سورة الحج

Imam Kazim (peace be upon him): Imam Kazim (peace be upon him), narrating from his noble fathers (peace be upon them), regarding this saying of Allah the Mighty and Majestic [where He says:] الَّذینَ إِنْ مَکَّنَّاهُمْ فِی الْأَرْضِ أَقامُوا الصَّلاةَ وَ آتَوُا الزَّکاةَ وَ أَمَرُوا بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَ نَهَوْا عَنِ الْمُنْکَرِ [Those who, should We establish them in the land, will keep up prayer and pay the poor-rate and enjoin good and forbid evil], said: "What is meant by them is us (the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them))."

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family): It is narrated from Hazrat Zahra (peace be upon her) that the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) said: The verse الَّذینَ إِنْ مَکَّنَّاهُمْ فِی الْأَرْضِ أَقامُوا الصَّلاةَ وَ آتَوُا الزَّکاةَ... [Those who, should We establish them in the land, will keep up prayer and pay the poor-rate...] was revealed concerning us (the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them)).

Imam Kazim (peace be upon him): Isa ibn Dawud narrated from Imam Kazim (peace be upon him) that he said: "One day I was in the mosque with my father, Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him), when a man came to him and stood before him and said: 'O son of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family)! A verse in the Quran has confounded me. I asked Jabir ibn Yazid about its interpretation, and he directed me to your presence.' My father said: 'Which verse is it?' The man said: 'The verse الَّذینَ إِنْ مَکَّنَّاهُمْ فِی الْأَرْضِ... [Those who, should We establish them in the land...]'. My father said: 'Yes! This verse was revealed concerning us, the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them), and its account is this: So-and-so and so-and-so and a group who were with them — my father named them — came to the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) and asked: "To whom will the caliphate pass after you? By Allah! If it passes to one of your kinsmen, we fear your kinsfolk for our own lives; and if it passes to someone other than them, perhaps someone other than them will be closer and more merciful toward us than they are!" The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) became very distressed upon hearing this and said: "By Allah! If you had faith in Allah and His Messenger, you would never regard them as enemies; for enmity toward them is enmity toward me, and enmity toward me is disbelief in Allah. You [with these words of yours] have announced my death to me! By Allah! If Allah gives them power in the land, they will establish prayer at its proper time and will pay zakat in its proper place, and will enjoin good and forbid evil; Allah will humiliate and abase those who show enmity toward me and my Ahl al-Bayt." At this point Allah the Mighty and Majestic revealed this verse: الَّذینَ إِنْ مَکَّنَّاهُمْ فِی الْأَرْضِ أَقامُوا الصَّلاةَ وَ آتَوُا الزَّکاةَ وَ أَمَرُوا بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَ نَهَوْا عَنِ الْمُنْکَرِ وَ لِلهِ عاقِبَةُ الْأُمُورِ [Those who, should We establish them in the land, will keep up prayer and pay the poor-rate and enjoin good and forbid evil; and Allah's is the end of affairs]. Even so, that group did not accept the Prophet's (peace be upon him and his family) statement; so Allah the Glorified revealed these verses: وَ إِنْ یُکَذِّبُوکَ فَقَدْ کَذَّبَتْ قَبْلَهُمْ قَوْمُ نُوحٍ وَ عادٌ وَ ثَمُودُ * وَ قَوْمُ إِبْراهِیمَ وَ قَوْمُ لُوطٍ * وَ أَصْحابُ مَدْیَنَ وَ کُذِّبَ مُوسی فَأَمْلَیْتُ لِلْکافِرِینَ ثُمَّ أَخَذْتُهُمْ فَکَیْفَ کانَ نَکِیرِ [And if they deny you, so did the people of Nuh deny before them, and Ad and Thamud, and the people of Ibrahim and the people of Lut, and the dwellers of Madyan; and Musa was denied. So I granted respite to the disbelievers, then I seized them; and how [terrible] was My rejection!]'."

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): It is narrated from Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) that concerning the verse: الَّذینَ إِنْ مَکَّنَّاهُمْ فِی الْأَرْضِ أَقامُوا الصَّلاةَ وَ آتَوُا الزَّکاةَ [Those who, should We establish them in the land, will keep up prayer and pay the poor-rate], he said: "This verse pertains exclusively to the family of Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) up to the last Imam, and to Imam Mahdi (may Allah hasten his noble reappearance) and his companions — those whom Allah will make masters of the east and west of the earth; and He will make religion manifest through him, and through him and his companions Allah will do away with innovations and falsehood, just as the foolish have destroyed the truth; and [justice will spread in such a way that] no trace of oppression will remain; and they will enjoin good and forbid evil."

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Abu Khalifa said: I and Abu Ubayda al-Hadhdha came to Imam Baqir (peace be upon him)... I said to the Imam (peace be upon him): 'How can we recognize the infallible Imam?' He said: 'From this statement of Allah the Exalted [where He has said]: الَّذِینَ إِنْ مَکَّنَّاهُمْ فِی الْأَرْضِ أَقامُوا الصَّلاةَ وَ آتَوُا الزَّکاةَ وَ أَمَرُوا بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَ نَهَوْا عَنِ الْمُنْکَرِ [Those who, should We establish them in the land, will keep up prayer and pay the poor-rate and enjoin good and forbid evil]; whenever you see such a person from us the Ahl al-Bayt, follow him, for he is your Imam.'

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): Allah has placed [the signs of] my imamate in His Qur'an and said: "And those who spend the night prostrating to their Lord and standing" (Furqan/64), "and those who say: 'Our Lord! Grant us from our spouses and offspring the comfort of our eyes, and make us leaders (imams) for the Allah-fearing!'" (Furqan/74), and He said: الَّذِینَ إِنْ مَکَّنَّاهُمْ فِی الْأَرْضِ أَقامُوا الصَّلاةَ وَ آتَوُا الزَّکاةَ وَ أَمَرُوا بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَ نَهَوْا عَنِ الْمُنْکَرِ وَ لِلهِ عاقِبَةُ الْأُمُورِ [Those who, should We establish them in the land, will keep up prayer and pay the poor-rate and enjoin good and forbid evil; and Allah's is the end of affairs].

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Shaykh Mufid (may Allah have mercy on him), with his chain from Muhammad ibn al-Sa'ib al-Kalbi, has narrated as follows: When Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) came to Iraq, he settled in Hira. Abu Hanifa came to the Imam (peace be upon him) and asked him about some issues. Among his questions was that he said: 'May I be your ransom! What is enjoining good (al-amr bi'l-ma'ruf)?' He (peace be upon him) said: 'O Abu Hanifa! Al-ma'ruf (the good) is that which is known among the inhabitants of the heavens and the inhabitants of the earth, and that is Amir al-Mu'minin Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him).'