سورة الأنبياء

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Badr ibn Khalil al-Asadi narrates: I heard Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) say concerning the verse: فَلَمَّا أَحَسُّوا بَأْسَنَا إِذَا هُم مِّنْهَا يَرْكُضُونَ * لَا تَرْكُضُوا وَارْجِعُوا إِلَىٰ مَا أُتْرِفْتُمْ فِيهِ وَمَسَاكِنِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُسْأَلُونَ [So when they felt Our punishment, lo! they began to fly from it. Do not fly, and return to the luxury you enjoyed and to your dwellings, so that you may be questioned]: "When al-Qa'im (may Allah hasten his noble relief) rises and moves against the Banu Umayya in Sham, they will flee to Rome (Byzantium), and the Romans will say to them: 'We will not let you in unless you become Christians.' So they will hang crosses on their necks and enter Rome. When the companions of al-Qa'im (may Allah hasten his noble relief) reach them, they [the Romans] will ask for safe conduct and peace, and the companions of the Imam (may Allah hasten his noble relief) will say to the people of Rome: 'We will not do this unless you hand back to us those of ours whom you are harbouring.' So they will hand the Banu Umayya over to them. This is the meaning of the verse: لَا تَرْكُضُوا وَارْجِعُوا إِلَىٰ مَا أُتْرِفْتُمْ فِيهِ وَمَسَاكِنِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُسْأَلُونَ [Do not fly, and return to the luxury you enjoyed and to your dwellings, so that you may be questioned]. Then they [al-Qa'im's companions] will demand from them the treasures of which they [the Imam and his men] have knowledge, and they will say: يَا وَيْلَنَا إِنَّا كُنَّا ظَالِمِينَ * فَمَا زَالَت تِّلْكَ دَعْوَاهُمْ حَتَّىٰ جَعَلْنَاهُمْ حَصِيدًا خَامِدِينَ [Woe to us! Indeed we were wrongdoers. And that cry of theirs did not cease until We made them as reaped corn, extinct] — that is, by the sword We render them like mown grass, lifeless."

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Abd al-A'la al-Halabi said: Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) said: "The master of this affair will have an occultation in some of these valleys." (Then he pointed with his hand towards the region of Dhi Tuwa.) "Until, two nights before his rising, a servant who is in his service comes and reaches some of the companions of the Imam..." Then Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) said: "It is as though I am looking at him telling his companions: 'Move towards this tyrant', meaning the Sufyani. And he calls him to the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Prophet (peace be upon him and his family). So the Sufyani pledges allegiance to the Imam by way of surrender and peace. At this, the tribe of Kalb, who are the Sufyani's maternal uncles, say to him: 'What are you doing? By Allah, we will never pledge allegiance to you on this basis!' He says: 'What shall we do?' They say: 'Fight against the Qa'im (may Allah hasten his noble relief)!' So he takes up combat against the Imam. Then the Imam says to him: 'Beware and be on your guard, for I have delivered what was to be delivered, and I am going to fight you.' So the Imam engages in battle with them, and Allah gives him mastery over them, and the Imam takes the Sufyani captive, takes him away, and slaughters him with his own hand. Then he sends a detachment of his army towards Rum (Rome) to bring the remnants of the Bani Umayyah before him. When that detachment reaches Rum, they say: 'Hand over to us the people of our religion, meaning the Bani Umayyah!' They refuse to do so and say: 'By Allah, we will not do such a thing!' So the Imam's envoys say: 'By Allah, if we had permission to fight, we would fight you.' After that, they return to the Imam and inform him of what happened. The Imam says: 'Go and fight them and take the Bani Umayyah from them.' They go, and when the people of Rum see them, they say: 'Hand over the Bani Umayyah to them, for this time they have come with total dominance.' And this is the interpretation of the saying of Allah, who said: فَلَمَّا أَحَسُّوا بَأْسَنا إِذا هُمْ مِنْها یَرْکُضُونَ لا تَرْکُضُوا وَ ارْجِعُوا إِلی ما أُتْرِفْتُمْ فِیهِ وَ مَساکِنِکُمْ لَعَلَّکُمْ تُسْئَلُون قالُوا یا وَیْلَنا إِنَّا کُنَّا ظالِمِینَ فَما زالَتْ تِلْکَ دَعْواهُمْ حَتَّی جَعَلْناهُم حَصِیداً خامِدِین [So when they felt Our punishment, lo! they began to fly. Do not fly, and return to the luxuries you were given and to your dwellings, so that you may be questioned. They said: 'Woe to us! Indeed we were wrongdoers.' And that cry of theirs did not cease until We made them as a mown-down harvest, extinguished]. And the Imam does not leave any of them alive to carry the news. Then he returns to Kufa and sends three hundred and some men to the far horizons, and he wipes between their shoulder blades and over their chests. So they do not grow weary in judgement and ruling among people, and no land remains except that the testimony to the oneness of Allah, who has no partner, and the messengership of Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) is called out in it."

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): O people! Ask me before a sedition arises from the east — [a sedition] which, after the death and revival of creatures, lifts its foot and walks upon its parts; or before a fire is kindled with abundant firewood in the west of the earth; and before a sedition, with enmity and rancour or the like of it such as taking revenge, lifts its skirt and raises the cry of woe! Then when the sky turns round, you will say: Has he died or perished? Into which valley has he set foot? The first of these [signs] is the besieging of Kufa with watchmen and the trench... And a monk from the people of Najran will rise up and respond to the Imam. He will be the first Christian to answer, and he will demolish his monastery and break his cross. He will bring out slaves, weak people and horses, and all together with the banners of guidance they will march to al-Nukhayla. Al-Nukhayla is the gathering place of all the people of the earth in the region of al-Faruq, and it is the way of Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him), located between al-Burs and the Euphrates. On that day, between the east and the west of the world, 3,000 Jews and Christians will be killed, and the people will kill one another. That is the ta'wil (interpretation) of this verse: فَما زالَتْ تِلْکَ دَعْواهُمْ حَتَّی جَعَلْناهُمْ حَصیداً خامِدینَ [And this ceased not to be their cry until We made them cut off, extinct] — lifeless by the sword and under the shade of swords. And from the tribe of Banu Ashhab a man of evil gaze and evil eye will remain, with a group of people who are not of his father (are not related to him), and he will flee with them, until they come to 'Sabatra', which is the name of a village in Damascus, taking refuge under a tree. That day is the ta'wil (interpretation) of this verse: فَلَمَّا أَحَسُّوا بَأْسَنا إِذا هُمْ مِنْها یَرْکُضُونَ لا تَرْکُضُوا وَ ارْجِعُوا إِلی ما أُتْرِفْتُمْ فیهِ وَ مَساکِنِکُمْ لَعَلَّکُمْ تُسْئَلُونَ [So when they felt Our punishment, lo! they began to fly. Fly not, and return to the luxuries you were given and to your dwellings, that you may be questioned]. What is meant by their dwellings are the treasures they have taken as spoils from the wealth of the Muslims. On that day, the sinking into the earth, the hurling [of stones], and the transformation will overtake them, and on that day the ta'wil (interpretation) of this verse will come to pass: وَ ما هِیَ مِنَ الظَّالِمینَ بِبَعیدٍ [And it is not far from the wrongdoers]. And a caller will call out in the month of Ramadan at sunrise from the direction of the east: O people of guidance! Assemble! And after the setting of the sun he will call out from the direction of the west: O people of guidance! Assemble! And on the noon of the following day, at the eclipse of the sun when the air becomes dark and black, he will call out again. And on the third day, with the coming forth of the Beast of the Earth, a distinction will be made between truth and falsehood.

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Jabir said: I asked Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) about the interpretation of the verse: فَلَمَّا أَحَسُّوا بَأْسَنَا إِذَا هُم مِّنْهَا یَرْکُضُونَ [So when they felt Our punishment, lo! they began to fly]. He answered: "This is at the time of the rising of the Qa'im (may Allah hasten his noble reappearance)."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Ismail ibn Jabir narrates from Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) regarding the verse: فَلَمَّا أَحَسُّوا بَأْسَنَا [So when they felt Our punishment], that he said: "This is at the time of the rising of the Qa'im (may Allah hasten his noble relief); إِذَا هُم مِّنْهَا یَرْکُضُونَ [lo! they began to fly from it] — the meaning is that they flee from the treasures they had amassed; قَالُوا یَا وَیْلَنَا إِنَّا کُنَّا ظَالِمِینَ * فَمَا زَالَت تِّلْکَ دَعْوَاهُمْ حَتَّی جَعَلْنَاهُمْ حَصِیدًا [They said: 'Woe to us! Indeed we were wrongdoers.' So this cry of theirs did not cease until We made them mown down] — meaning We reap them with the sword."

Ali ibn Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him): فَلَمَّا أَحَسُّوا بَأْسَنا إِذا هُمْ مِنْها یَرْکُضُونَ [So when they felt Our punishment, lo! they began to fly from it] — meaning Banu Umayya, when they feel the harm from the Qa'im of the family of Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family).

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Mufaddal ibn Umar narrates from Aba Abdillah, Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him), that he said: "Concerning Banu Fulan, three verses were revealed. [The first is] the saying of Allah the Mighty and Majestic: حَتَّی إِذا أَخَذَتِ الْأَرْضُ زُخْرُفَها وَ ازَّیَّنَتْ وَ ظَنَّ أَهْلُها أَنَّهُمْ قادِرُونَ عَلَیْها أَتاها أَمْرُنا لَیْلًا أَوْ نَهاراً [until, when the earth takes on its adornment and is beautified, and its people are certain that they have power over it, Our command comes upon it by night or by day] (Yunus/24) — meaning the Qa'im (may Allah hasten his noble relief), who comes with the sword; فَجَعَلْنَاهَا حَصِیدًا کَأَن لَّمْ تَغْنَ بِالأَمْسِ [and We make it as if reaped, as though it had not flourished yesterday]. And [the second]: the saying of Allah the Mighty and Majestic: فَتَحْنا عَلَیْهِمْ أَبْوابَ کُلِّ شَیْءٍ حَتَّی إِذا فَرِحُوا بِما أُوتُوا أَخَذْناهُمْ بَغْتَةً فَإِذا هُمْ مُبْلِسُونَ فَقُطِعَ دابِرُ الْقَوْمِ الَّذِینَ ظَلَمُوا وَ الحَمْدُ لِلهِ رَبِّ الْعالَمِینَ [We opened for them the gates of every thing, until, when they rejoiced in what they were given, We seized them suddenly, and then they were plunged into despair. So the last remnant of the wrongdoing people was cut off — Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds] — meaning with the sword [the continuation of their life was cut off]. And [the third]: the saying of Allah the Mighty and Majestic: فَلَمَّا أَحَسُّوا بَأْسَنا إِذا هُمْ مِنْها یَرْکُضُونَ لا تَرْکُضُوا وَ ارْجِعُوا إِلی ما أُتْرِفْتُمْ فِیهِ وَ مَساکِنِکُمْ لَعَلَّکُمْ تُسْئَلُونَ [So when they felt Our punishment, lo! they began to fly from it. 'Do not fly, and return to the luxury you enjoyed and to your dwellings, that you may be questioned'] — meaning the Qa'im (may Allah hasten his noble relief) will demand from Banu Fulan the treasures of Banu Umayya."

Imam Sajjad (peace be upon him): فَلَمَّا أَحَسُّوا بَأْسَنَا إِذَا هُم مِّنْهَا یَرْکُضُونَ [So when they felt Our punishment, lo! they began to fly from it] — meaning they flee from it.

Ali ibn Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him): وَ کَمْ قَصَمْنا مِنْ قَرْیَةٍ کانَتْ ظالِمَةً [And how many a town that was wrongdoing have We shattered]; the meaning of "town" is its people, as He says: وَ أَنْشَأْنا بَعْدَها قَوْماً آخَرِینَ [and We produced after it another people], فَلَمَّا أَحَسُّوا بَأْسَنا إِذا هُمْ مِنْها یَرْکُضُونَ [So when they felt Our punishment, lo! they began to fly from it] — that is, when [Banu Umayya] feel Our punishment, they flee from it; لا تَرْکُضُوا وَ ارْجِعُوا إِلی ما أُتْرِفْتُمْ فِیهِ وَ مَساکِنِکُمْ لَعَلَّکُمْ تُسْئَلُونَ ['Do not fly, and return to the luxury you enjoyed and to your dwellings, that you may be questioned']. In a hadith it is [narrated] that when the Imam of the Age (may Allah hasten his noble relief) appears, Banu Umayya flee in fear to Rome; His Eminence (may Allah hasten his noble relief) brings them out of Rome and demands from them the treasures they had hidden; قالُوا یا وَیْلَنا إِنَّا کُنَّا ظالِمِینَ فَما زالَتْ تِلْکَ دَعْواهُمْ حَتَّی جَعَلْناهُمْ حَصِیداً خامِدِینَ [They said: 'Woe to us! Indeed we were wrongdoers.' So this cry of theirs did not cease until We made them mown down and extinguished]. Banu Umayya say: "Woe to us, for we were a wrongdoing people." They keep on speaking these words until [through the Qa'im of the family of Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) and his army] all of them are mown down and put to the sword! Although the wording of these verses is in the past tense, its meaning is in the future, and this is among the verses whose ta'wil (interpretation), as we said, comes after their revelation.