سورة آل عمران

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Allah bears witness that there is no god but His unique Essence, and it is indeed so. The angels too bear this same witness — Allah honoured them by [their] submission to their Lord and their bearing witness.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): A group of the people of Palestine came to Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) and asked him several questions, and he answered them. After that they asked him about the meaning of al-Samad. The Imam (peace be upon him) said: "Its explanation is in itself, and الصَّمَدِ [al-Samad] is five letters. The alif is a proof of His existence and reality, and it is the saying of Allah the Mighty and Majestic: شَهِدَ اللهُ أَنَّهُ لا إِلهَ إِلَّا هُوَ [Allah bears witness that there is no god but He]; and that is an alert and an indication towards the One who is hidden from the perception of the senses."

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family): When Allah the Mighty and Majestic commanded these verses to descend to the earth, they clung to the Throne and said: "O Lord, to where are You sending us down? To wrongdoers and sinners?!" So Allah the Mighty and Majestic said to them: "Descend, for by My might and majesty, none of the family of Muhammad (peace be upon them) or their Shia recites you each day after their obligatory prayer except that I look upon him with a special gaze seventy times each day, and with each gaze I fulfill seventy of his needs, and I accept him along with whatever sins he has. And those verses are: Ummul Kitab (the blessed Surah al-Hamd), and the verse شَهِدَ اللهُ أَنَّهُ لا إِلهَ إِلَّا هُوَ وَ الْمَلائِکَةُ وَ أُولُوا الْعِلْمِ [Allah bears witness that there is no god but He, and (so do) the angels and those possessed of knowledge], and Ayat al-Kursi, and the verse of Mulk (Aal Imran/26)."

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family): Surah al-Hamd, Ayat al-Kursi, and these two verses of Surah Aal Imran — شَهِدَ اللهُ أَنَّهُ لا إِلهَ إِلَّا هُوَ [Allah bears witness that there is no god but He]... and the verse قُلِ اللَّهُمَّ مالِکَ الْمُلْکِ [Say: O Allah, Master of the Kingdom]... — between them and Allah the Exalted a veil is hung. They say: "O Lord! Are You sending us down to Your earth and to the one who disobeys You?!" So Allah the Exalted said: "None of My servants recites you after every prayer except that I make Paradise, with all that is in it, his abode, and I settle him in the sacred enclosure of Paradise (Hazirat al-Quds), and I look upon him each day seventy times with a merciful gaze."

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family): Whoever recites the verse شَهِدَ اللهُ [Allah bears witness] once, Allah makes one-third of his body forbidden to the Fire; and whoever recites it twice, Allah makes two-thirds of his body forbidden to the Fire; and whoever recites it three times, Allah makes his entire body forbidden to the Fire. And the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), on the night he was taken up to the heavens, saw the door of Paradise closed against a servant; then he saw that it had opened. He asked the reason for that, and it was said: "Because he recited the verse شَهِدَ اللهُ أَنَّهُ لا إِلهَ إِلَّا هُوَ [Allah bears witness that there is no god but He]."

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family): Whoever recites the verse شَهِدَ اللهُ أَنَّهُ لا إِلهَ إِلّا هُوَ وَ الْمَلائِکَةُ وَ أُولُوا الْعِلْمِ قائِماً بِالْقِسْطِ لا إِلهَ إِلّا هُوَ الْعَزیزُ الْحَکیمُ [Allah bears witness that there is no god but He, and (so do) the angels and those possessed of knowledge, maintaining His creation with justice; there is no god but He, the Mighty, the Wise] at the time of his sleep, Allah creates from it seventy thousand creatures who seek forgiveness for him until the Day of Resurrection.

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family): Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him) said: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) said: "By the One who sent me in truth as a bearer of glad tidings and a warner, Allah will never punish a monotheist with the Fire, and the people of Paradise will intercede and their intercession will be accepted." Then the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) said: "When the Day of Resurrection comes, Allah the Blessed and Exalted will order a group whose deeds in this world were evil to be taken toward the Fire. They will say: 'O our Lord! How can You put us into the Fire when in this world we affirmed Your Oneness? How can You burn our hearts when they believed that there is no god but You? Or how can You burn our faces when we placed them upon the dust for You? Or how can You burn our hands when we raised them in supplication to You?' Then Allah, majestic is His majesty, will say: 'My servants, your deeds in this world were evil, so your recompense is the Fire of Hell.' They will say: 'O our Lord! Is Your pardon greater or our error?' He will say: 'Rather, My pardon is greater.' They will say: 'Is Your mercy vaster or our sins?' He will say: 'My mercy is vaster.' They will say: 'Is our acknowledgment of Your Oneness greater or our sins?' Allah the Mighty and Majestic will say: 'Your sins are not greater; rather, your acknowledgment of My Oneness is greater.' They will say: 'O Lord! Let Your pardon and Your mercy, which encompasses all things, encompass us also.' Allah, majestic is His majesty, will say: 'O My angels! By My might and majesty, I have not created any creation more beloved to Me than those who acknowledge My Oneness and that there is no god but Me, and it is incumbent upon Me not to cast the people of My Oneness (tawhid) into the Fire. Enter My servants into Paradise.'"

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): As for the statement of Allah the Exalted: أُولُوا الْعِلْمِ قائِماً بِالْقِسْطِ [and those possessed of knowledge, maintaining justice]; those possessed of knowledge are the prophets and the successors (peace be upon them), and they are the upholders of justice and equity in the outward, and the justice in the inward is Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him).

Imam Kazim (peace be upon him): أُولُوا الْعِلْمِ قائِماً بِالْقِسْطِ [and those possessed of knowledge, maintaining justice]; that is, the Imam.

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): When the servant of Allah leaves his home in pursuit of knowledge, Allah the Mighty and Majestic calls out to him from above the Throne: "O My servant, welcome! Do you know what station and rank you are seeking, and what degree you have set as your goal? You have become like My angels who are near [to Me], so that you may be their companion. Indeed, I shall bring you to your desire and goal." It was said to Ali ibn al-Husayn (peace be upon him): "What is the meaning of resembling the near angels of Allah the Mighty and Majestic so as to be their companion?" He said: "Have you not heard the word of Allah the Mighty and Majestic, when He says: شَهِدَ اللهُ أَنَّهُ لا إِلهَ إِلَّا هُوَ وَ الْمَلائِکَةُ وَ أُولُوا الْعِلْمِ قائِماً بِالْقِسْطِ لا إِلهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الْعَزِیزُ الْحَکِیمُ [Allah bears witness that there is no god but He, and (so do) the angels and those possessed of knowledge, maintaining His creation with justice; there is no god but He, the Mighty, the Wise]? So in the station of bearing witness to the Oneness [of Allah], Allah the Exalted began with His own name, and placed His angels in the second rank, and placed the possessors of knowledge, who are the companions of His angels, in the third rank. Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) is the master of the possessors of knowledge, and Ali (peace be upon him) is the second of them, and the third of them is his household, who are the most deserving of his station after him. Then you, the community of the Shia, who are aware of our knowledge, come after us; you are the companions of us and of the near angels of Allah; you bear witness to the Oneness of Allah, His justice, His generosity and His munificence; you cut off the excuses and pretexts of the enemies, even from among His maidservants and slaves. So what an excellent belief you have chosen for yourselves, and what a great portion and felicity you have selected! And when you became companions of Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) and his pure household, you attained the greatest felicity; you were made the just servants of Allah on His earth, manifesting His Oneness and His majesty. May it be wholesome for you. Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) is the master of the first and the last, and the companions of Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) who love the friends of Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) and Ali (peace be upon him), and disassociate themselves from their enemies, are the best of the nations of the prophets (peace be upon them). And Allah does not accept from anyone any deed except with this belief, and He does not forgive any sin from him, nor accept any good deed from him, nor raise his degree, except by it."

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): Learn knowledge, for acquiring it for the sake of Allah is a good deed, practising it is tasbih (glorification), searching for it is jihad, teaching it to one who does not know is charity, and recalling it to the people of knowledge is a means of nearness to Allah; because knowledge is the marker of the halal and the haram, the light that illuminates the path to Paradise, the source of calm in fear and terror, a companion in exile, an intimate in solitude, a guide in joy and hardship, a weapon against enemies, and a means of closeness among strangers. Through knowledge Allah raises a people up and makes them such that others follow them, imitate their conduct, and defer to their opinion. The angels desire their friendship, brush them with their wings, and seek forgiveness for them in their prayers. Every moist and dry thing — even the fish and creatures of the seas, the beasts of prey and the domestic livestock of the earth, and the sky and its stars — seek forgiveness for them. Be aware! Knowledge is the life of hearts, the light of eyes, and the strength of bodies. It brings the servant to the station of the free and the assemblies of kings. Speaking about knowledge is equal to fasting, and practising it is equal to standing in prayer and worship. Through knowledge the halal and the haram are known, and through it the ties of kinship are joined. Knowledge is the leader of action; Allah inspires it in the fortunate and deprives the wretched of it.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): When the sperm-drop of the Imam remains in the womb for four months and the soul is created in it, Allah the Blessed and Exalted sends an angel called Hayawan (Life); this angel writes on the Imam's right arm: "وَ تَمَّتْ کَلِمَةُ رَبِّکَ صِدْقاً وَ عَدْلًا لا مُبَدِّلَ لِکَلِماتِهِ وَ هُوَ السَّمِیعُ الْعَلِیمُ [And the word of your Lord has been perfected in truth and justice; there is no one who can change His words, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing]." And when he falls from his mother's womb, he comes down with both hands upon the ground and raises his head towards the sky. The reason he places both hands on the ground is that he grasps every knowledge Allah has sent down from the sky to the earth, and the reason he lifts his head to the sky is that a caller calls him from within the Throne, from the Lord of Might, from the highest horizon, by his name and his father's name, saying: "O so-and-so, son of so-and-so! Be firm, and you will be made firm. I have created you for a great matter; you are My chosen one among My creation, the keeper of My secret, the treasury of My knowledge, My trustee over My revelation, and My vicegerent on My earth. I have made My mercy incumbent upon you and upon those who accept your wilayah, and I have granted them My paradise and given them a place in My neighbourhood. By My might and majesty, I shall make whoever bears enmity to you enter the severest of My punishments, even if I expand for him in My world with an abundance of My provision." When the call of the caller ends, that newborn Imam, while placing both hands upon the ground and raising his head to the sky, says: شَهِدَ اللهُ أَنَّهُ لا إِلهَ إِلَّا هُوَ وَ الْمَلائِکَةُ وَ أُولُوا الْعِلْمِ قائِماً بِالْقِسْطِ لا إِلهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الْعَزِیزُ الْحَکِیمُ [Allah bears witness that there is no god but He, and (so do) the angels and those possessed of knowledge, maintaining His creation with justice; there is no god but He, the Mighty, the Wise]. When he says this, Allah grants him the knowledge of the first and the last, and he becomes deserving of the visitation of the Spirit on the Night of Qadr.

Imam Mahdi (may Allah hasten his noble reappearance): It is narrated from Ghiyath ibn Asad who said: I heard from Muhammad ibn Uthman (may Allah have mercy on him): When the Imam of the Age (may Allah hasten his noble reappearance) was born, a light shone from above his blessed head up to the sky. Then he placed his face on the ground and prostrated to Allah. Then he raised his head and said: اشْهَدُ انْ لا الهَ الّا اللهُ وَ الْمَلائِکَةُ وَ أُولُوا الْعِلْمِ قائِماً بِالْقِسْطِ لا إِلهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الْعَزِیزُ الْحَکِیمُ إِنَّ الدِّینَ عِنْدَ اللهِ الْإِسْلامُ [I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, and (so do) the angels and those possessed of knowledge, maintaining His creation with justice; there is no god but He, the Mighty, the Wise. Indeed the religion with Allah is Islam]. And Muhammad ibn Uthman also said that the birth of the Imam (may Allah hasten his noble reappearance) was on the night of Friday.