سورة الأنبياء

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Hasan Sayqal said: I said to Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): "We have narrated from Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) concerning this saying of Yusuf (peace be upon him): أَیَّتُهَا الْعِیرُ إِنَّکُمْ لَسارِقُونَ [O caravan! Indeed, you are thieves] (Yusuf/70), that he said: 'By Allah, they did not steal, and Yusuf (peace be upon him) did not lie.' And regarding this saying of Ibrahim (peace be upon him): بَلْ فَعَلَهُ کَبِیرُهُمْ هَذَا فَاسْأَلُوهُمْ إِن کَانُوا یَنطِقُونَ [Rather, this, the biggest of them, did it; so ask them, if they can speak], we also narrate that he said: 'By Allah, neither did they (the idols) do this, nor did Ibrahim (peace be upon him) lie.'" Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: "O Sayqal! What is your view on this?" I replied: "We have no view except to accept it." He continued and said: "Indeed Allah loves two things and dislikes two things; the two things beloved to Allah are taking risk between the two battle lines, and lying for the purpose of reconciliation; and He dislikes taking risk on the roads and lying for a purpose other than bringing about reconciliation. Indeed Ibrahim (peace be upon him), when he said: بَلْ فَعَلَهُ کَبِیرُهُمْ [Rather, the biggest of them did it], said this for the purpose of reconciliation and to show that they (the idols) are incapable of doing such a thing; and likewise Yusuf (peace be upon him) also intended reconciliation."

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): Ata narrates from Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) that the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) said: "A person who has lied for the purpose of reconciliation has not committed it." Then he recited this verse: بَلْ فَعَلَهُ کَبِیرُهُمْ هَذَا فَاسْأَلُوهُمْ إِن کَانُوا یَنطِقُونَ [Rather, this, the biggest of them, did it; so ask them, if they can speak]. By Allah, they (the idols) did not do this, and Ibrahim (peace be upon him) did not lie either.

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Abu Basir said: I was with Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) when it was said to him: "Salim ibn Abi Hafsa and his companions (who were among the extremists opposing the Imam (peace be upon him)) report from you that you speak a word which has seventy interpretations, and by any of them you can free yourself from responsibility." The Imam (peace be upon him) said: "What does Salim expect of me? Does he want me to parade the angels before him? By Allah, the prophets (peace be upon them) did not bring such a thing." Ibrahim (peace be upon him) said: "I am sick [and I will not come with you to the festival]!" (Saffat/89), while he was not sick, nor did he lie. Likewise, Ibrahim (peace be upon him) says: بَلْ فَعَلَهُ کَبِیرُهُمْ هذا [Rather, this, the biggest of them, did it], while their biggest one had not done this, and he did not lie. And Yusuf (peace be upon him) also said: "O caravan! Indeed you are thieves" (Yusuf/70). And by Allah, neither were they thieves nor had he lied.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): [Regarding] فَاسْأَلُوهُمْ إِن کَانُوا یَنطِقُونَ [so ask them, if they can speak], Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said concerning this: "By Allah, neither did the biggest idol do this, nor did Ibrahim (peace be upon him) lie." It was asked: "How is that possible?" He said: "Ibrahim (peace be upon him) said that the biggest idol did this; if it speaks [it did it], and if it does not speak, then this biggest one did nothing at all."

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): Ibrahim (peace be upon him) never lied deliberately except three times, in all three of which he was defending his religion; [one was in] his statement: "إِنِّی سَقِیمٌ [I am sick (and I will not come with you to the festival)]!" (Saffat/89). He pretended to be sick, because the people had gone out of the city for their festival and he stayed behind so that he might do to their gods what he did, and cut them to pieces; the second was in his statement: بَلْ فَعَلَهُ کَبِیرُهُمْ [Rather, this big one of them did it]; and the third was in his statement about Sarah, when he said: She is my sister. He said this to a tyrant from among the tyrants who wanted to take her [from Ibrahim (peace be upon him)].

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Speech is of three kinds: truth, lie, or reconciliation between people.