سورة النور

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Abu Basir said: I asked Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) about the word of Allah the Mighty and Majestic: فِی بُیُوتٍ أَذِنَ اللهُ أَنْ تُرْفَعَ [In houses which Allah has permitted to be exalted]. He said: "It means the houses of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family)."

Imam Kazim (peace be upon him): Muhammad ibn Fudayl said: I asked Imam Kazim (peace be upon him) about the word of Allah the Mighty and Majestic: فِی بُیُوتٍ أَذِنَ اللهُ أَنْ تُرْفَعَ وَ یُذْکَرَ فِیهَا اسْمُهُ [In houses which Allah has permitted to be exalted and that His name may be remembered in them]. He (peace be upon him) said: "It means the houses of Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family), and the houses of Ali (peace be upon him) are among them."

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): فِی بُیُوتٍ أَذِنَ اللهُ أَنْ تُرْفَعَ وَ یُذْکَرَ فِیهَا [In houses which Allah has permitted to be exalted and that His name may be remembered in them]; these houses are the houses of the prophets (peace be upon them), and the house of Ali (peace be upon him) is also one of them.

The Messenger (peace be upon him and his family): Ibn Abbas said: I was in the presence of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) and I asked: "Which houses are meant?" He said: "The houses of the prophets." And with his hand he pointed to the house of his daughter, Lady Fatimah (peace be upon her).

Imam Kazim (peace be upon him): Isa ibn Dawud said: Imam Kazim (peace be upon him) narrated from his noble father regarding what Allah meant in the verse: فِی بُیُوتٍ أَذِنَ اللهُ أَنْ تُرْفَعَ وَ یُذْکَرَ فِیهَا اسْمُهُ یُسَبِّحُ لَهُ فِیهَا بِالْغُدُوِّ وَ الْآصَالِ [In houses which Allah has permitted to be exalted and that His name may be remembered in them; there glorify Him therein in the mornings and the evenings]: it is the houses of the family of Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) — the house of Ali (peace be upon him) and Fatimah (peace be upon her), Hasan and Husayn (peace be upon them), Hamzah and Ja'far (peace be upon them). I asked: "What is meant by بِالْغُدُوِّ وَ الْآصَالِ [in the mornings and the evenings]?" He said: "Prayer at its proper time." Then Allah the Exalted described them thus: رِجَالٌ لَّا تُلْهِیهِمْ تِجَارَةٌ وَ لَا بَیْعٌ عَنْ ذِکْرِ اللهِ وَ إِقَامِ الصَّلَاةِ وَ إِیتَاءِ الزَّکَاةِ یَخَافُونَ یَوْمًا تَتَقَلَّبُ فِیهِ الْقُلُوبُ وَ الْأَبْصَارُ [Men whom neither trade nor sale distracts from the remembrance of Allah and the establishment of prayer and the paying of zakat; they fear a day in which hearts and eyes will be overturned]; they are men whom Allah has not mixed with others. Then he (peace be upon him) referred to the verse: لِیَجْزِیَهُمُ اللهُ أَحْسَنَ مَا عَمِلُوا وَ یَزِیدَهُم مِّن فَضْلِهِ [That Allah may reward them for the best of what they did and increase them from His bounty], and said: "What is meant is the affection, love, and obligatory obedience which Allah has singled out for them, and He has made their abode Paradise; and Allah provides for whom He wills without account."

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): The proof (hujjah) is only in the family of Ibrahim (peace be upon him); by the word of Allah the Mighty and Majestic: "We gave the family of Ibrahim, [from whose house the Jews also descend], the Book and wisdom, and We granted them a great kingdom [the prophets of the Children of Israel]" (An-Nisa/54). On this reckoning, the proof of Allah is the prophets (peace be upon them) and the households of the prophets, until the Day of Resurrection stands — for the Book of Allah speaks of it. It is the testament of Allah that the divine proofs are of one another; those whom Allah has set as rulers over the people and has said: فِی بُیُوتٍ أَذِنَ اللهُ أَنْ تُرْفَعَ وَ یُذْکَرَ فِیهَا اسْمُهُ [In houses which Allah has permitted to be exalted and that His name may be remembered in them] — and they are the houses of the prophets, the messengers, the sages, and the guiding imams.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Whoever enters houses through their doors is guided, and whoever takes another path has trodden the road of destruction. Allah has joined obedience to the guardian of His command with obedience to His Messenger (peace be upon him and his family), and obedience to His Messenger (peace be upon him and his family) with obedience to Himself. So whoever abandons obedience to the guardians of the command has obeyed neither Allah nor His Messenger. And this is the acknowledgement of what has been sent down from Allah: "Take your adornment at every mosque," and seek the houses which Allah has permitted to be exalted and in which His name is remembered. For He has informed you: رِجالٌ لا تُلْهِیهِمْ تِجارَةٌ وَ لا بَیْعٌ عَنْ ذِکْرِ اللهِ وَ إِقامِ الصَّلاةِ وَ إِیتاءِ الزَّکاةِ یَخافُونَ یَوْماً تَتَقَلَّبُ فِیهِ الْقُلُوبُ وَ الْأَبْصار [Men whom neither trade nor sale distracts from the remembrance of Allah and the establishment of prayer and the paying of zakat; they fear a day in which hearts and eyes will be overturned].

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): The foundation of faith is knowledge, and Allah has appointed a people for knowledge and has invited mankind to obey them and to question them, saying: "Ask the people of remembrance if you yourselves do not know." (Nahl/43) In another verse He said: When entering houses, enter them through their doors. What is meant by "houses" here are those houses which Allah has magnified, and He said: فِی بُیُوتٍ أَذِنَ اللهُ أَنْ تُرْفَعَ وَ یُذْکَرَ فِیهَا اسْمُهُ [In houses which Allah has permitted to be exalted and that His name may be remembered in them]. Then He clarified its meaning so that the ignorant would not imagine that these are ordinary houses, and said: رِجالٌ لا تُلْهِیهِمْ تِجارَةٌ وَ لا بَیْعٌ عَنْ ذِکْرِ اللهِ [Men whom neither trade nor selling distracts from the remembrance of Allah]; and whoever seeks knowledge from this direction will attain it. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) said: "I am the city of knowledge." And in another place he said: "I am the city of wisdom, and Ali (peace be upon him) is also in that city; so whoever seeks wisdom or knowledge must enter through its door and receive knowledge and wisdom from it." All that has been mentioned is explicitly stated in the Book of Allah, and there are those who know its interpretation (ta'wil). Now, whoever turns away from them and goes toward those who consider themselves knowledgeable and, out of seeking discord and inclination toward interpretation, follow the ambiguous verses (Al Imran/7), destroy themselves without proof or evidence and destroy others as well. They are the losers and gain no benefit from their effort, and that will be when the leaders behold the punishment and disown their followers and the bonds between them are severed. (Baqarah/166)

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): Buraydah said: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) recited this verse: فِی بُیُوتٍ أَذِنَ اللهُ أَنْ تُرْفَعَ وَ یُذْکَرَ فِیهَا اسْمُهُ یُسَبِّحُ لَهُ فِیها بِالْغُدُوِّ وَ الْآصالِ [In houses which Allah has permitted to be exalted and that His name may be remembered in them; there glorify Him therein in the mornings and the evenings]. A man rose from his place and asked: "O Messenger of Allah, which houses does He mean?" He said: "The houses of the prophets (peace be upon them)." Abu Bakr rose from his place and said: "O Messenger of Allah, is this house one of them?" and he pointed to the house of Ali (peace be upon him) and Fatimah (peace be upon her). He said: "Yes, it is among the best of those houses."

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Whoever considers the rulers on behalf of Allah the Mighty and Majestic and those who draw out His knowledge to be from other than the chosen ones of the Ahl al-Bayt of the prophets has opposed the command of Allah the Mighty and Majestic and has regarded ignorant people as rulers and governors on behalf of Allah. And those who, without guidance and without knowledge, have forcibly attributed themselves to Allah the Mighty and Majestic and imagined that they are among those who draw out the knowledge of Allah — indeed they have lied against Allah and His Messenger and have turned away from His successor's testament and obedience, and have not placed the bounty of Allah where Allah the Blessed and Exalted Himself placed it. So they went astray and led their followers astray, and on the Day of Resurrection they will have no proof; indeed the proof is in the family of Ibrahim (peace be upon him), because of the word of Allah the Mighty and Majestic who says: 'And We certainly gave the family of Ibrahim the Book and wisdom and prophethood, and We gave them a great kingdom.' (An-Nisa/54) So the proof of Allah until the Day of Resurrection is the prophets and the households of the prophets, for the Book of Allah speaks of that. And this is the testament and injunction of Allah, that His proofs are one from another, which He has appointed for the people. And Allah the Mighty and Majestic has said: فِی بُیُوتٍ أَذِنَ اللهُ أَنْ تُرْفَعَ [In houses which Allah has permitted to be exalted] — and these are the households of the prophets, the messengers, the sages and the Imams of guidance (peace be upon them). This is the explanation of the firm handhold of faith by which those before you who were saved were saved, and by which everyone who follows the Imams (peace be upon them) is saved.

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Zayd al-Shahham said: Qatada ibn Di'ama al-Basri came to Imam Baqir (peace be upon him). The Imam said to him: 'Are you the jurist of the people of Basra?' He replied: 'Yes.' He said: 'Woe to you! Allah has made a group of His creation a proof over the people; they are the pegs and pillars of the earth, upholders of His command, the noble ones in His knowledge before creation; He chose them as shadows on the right side of His Throne.' Qatada remained silent for a while, then said: 'May Allah set your affair right! By the Lord, I have sat before the jurists and scholars and before Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him); but the way I have trembled before you has not happened to me before anyone else.' Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) said to him: 'Do you know where you are? بُیُوتٍ أَذِنَ اللهُ أَنْ تُرْفَعَ وَ یُذْکَرَ فِیهَا اسْمُهُ یُسَبِّحُ لَهُ فِیها بِالْغُدُوِّ وَ الْآصالِ رِجالٌ لا تُلْهِیهِمْ تِجارَةٌ وَ لا بَیْعٌ عَنْ ذِکْرِ اللهِ وَ إِقامِ الصَّلاةِ وَ إِیتاءِ الزَّکاةِ [In houses which Allah has permitted to be exalted and that His name may be remembered in them; there glorify Him therein in the mornings and the evenings — men whom neither commerce nor sale distracts from the remembrance of Allah and the establishment of prayer and the giving of zakat].' Qatada said: 'May I be your ransom, you speak the truth; these houses are not houses built of stone and clay.'

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): In the narration of Abu Hamza al-Thumali it is reported: In the year Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) went to Mecca and Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik was also in Mecca, people would gather around the Imam one after another and ask him their questions. Ikrima said: "Who is this whose forehead shines with the light of knowledge? Let me go and test him." He said: "As soon as I stood before him, such a trembling took hold of my limbs that I became powerless before him. I said: 'O son of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family)! I have sat before great men; I have met Ibn Abbas and others, but what has come over me now has never happened to me before.'" Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) said: "Woe to you, O servant of the Syrians! You are standing before a personage whom Allah has commanded to be honoured, and who is a guide to creation and the representative of Allah."

Imam Hadi (peace be upon him): I bear witness that your souls, your light and your essence are one — each of you has taken purity and cleanliness from the other. Allah created you as lights and then placed you around His Throne, until He bestowed upon us the favour of your existence and placed you فِی بُیُوتٍ أَذِنَ اللهُ أَنْ تُرْفَعَ وَ یُذْکَرَ فِیهَا اسْمُهُ [in houses which Allah has permitted to be exalted and that His name may be remembered in them] — [whose walls He has allowed to be raised, so that they may be safe from the meddling of satans]. And the salutations which we send upon you, and the wilaya of you which He has specially granted to us, are the cause of the goodness of our character and the purity of our souls.

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): When you go to visit the graves of the Imams (peace be upon them) in [the cemetery of] Baqi, stand by [their graves] and place the grave in front of you and say: "Peace be upon you, O Imams, who are the people of piety. Assuredly, you are the pillars of the religion and the foundations of the earth. You have always been under the attention of Allah; Allah brought you forth from pure loins and transferred you to pure wombs. The ignorance of the ignorant did not defile you, and the trials of the lower desires had no share in you. You were pure and your origin and lineage were pure. The Recompenser of the religion bestowed favor upon us through you, and He placed you in houses which Allah has permitted [the walls of] to be raised and in which His name is remembered, and He made our sending of blessings upon you a mercy for us and an expiation for our sins."