سورة آل عمران

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): کُنْتُمْ خَیْرَ أُمَّةٍ أُخْرِجَتْ لِلنَّاسِ [You are the best of the nations raised up for men] — we are they.

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): خَیْرَ أُمَّةٍ [the best of nations]; meaning the Ahl al-Bayt of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family).

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): کُنْتُمْ خَیْرَ أُمَّةٍ أُخْرِجَتْ لِلنَّاسِ [You are the best nation raised up for the people] — you are the best leaders (imams) who have been appointed for the people.

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family): Jabir ibn Abd Allah al-Ansari (may Allah have mercy on him), concerning the interpretation of the verse: کُنْتُمْ خَیْرَ أُمَّةٍ أُخْرِجَتْ لِلنَّاسِ تَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ [You are the best nation raised up for the people, you enjoin what is right], said: "The Noble Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) said: 'The first thing that Allah created was my light, which He brought into being from His own light and separated from the majesty of His greatness. It began to circle around the Power until, after eighty thousand years, it reached the majesty of the Greatness. At that moment it fell in prostration to Allah in reverence, and from that light the light of Ali (peace be upon him) was separated. My light was encompassing the Greatness, and the light of Ali (peace be upon him) was encompassing the Power. Then Allah created the Throne, the Tablet, the sun, the light of the day, the light of the eyes, the intellect, gnosis, and the sight, hearing and hearts of people from my light — and my light was separated from His light. We are the first and the last, the foremost and the ones who glorify, and we are the intercessors. We are the wisdom of Allah, His chosen ones, and the beloved of the Lord; we are Wajh Allah (the Face of Allah), Janb Allah (the Side of Allah), Ayn Allah (the Eye of Allah), Umana Allah (the Trustees of Allah), the guardians of the covenant of Allah and of the unseen of Allah, the mine of revelation and the meaning of ta'wil (esoteric interpretation). Jibra'il (peace be upon him) descends in our houses, and we are the sanctuary of Allah's holiness, the lamps of wisdom, the keys of mercy, the springs of resolve, the cause of the ummah's honour, the outstanding leaders, the laws (namus) of the age, the rulers of the world, the guides of the people, the sovereigns of the world, and we are the obedient, the walis (guardians), their back and refuge, their cup-bearers, their protectors, and the path of salvation for them. We are the path and Salsabil, the firm path and the straight road. Whoever believes in us has believed in Allah, and whoever denies us has denied Allah; whoever doubts about us has doubted Allah; whoever knows us has knowledge of Allah; whoever turns his back on us has turned his back on Allah; and whoever obeys us has obeyed Allah. We are the means (wasila) to Allah and those who deliver to His pleasure.'"

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Our enemy in the expression of the Book of Allah the Mighty and Majestic is fahsha (indecency), munkar (wrong) and baghy (oppression).

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): By Allah, Allah the Mighty and Majestic did not bestow upon any prophet or sent messenger a rank or virtue except that He gathered all of them for Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) and added to him many times over the ranks and virtues of the prophets and messengers ... And Allah the Mighty and Majestic gave him precedence over all the prophets and gave his ummah precedence over all the nations, and He said: کُنْتُمْ خَیْرَ أُمَّةٍ أُخْرِجَتْ لِلنَّاسِ تَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَ تَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُنْکَر [You are the best nation raised up for the people, you enjoin what is right and forbid the wrong].

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): A scholar from the scholars of the Jews of Sham came to us and said to Ali (peace be upon him): '... Inform me about that by which Allah has favoured the ummah of the Prophet of Islam (peace be upon him and his family) over the other nations.' The Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) said to him: 'Allah has favoured his ummah over the other nations with many things; I will tell you a little of the much. Among them is this saying of Allah the Mighty and Majestic: كُنْتُمْ خَیْرَ أُمَّةٍ أُخْرِجَتْ لِلنَّاسِ [You are the best of the nations raised up for (the benefit of) men]. And among them is that when the Day of Resurrection comes and Allah gathers the creation in one place, Allah the Mighty and Majestic will ask the prophets: "Did you deliver My message?" They will say: "Yes." He will ask the nations, and they will say: "Neither a bearer of glad tidings nor a warner came to us." Allah the Exalted, while He is more knowledgeable about that matter, will say to the prophets: "Who are your witnesses today?" They will say: "Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) and his ummah." So the ummah of Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) will bear witness confirming the prophets in the delivery of the religion of Allah, and their testimony and the testimony of Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) will be accepted, and at that time they will believe.'

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Abu Amr al-Zubayri narrates from Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) and says: I asked Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) about the verse وَکَذلِکَ جَعَلْناکُمْ أُمَّةً وَسَطاً لِتَکُونُوا شُهَداءَ عَلَی النَّاسِ وَ یَکُونَ الرَّسُولُ عَلَیْکُمْ شَهِیداً [And thus We have made you a medium (just) nation that you may be the bearers of witness to the people and (that) the Messenger may be a bearer of witness to you]. He said: 'If you suppose that Allah in this verse calls to witness all the people of the qiblah from among the monotheists, is such an interpretation correct — when the testimony of some of them in the world is not accepted for a sa' of dates, then Allah on the Day of Resurrection, in the presence of all the past nations, would accept his testimony? He has never wanted such a thing from the ummah — [rather] that ummah for whom the supplication of Ibrahim (peace be upon him) has been ordained: كُنْتُمْ خَیْرَ أُمَّةٍ أُخْرِجَتْ لِلنَّاسِ [You are the best of the nations raised up for (the benefit of) men]; for they are the most balanced of nations and the best ummah from among the people.'

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): [Regarding] كُنْتُمْ خَیْرَ أُمَّةٍ أُخْرِجَتْ لِلنَّاسِ [You are the best of the nations raised up for (the benefit of) men]; he said: 'That is, the very ummah whom the supplication of Ibrahim (peace be upon him) encompasses. They are the very ummah among whom Allah raised up [the Prophet], and from among whom He chose the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), and to whom He sent the heavenly Book, and the middle ummah, the best ummah, created for the benefit of mankind.'

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): It has been narrated to us from Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) that a questioner asked the Imam (peace be upon him): "O son of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family)! Inform me about the family of Muhammad (peace be upon them) — who are they?" He said: "... Allah the Mighty and Majestic said in another place: كُنْتُمْ خَيْرَ أُمَّةٍ أُخْرِجَتْ لِلنَّاسِ [You are the best of the nations raised up for men], and what is meant is that nation which was the object of the supplication of Ibrahim (peace be upon him). And if Allah had meant all Muslims by كُنْتُمْ خَيْرَ أُمَّةٍ أُخْرِجَتْ لِلنَّاسِ [You are the best of the nations raised up for men], then in that case He would not have identified the people to whom all the Muslims have been sent — who those people are. Never; the worthless ones of this creation whom you suppose — Allah does not mean them; rather, what Allah means is the nation among whom Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) was sent at the beginning of his mission." The questioner said: "In that case, no one was with the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) besides Ali (peace be upon him)." Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: "With Ali (peace be upon him) were Fatima (peace be upon her), Hasan and Husayn (peace be upon them), and they are the ones from whom Allah has removed impurity and sin and has purified them completely. And the Ashab al-Kisa (People of the Cloak) are those whose purity the Quran has borne witness to."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Abdullah ibn Sinan narrates from Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) and says: I recited to Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) كُنْتُمْ خَیْرَ أُمَّةٍ [You are the best of the nations]. He said: "The best nation — who killed Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him), Imam Hasan and Imam Husayn (peace be upon them)?!" I said: "May I be your ransom, how was it revealed?" He said: "It was revealed as أَنْتُمْ خَیْرُ أَئِمَّةٍ أُخْرِجَتْ لِلنَّاسِ [You are the best of Imams raised up for men]. Do you not see how Allah praises them: تَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَ تَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُنْکَرِ وَ تُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللهِ [You enjoin what is right and forbid the wrong and believe in Allah]."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said to the one reciting this verse: "Woe to you! Does the best nation kill the son of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family)?!" The reciter said, "May I be your ransom, then how is the verse?" He said: "Allah has revealed the interpretation of the verse thus: كُنْتُمْ خَیْرَ أَئِمَّةٍ [You were the best of Imams]. Do you not see Allah's praise of them in His words: تَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَ تَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُنْکَرِ وَ تُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللهِ [You enjoin what is right and forbid the wrong and believe in Allah]? So Allah's praise of them is proof that the whole nation is not intended. Do you not know that among the nation there are fornicators, sodomites, thieves, highway robbers, oppressors and transgressors? Do you believe that Allah has praised these and named such people 'enjoiners of good and forbidders of evil'? Never! Allah has not praised these, nor named them among the good; rather they are the evil ones in Surah al-Nahl." And that is the recitation of the one who recited thus: 'You make your oaths and covenants a means of treachery and corruption because one group is more numerous than another group.' (Nahl/92). Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said to the one who recited this verse before him: "Woe to you! What is أَرْبَی [more numerous]?" He said, "May I be your ransom, then what is it?" He said: "Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, revealed the interpretation and exegesis of the verse thus: because there are Imams purer than your leaders. Allah only tests you by this means. (Nahl/92)."