سورة الحج

Imam al-Rida (peace be upon him): When Zayd, the son of Imam Kazim (who had risen up in Basra and set fire to the houses of the Banu Abbas), was brought before Ma'mun, Ma'mun pardoned his offence out of consideration for his brother Imam al-Rida (peace be upon him), and said to the Imam: "If [today] your brother has risen up and committed some errors, before him Zayd ibn Ali (peace be upon him) (the son of Imam al-Sajjad (peace be upon him)) had also risen up in this manner."... Imam al-Rida (peace be upon him) said: "Do not compare my brother Zayd with Zayd ibn Ali (peace be upon him), for he was among the scholars of the family of Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family)... Zayd ibn Ali (peace be upon him) did not claim what he was not worthy of (that is, the Imamate), and he was too Allah-fearing to make such a claim; he used to say: I invite you to one who is well-pleasing from the family of Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family); and the narrations that condemn those who claim the Imamate without being worthy of it concern those who claim that Allah has appointed them to the Imamate, and after people incline towards them, they call to other than the religion of Allah and, without knowledge or awareness, lead [others] astray from the path of Allah. By Allah! Zayd was among those addressed by this verse: وَ جاهِدُوا فِی اللهِ حَقَّ جِهادِهِ هُوَ اجْتَباکُم [And strive hard in (the way of) Allah, (such) a striving as is due to Him; He has chosen you]."

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Jabir ibn Yazid al-Ju'fi said: ...I said to Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): 'My master! Is not the imamate your right?' He said: 'Yes.' I said: 'Then why did you give up your right, when Allah the Blessed and Exalted says: وَ جاهِدُوا فِی اللهِ حَقَّ جِهادِهِ هُوَ اجْتَباکُمْ [And strive hard in (the way of) Allah, (such) a striving as is due to Him; He has chosen you]?' He said: 'Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) gave up his right because he found no helper.'

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): Hajj is the jihad of every weak person; a woman's jihad is being a good wife; ...a Muslim must not go out to jihad in the ranks of one who does not believe in Allah's command and does not carry out Allah's order regarding the spoils (fay'), for if he is killed in such a battle, he has helped our enemy in withholding our rights and shedding our blood, and he dies the death of jahiliyya (the age of ignorance).

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Fudayl ibn Iyad said: I asked Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): 'Is jihad recommended (mustahabb) or obligatory?' He said: 'Jihad is of four kinds: two of them are obligatory, one is a recommended jihad that is realised only alongside an obligatory one, and the fourth is a recommended jihad. One of the two obligatory ones is that a person struggles with himself to abandon sins, and this is the greatest jihad; the other is fighting the disbelievers who are your neighbours. As for the jihad that is recommended but does not take place except with an obligatory jihad, it is fighting the enemy, which is obligatory upon the whole ummah — if they abandon jihad, they will be afflicted with punishment and it will encompass them all; and it is recommended for the Imam to go out with the Muslims to fight the enemy. As for the jihad that is recommended, it is every good practice that a person establishes and strives to uphold, perfect and revive; his work and effort in it is among the best of deeds, because he has revived a sunna. And the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) said: Whoever establishes a good practice, for him is its reward and the reward of everyone who acts upon it, without anything being diminished from their rewards.'

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): ...Jihad too has four branches: enjoining good, forbidding evil, truthfulness in every situation, and enmity towards the corrupt. So whoever enjoins good has strengthened the believer; and whoever forbids evil has rubbed the nose of the hypocrite in the dust and is safe from his cunning; and whoever is truthful in every situation has fulfilled the duty that was upon him; and whoever bears enmity to the corrupt has become angry for Allah's sake, and whoever becomes angry for Allah's sake — Allah too becomes angry on his behalf.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): When Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) was asked about the meaning of truthfulness and uprightness, he said: 'Truthfulness and uprightness is that you do not choose anything else over Allah, for Allah the Exalted says: هُوَ اجْتَباکُمْ [He has chosen you]; so when He has chosen you, then you too choose Him, and do not put the desires of your soul or your worldly life before Him.'

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Burayd al-Ijli said: I asked Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): "What is meant by Allah's words يا أَیُّهَا الَّذِینَ آمَنُوا ارْکَعُوا وَ اسْجُدُوا وَ اعْبُدُوا رَبَّکُمْ وَ افْعَلُوا الْخَیْرَ لَعَلَّکُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ* وَ جاهِدُوا فِی اللهِ حَقَّ جِهادِهِ هُوَ اجْتَباکُمْ [O you who believe! Bow down and prostrate yourselves and serve your Lord, and do good that you may succeed. And strive hard in (the way of) Allah, (such) a striving as is due to Him; He has chosen you]?" The Imam said: "By this Allah meant us, and we are the chosen ones."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): هُوَ اجْتَباکُمْ [He has chosen you] — O Shia of the family of Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family)! [Allah has chosen you].

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Muhammad ibn Muslim said: I asked Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) about this statement of Allah the Mighty and Majestic [where He says]: ...وَ ما جَعَلَ عَلَیْکُمْ فِی الدِّینِ مِنْ حَرَج [and He has not laid upon you any hardship in religion]. He said: "Allah has not placed hardship upon you regarding prayer, zakat, fasting and good deeds, so that you may perform them."

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Allah, Blessed and Exalted, has not placed haraj (distress and hardship) in the [commands of] religion, and haraj is more severe than difficulty (in other words, the commands of religion may in some cases carry difficulty, but they do not carry distress and hardship that is unbearable).

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): ما جَعَلَ عَلَیْکُمْ فِی الدِّینِ مِنْ حَرَجٍ [He has not laid upon you any hardship in religion]; that is, [Allah] has not placed any difficulty [in religion].

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Abu Basir narrated from Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) that regarding this statement of Allah the Mighty and Majestic [where He says]: ...وَ ما جَعَلَ عَلَیْکُمْ فِی الدِّینِ مِنْ حَرَجٍ [and He has not laid upon you any hardship in religion], he said: "Allah has not placed hardship upon you regarding prayer, zakat, fasting and good deeds; and if the servants adhere to the wilayah of Allah, His Messenger (and the possessors of authority from us, the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them)), Allah will accept their deeds."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Abd al-A'la said: I said to Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): "I fell and my nail came off, and I bound a cloth over my finger; now how should I perform wudu?" He said: "The ruling on this matter and the like of it is made clear from the Book of Allah the Mighty and Majestic. [Allah has said]: ما جَعَلَ عَلَیْکُمْ فِی الدِّینِ مِنْ حَرَجٍ [He has not laid upon you any hardship in religion]; wipe over the same cloth."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Abu Basir said: I asked Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) about a person in a state of janabah (major ritual impurity) who carries a waterskin or a vessel of water and puts his finger into it [what is the ruling]? The Imam said: "If his hand is impure, he must pour that water away, and if his hand is not impure, he may perform ghusl with it. This matter is among the cases about which Allah has said: ما جَعَلَ عَلَیْکُمْ فِی الدِّینِ مِنْ حَرَجٍ [He has not laid upon you any hardship in religion]."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Ibn Muskan said: Muhammad ibn Muyassir narrated to me: "I asked Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) about [the duty of] a person in janabah who, on the road, comes upon a small amount of water (water less than the shar'i kurr, that is, about 350 litres) and wants to perform ghusl with it, but he has no vessel with which to draw the water, and his hands are also impure [what is his duty]?" The Imam said: "He holds his hand [still] and washes it, then performs ghusl; this matter is among the cases about which Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, has said: ما جَعَلَ عَلَیْکُمْ فِی الدِّینِ مِنْ حَرَجٍ [He has not laid upon you any hardship in religion]."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Fudayl ibn Yasar [asked] Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): [If] the ghusl water splashes from the head and body of a person in janabah, while he is performing ghusl, into a vessel of water, [what is the ruling]? The Imam said: There is no harm in it [because Allah has said:] ما جَعَلَ عَلَیْکُمْ فِی الدِّینِ مِنْ حَرَجٍ [He has not laid upon you any hardship in religion].

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Abu Basir said: I said to Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): "Sometimes during travel we come upon a pool of rainwater near a village, and [because of this] there is impurity in it — a child urinates in it, and [or] animals urinate and drop dung in it [what is the duty]?" The Imam said: "If your heart feels uneasy about that water, do this: push [the surface of] the water aside with your hand and perform wudu, for indeed the religion does not have hardship and constraint, because Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, says: ما جَعَلَ عَلَیْکُمْ فِی الدِّینِ مِنْ حَرَجٍ [He has not laid upon you any hardship in religion]."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Haytham ibn Urwa al-Tamimi said: "A man asked Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) about [the ruling on] a person in ihram who, because he wants to perform a complete and thorough wudu, [passes his hand over his face several times and] one or two hairs from his beard fall out (one of the prohibitions of ihram is plucking hair from the body)." The Imam said: "There is no harm in it [because Allah has said:] ما جَعَلَ عَلَیْکُمْ فِی الدِّینِ مِنْ حَرَجٍ [He has not laid upon you any hardship in religion]."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): ...Mufaddal [ibn Umar] said: 'My master! We know that you are the chosen ones of Allah, on the basis of the verse: نَرْفَعُ دَرَجاتٍ مَنْ نَشاءُ [We raise the rank of whomever We wish] (Al-Anam/83), and the verse: اللهُ أَعْلَمُ حَیْثُ یَجْعَلُ رِسالَتَهُ [Allah knows best where to place His message] (Al-Anam/124), and the verse: إِنَّ اللهَ اصْطَفی آدَمَ وَ نُوحاً وَ آلَ إِبْراهِیمَ وَ آلَ عِمْرانَ عَلَی الْعالَمِینَ * ذُرِّیَّةً بَعْضُها مِنْ بَعْضٍ وَ اللهُ سَمِیعٌ عَلِیمٌ [Indeed Allah chose Adam, Nuh, the family of Ibrahim and the family of Imran above all the worlds. They were offspring and [a lineage] some of whom were [in purity, piety and virtue] descended from others, and Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing] (Aal Imran/33-34).' Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: 'O Mufaddal! Where are we mentioned in this verse?' Mufaddal said: 'By Allah! [Allah has said:] The people most worthy of Ibrahim are those who followed him and [remained faithful to his school in his time, and likewise] this Prophet and those who have believed [in him are the most worthy of all], and Allah is the guardian and protector of the believers (Aal Imran/68). And He has said: مِلَّةَ أَبِیکُمْ إِبْراهِیمَ هُوَ سَمَّاکُمُ الْمُسْلِمِینَ [The faith of your father Ibrahim; He named you Muslims]...'

Imam Kazim (peace be upon him): Other than us (the Imams and our Shia), no one else is upon the faith of Ibrahim (peace be upon him), and the rest of the people are free of that faith.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) and his companions alighted at 'Batha' in Makkah and did not go into the houses [of the people of Makkah]. When the day of Tarwiyah (the eighth of Dhul-Hijjah) came, at the time of noon he ordered the people to perform ghusl, to enter ihram for Hajj and to say the talbiyah; and this is the word of Allah the Mighty and Majestic which He sent down upon His Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): 'Follow مِلَّةَ أَبِیکُمْ إِبْراهیم [the faith of your father Ibrahim].' So the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) set out with his companions, saying the talbiyah, until they reached the land of Mina. He performed the Zuhr, Asr, Maghrib, Isha and Fajr prayers [there]. Then in the morning he set out with the Muslims [from Mina toward Arafat]. It was the custom of Quraysh to set out collectively from Muzdalifah [toward Arafat] and to prevent others from setting out from Muzdalifah [as well, considering it a disgrace to be equal with others]. When the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) set out, Quraysh hoped that the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) would also set out from the same place where they set out from; at this moment Allah revealed this verse: 'Then set out from the place from which the people set out, and seek forgiveness from Allah' (Al-Baqarah/199). What is meant [by 'the people'] is Ibrahim (peace be upon him), Ismail (peace be upon him), Ishaq (peace be upon him), and those who came after them, who used to set out from Mina...

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Mufaddal ibn Umar said: ... [I said to Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him)]: "O my master and my mawla! Was the religion that the forefathers of Hazrat Mahdi ([namely] Ibrahim (peace be upon him), Nuh (peace be upon him), Musa (peace be upon him), Isa (peace be upon him) and Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family)) held, the very religion of Islam?" The Imam said: "Yes, O Mufaddal! It was this very religion of Islam and nothing else!" I said: "My master! Do you have a proof from the Quran for this matter?" He said: "Yes! The entire Quran indicates this matter; among them the verse: 'Indeed the religion with Allah is Islam' (Al Imran/19); and the verse: مِلَّةَ أَبِیکُمْ إِبْراهِیمَ هُوَ سَمَّاکُمُ الْمُسْلِمِینَ [The faith of your father Ibrahim; He named you Muslims]; and another verse in which Allah relates [on the tongue of] Ibrahim (peace be upon him) and Isma'il (peace be upon him) in their story [that they said]: 'Our Lord, make us two Muslims for Yourself, and from our progeny also [make] a Muslim community for Yourself.' (Al-Baqara/128) And this verse also, in the story of Pharaoh, in which He says: 'When the drowning overtook him, he said: I believe that there is no deity except the One in whom the Children of Israel have believed, and I am of the Muslims!' (Yunus/90) And in the story of Sulayman (peace be upon him) and Bilqis (queen of Saba) He says: 'Before they come to me as Muslims.' (Al-Naml/38) And the words of Bilqis [when she came to Sulayman (peace be upon him), she said]: 'And [now] I have submitted, with Sulayman, to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds.' (Al-Naml/44)."

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Burayd al-Ijli said:... Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) said: "...مِلَّةَ أَبیکُمْ إِبْراهیمَ [The faith of your father Ibrahim]; Allah has intended [by this phrase] only us; سَمَّاکُمُ الْمُسْلِمینَ [He named you Muslims]; Allah has named us Muslims; مِنْ قَبْلُ; [that is] in the earlier books, وَ فِی هَذَا; [that is] in the Quran, لِیَکُونَ الرَّسُولُ شَهیداً عَلَیْکُمْ وَ تَکُونُوا شُهَداءَ عَلَی النَّاسِ [that the Messenger may be a witness over you and you may be witnesses over the people]; according to this verse, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) is a witness over us regarding what he conveyed to us (the Imams (peace be upon them)) from Allah the Blessed and Exalted, and we [likewise] are witnesses over the people; so whoever attests [to us], on the Day of Resurrection we shall attest to him, and whoever denies, we shall deny him."

Ali ibn Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him): This saying of Allah [where He says]: يا أَیُّهَا الَّذِینَ آمَنُوا ارْکَعُوا وَ اسْجُدُوا وَ اعْبُدُوا رَبَّکُمْ وَ افْعَلُوا الْخَیْرَ لَعَلَّکُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ وَ جاهِدُوا فِی اللهِ حَقَّ جِهادِهِ هُوَ اجْتَباکُمْ وَ ما جَعَلَ عَلَیْکُمْ فِی الدِّینِ مِنْ حَرَجٍ مِلَّةَ أَبِیکُمْ إِبْراهِیمَ هُوَ سَمَّاکُمُ الْمُسْلِمِینَ مِنْ قَبْل [O you who believe! Bow down and prostrate yourselves, and worship your Lord, and do good, that you may prosper. And strive in (the way of) Allah with the striving due to Him; He has chosen you and has not laid upon you any hardship in religion — the faith of your father Ibrahim; He named you Muslims from before] is exclusive to the Family of Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family); and His saying: لِیَکُونَ الرَّسُولُ شَهِیداً عَلَیْکُمْ [that the Messenger may be a witness over you] means that the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) is [a witness] over the Family of Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family); وَ تَکُونُوا شُهَداءَ عَلَی النَّاسِ [and you may be witnesses over the people] means that the Family of Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) after the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) are witnesses over the people. Isa ibn Maryam (peace be upon him) [addressing Allah] said: And so long as I was among them, I was a watcher and witness over them; but when You took me away from them, You Yourself were the watcher over them, and You are a Witness over everything! (Al-Maidah/117) And "raqib" means "witness". Allah, after the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), has appointed for the Muslim ummah a witness from among his Ahl al-Bayt and his descendants (peace be upon him), and continually one of them has been present in the world; and whenever [all of them] depart from the world, all the inhabitants of the earth will perish. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) said: "Allah made the stars a safeguard for the people of the heavens, and made my Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon him) a safeguard for the people of the earth."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Isa ibn Dawud said: Imam Kazim (peace be upon him) narrated from his noble father Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) that regarding this saying of Allah the Mighty and Majestic [where He says]: ... مِلَّةَ أَبِیکُمْ إِبْراهِیمَ هُوَ سَمَّاکُمُ الْمُسْلِمِینَ مِنْ قَبْلُ وَ فِی هذا لِیَکُونَ الرَّسُولُ شَهِیداً عَلَیْکُم [The faith of your father Ibrahim; He named you Muslims from before and in this, that the Messenger may be a witness over you], he said: [Allah named you "Muslims" in the earlier scriptures and in this heavenly book, so that the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) may be a witness over you, meaning you,] O Family of Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family)! O you to whom Allah has entrusted the Muslims and upon whom He has made your obedience obligatory! وَ تَکُونُوا شُهَداءَ عَلَی النَّاسِ [and that you may be witnesses over the people]; [meaning that] you, the Family of Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family), [be witnesses against them] concerning the ties of kinship the people cut off with you, the rights of yours they destroyed, [the way] they broke the Quran into parts (accepting a part and turning away from accepting another part), and considered the command of others equal to your command; so remain steadfast on the earth; فَأَقِیمُوا الصَّلاةَ وَ آتُوا الزَّکاةَ وَ اعْتَصِمُوا بِاللهِ [therefore establish prayer and give zakat and hold fast to Allah]; O Family of Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) and his Ahl al-Bayt! [hold fast to Allah] هُوَ مَوْلاکُمْ [He is your Master]; He is the Master of you and your Shia, فَنِعْمَ الْمَوْلی وَ نِعْمَ النَّصِیرُ [and how excellent is the Master and how excellent is the Helper].

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): It is narrated from Sulaym ibn Qays al-Hilali that [in his book] he has stated as follows: ... Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him) [during the caliphate of Uthman, in the course of a lengthy conversation with a group of Muslims in Masjid al-Nabi (peace be upon him and his family)] said: I adjure you by Allah, do you know [and bear witness] that Allah the Mighty and Majestic revealed in Surah al-Hajj the verse يا أَیُّهَا الَّذِینَ آمَنُوا ارْکَعُوا وَ اسْجُدُوا وَ اعْبُدُوا رَبَّکُمْ وَ افْعَلُوا الْخَیْرَ [O you who believe! Bow down and prostrate yourselves, and worship your Lord, and do good] to the end of this Surah, and at that time Salman (may Allah have mercy on him) stood up and said: "O Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family)! Those over whom you are a witness and who are witnesses over the people, and whom Allah has chosen and has not laid any hardship upon them in religion, and who are the followers of the faith of their father Ibrahim (peace be upon him) — who are they?" The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) said: "By Allah's meaning, they are only thirteen persons, no one else." Salman (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "O Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family)! Make them clearly known to us." The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) said: "Myself and my brother Ali (peace be upon him) and eleven of my descendants." All of them [in reply to Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him)] said: "Yes! It is so." ...

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): Among the things that Allah has bestowed upon my community, by which He has favoured my community over other communities, are three characteristics that have not been granted except to my community. [First,] whenever Allah, Blessed and Exalted, sent a prophet [with a mission], He would say to him: 'Strive hard in your religion, and there is no hardship or difficulty upon you'; and Allah, Blessed and Exalted, has granted this characteristic to my community [as well], where He says: وَ ما جَعَلَ عَلَیْکُمْ فِی الدِّینِ مِنْ حَرَجٍ [And He has not laid upon you any hardship in religion]; that is, He has placed no constriction [for you in religion]. [Second,] whenever Allah, Blessed and Exalted, sent a prophet [with a mission], He would say to him: 'If something that you dislike grieves you, call upon Me and I shall answer you'; and Allah has granted this characteristic to my community [as well], where He says: 'Call upon Me and I shall answer [the supplication of] you.' (Ghafir/60). And [third,] whenever Allah sent a prophet [with a mission], He would make him a witness over his people, and Allah, Blessed and Exalted, has made my community witnesses over the other communities, where He says: لِیَکُونَ الرَّسُولُ شَهِیداً عَلَیْکُمْ وَ تَکُونُوا شُهَداءَ عَلَی النَّاسِ [that the Messenger may be a witness over you, and you may be witnesses over the people].

Ali ibn Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him): Then Allah addressed the Imams (peace be upon them) [saying]: یا أَیُّهَا الَّذینَ آمَنُوا ارْکَعُوا وَ اسْجُدُوا وَ اعْبُدُوا رَبَّکُمْ وَ افْعَلُوا الْخَیْرَ لَعَلَّکُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ [O you who believe, bow down and prostrate and worship your Lord and do good, that you may be successful]... وَ فی هذا لِیَکُونَ الرَّسُولُ شَهیداً عَلَیْکُمْ [and in this, that the Messenger may be a witness over you]; O company of Imams (peace be upon them), [the Messenger is a witness over you] وَ تَکُونُوا شُهَداءَ عَلَی النَّاسِ [and you shall be witnesses over the people]; [that is,] you Imams (peace be upon them) are [also] witnesses over the believers and the rest of the people.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Abdullah ibn Sinan narrated from Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) who said: "...Allah the Exalted has appointed witnesses over the people, [as] He has said: 'And I was a witness over them so long as I was among them.' (Ma'idah/117) And concerning the Prophet of Islam (peace be upon him and his family) He said: لِیَکُونَ الرَّسُولُ شَهِیداً عَلَیْکُمْ [that the Messenger may be a witness over you]; and concerning Ali (peace be upon him) He said: 'And a witness from Him follows it.' (Hud/17); and concerning the Imams (peace be upon them) He said: وَ تَکُونُوا شُهَداءَ [and that you may be witnesses]; [meaning] the family of Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family), after the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), are witnesses over the people."

Imam Sajjad (peace be upon him): Abdullah ibn Husayn narrated from Imam Sajjad (peace be upon him) that regarding this saying of Allah the Exalted [which says]: "That you may be witnesses over the people." (Baqarah/143), he said: "We, the Imams (peace be upon them), are these witnesses."

Imam Rida (peace be upon him): We are Allah's proofs among His creation, His successors among His servants, and His trustees over His secret; and we are the word of taqwa (Allah-consciousness) and the firm handhold, and we are Allah's witnesses and His signs among His creation.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): We are the witnesses over our Shia, and our Shia are the witnesses over other people; and by the testimony of our Shia they [on the Day of Resurrection] will receive reward and punishment.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): When the day [a new day] arrives, it says [addressing the people]: "O son of Adam! On this day do a good deed so that I may bear witness for you to it [that good deed] before your Lord on the Day of Resurrection; for I was not at your disposal in the past, nor will I be at your disposal in the future"; and when night arrives, it repeats the same statement.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): No day comes upon a person except that it says to him: 'O son of Adam (peace be upon him)! I am a new day and I am a witness over you; with my help and within me, do a good deed so that on the Day of Judgement I may bear witness for you [to the doing of this deed], for you will never see me again.'

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): When the night arrives, a caller calls out with a voice heard by all creatures except the jinn and mankind: 'O son of Adam! I am a witness to whatever occurs within me; so take provision from me, for if the sun rises you will not be able to add any good deed within me, nor will you be able to seek forgiveness for any sin within me.' And when the night ends, the day also repeats these very words.

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family): The prayer is not accepted except with [the payment of] zakat.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): وَ اعْتَصِمُوا بِاللهِ [And hold fast by Allah]; O family of Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) and his Ahl al-Bayt! [Hold fast to Allah].

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): هُوَ مَوْلاکُمْ [He is your Guardian]; [He is the Guardian of] you, the family of Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family), and your Shia فَنِعْمَ الْمَوْلی وَ نِعْمَ النَّصِیرُ [how excellent the Guardian and how excellent the Helper].

Imam Kazim (peace be upon him): Whoever helps one of our lovers against our enemy and strengthens him and gives him courage, so that in the end the truth which indicates our superiority appears in its best form, and the falsehood which our enemies follow in order to prevent our right is exposed in its worst form, such that the heedless become aware, the seekers of truth gain insight, and the learned attain greater vision — Allah will raise such a person on the Day of Resurrection in the highest ranks of Paradise, and [addressing him] will say: 'O My servant, who was the crusher of My enemies and the helper of My friends...'; and Allah conveys these words to [the ears of] all the people of the gathering-place, and there remains no unbeliever, tyrant, or devil who does not send blessings upon such a person and curse those who in the world showed enmity toward him — those who [in truth] were the enemies of Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) and Ali (peace be upon him).