon those who wronged the right of the family of Muhammad (peace be upon them).

Al-Hasan (peace be upon him): The punishment sent down from heaven upon the unjust was a plague that descended on them; 120,000 of them died. Then for a second time they were struck by plague again, and another 120,000 of them perished. Their transgression was that when they reached the gate, they saw it was a high gate, and they said: "Why should we need to bow and stoop? [Before reaching this gate] we thought it was a low gate that one would have to stoop to enter, but [we see] this gate is high and raised. How long will these people" — meaning Musa (peace be upon him) and then Yusha ibn Nun (peace be upon him) — "keep mocking us and make us prostrate for meaningless things?" So they turned their backs and walked toward the gate. (They committed disrespect.)

Imam al-Askari (peace be upon him): The punishment that befell them (Bani Israel) was that 120,000 of them died of plague within a single day.

Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him): They will kill these two sons of mine, al-Hasan (peace be upon him) and al-Husayn (peace be upon him). Their killers will, in this world, suffer a painful punishment by the swords of those whom Allah the Exalted will empower over them, to take revenge for the transgressions they committed — just as Bani Israel suffered such a painful punishment. It was said to the Imam (peace be upon him): "O Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him)! Who is [the avenger]?" He said: "A young man from the tribe of Thaqif, called al-Mukhtar ibn Abi Ubayd."

Imam al-Askari (peace be upon him): They went out from the command of Allah and His obedience ... and they are those about whom Allah knew that they would not believe and would not repent. Allah did not afflict with this punishment those whom He knew would repent, or from whose loins pure offspring would come — those who affirm the oneness of Allah, believe in Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family), and recognize the wilayah (guardianship) of his successor and brother, Ali (peace be upon him).