سورة آل عمران

Ali ibn Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him): لاَنفَضُّواْ مِنْ حَوْلِکَ [they would certainly have dispersed from around you]; meaning they would have scattered and would not have stayed with you.

The Messenger (peace be upon him and his family): A bedouin came to a man from Banu Amir and asked about the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) ... [he wrote to the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family)]: My people have sent me to you as a scout. I wish to put you under oath but I fear that you will become angry. He said: "I do not become angry. I am the one whom Allah has named in the Torah and the Gospel Muhammad, the Messenger, the Chosen, the Selected; one who is not foul-mouthed, does not shout in the marketplaces, does not repay evil with evil, but rather repays evil with good. So ask me whatever you wish. I am the one about whom Allah has said in the Quran: وَلَوْ کُنتَ فَظًّا غَلِیظَ الْقَلْبِ لاَنفَضُّواْ مِنْ حَوْلِکَ [And had you been rough, hard hearted, they would certainly have dispersed from around you]. So ask whatever you wish."

Imam Rida (peace be upon him): Safwan said: I sought permission from Imam Rida (peace be upon him) for Muhammad ibn Khalid and said: "He does not believe in the Imamate, but he says: By Allah! My purpose in this meeting is that I may cease from what I say about him." Imam Rida (peace be upon him) said: "Tell him to come in." He entered and said: "May I be your ransom, I have let slip a certain matter and have wronged myself" — they used to think that by this speech he meant fault-finding against Imam Rida (peace be upon him) — "and now I repent, and I request that you accept my excuse and forgive me for what I have done in the past." He said: "Very well, I accept your excuse. If I did not accept it, it would go against the belief of this group" — he pointed to me (meaning: against the belief in the Imamate) — "and would be in accordance with the view of the opponents of the Imamate. Allah says to His Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): فَبِما رَحْمَةٍ مِنَ اللهِ لِنْتَ لَهُمْ وَ لَوْ کُنْتَ فَظًّا غَلِیظَ الْقَلْبِ لَانْفَضُّوا مِنْ حَوْلِکَ فَاعْفُ عَنْهُمْ وَ اسْتَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ وَ شاوِرْهُمْ فِی الْأَمْرِ [Thus it is due to mercy from Allah that you deal with them gently, and had you been rough, hard hearted, they would certainly have dispersed from around you; pardon them therefore and ask pardon for them, and take counsel with them in the affair]." Then he asked him about Musa ibn Jafar (peace be upon him). He said: "He has passed away," and he sought forgiveness for him.

Imam Jawad (peace be upon him): It is narrated from Ali ibn Mahziyar, who said: Imam Jawad (peace be upon him) wrote to me: Ask so-and-so to give me his opinion and to seek what is best on my behalf, for [he] knows what is permissible in his city and how one is to deal with the rulers. For consultation is blessed, and Allah said to His Prophet in the glorious Quran: "Pardon them and ask forgiveness for them, and consult them in the affair; so when you have decided, place your trust in Allah, for indeed Allah loves those who trust فَبِما رَحْمَةٍ مِنَ اللهِ لِنْتَ لَهُمْ وَ لَوْ کُنْتَ فَظًّا غَلیظَ الْقَلْبِ لاَنْفَضُّوا مِنْ حَوْلِکَ فَاعْفُ عَنْهُمْ وَ اسْتَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ وَ شاوِرْهُمْ فِی الْأَمْرِ فَإِذا عَزَمْتَ فَتَوَکَّلْ عَلَی اللهِ إِنَّ اللهَ یُحِبُّ الْمُتَوَکِّلین [Thus it is due to mercy from Allah that you deal with them gently, and had you been rough, hard hearted, they would certainly have dispersed from around you; pardon them therefore and ask pardon for them, and take counsel with them in the affair; so when you have decided, then place your trust in Allah; surely Allah loves those who trust]. And if what he suggests is permissible, I will endorse his view, and if not, I hope to guide him onto the clear path, Allah willing. وَ شاوِرْهُمْ فِی الْأَمْر [and consult them in the affair] means: seek what is best.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Whenever you consult someone whom your intellect and heart affirm, do not oppose him in what he advises you, even if it is contrary to what you want, for the soul refuses to accept the truth and is not willing to accept reality; and for this reason, opposing the soul when facing realities is better. Allah the Exalted says: وَ شاوِرْهُمْ فِی الْأَمْرِ [and consult them in the affair], and He said: وَ أَمْرُهُمْ شُوری بَیْنَهُمْ [and their affair is by consultation among themselves]; meaning that they consult one another in their affairs.

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family): There is no companion more trustworthy than consulting [with the wise].

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family): O Ali (peace be upon him)! Do not consult with cowards, for they will narrow the way out for you; and do not consult with the miser, [for] the miser too will hold you back from your goal; and do not consult with the greedy one, for he will drive you to greed.

Imam Sajjad (peace be upon him): The right of the one who consults you is that, if you have an opinion for him, you point it out to him, and if nothing comes to your mind, you direct him to someone who knows; and the right upon you of the one whom you consult is that you do not suspect him in matters where his opinion differs from yours, and if his opinion agrees with yours, you give thanks to Allah.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): In your affair, consult with those who fear Allah the Mighty and Majestic.

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): Whoever is self-opinionated is destroyed, and whoever consults men shares in their intellects. Seeking counsel is the very essence of guidance, and whoever considers himself in no need of others' opinions puts himself in danger.