سورة آل عمران

Ali ibn Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him): أَفَغَیْرَ دِینِ اللهِ یَبْغُونَ [Is it then other than Allah's religion that they seek?]; that is, do they seek other than what I have told you — that you should acknowledge Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) and his successor (peace be upon him)?

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Ibn Bukayr narrates from Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) that he said concerning the verse: وَ لَهُ أَسْلَمَ مَنْ فِی السَّماواتِ وَ الْأَرْضِ طَوْعاً وَ کَرْهاً [and to Him submits whoever is in the heavens and the earth, willingly or unwillingly]; what is meant by this verse is the acceptance of tawhid (oneness) and the singularity of Allah the Mighty and Majestic.

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): The angels (peace be upon them) in the heavens and the believers on the earth submitted willingly. The first of them and the foremost of this ummah is Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him), and every ummah has a foremost one. The hypocrites submitted unwillingly, and Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him) was the first of the ummah to accept Islam, and the first of them, alongside the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family), to fight the polytheists; and after the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) he fought the hypocrites and those who had accepted Islam unwillingly.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): When Allah the Exalted created the heavens and the earth, He brought into being two seas, one sweet and the other bitter. He created the clay of Adam (peace be upon him) from the sweet sea, then sprinkled upon it from the bitter sea; after that He created Adam (peace be upon him) from it and kneaded it as a hide is kneaded, then left it as long as Allah willed. When He wished to breathe the spirit into him, He set him up as a form and figure, then took a handful from his right shoulder, and at once tiny particles like ants came out of it. He said: 'These are the people of Paradise.' And He took a handful from his left shoulder and said: 'These are the people of the Fire.' Then Allah the Exalted caused to speak the aṣḥāb al-yamīn (the companions of the right) — the particles which had come out of the right shoulder — and the aṣḥāb al-yasār (the companions of the left) — the particles which had come out of the left shoulder. The companions of the left said: 'O our Lord! Why have You created the Fire for us, and did not make the truth clear to us, and did not send a messenger to us?' Allah the Mighty and Majestic said to them: 'Because I know that you will go toward the Fire, even after the sending of messengers and the making clear of the truth; and I shall soon test you.' Then Allah the Exalted commanded the Fire to become hot, and the Fire grew hot and was kindled. Then He said to them: 'All of you enter into the Fire; I shall make it cool and safe for you.' They said: 'O our Lord! We asked You why You had created the Fire for us, and our aim in that question was fleeing from it, and now You command us to enter it. If You gave this command to the companions of the right also, they would not enter it.' Then Allah the Mighty and Majestic commanded the Fire to become hot and be kindled, and after that commanded the companions of the right to enter the blazing Fire, and the Fire became cool and safe for them. Then He said to all of them: 'Am I not your Lord?' The companions of the right said willingly: 'Yes,' and the companions of the left answered unwillingly and said: 'Yes.' So the Exalted took the covenant from all of them and made them witnesses over themselves. Al-Ḥajar (the Black Stone) was at that time in Paradise, so Allah the Mighty and Majestic brought it out and it swallowed the covenant of all creatures within itself; and the word of Allah the Exalted refers to this very meaning: وَ لَهُ أَسْلَمَ مَنْ فِی السَّماواتِ وَ الْأَرْضِ طَوْعاً وَ کَرْهاً وَ إِلَیْهِ یُرْجَعُونَ [and to Him submits whoever is in the heavens and the earth, willingly or unwillingly, and to Him shall they be returned]; all beings in the heavens and the earth, willingly or unwillingly, are obedient to Him, and their return is to Him. And when Allah the Blessed and Exalted settled Adam (peace be upon him) in Paradise and he committed a slip, Allah the Exalted sent the Stone down from Paradise and placed it in one of the corners of His House, and He sent Adam (peace be upon him) down from Paradise to the earth upon Mount Ṣafā. Adam (peace be upon him) tarried there for a long time, then he saw the Stone in the House, recognised it, and remembered his covenant and pledge. So he came to the Stone and hurried himself to it, then threw himself upon it and wept for forty mornings, and repented of his fault, and expressed regret for having broken the covenant.' Then the Imam (peace be upon him) said: 'And for this reason you have been commanded, whenever you touch the Stone, to say: أَمَانَتِی أَدَّیْتُهَا وَ مِیثَاقِی تَعَاهَدْتُهُ لِتَشْهَدَ لِی بِالمُوَافَاهًِْ یَوْمَ الْقِیَامَهْ [My trust I have discharged, and my covenant I have kept, so that you may bear witness for me of fulfilment on the Day of Resurrection].'

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): Everything in the heavens and the earth submitted to Him, with a state that expresses submission and indicates it.

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): Salih ibn Maytham said: I asked Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) about the verse: وَ لَهُ أَسْلَمَ مَنْ فِی السَّماواتِ وَ الْأَرْضِ طَوْعاً وَ کَرْهاً [And to Him submits whoever is in the heavens and the earth, willingly or unwillingly]. He said: "This is when Ali (peace be upon him) says: I am the most deserving of the people of this verse: وَ أَقْسَمُوا بِاللهِ جَهْدَ أَیْمانِهِمْ لا یَبْعَثُ اللهُ مَنْ یَمُوتُ بَلی وَعْداً عَلَیْهِ حَقًّا وَ لکِنَّ أَکْثَرَ النَّاسِ لا یَعْلَمُونَ ... کاذِبِینَ [And they swear by Allah with their most solemn oaths: Allah will never raise up him who dies! Yes! It is a promise binding upon Him in truth, that He will resurrect all the dead for recompense, but most people do not know! ... they were lying]."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Mufaddal ibn Umar said: I asked Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): "... O my master and lord! The religion which was in his forefathers Ibrahim, Nuh, Musa, Isa and Muhammad (peace be upon them) — is it Islam?" He said: "Yes, O Mufaddal! It is Islam, nothing else." I said: "My master! Do you find it in the Book of Allah?" He said: "Yes, from its beginning to its end, and among that is this verse: إِنَّ الدِّینَ عِنْدَ اللهِ الْإِسْلامُ [Indeed, the religion with Allah is Islam (and submission to the truth)] (Aal Imran/19), and the saying of Allah the Exalted: وَ لَهُ أَسْلَمَ مَنْ فِی السَّماواتِ وَ الْأَرْضِ طَوْعاً وَ کَرْهاً [And to Him submits whoever is in the heavens and the earth, willingly or unwillingly]."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Ali ibn Uqba said: When the Qaim (may Allah hasten his noble reappearance) appears, he will establish justice among the people, and injustice and oppression will be removed in his time, and the roads will become safe. In his time the earth will bring forth its blessings, and the Qaim (may Allah hasten his noble reappearance) will return every right to its rightful people. Upon his appearance, all the people on earth will accept the religion of Islam, and this noble verse: وَ لَهُ أَسْلَمَ مَنْ فِی السَّماواتِ وَ الْأَرْضِ طَوْعاً وَ کَرْهاً وَ إِلَیْهِ یُرْجَعُونَ [And to Him submits whoever is in the heavens and the earth, willingly or unwillingly, and to Him shall they be returned] will find its realization.

Imam Kazim (peace be upon him): Ibn Bukayr said: "I asked Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) about the interpretation of this verse: وَ لَهُ أَسْلَمَ مَنْ فِی السَّماواتِ وَ الْأَرْضِ [And to Him submits whoever is in the heavens and the earth]." The Imam (peace be upon him) said: "This verse was revealed concerning the Qaim (may Allah hasten his noble reappearance), when he rises against the Jews, the Christians, the Sabians, the materialists, the apostates from Islam, and the disbelievers in the east and west of the earth, and offers them Islam. Whoever accepts willingly, he orders him to pray, to give zakat, and everything that every Muslim is ordered to do he makes obligatory upon him also; and whoever does not become Muslim, he strikes off his neck, until no one remains in the east or the west of the world who does not know Allah." I said: "May I be your ransom! The people on earth are many; how can the Qaim (may Allah hasten his noble reappearance) make them all Muslims or strike their necks?" His Eminence said: "When Allah wills a thing, He makes the many few and the few many."

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): For the master of this affair (Imam Mahdi, may Allah hasten his noble reappearance) there is an occultation in some of these valleys — then he gestured with his hand towards Dhu Tuwa — until, two nights before his reappearance, a friend who is in his presence and service comes and meets some of his companions. ... Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) said: "It is as if I am looking at them — three hundred and ten and some more men — ascending from Najaf near Kufa, their hearts like firm, unshakable pieces of iron. ... Imam Mahdi (may Allah hasten his noble reappearance) sends them out to all the distant horizons and wipes his hand between their shoulders and over their chests; so they are not incapable or helpless in any judgement, and no land remains but that the call is given in it: 'There is no god but the One Allah; He is alone and has no partner, and Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) is the Messenger of Allah,' and this is Allah's saying: وَ لَهُ أَسْلَمَ مَنْ فِی السَّماواتِ وَ الْأَرْضِ طَوْعاً وَ کَرْهاً وَ إِلَیْهِ یُرْجَعُونَ [and to Him submits whoever is in the heavens and the earth, willingly or unwillingly, and to Him shall they be returned]. And the master of this affair does not accept jizya in the way that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) accepted it."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): When our Qa'im (may Allah hasten his noble reappearance) rises, no place on earth will remain but that in it will be raised the voice: أشهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ وَ أَنَّ مُحَمَّداً رسول الله [I bear witness that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah].

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): A caller will call out in the month of Ramadan from the direction of the east at sunrise: 'O people of guidance, gather!' And from the direction of the west after sunset he will call out: 'O people of guidance, gather!' And the next day at noon, after the sun is eclipsed and turns black and dark, he will repeat this call. And on the third day, with the coming forth of the Beast of the Earth, truth will be distinguished from falsehood, and the Romans will come towards a town by the sea, near the cave of the youths (the Companions of the Cave), and Allah will raise those youths from their cave towards them. Among the youths is a man called Malikha and another called Kamsalmina, and these two are the witnesses and the ones submitted to the Qa'im (may Allah hasten his noble reappearance). He will send one of the two youths towards the Romans and he will be unable to do anything, and he will send the other and they will return victorious. And that day is the ta'wil (interpretation) of this verse: وَ لَهُ أَسْلَمَ مَنْ فِی السَّماواتِ وَ الْأَرْضِ طَوْعاً وَ کَرْها [and to Him submits whoever is in the heavens and the earth, willingly or unwillingly].

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): It is narrated from Abaya al-Asadi that he heard Ali (peace be upon him) say: 'وَ لَهُ أَسْلَمَ مَنْ فِی السَّماواتِ وَ الْأَرْضِ طَوْعاً وَ کَرْهاً وَ إِلَیْهِ یُرْجَعُون [and to Him submits whoever is in the heavens and the earth, willingly or unwillingly, and to Him shall they be returned] — has this matter occurred?' I said: 'Yes, O Amir al-Mu'minin!' He said: 'No, it is not so. By the One in whose hand is my soul, [it will not be] until a woman goes together with an unmarried man, both of them in safety, and there is no longer any fear of snakes or scorpions or the like.'

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Salih ibn Maytham said: I asked Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) about this verse: "وَ لَهُ أَسْلَمَ مَنْ فِی السَّماواتِ وَ الْأَرْضِ طَوْعاً وَ کَرْهاً [and to Him submits whoever is in the heavens and the earth, willingly or unwillingly]." The Imam (peace be upon him) said: "Its occurrence is [explained] by this verse: They swore by Allah their most solemn oaths that: 'Allah will never raise up whoever dies!' Yes, it is a definite promise of Allah that He will bring back all the dead for recompense, but most people do not know! The purpose is that He may make clear to them that concerning which they differed, and that those who disbelieved may know that they were liars!" (Nahl/38–39)

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): The meaning of submitting willingly or unwillingly is that some groups are compelled to become Muslim and some groups become Muslim willingly.

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): Willing submission is exclusive to the inhabitants of the heavens, but among the people of the earth, one group became Muslim willingly, and another group submitted by compulsion and coercion, that is, out of fear of the sword.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): کَرْهاً [unwillingly]; that is, a group became Muslim out of fear of the sword.