سورة الحج

Ali ibn Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him): Allah the Mighty and Majestic addresses the Dahriyyun (materialists who deny Allah and the resurrection), argues against them and says: یا أَیُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنْ کُنْتُمْ فِی رَیْبٍ مِنَ الْبَعْث [O people! If you are in doubt about the resurrection]; that is, if you have doubt and uncertainty [about the resurrection], [pay heed to this point that] We created you from dust.

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): As for the response to [the words and belief of] the Dahriyyun who suppose that time has always been and will always be in one state, and that it has no Creator, Manager or Maker, and that there will be no resurrection or return to life after death; Allah the Exalted, quoting their words [and belief], has said: They said, "There is nothing but our worldly life; a group of us dies and a group takes their place, and nothing destroys us but nature and time!" They have no knowledge of what they say. (Al-Jathiyah/24) And they said, "When we have become decayed and scattered bones, shall we really be raised up in a new creation?!" Say: "Be you stones or iron, or any creature that in your view is even harder than that [and further from life, still Allah is able to bring you back to life again]. They will soon say: "Who will bring us back?!" Say: "The very One who created you the first time." (Al-Isra/49-51) And the like of these verses is abundant in the Quran, and all of them are a refutation of [the belief of] those who in the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) held this belief — those who outwardly professed faith before the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) and inwardly concealed their disbelief and polytheism (that is, the hypocrites), and who remained alive after [the passing of] the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) and became the cause of the misguidance of the Islamic Ummah; and Allah too responded to their belief and said: یا أَیُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنْ کُنْتُمْ فِی رَیْبٍ مِنَ الْبَعْثِ فَإِنَّا خَلَقْناکُمْ مِنْ تُرابٍ ثُمَّ مِنْ نُطْفَةٍ ... لِکَیْلا یَعْلَمَ مِنْ بَعْدِ عِلْمٍ شَیْئاً [O people! If you are in doubt about the resurrection, then indeed We created you from dust, then from a drop... so that after having knowledge he no longer knows anything]; then, for the resurrection and coming to life after death, He gave an example and said: وَ تَرَی الْأَرْضَ هامِدَةً فَإِذا أَنْزَلْنا عَلَیْهَا الْماءَ اهْتَزَّتْ وَ رَبَتْ [And you see the earth barren, but when We send down water upon it, it stirs and swells], and other verses that convey the same message.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Jamil ibn Darraj narrates from Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) that he said: When Allah wills to raise up the created beings, the sky rains upon the earth for forty mornings, then the limbs join together and flesh grows upon the bodies.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Abd al-Ghaffar al-Jazi narrates: Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: "Allah created the believer from the clay of Paradise and the enemy of the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them) from the clay of Hell." And [likewise] he said: "Whenever Allah wills good for a servant, He purifies his soul and body; thus whenever he hears a good deed he regards it as good, and whenever he hears an evil deed he regards it as detestable." I also heard him say: "Clays are of three kinds: the clay of the prophets (peace be upon them) — and the believer is also from that same clay, except that the prophets (peace be upon them) are the pure and chosen part of it and are [in this creation] the root and possess superiority [over others], while the believers are a branch and offshoot of مِنْ طِینٍ لازِبٍ [sticky clay] (Saffat/11); therefore Allah does not separate between the prophets (peace be upon them) and their followers." He also said: "The clay of the enemy of the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them) is from حَمَإٍ مَسْنُونٍ [foul-smelling clay] (Hijr/26); but [the clay] of the mustad'afin (the downtrodden and common people of society) is from dust; the believer does not turn back from his faith, nor the enemy of the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them) from his enmity; and the fate of the mustad'afin [on the Day of Resurrection] depends on the will and decree of Allah."

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Muhammad ibn Muslim says: I asked Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): ... "How is the nutfa (sperm-drop) distinguished [from other than itself]?" He said: "The nutfa is a white [substance] like thick nasal mucus, which, when it settles in the womb, remains there for forty days until it turns into 'alaqa (clot)." I asked: "How is the 'alaqa distinguished [from other than itself]?" He said: "The 'alaqa is a piece of congealed blood, like the clotted blood of cupping, which, after transformation from the nutfa, remains in the womb for forty days until it turns into mudgha (a lump of flesh)." I asked: "How is the mudgha distinguished [from other than itself]?" He said: "The mudgha is a piece of red flesh with intertwined green veins in it, and after a time it turns into bone..."

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): ثُمَّ مِنْ مُضْغَةٍ [then from a lump of flesh] means like a piece of chewed flesh, because "mudgha" means a piece of flesh that has been chewed; مُخَلَّقَةٍ وَ غَیْرِ مُخَلَّقَةٍ [complete in make and incomplete] means a creation that is either complete or incomplete.

Imam Rida (peace be upon him): Ahmad ibn Abi Nasr says: "I asked Imam Rida (peace be upon him) to supplicate to Allah the Mighty and Majestic on behalf of a pregnant woman from our household." He said: "Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) has said: Supplication is [effective] when four months [of pregnancy] have not yet passed." I said: "That woman has less than four months." So he supplicated for her and then said: "The nutfa remains in the womb for thirty days, and it is 'alaqa for thirty days, and it is mudgha for thirty days, and it is shaped or unshaped for thirty days; and when four months are complete, Allah the Exalted sends to it two shaping angels who fashion that [foetus] and write down its provision, the time of its death, and whether it is wretched or blessed (according to the boundless divine knowledge)."

Ali ibn Ibrahim: إِنَّا خَلَقْناهُمْ مِمَّا یَعْلَمُونَ [Surely We have created them from what they know] (Ma'arij/39) [meaning We have created them] from the "nutfa" (drop) and then from the "'alaqa" (clot).

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) was asked about the various meanings of "creation" [in the Qur'an]. He said: "Creation [in the Qur'an] is of three types. One type of it means originating [and bringing into existence] a new being, like this saying of Allah the Glorified [where He said]: He created the heavens and the earth in six days [six eras]. (A'raf/54) Another type is creation in the sense of transforming from one state to another, like this saying of Allah [where He said]: He creates you in the wombs of your mothers, creation after creation, in three darknesses. (Zumar/6) And this saying of Allah [where He said]: He is the One Who created you from dust, then from a nutfa (drop)... (Ghafir/67) But the third type is creation in the sense of preparing and measuring [a thing for creation], like this saying of Allah to Isa ([where He said]: when by My command you were making from clay something in the form of a bird... (Ma'idah/110)."

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Sallam ibn al-Mustanir said: "I asked Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) about this saying of Allah the Mighty and Majestic [where He said]: مُخَلَّقَةٍ وَ غَیْرِ مُخَلَّقَةٍ [complete in make and incomplete]." He said: "What is meant by mukhallaqa is that progeny whom Allah created in the loins of Adam (peace be upon him) and took the covenant (on tawhid, etc.) from them; then He caused them to flow into the loins of men and the wombs of women, and they are the ones who come into the world so that they may be questioned about that covenant. But what is meant by wa ghayri mukhallaqa is those whom, when Allah created the world of the particles (dharr) and took the covenant from them, He did not create in the loins of Adam (peace be upon him); they are the drops of semen that are spilled outside the womb, and [likewise] the fetuses that are miscarried before the spirit is breathed [into them], and life and existence are not granted to them."

Ali ibn Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him): "Mukhallaqa" is when the nutfa (drop) turns into blood, and "ghayr mukhallaqa" is a fetus that is miscarried.

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): لِنُبَیِّنَ لَکُم [that We may make clear to you — meaning We explain these stages of creation so that We may make it clear to you] that you were like this in the wombs, وَ نُقِرُّ فِی الْأَرْحامِ ما نَشاءُ [And We cause to stay in the wombs what We please — the fetus that We wish to be born alive, We settle in the womb for an appointed period]; so such a fetus will not be miscarried.

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): A woman does not give birth to [a living] child in less than six months.

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Abd al-Rahman ibn Sayaba narrates from someone who reported to him from Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) that he said: "I asked Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): 'What is the longest period that a baby remains in its mother's womb, since [some] people believe that it is possible for a baby to remain in its mother's womb for years?!' The Imam said: 'They hold a false belief; the maximum period of pregnancy is nine months, not a moment more, and if the baby were to remain even an hour longer, it would kill its mother before coming out.'"

Imam Kazim (peace be upon him): Concerning a woman whose husband divorces her and she claims that she is pregnant and delays for a year [before delivering the child], he said: "If the woman gives birth to the child after [the passing of] one year, her claim is not accepted, even if [only] one hour [beyond the year] has passed."

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): A man came to Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him)... The Imam said: ...I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) say: "Allah created the creation in three groups and placed them in three degrees and stations; and this is the very word of Allah [who said:] [First] the fortunate and blessed ones — what fortunate and blessed ones they are! * The other group are the wretched and ill-omened ones — what wretched and ill-omened ones they are! * And [the third group] are the foremost of the foremost * they are the ones drawn near. (Al-Waqi'a/8–11) ... As for al-Sabiqun (the foremost), they are the Prophets — both those who are Messengers and those who are not — in whom Allah has placed five spirits: Ruh al-Qudus (the Holy Spirit), Ruh al-Iman (the spirit of faith), Ruh al-Quwwah (the spirit of strength), Ruh al-Shahwah (the spirit of desire), and Ruh al-Badan (the spirit of the body). By Ruh al-Qudus the Messengers were sent to the station of prophethood; by Ruh al-Iman they worship Allah and set no partner beside Him; by Ruh al-Quwwah they fight their enemies and manage the affairs of their lives; by Ruh al-Shahwah they enjoy pleasant foods and marry young women through the lawful way; and by Ruh al-Badan they move about. Then He said: 'Some of those Messengers We preferred above others; among them were those to whom Allah spoke, and some He raised in ranks, and We gave Isa son of Maryam clear signs and supported him with Ruh al-Qudus.' (Al-Baqarah/253) And concerning all the Prophets He says: 'And He strengthened them with a spirit from Himself.' (Al-Mujadila/22) — by that spirit He honoured them and gave them preference over others. As for the Ashab al-Maymanah (the Companions of the Right), they are the true believers in whom four spirits have been placed: Ruh al-Iman, Ruh al-Quwwah, Ruh al-Shahwah, and Ruh al-Badan. These spirits keep becoming more complete in the servant until certain states come upon him. The man asked: What are those states? Ali (peace be upon him) said: The first of them is that of which Allah says: "And of you is he who is brought back to the worst part of life, so that after having knowledge he does not know anything (and forgets everything)." (Al-Nahl/70) Because of this state all the spirits in him diminish, yet not so that he leaves faith; for it is Allah who has done this to him and has brought him to the decrepit stage of life, in which he does not know the time of prayer, nor has the power for the tahajjud (night vigil) and nafila (supererogatory prayer) of midnight, nor can he fast, nor can he stand in the row with the people. This is a decrease in Ruh al-Iman, but it will not harm him — in sha Allah. Ruh al-Quwwah also diminishes on account of that state, so he is no longer able to strive nor able to seek his livelihood. Ruh al-Shahwah also diminishes in him, so that were the most beautiful of the daughters of Adam to pass before him, he would feel no longing for her and would make no movement. Only Ruh al-Badan remains, by which he moves about until the angel of death comes for him. This is a good state, for Allah is the one who has given him this condition. And sometimes, while he is in the state of strength and youth, states come upon him in which he inclines toward sin: Ruh al-Quwwah emboldens him, Ruh al-Shahwah adorns it for him, and Ruh al-Badan drives him on, until in the end he commits the sin. When he commits it, his faith is diminished, and this faith does not return unless he repents. If he repents and recognises wilayah (the divinely appointed authority), Allah forgives him. But if he repeats it and abandons wilayah, Allah will enter him into the fire of Hell.

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): When a person reaches one hundred years of age, that is the worst stage of life.

Ali ibn Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him): Then Allah gave a parable for the raising and coming to life after death, and said: وَ تَرَی الْأَرْضَ هامِدَةً — meaning [you see the earth] dry and dead — فَإِذا أَنْزَلْنا عَلَیْهَا الْماءَ اهْتَزَّتْ وَ رَبَتْ وَ أَنْبَتَتْ مِنْ کُلِّ زَوْجٍ بَهِیجٍ — meaning [it brings forth] good [herbage of every kind].