سورة الحج

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Salama ibn Muhriz said: I was with Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) when a man called Abu al-Ward came to him and said: 'May Allah's mercy be upon you! It would have been good [on this Hajj journey] if you had spared your body [from the heat of the sun] inside the litter!' The Imam (peace be upon him) said: 'O Abu al-Ward! I love to witness those benefits about which Allah, Blessed and Exalted, has said: لِیَشْهَدُوا مَنافِعَ لَهُمْ [That they may witness advantages for them]. Know that no one witnesses these benefits except that Allah grants him benefit. As for you Shia, [Allah's benefit] is that you return to your cities having been forgiven. And as for others, [Allah's benefit] is that [during this journey] their families and their possessions are kept safe.'

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Rabi ibn Khuthaym said: "I saw Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) who, despite the severe illness he had, was being circumambulated around the Ka'bah inside a litter, and whenever he reached the Rukn al-Yamani (the southern corner of the Ka'bah) he would order that he be placed on the ground, and he would bring his hand out through the opening of the litter and [since he could not draw it over the Rukn al-Yamani] would drag it upon the ground, then he would say: 'Lift me up.' When the Imam (peace be upon him) had repeated this in every round [of the tawaf], I said to him: 'May my soul be your ransom, O son of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family)! [Given the illness you have,] dragging your hand upon the ground in every round of the tawaf is hard and painful for you!' The Imam (peace be upon him) said: 'I [do this because] I have heard from Allah the Mighty and Majestic that He says: لِیَشْهَدُوا مَنافِعَ لَهُمْ [That they may witness advantages for them].' I said: 'Is what is meant the benefits of this world or of the hereafter?' He said: 'What is meant is all of them.'"

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Regarding the saying of Allah the Exalted [that He said:] لِیَشْهَدُوا مَنافِعَ لَهُمْ [That they may witness advantages for them]; it is narrated that what is meant is the benefits of the Hereafter.

Imam Rida (peace be upon him): The reason for the obligation of Hajj is that people turn towards Allah the Mighty and Majestic and seek an increase of blessings, come out of sins and repent from their past, and in the future adopt religiousness as their way. Also, in Hajj they spend wealth and bear hardship and difficulty, and withhold themselves from lusts and pleasures, and through performing worship and through humility, submission and lowliness draw near to Allah the Mighty and Majestic, and travel this journey with firm steps in cold and heat. In addition to these, it has other benefits for all people, together with desire and awe towards Allah. Likewise, [on the one hand] liberation from hardness of heart, audacity in committing sin and forgetfulness of the remembrance of Allah, and [on the other hand] severing attachment from other than Allah, renewing the recollection of rights, and restraining the soul from corruption — all of these are among the benefits of Hajj. And the benefit of all those who are in the east and west of the world, on land and sea, whether they perform Hajj or not, exists in the Hajj; whether they be merchants or consumers, sellers or buyers, tradesmen or the destitute. It also becomes a means of fulfilling the needs of people of other lands for whom it is possible to gather at this great congress of Hajj; all of these are so that لِیَشْهَدُوا مَنافِعَ لَهُمْ [they may witness their various benefits in this life-giving program].

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): What is meant by "mentioning the name of Allah" in this saying of Allah the Exalted [that He said:] وَ یَذْکُرُوا اسْمَ اللهِ [and mention the name of Allah]; is the special takbir which [the pilgrims in the land of Mina] recite after fifteen prayers, beginning from the Zuhr prayer of the day of Eid al-Adha (the tenth of Dhu al-Hijjah) [and ending after the Fajr prayer of the thirteenth day].

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): What is meant by the stated days is the days of Tashriq (the eleventh, twelfth and thirteenth of Dhu al-Hijjah).

Imam Ali: وَیَذْکُرُوا اسْمَ اللهِ فِی أَیَّامٍ مَعْلُومَاتٍ [that they may mention the name of Allah during stated days]; what is meant is the ayyam al-'ashr (the first ten days of Dhu al-Hijjah).

Imam Ali: "And remember Allah during stated days" (al-Baqarah/203); what is meant is the days of tashriq.

Imam Kazim (peace be upon him): Safwan ibn Yahya al-Azraq said: I asked Imam Kazim (peace be upon him): "Is there any objection if someone gives his sacrificial animal to a person to skin it, and in return gives him the hide of the sacrifice?" The Imam (peace be upon him) said: "There is no objection to it. Allah the Mighty and Majestic has said: فَکُلُوا مِنْها وَ أَطْعِمُوا [So eat of them and feed]; and the hide of the animal is neither eaten nor given as food to another."

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): It is narrated from Imam Ali (peace be upon him) regarding this saying of Allah the Exalted [where He says:] فَکُلُوا مِنْها وَ أَطْعِمُوا [So eat of them and feed], that he said: "Eat three-quarters of the meat of the sacrifice and feed one-quarter of it to the poor."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): It is fitting for one who offers a sacrifice — whether it be recommended or obligatory (like the sacrifice in the rites of Hajj) — that he eat from the meat of his sacrifice, and then give [from its meat] in charity.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): regarding this saying of Allah the Mighty and Majestic [where He says:] وَأَطْعِمُوا الْبَائِسَ الْفَقِیرَ [and feed the distressed one, the needy]; Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: "What is meant is the disabled person who, because of his disability, cannot go out [of his home to earn a living]."

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family): وَأَطْعِمُوا الْبَائِسَ الْفَقِیرَ [and feed the distressed one, the needy]; what is meant is the disabled person who cannot come out of his state of disability.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) was asked about this saying of Allah the Mighty and Majestic [where He says:] فَکُلُوا مِنْها وَ أَطْعِمُوا الْقانِعَ وَ الْمُعْتَرَّ و الْبائِسَ الْفَقِیرَ [so eat of them and feed the contented one and the beggar and the distressed one, the needy]. He said: "What is meant by 'al-qani' (the contented) is the needy person who is satisfied with whatever is given to him and does not twist his mouth or scowl his face out of belittling and reckoning as little what is given to him; and 'al-mu'tarr' (the beggar) is the needy person who asks and begs; and 'al-faqir' (the poor) is the needy person who does not ask; and 'al-miskin' (the destitute) is the needy person whose condition is worse than the poor; and 'al-ba'is al-faqir' (the distressed needy) is the needy person whose condition is harder and worse than all of these." The Imam (peace be upon him) [continued and] said: "My father, Imam Baqir (peace be upon him), would sometimes test the askers so as to distinguish the contented from the non-contented. So when a needy person came to his door, [at first] he would give him the head of the sheep; if he accepted the head, my father would say: 'Leave it,' and would give him the meat of the sheep; and if he did not accept the head, my father would leave him and would not give him anything."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): "al-ba'is" is the very same as al-faqir (the poor).