سورة آل عمران

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Ibn Ajlan narrates from Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): The Imam (peace be upon him) said [regarding the verse] إِنَّ أَوْلَی النَّاسِ بِإِبْراهِیمَ لَلَّذِینَ اتَّبَعُوهُ وَ هذَا النَّبِیُّ وَ الَّذِینَ آمَنُوا [Most surely the nearest of people to Ibrahim are those who followed him and this Prophet and those who believe]: 'What is meant is the Imams (peace be upon them) and those who follow them.'

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Abdullah ibn Sulayman al-Sayrafi said: I heard Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) say: 'Ali (peace be upon him), by Allah, was upon the religion of Ibrahim (peace be upon him) and his path, and you are the most deserving of him among all people.'

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Umar ibn Yazid said: Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said to me: 'You, by Allah, are from the family of Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family).' I said: 'From themselves, may I be your ransom?' He said: 'Yes, by Allah, from themselves.' He repeated it three times. Then he looked at me and I looked at him, and he said: 'O Umar, indeed Allah the Mighty and Majestic says in His Book: إِنَّ أَوْلَی النَّاسِ بِإِبْراهِیمَ لَلَّذِینَ اتَّبَعُوهُ وَ هذَا النَّبِیُّ وَ الَّذِینَ آمَنُوا وَ اللهُ وَلِیُّ الْمُؤْمِنِینَ [Most surely the nearest of people to Ibrahim are those who followed him and this Prophet and those who believe, and Allah is the guardian of the believers].'

Imam Rida (peace be upon him): Allah the Blessed and Exalted says: 'My covenant does not reach the wrongdoers [and only those of your descendants who are pure and infallible are worthy of this rank].' (Baqarah/124) The wrongdoers do not take on the office of imamate. By this verse the imamate and leadership of every wrongdoer is invalidated until the Day of Resurrection, and it must be appointed from Allah. Then Allah honoured him and placed the imamate in the offspring and children of the group He had chosen and who were pure, and said: وَ وَهَبْنا لَهُ إِسْحاقَ وَ یَعْقُوبَ نافِلَةً وَ کُلًّا جَعَلْنا صالِحِینَ وَ جَعَلْناهُمْ أَئِمَّةً یَهْدُونَ بِأَمْرِنا وَ أَوْحَیْنا إِلَیْهِمْ فِعْلَ الْخَیْراتِ وَ إِقامَ الصَّلاةِ وَ إِیتاءَ الزَّکاةِ وَ کانُوا لَنا عابِدِینَ [And We granted him Ishaq and Ya'qub as a gift, and We made all of them righteous, and We made them Imams who guide by Our command, and We revealed to them the doing of good deeds and the establishment of prayer and the giving of zakat, and they were worshippers of Us]. It remained continuously in his lineage, one after another inheriting it, and centuries passed until it reached the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him and his family). Allah said: إِنَّ أَوْلَی النَّاسِ بِإِبْراهِیمَ لَلَّذِینَ اتَّبَعُوهُ وَ هذَا النَّبِیُّ وَ الَّذِینَ آمَنُوا وَ اللهُ وَلِیُّ الْمُؤْمِنِینَ [Most surely the nearest of people to Ibrahim are those who followed him and this Prophet and those who believe, and Allah is the guardian of the believers]. This rank became exclusive to the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), and he entrusted it to Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) by the command of Allah and the covenant He had made with him, and it reached the children of Ali (peace be upon him), those who were chosen and possessed knowledge and faith. Hence the verse: 'But those who have been given knowledge and faith will say: You have tarried according to the ordinance of Allah till the Day of Resurrection [in the world of Barzakh].' (Rum/56) — the verse is a reply to the disbelievers who in the previous verse swear that we did not tarry more than an hour; in reply to them those who possess knowledge and faith — and the true examples of these two attributes are the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) and the Imams (peace be upon them) — say: 'You tarried until the Day of Resurrection.' So the imamate will be among the children of Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him) until the Day of Resurrection.

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): Allah the Exalted [says] إِنَّ أَوْلَی النَّاسِ بِإِبْراهِیمَ لَلَّذِینَ اتَّبَعُوهُ وَ هذَا النَّبِیُّ وَ الَّذِینَ آمَنُوا وَ اللهُ وَلِیُّ الْمُؤْمِنِینَ [Most surely the nearest of people to Ibrahim are those who followed him and this Prophet and those who believe, and Allah is the guardian of the believers]. So we, once, on account of kinship with the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), are more deserving of the caliphate, and another time on account of obedience. And when the Muhajirun in the Saqifah put forth against the Ansar their proof of nearness to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family), they prevailed over them. So if the cause of victory is kinship with the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family), the right is with us and not with you; and if it is by something other than that, the Ansar hold their same claim.

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): We, the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them), are more deserving than all people of Ibrahim (peace be upon him) and are his heirs, and we are the Ulul-Arham (kindred by blood) who are the heirs of the honoured Ka'bah, for we are the Family of Ibrahim (peace be upon him). Do you then turn away from the religion of Ibrahim (peace be upon him)?

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): By Allah! You are upon the religion of Ibrahim (peace be upon him) and are continuing on his path, and you are the most deserving of all people of him.

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Isma'il ibn Jabir narrates from Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): For the master of this affair (Imam of the Age (may Allah hasten his noble relief)) there is an occultation ... By Allah, it is as if I see him leaning his back against the Hajar al-Aswad and adjuring Allah by His Godhood to demand his right. Then he says: 'O people! Whoever disputes with me concerning Allah, [let him know that] I am the most deserving of people of Allah. O people! Whoever disputes with me concerning Adam (peace be upon him), [let him know that] I am the most deserving of people of Adam (peace be upon him). O people! Whoever disputes with me concerning Nuh (peace be upon him), [let him know that] I am the most deserving of people of Nuh (peace be upon him). O people! Whoever disputes with me concerning Ibrahim (peace be upon him), [let him know that] I am the most deserving of people of Ibrahim (peace be upon him). O people! Whoever disputes with me concerning Musa (peace be upon him), [let him know that] I am the most deserving of people of Musa (peace be upon him). O people! Whoever disputes with me concerning Isa, [let him know that] I am the most deserving of people of Isa. O people! Whoever disputes with me concerning Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family), [let him know that] I am the most deserving of people of Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family). O people! Whoever disputes with me concerning the Book of Allah, [let him know that] I am the most deserving of people of the Book of Allah ...'.

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): Shaykh al-Tabrisi has narrated [thus]: The most deserving of people of the prophets (peace be upon them) are those who are the most knowledgeable of what they brought. Then he recited this noble verse إِنَّ أَوْلَی النَّاسِ بِإِبْراهِیمَ لَلَّذِینَ اتَّبَعُوهُ وَ هذَا النَّبِیُّ وَ الَّذِینَ آمَنُوا [Most surely the nearest of people to Ibrahim are those who followed him and this Prophet and those who believe]. Then he said: 'The friend [of Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family)] is whoever obeys Allah, even if his kinship is distant; and the enemy of Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) is one who disobeys Allah, even if he is close in kinship to Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family).'

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family), from the words of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) when he ascended to the heavens: "... Suddenly, in the seventh heaven, I saw a man whose hair and beard were mixed with grey, seated upon a throne. I said: 'O Jibrail (peace be upon him)! Who is this person who is in the seventh heaven, at the door of al-Bayt al-Ma'mur, in the vicinity of Allah?' He said: 'O Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family)! This is your father Ibrahim (peace be upon him), and this is your place and the place of every one of your ummah who adopts taqwa (Allah-consciousness).' Then the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) recited this verse: إِنَّ أَوْلَی النَّاسِ بِإِبْراهِیمَ لَلَّذِینَ اتَّبَعُوهُ وَ هذَا النَّبِیُّ وَ الَّذِینَ آمَنُوا وَ اللهُ وَلِیُّ الْمُؤْمِنِینَ [Most surely the nearest of people to Ibrahim are those who followed him and this Prophet and those who believe, and Allah is the guardian of the believers]; and he continued: 'So I greeted him and he greeted me and said: Welcome, O righteous Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), righteous son, raised in a righteous age.'"

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): [Mufaddal] said: "My master! We know that you are the chosen of Allah, because Allah says: We raise in ranks whom We will [and deem worthy]. (An'am/83) And this verse: Allah knows best where to place His message! (An'am/124). And this verse: Allah chose Adam and Nuh and the family of Ibrahim and the family of Imran above the worlds. They were offspring and [a lineage in which], [in purity, taqwa and excellence,] some were taken from others, and Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing [and He is aware of their efforts in the path of His message]. (Aal Imran/33-34)." The Imam (peace be upon him) said: "O Mufaddal! Where are we mentioned in this verse?" He said: "By Allah! Where Allah says: إِنَّ أَوْلَی النَّاسِ بِإِبْراهِیمَ لَلَّذِینَ اتَّبَعُوهُ وَ هذَا النَّبِیُّ وَ الَّذِینَ آمَنُوا وَ اللهُ وَلِیُّ الْمُؤْمِنِینَ [Most surely the nearest of people to Ibrahim are those who followed him and this Prophet and those who believe, and Allah is the guardian of the believers]." His Eminence (peace be upon him) said: "O Mufaddal! You have spoken the truth."

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): What is meant by the family of Ibrahim (peace be upon him) and the family of Imran (peace be upon him) are the believers among the family of Ibrahim (peace be upon him), the family of Imran, the family of Yasin, and the family of Muhammad (peace be upon them); by reason of the word of Allah the Mighty and Majestic: إِنَّ أَوْلَی النَّاسِ بِإِبْراهِیمَ لَلَّذِینَ اتَّبَعُوهُ وَ هذَا النَّبِیُّ وَ الَّذِینَ آمَنُوا وَ اللهُ وَلِیُّ الْمُؤْمِنِینَ [Most surely the nearest of people to Ibrahim are those who followed him and this Prophet and those who believe, and Allah is the guardian of the believers], and they are the believers.