سورة النور

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): From Abdullah ibn Sinan, who said: I asked Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) about the verse: وَعَدَ اللهُ الَّذِینَ آمَنُوا مِنکُمْ وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ لَیَسْتَخْلِفَنَّهُم فِی الْأَرْضِ کَمَا اسْتَخْلَفَ الَّذِینَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ [Allah has promised to those of you who believe and do good that He will most certainly make them successors in the earth as He made those before them successors]. He said: "What is meant by the verse is the Imams (peace be upon them)."

Ibn Abbas: The verse: وَعَدَ اللهُ الَّذِینَ آمَنُوا مِنْکُمْ وَ عَمِلُوا الصَّالِحاتِ لَیَسْتَخْلِفَنَّهُمْ فِی الْأَرْضِ [Allah has promised to those of you who believe and do good that He will most certainly make them successors in the earth] was revealed about the family of Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family).

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): It is narrated from Safwan: When Mansur, the Abbasid caliph, summoned Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him), the Imam performed wudu and prayed two rak'ahs, then performed the prostration of thanks and said: "O my Lord, You promised us through Your Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family), to us the Ahl al-Bayt, the promise of victory — that You would exchange for us security in place of every fear. O my Lord, grant us what You have promised us, for we know that Your promise does not fail." (Al Imran/194) I said: "My master! What is the promise of Allah that has been given to you?" He said: "This verse: وَعَدَ اللهُ الَّذینَ آمَنُوا مِنْکُمْ وَ عَمِلُوا الصَّالِحاتِ لَیَسْتَخْلِفَنَّهُمْ ... [Allah has promised to those of you who believe and do good that He will most certainly make them successors …]."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): O Allah! Send down Your salutations, mercy and blessings, doubled, upon the pure progeny of Your Prophet — the progeny that has been ruined, terrified and abased, the remnant of the good, pure, blessed tree — and raise up their word of truth and manifest their proof, and remove from them affliction, hardship, the darknesses of falsehood and misguidance, and make firm the hearts of their Shia and Your party upon obedience to them, acceptance of their wilayah (guardianship), aid to them and befriending them, and help them and grant them patience over the harm suffered in Your path, and appoint for them glorious days whose excellence all will acknowledge and praiseworthy, blessed times in which their relief and opening draws near, and in which You make binding upon them empowerment and victory, as You guaranteed for Your friends in Your revealed Book. For You Yourself have said, and Your word is the truth: وَعَدَ اللهُ الَّذِینَ آمَنُوا مِنْکُمْ وَ عَمِلُوا الصَّالِحاتِ لَیَسْتَخْلِفَنَّهُمْ فِی الْأَرْضِ کَمَا اسْتَخْلَفَ الَّذِینَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ وَ لَیُمَکِّنَنَّ لَهُمْ دِینَهُمُ الَّذِی ارْتَضی لَهُمْ وَ لَیُبَدِّلَنَّهُمْ مِنْ بَعْدِ خَوْفِهِمْ أَمْناً یَعْبُدُونَنِی لا یُشْرِکُونَ بِی شَیْئا [Allah has promised to those of you who believe and do good that He will most certainly make them successors in the earth as He made those before them successors, and that He will most certainly establish for them their religion which He has chosen for them, and that He will most certainly, after their fear, give them security in exchange; they shall worship Me, not associating anything with Me].

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Allah created Laylat al-Qadr at the very beginning of the creation of the world, and on that night He also created the first Prophet and the first successor (wasi), and He decreed that in every year there would be one night in which the explanation of all affairs until the following year would be sent down. Whoever denies this has rejected the knowledge of Allah; for the Prophets, the messengers and the leaders do nothing except by means of what descends upon them on this night and the proof (hujjah) that Jibra'il brings to them. I asked: "Does Jibra'il or another of the angels also descend upon the Imams?" He said: "As for the Prophets and messengers, there is no doubt about it, and for others too, from the first day the earth was created until the final passing away of the world, there must be a proof (hujjah) upon the earth from among the servants of Allah whom He Himself chooses, upon whom that command descends on that night — and he is that very proof. By Allah, the angels and the Spirit descended upon Adam (peace be upon him) on the Night of Qadr. And by Allah, Adam (peace be upon him) did not depart from this world except that he had a successor for himself, and every one of the Prophets after Adam received the command on the Night of Qadr and would describe it for his successor after him. By Allah, among the things which the Prophets, from Adam (peace be upon him) to Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family), were commanded on this night was this: 'Appoint so-and-so as your successor!' Allah the Exalted says in His Book, concerning the guardians of the affair after Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) specifically: وَعَدَ اللهُ الَّذِینَ آمَنُوا مِنکُمْ وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ لَیَسْتَخْلِفَنَّهُم فِی الْأَرْضِ کَمَا اسْتَخْلَفَ الَّذِینَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ وَلَیُمَکِّنَنَّ لَهُمْ دِینَهُمُ الَّذِی ارْتَضَی لَهُمْ وَلَیُبَدِّلَنَّهُم مِّن بَعْدِ خَوْفِهِمْ أَمْنًا یَعْبُدُونَنِی لَا یُشْرِکُونَ بِی شَیْئًا وَمَن کَفَرَ بَعْدَ ذَلِکَ فَأُوْلَئِکَ هُمُ الْفَاسِقُونَ [Allah has promised those of you who believe and do righteous deeds that He will surely make them successors in the earth just as He made those before them successors, and that He will surely establish for them their religion which He has approved for them, and that He will surely exchange their fear for security; they worship Me, associating nothing with Me; and whoever disbelieves after that — those are the transgressors]; "I have appointed you, after your Prophet, as My successors in knowledge, religion and worship, just as the successors of Adam (peace be upon him) after him held this very rank until the next Prophet was raised up." یَعْبُدُونَنِی لا یُشْرِکُونَ بِی شَیْئاً [They worship Me, not associating anything with Me] means: they worship Me with this belief, that there is no Prophet after Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family), and whoever says otherwise is among the transgressors. Allah has placed knowledge at the disposal of the guardians of the affair after Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family), and we are those guardians of the affair. Ask us; if we speak truly, confirm us, and if not, do not confirm us. As for our knowledge, it is manifest. As for our time, in which the religion will be made manifest through us in such a way that there will be no disagreement among the people, it has a fixed appointed time in the passing of nights and days; when it comes, the religion will be manifest and the affair will then be one alone. By Allah, Allah has decreed that a day will come when there will be no disagreement among the believers. It is for this reason that He has made the believers witnesses over the people, so that Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) may be a witness over us, and we witnesses over our Shia, and our Shia witnesses over the people. Allah never changes His decree, nor does He place contradiction among the people of His knowledge.

The Messenger (peace be upon him and his family): Jabir ibn Abdullah al-Ansari said: Jandal ibn Junadah, a Jew from Khaybar, came to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) and said: "... O Messenger of Allah! Last night I saw Musa ibn Imran (peace be upon him) in a dream, and he said to me: 'O Jandal, accept Islam at the hand of Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) and hold fast to the successors (awsiya) after him.' Now Allah has granted me the success of embracing Islam. So tell me, who are the successors, that I may hold fast to them after you?" He said: "O Jandal, my successors after me are the same in number as the chiefs (nuqaba) of the Children of Israel." He said: "They were twelve chiefs — thus we found them in the Torah." He said: "Yes, the Imams (peace be upon them) after me are twelve." He said: "O Messenger of Allah! Will they all be in one time?" He said: "No, each will succeed the other, and you will see only three of them." He said: "Name them for me." He said: "Yes, you will meet the master of the successors, the heir of the prophets, and the father of the Imams, Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him), after me; then his son al-Hasan (peace be upon him); then al-Husayn (peace be upon him). So hold fast to them after me and do not let the ignorance of the ignorant deceive you ..." He said: "O Messenger of Allah! In the Torah we found something to the effect of 'Ilya, Yaqtu, Shabbaran and Shabiran,' but I did not recognize their names. How many successors are there after al-Husayn (peace be upon him), and what are their names?" He said: "Nine from the loins of al-Husayn (peace be upon him), and al-Mahdi (peace be upon him) is one of them. When the imamate of al-Husayn (peace be upon him) comes to an end, his son Ali (peace be upon him) will succeed him and will be titled Zayn al-Abidin; and when his period ends, his son al-Baqir (peace be upon him) will be the Imam; and when the lifetime of Muhammad al-Baqir (peace be upon him) ends, this responsibility will be taken up by his son Ja'far (peace be upon him), who is called al-Sadiq; and after Ja'far (peace be upon him), his son Musa (peace be upon him), titled al-Kazim, will take up the imamate; and after Musa (peace be upon him), his son Ali (peace be upon him), known as al-Rida, will take up this matter; and after the end of al-Rida's (peace be upon him) term, the turn will come to his son Muhammad (peace be upon him), who is called al-Zaki; after Muhammad al-Zaki (peace be upon him), his son Ali (peace be upon him), known as al-Naqi, will be the Imam; and when the lifetime of Ali al-Naqi (peace be upon him) ends, his son al-Hasan (peace be upon him), titled al-Amin, will be the Imam; and after him their Imam will be hidden from their sight." He said: "O Messenger of Allah! Is it al-Hasan (peace be upon him) who will be hidden from their sight?" He said: "No, his son, al-Hujjah!" He said: "O Messenger of Allah! What is his name?" He said: "His name is not to be mentioned until Allah makes him manifest." Jandal said: "O Messenger of Allah! We have seen mention of you in the Torah, and Musa ibn Imran (peace be upon him) has informed us of you and of the successors after you who are from your progeny." Then the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) recited this verse: وَعَدَ اللهُ الَّذِینَ آمَنُوا مِنْکُمْ وَ عَمِلُوا الصَّالِحاتِ لَیَسْتَخْلِفَنَّهُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ کَمَا اسْتَخْلَفَ الَّذِینَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ وَ لَیُمَکِّنَنَّ لَهُمْ دِینَهُمُ الَّذِي ارْتَضی لَهُمْ وَ لَیُبَدِّلَنَّهُمْ مِنْ بَعْدِ خَوْفِهِمْ أَمْناً یَعْبُدُونَنِي لا یُشْرِکُونَ بِي شَیْئاً وَ مَنْ کَفَرَ بَعْدَ ذَلِکَ فَأُولئِکَ هُمُ الْفَاسِقُونَ [Allah has promised those of you who believe and do good that He will most certainly make them successors in the earth as He made those before them successors, and that He will most certainly establish for them their religion which He has chosen for them, and that He will most certainly, after their fear, give them security in exchange; they shall worship Me, not associating anything with Me; and whoever disbelieves after this, these it is who are the transgressors]. Jandal said: "What is their fear?" He said: "O Jandal! In the time of each one of them there is a devil [and an oppressive ruler] who confronts them and harms them. So when Allah hastens the rising of our Qa'im (peace be upon him) [and he rises], he will fill the earth with justice and equity just as it had been filled with oppression and tyranny." Then he said: "Blessed are those who stand firm on love for them; they are the ones whom Allah has described in the Qur'an: [The pious] are those who believe in the unseen [that which is hidden from the senses]. (Al-Baqarah/3) And they are the party of Allah — and be aware, indeed the party of Allah are the successful ones. (Al-Mujadalah/22)."

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): It is narrated from Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) that Imam Ali (peace be upon him) said: Allah, Blessed and Exalted, is the One, the Unique, alone in His oneness — His oneness has no equal. Then Allah the Exalted spoke a word, and that word became a light. Then from that light He created Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family), and He created me and my household from him. Then Allah spoke a word, and that word became a spirit, and Allah placed it in that light and settled it in our bodies. So we are the spirit of Allah, and His words, and His signs. And through us Allah has completed His proof against His creation. We were always in a green shade, where there was no sun, no moon, no night and day, and no eye that blinks. There we worshipped Him, sanctified Him and glorified Him — and this was before anything had been created. Allah took from the prophets the covenant of faith in us and of helping us, and this is the very word of Allah: "And Allah took a covenant from the prophets: 'I have given you a Book and wisdom; then a Messenger will come to you confirming what is with you — you shall surely believe in him and surely help him.'" (Al Imran/81) — meaning: you shall certainly believe in Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) and shall certainly help his successor, and they will all help me. Allah took a covenant from me and from Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) that we would help one another. So I helped Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) and fought at his side, brought down his enemy, and fulfilled the covenant Allah had taken from me and helped Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family). None of Allah's prophets or messengers helped me, because Allah had taken their souls and brought them to Himself; but they will help me, and what lies between the east and the west of the world will be mine. Allah will raise them alive, from Adam (peace be upon him) to the Seal (peace be upon him and his family), every messenger-prophet; and at my side they will strike with the sword the heads of the [disbelieving] dead and the living from among the jinn and mankind. How astonishing! And how should I not be astonished at the dead whom Allah brings back to life — who, group after group, cry out labbayk: "O caller to Allah, labbayk, labbayk!" They will pour through the roads and streets of Kufa, unsheathing their swords upon their shoulders, and with them strike the necks of the disbelievers, the tyrants and their followers, from the first of them to the last, until Allah brings to pass what He has promised them, where He says: وَعَدَ اللهُ الَّذِینَ آمَنُوا مِنکُمْ وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ لَیَسْتَخْلِفَنَّهُم فِی الْأَرْضِ کَمَا اسْتَخْلَفَ الَّذِینَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ وَلَیُمَکِّنَنَّ لَهُمْ دِینَهُمُ الَّذِی ارْتَضَی لَهُمْ وَلَیُبَدِّلَنَّهُم مِّن بَعْدِ خَوْفِهِمْ أَمْنًا یَعْبُدُونَنِی لَا یُشْرِکُونَ بِی شَیْئًا [Allah has promised those of you who believe and do righteous deeds that He will surely make them successors in the earth as He made those before them successors, and that He will surely establish for them their religion which He has chosen for them, and that He will surely, after their fear, exchange it for security; they shall worship Me and not associate anything with Me]; meaning they will worship Me in security, fearing none of my servants and no longer practising taqiyya (dissimulation). Indeed I have a return after a return and a raj'a (returning to life) after another raj'a; and it is I who charge and press hard upon the enemy, and it is I who am the master of astonishing transformations, and I am a horn of iron, the servant of Allah and the brother of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family); and I am the trustee of Allah, His treasurer, the keeper of His secret and His veil; I am the straight path and the balance.

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): Indeed I swear by the One who split the seed and created humankind and sent down the Book upon Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) upon truth and justice, that [the promise of] this verse: وَعَدَ اللهُ الَّذِینَ آمَنُوا [مِنْکُمْ] وَ عَمِلُوا الصَّالِحاتِ لَیَسْتَخْلِفَنَّهُمْ فِی الْأَرْضِ [Allah has promised those of you who believe and do good that He will most certainly make them rulers in the earth] will surely come upon you.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Abu Basir narrates: Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said concerning the verse: وَعَدَ اللهُ الَّذِینَ آمَنُوا مِنکُمْ وَ عَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ لَیَسْتَخْلِفَنَّهُم فِی الْأَرْضِ کَمَا اسْتَخْلَفَ الَّذِینَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ وَ لَیُمَکِّنَنَّ لَهُمْ دِینَهُمُ الَّذِی ارْتَضَی لَهُمْ وَ لَیُبَدِّلَنَّهُم مِّن بَعْدِ خَوْفِهِمْ أَمْنًا یَعْبُدُونَنِی لَا یُشْرِکُونَ بِی شَیْئًا [Allah has promised those of you who believe and do good that He will most certainly make them rulers in the earth, as He made rulers those before them, and that He will establish for them their religion which He has chosen for them, and that He will, after their fear, give them security in exchange; they shall worship Me, not associating anything with Me]: "This verse was revealed concerning al-Qa'im (peace be upon him) and his companions."

Ali ibn Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him): This verse: وَعَدَ اللهُ الَّذِینَ آمَنُوا مِنکُمْ وَ عَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ لَیَسْتَخْلِفَنَّهُم فِی الْأَرْضِ کَمَا اسْتَخْلَفَ الَّذِینَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ وَ لَیُمَکِّنَنَّ لَهُمْ دِینَهُمُ الَّذِی ارْتَضَی لَهُمْ وَ لَیُبَدِّلَنَّهُم مِّن بَعْدِ خَوْفِهِمْ أَمْنًا یَعْبُدُونَنِی لَا یُشْرِکُونَ بِی شَیْئًا [Allah has promised those of you who believe and do good that He will most certainly make them rulers in the earth, as He made rulers those before them, and that He will establish for them their religion which He has chosen for them, and that He will, after their fear, give them security in exchange; they shall worship Me, not associating anything with Me] is concerning al-Qa'im of the family of Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family).

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): When the eve of Friday arrives, Allah sends His angels down to the lowest heaven, and at the break of dawn He places pulpits of light beside al-Bayt al-Ma'mur for Muhammad, Ali, Hasan and Husayn (peace be upon them), and they ascend upon them. Then Allah commands the angels, the prophets and the believers to gather at the foot of their pulpits, and the gates of heaven are opened. Then at midday the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) says: "O my Lord! Now is the time of the promise which You promised in Your Book, and it is this verse: وَعَدَ اللهُ الَّذِینَ آمَنُوا مِنْکُمْ وَ عَمِلُوا الصَّالِحاتِ لَیَسْتَخْلِفَنَّهُمْ فِی الْأَرْضِ کَمَا اسْتَخْلَفَ الَّذِینَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ [Allah has promised those of you who believe and do good that He will most certainly make them rulers in the earth, as He made rulers those before them] ..." The angels and the prophets also say the same, then Muhammad, Ali, Hasan and Husayn (peace be upon them) fall into prostration. Then they say: "O Allah, be wrathful [against the irreligious], for Your sanctity has been violated, Your chosen ones have been killed, and Your righteous servants have been humiliated." And Allah does whatever He wills, and this is an appointed time.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Sadir al-Sayrafi said: I, along with Mufaddal, Abu Basir, and Aban, came to Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him)… He said: "Allah the Exalted has decreed for our Qa'im (peace be upon him) three things which He carried out concerning the prophets: his birth is like the birth of Musa (peace be upon him), his occultation is like the occultation of Isa (peace be upon him), and his long life is like the long life of Nuh (peace be upon him). Then He made the long life of the righteous servant of Allah, the Prophet Khidr (peace be upon him), a proof for the long life of that Master." We said: "O son of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family)! Explain to us the reasons for these matters you have mentioned." He said: "…As for the long life of Nuh (peace be upon him), it was such that when he asked Allah to send down punishment upon his people, Jibra'il brought him seven date-stones and said: 'O Prophet of Allah! The Lord says: These are My creation and My servants; I shall not destroy them with a thunderbolt except after emphasising the call and completing the proof upon them. So call your people once again to the worship of Allah, and We shall reward you for it. Plant these stones; when they grow, reach maturity, and bear fruit, the time of the descent of divine mercy will come, and you will be relieved of the harm of your people. Give the believers glad tidings of this.' When the trees grew, put forth branches and leaves, bore fruit, and after a time yielded as they ought, Nuh (peace be upon him) asked Allah, in accordance with His promise, to relieve him from the harm of his people. But Allah again commanded him to plant the stones of those trees, to take up patience anew, to strive, and to make the proof more emphatic upon his people. Nuh (peace be upon him) conveyed the new command to those who had believed in him, and three hundred of them turned back from him and said: 'If Nuh's call were true, his Lord would not have broken His promise.' Then Allah the Exalted, seven times in succession, commanded him to plant the seeds of that tree, and each time a group of believers turned away from him, until his followers wavered and dwindled to some seventy-odd men. Then Allah revealed to him: 'Now the veil of the dark night has been lifted from the face of the luminous morning before your eyes. For the truth has become manifest, and the light of faith has been cleansed from the rust of the apostasy of those of foul nature. If I destroyed the disbelievers but left behind those who had believed in you and then turned away and apostatised, I would not have fulfilled My promise — the promise I gave to the earlier believers of your people who were sincere in belief in the Oneness of Allah and clung to the rope of your prophethood: that I would establish them on the earth, make firm their religion for them, and change their fear into security, so that doubt would be lifted from the tablet of their hearts and they would worship Me with sincerity. How could I settle on the earth those who apostatised, establish their religion, and change their fear into security, when I know they have weak faith, foul nature, and evil inner selves? If, at the time of destroying the enemies, when I wished to establish the believers on the earth, that apostate group were to catch the scent of the succession given to the believers, they would grow more firmly rooted in hypocrisy and misguidance, would rise in enmity against their brethren and fight them for the sake of leadership. So with these strifes and wars against their brethren, how could firm establishment in religion and the spread of faith among the believers be brought together? So build the ark under Our eyes and by Our revelation!'" Then Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: "Likewise our Qa'im (peace be upon him): his occultation will be prolonged so that truth may become manifest, and the light of faith may be cleansed from the rust of the apostasy of those Shia who have a foul nature — such that if they sense, in the days of the appearance of the Mahdi (peace be upon him), that the sincere believers will enjoy honour, firmness of faith, and the security of that time, they will fall into panic, because of the hypocrisy they harbour." Mufaddal said: "I said: O son of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family)! The Nawasib claim that this verse — وَعَدَ اللهُ الَّذِینَ آمَنُوا مِنْکُمْ وَ عَمِلُوا الصَّالِحاتِ لَیَسْتَخْلِفَنَّهُمْ فِی الْأَرْضِ کَمَا اسْتَخْلَفَ الَّذِینَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ وَ لَیُمَکِّنَنَّ لَهُمْ دِینَهُمُ الَّذِی ارْتَضی لَهُمْ وَ لَیُبَدِّلَنَّهُمْ مِنْ بَعْدِ خَوْفِهِمْ أَمْناً یَعْبُدُونَنِی لا یُشْرِکُونَ بِی شَیْئاً [Allah has promised those of you who believe and do good that He will most certainly make them successors in the earth as He made successors those before them, and that He will most certainly establish for them their religion which He has chosen for them, and that He will most certainly, after their fear, give them security in exchange; they shall worship Me, not associating anything with Me] — was revealed concerning Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, and Ali (peace be upon him)." He said: "May Allah not guide the hearts of the Nawasib! When was the religion which Allah and His Messenger approved ever established through the spread of security among the ummah, the removal of fear from hearts, and the lifting of doubt from breasts, in the time of any of these three, or in the outward caliphate of the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) — when the Muslims apostatised, and strifes broke out, and wars occurred between them and the disbelievers?"

Imam Sajjad (peace be upon him): It is narrated that Imam Sajjad (peace be upon him) recited this verse and said: "By Allah, they are our Shia, the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them), and Allah will bring this about [for the believers and the righteous of the earth] at the hands of a man from our family who is the Mahdi (peace be upon him). He is the one about whom the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) said: 'If only one day remained of the world, Allah would prolong that day until a man from my Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them), whose name is my name, comes and fills the earth with justice and equity just as it had been filled with oppression and injustice.'"

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): Ali ibn Ibrahim narrates with his chain: Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him), after his return from Nahrawan, wrote a letter and ordered that it be read to the people ... Allah sent His Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) while you Arabs were in the worst state: some of you would feed his dog and kill his child, would raid another, and when he returned would find that he himself had been raided. You would eat al-'ilhiz (a food made in times of drought from blood and camel's wool), al-habid (the colocynth, Abu Jahl's melon), carrion and blood. You would lie down on rough stones and worship misguiding idols; you would eat coarse food and drink stagnant water; you would shed one another's blood and take one another captive. Allah revealed three verses concerning Quraysh and one verse concerning the Arabs [in general]. As for the verses concerning Quraysh: "And remember when you were few and deemed weak in the land, fearing that people might snatch you away, but He gave you refuge, strengthened you with His help, and provided you with good things that perhaps you might be grateful." (al-Anfal/26). The second: وَعَدَ اللهُ الَّذِینَ آمَنُوا مِنْکُمْ وَ عَمِلُوا الصَّالِحاتِ لَیَسْتَخْلِفَنَّهُمْ فِی الْأَرْضِ کَمَا اسْتَخْلَفَ الَّذِینَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ وَ لَیُمَکِّنَنَّ لَهُمْ دِینَهُمُ الَّذِی ارْتَضی لَهُمْ وَ لَیُبَدِّلَنَّهُمْ مِنْ بَعْدِ خَوْفِهِمْ أَمْناً یَعْبُدُونَنِی لا یُشْرِکُونَ بِی شَیْئاً وَ مَنْ کَفَرَ بَعْدَ ذلِکَ فَأُولئِکَ هُمُ الْفاسِقُونَ [Allah has promised those of you who believe and do good deeds that He will most certainly make them successors on the earth as He made those before them, and that He will most certainly establish for them their religion which He has chosen for them, and that He will most certainly, after their fear, change their state to security; they shall worship Me, not associating anything with Me; and whoever disbelieves after this, they are the transgressors]. The third: "Have We not established for them a safe sanctuary to which the fruits of everything [from every city and land] are brought as provision from Us? But most of them do not know." (al-Qasas/57).

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): As for the refutation of one who denies the raj'a (return), it is this word of Allah the Mighty and Majestic: '[Remember] the day when We shall gather from every nation a group of those who denied Our signs, and they shall be kept back [so they may join one another].' (Naml/83) 'And We shall gather them [all people], and We shall not leave any one of them.' (Kahf/47) And likewise this word of Allah: 'And it is forbidden for the towns and settlements which We destroyed [because of sin] that they should return' — they will never return. (Anbiya/95) That is, during the era of the raj'a; otherwise on the Day of Resurrection they too will return. And like this word of Allah: 'And [remember] when Allah took a solemn covenant from the prophets [and their followers], that whenever I have given you the Book and knowledge, then a messenger comes to you confirming what is with you, you must believe in him and help him.' (Al-Imran/81) And this will occur only in the raj'a. And similar to it is this verse in which Allah has addressed the Imams (peace be upon them) and promised them victory and vengeance from their enemies, where He said: وَعَدَ اللهُ الَّذِینَ آمَنُوا مِنْکُمْ وَ عَمِلُوا الصَّالِحاتِ لَیَسْتَخْلِفَنَّهُمْ فِی الْأَرْضِ کَمَا اسْتَخْلَفَ الَّذِینَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ وَ لَیُمَکِّنَنَّ لَهُمْ دِینَهُمُ الَّذِی ارْتَضی لَهُمْ وَ لَیُبَدِّلَنَّهُمْ مِنْ بَعْدِ خَوْفِهِمْ أَمْناً یَعْبُدُونَنِی لا یُشْرِکُونَ بِی شَیْئاً [Allah has promised to those of you who believe and do good that He will most certainly make them rulers in the earth as He made rulers those before them, and that He will most certainly establish for them their religion which He has chosen for them, and that He will most certainly, after their fear, give them security in exchange; they shall serve Me, not associating anything with Me], and [the fulfilment of] this promise is at the time when the Imams (peace be upon them) return to the world; and like this word of Allah: 'We have willed to bestow favour upon the oppressed of the earth, and to make them leaders and the inheritors of the earth.' (Qasas/5).

Ali ibn Ibrahim: Instances like this — matters such as the raj'a (return) and victory which Allah has promised the Imams (peace be upon them) — are many. So He said: وَعَدَ اللهُ الَّذینَ آمَنُوا مِنْکُمْ [Allah has promised those of you who believe] — meaning the Imams — وَ عَمِلُوا الصَّالِحاتِ ... لا یُشْرِکُونَ بی شَیْئاً [and do good works ... they will not associate anything with Me], and this event is at the time of the raj'a.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Abdullah ibn Muskan narrates: Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him), regarding the verse وَ إِذْ أَخَذَ اللهُ مِیثاقَ النَّبِیِّینَ لَما آتَیْتُکُمْ مِنْ کِتابٍ وَ حِکْمَةٍ ثُمَّ جاءَکُمْ رَسُولٌ مُصَدِّقٌ لِما مَعَکُمْ لَتُؤْمِنُنَّ بِهِ وَ لَتَنْصُرُنَّهُ [And (remember) when Allah took a firm covenant from the prophets (and their followers): "Whenever I give you a Book and wisdom, and then a Messenger comes to you confirming what is with you, you shall surely believe in him and you shall surely help him!"] (Al Imran/81), said: "Allah did not send any prophet from the time of Adam (peace be upon him) except that he will return to the world and help the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him). And the phrase لَتُؤْمِنُنَّ بِهِ means 'you shall surely believe in the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family),' and the phrase لَتَنْصُرُنَّهُ means 'you shall surely help the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him).'" Ali ibn Ibrahim says: And there are many things similar to this — concerning the raj'a (return) and victory — which Allah has promised to the Imams (peace be upon them). وَعَدَ اللهُ الَّذِینَ آمَنُوا مِنْکُمْ [Allah has promised those of you who have believed]; what is meant by مِنْکُمْ is the Imams (peace be upon them). وَ عَمِلُوا الصَّالِحاتِ لَیَسْتَخْلِفَنَّهُمْ فِی الْأَرْضِ کَمَا اسْتَخْلَفَ الَّذِینَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ وَ لَیُمَکِّنَنَّ لَهُمْ دِینَهُمُ الَّذِی ارْتَضی لَهُمْ وَ لَیُبَدِّلَنَّهُمْ مِنْ بَعْدِ خَوْفِهِمْ أَمْناً یَعْبُدُونَنِی لا یُشْرِکُونَ بِی شَیْئاً [and done righteous deeds, that He will surely make them successors in the earth, as He made successors those before them; and that He will surely establish for them their religion which He has approved for them; and that He will surely exchange their fear for security — they worship Me, not associating anything with Me] — all of these promises will be fulfilled at the time of the raj'a (return)."

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): And Allah will raise up living ones from Adam to the Seal (peace be upon him and his family). Every messenger-prophet, at my stirrup, will strike with the sword the skulls of the dead and the living, of jinn and men. It is astonishing — and how should I not be astonished — at the dead whom Allah raises up alive, uttering the talbiyah group after group with this call: "Labbayk, O caller of Allah!" They will appear in the streets of Kufa, bearing their swords upon their shoulders, that they may strike with them the skulls of the disbelievers and their tyrants, and the followers of those tyrants, and the tyrants of the first and the last, until Allah the Mighty and Majestic fulfils the promise He made concerning them, as He says: وَعَدَ اللهُ الَّذینَ آمَنُوا مِنْکُمْ وَ عَمِلُوا الصَّالِحاتِ لَیَسْتَخْلِفَنَّهُمْ فِی الْأَرْضِ کَمَا اسْتَخْلَفَ الَّذینَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ وَ لَیُمَکِّنَنَّ لَهُمْ دینَهُمُ الَّذِی ارْتَضی لَهُمْ وَ لَیُبَدِّلَنَّهُمْ مِنْ بَعْدِ خَوْفِهِمْ أَمْناً یَعْبُدُونَنی لا یُشْرِکُونَ بی شَیْئاً [Allah has promised those of you who believe and do good works that He will surely make them successors in the land as He made those before them successors, and that He will surely establish for them their religion which He has approved for them, and that He will surely exchange, after their fear, security; they will worship Me, not associating anything with Me] — meaning that they will worship Me in security, fearing none of My servants, and having no taqiyyah (dissimulation). And I have a return after a return, and a rajah (return to life) after a rajah; I am the master of the returns and the recurrences; the master of the assaults and the retributions and the wondrous turns of dominion. I am a fortress of iron, and I am the servant of Allah and the brother of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family). I am the trustee of Allah and His treasurer; the abode of His secret, and His veil, His reality, His straight path, and His scale. I am the one who drives the people towards Allah; I am the word of Allah by which Allah gathers the scattered believers and scatters the assembled disbelievers. I am the beautiful names of Allah, His lofty likenesses, and His greatest signs, and I am the master of Paradise and Hell; I settle the people of Paradise in Paradise and dispatch the people of Hell to Hell; the marriage of the people of Paradise is in my hand and the punishment of the people of Hell is also in my hand, and the coming of all creation is towards me. I am that abode to which everything returns after annihilation, and the reckoning of all creation is towards me.

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): As for the verses whose ta'wil [and outward instance] will come after their revelation, they are matters of which Allah the Mighty and Majestic informed His Prophet would occur after him — such as what He foretold concerning the Qasitin (Mu'awiya and his followers), the Mariqin (the instigators of the Battle of Jamal) and the Khawarij (the instigators of the Battle of Nahrawan); and [the prediction of] the killing of Ammar [at the Battle of Siffin], the reports concerning the Resurrection, the era of the Raj'a (return) and the characteristics of the Resurrection — all of them are of this kind. Such as the verse: 'We wish to bestow favour upon those who were oppressed on the earth and to make them leaders and the inheritors of the earth, and to establish their rule on the earth, and to show Pharaoh and Haman and their armies from them [the Children of Israel] what they used to fear.' (al-Qasas/6). And such as the verse: وَعَدَ اللهُ الَّذِینَ آمَنُوا مِنکُمْ وَ عَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ لَیَسْتَخْلِفَنَّهُم فِی الْأَرْضِ کَمَا اسْتَخْلَفَ الَّذِینَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ وَ لَیُمَکِّنَنَّ لَهُمْ دِینَهُمُ الَّذِی ارْتَضَی لَهُمْ وَ لَیُبَدِّلَنَّهُم مِّن بَعْدِ خَوْفِهِمْ أَمْنًا یَعْبُدُونَنِی لَا یُشْرِکُونَ بِی شَیْئًا [Allah has promised those of you who believe and do righteous deeds that He will surely make them successors upon the earth just as He made those before them successors, and that He will surely establish for them their religion which He has approved for them, and that He will surely exchange their fear for security — they worship Me, not associating anything with Me]. So these verses and their like were revealed before their ta'wil [and outward instance] came to pass, and all of them have their ta'wil [and outward instance] after their revelation.

Ali ibn Ibrahim: Then Allah addressed the Imams (peace be upon them) and promised them that He would make them His successors on the earth after the injustices done to them and after their right was usurped, and He said: وَعَدَ اللهُ الَّذِینَ آمَنُوا مِنکُمْ وَ عَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ لَیَسْتَخْلِفَنَّهُم فِی الْأَرْضِ کَمَا اسْتَخْلَفَ الَّذِینَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ وَ لَیُمَکِّنَنَّ لَهُمْ دِینَهُمُ الَّذِی ارْتَضَی لَهُمْ وَ لَیُبَدِّلَنَّهُم مِّن بَعْدِ خَوْفِهِمْ أَمْنًا یَعْبُدُونَنِی لَا یُشْرِکُونَ بِی شَیْئًا [Allah has promised those of you who believe and do righteous deeds that He will surely make them successors upon the earth just as He made those before them successors, and that He will surely establish for them their religion which He has approved for them, and that He will surely exchange their fear for security — they worship Me, not associating anything with Me]. This verse is among those of which we said that their ta'wil [and outward instance] is after their revelation; and this verse is connected to the verse: رِجالٌ لا تُلْهِیهِمْ تِجارَةٌ وَ لا بَیْعٌ عَنْ ذِکْرِ اللهِ [Men whom neither trade nor sale distracts from the remembrance of Allah] (an-Nur/37).

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Habib al-Sijistani said: I heard Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) saying: "When Allah the Mighty and Majestic brought forth the progeny of the children of Adam from his back so as to take from them the covenant of His Lordship, and, before the prophethood of every prophet, took the first covenant upon the prophethood of Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family), He then said: 'Look, O Adam, and see what you see.' He said: Adam looked at his progeny, and they were like particles filling the sky; he said: 'O my Lord, how numerous is my progeny! You have created them for some great matter; what do You want from them in return for taking their covenant?' Allah the Mighty and Majestic said: يَعْبُدُونَنِی وَ لا یُشْرِکُونَ بِی شَیْئاً [They shall worship Me and not associate anything with Me] — and that they affirm My messengers and follow them.' Adam (peace be upon him) said: 'O my Lord, what has happened to me that I see some greater than others, some having much light, some little light, and some none at all?' Allah the Mighty and Majestic said: 'I created them so, in order to test them in every state.'"

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): It is narrated from Mufaddal that my master Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: "... O Mufaddal! Do you know which verses of the Quran consider the disbeliever to be a wrongdoer?" He replied: "Yes, it is this verse: The disbelievers are themselves the wrongdoers (they wrong both themselves and others) (Baqarah/254), and the disbelievers are the transgressors, and whoever is a disbeliever, a transgressor and a wrongdoer, Allah does not make him a leader of the people." The Imam said: "Well done, O Mufaddal."