سورة لقمان

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): The creation of the dominant Lord, and the sovereignty of the overpowering Lord, and the majesty of the manifest Lord, and the light of the prevailing Lord, and the proof of the truthful Lord ... and the acknowledgement that passes upon the tongues of the servants, and what the prophets have brought, and what has been sent down upon the servants — [all of this] is enough for people of understanding as a proof of the Lord, the Mighty and Majestic.

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): أَسْبَغَ عَلَیْکُمْ نِعَمَهُ ظَاهِرَةً وَ بَاطِنَةً [And He has completed His favors upon you, outwardly and inwardly]; the outward favor is Islam, and the inward favor is the covering of sins.

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Jabir said: A man recited the verse وَ أَسْبَغَ عَلَیْکُمْ نِعَمَهُ ظَاهِرَةً وَ بَاطِنَةً [and He has lavished upon you His favors, outward and inward] in the presence of Imam Baqir (peace be upon him). The Imam said: "The outward blessing is the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) and the knowledge of Allah and His Oneness that he brought. As for the inward blessing, it is our wilayah — [the wilayah of] we Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them) — and the covenant of our love. By Allah! A people accepted this outward and inward blessing, and another people accepted only its outward. Therefore Allah said: 'O Messenger of [Allah]! Let not those grieve you who vie with one another in the way of unbelief, from among those who say with their mouths: "We believe," while their hearts have not believed.' (al-Ma'idah/41). So the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) rejoiced when it was revealed, because Allah does not accept their faith except through the wilayah and love of us."

Imam Kazim (peace be upon him): Muhammad ibn Ziyad al-Azdi relates: I asked my master Imam Kazim (peace be upon him) about the verse of Allah the Mighty and Majestic: وَ أَسْبَغَ عَلَیْکُمْ نِعَمَهُ ظَاهِرَةً وَ بَاطِنَةً [And He has completed His favors upon you, outwardly and inwardly]. He said: "The outward favor is the manifest Imam, and the inward favor is the hidden Imam (may Allah hasten his noble relief)."

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) — Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) said: Abd Allah ibn Abbas and Jabir ibn Abd Allah al-Ansari — who were among those present at the battles of Badr and Uhud and at the pledge under the tree at Hudaybiyyah, and among those companions who partook of love and affection for the Commander of the Faithful, Ali (peace be upon him) — narrated to me that one day the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) was in his mosque and around his blessed self were a group of companions: Abu Bakr, Abu Ubaydah, Umar, Uthman, Abd al-Rahman, and two reciters of the companions — from the Muhajirun, Abd Allah ibn Umm Abd, and from the Ansar, Ubayy ibn Ka'b, both of whom were of the Badriyyin (those present at the battle of Badr) — all were present in that gathering. Then Abd Allah ibn Umm Abd began to recite Surah Luqman until he reached this verse: وَ أَسْبَغَ عَلَیْکُمْ نِعَمَهُ ظَاهِرَةً وَ بَاطِنَةً [and He has lavished upon you His favours, outward and inward] ... "My Lord has commanded me to remind you of His abundant favours and to warn you with the stories of the Qur'an, or to make you fear by means of the heavenly Book that He has bestowed upon you." Then the Prophet recited the verse: وَ أَسْبَغَ عَلَیْکُمْ نِعَمَهُ ظَاهِرَةً وَ بَاطِنَةً [and He has lavished upon you His favours, outward and inward]. Then he said to them: "Now tell me, what is the first favour that Allah bestowed upon you and with which He gave you choice and tested you?" So the group of companions fell into discussion and named the favours that Allah had granted them and shown them kindness through — from the matter of livelihood and life, clothing, children, and spouses, to the other things Allah had granted them of outward favours. When their words came to an end, the Prophet turned toward Ali (peace be upon him) and said: "O Aba al-Hasan! You too speak; of course your companions have said things." He said: "How can I, in your presence, offer explanations in this regard? May my father and mother be your ransom! Allah has guided us through you!" The Noble Messenger said: "Even so, tell me, what is the first favour that Allah bestowed?" He said: "That He created me, though there was no name or sign of me." He said: "You have spoken truly! What is the second?" He said: "That He showed me even greater kindness and made me possessed of life and living, and did not place me in the class of lifeless inanimate things." He said: "You have spoken truly! Say the third." He said: "That, praise be to Allah, He created me in the most beautiful shape and form, and fashioned me in a most balanced composition." He said: "You have spoken truly! What is the fourth?" He said: "That He created me endowed with thought and reflection and capable of grasping matters, not dull and heedless." He said: "You have spoken truly! What is the fifth?" He said: "That He placed at my disposal senses and faculties by which I perceive whatever I desire, and He placed within me a shining lamp (intellect)." He said: "You have spoken truly! What is the sixth?" He said: "That He guided me to the holy religion of Islam and did not lead me astray from the path of felicity." He said: "You have spoken truly! What is the seventh?" He said: "That He appointed for me a return to everlasting life and eternal existence." He said: "You have spoken truly! Which is the eighth?" He said: "That He made me a free master, not a slave or servant of others!" He said: "You have spoken truly! What is the ninth favour?" He said: "That He placed the heavens and the earth and whatever is in them and between them under my will and command." He said: "You have spoken truly! What is the tenth favour?" He said: "That He placed us in the group of men, entrusting to us the management of the affairs of life and oversight over the affairs of our spouses, and not from the tribe of women." He said: "You have spoken truly! What comes after these?" He said: "O Prophet of Allah! The favours of Allah are abundant and pleasant; if you would count the favours of Allah, you could never enumerate them! (Ibrahim/34)." Then the Messenger of Allah smiled and said: "May insight and wisdom be pleasant for you! May knowledge and learning be pleasant for you! O Aba al-Hasan! You are the heir of my knowledge; you are the one who will explain to the Islamic community whatever they differ about. Whoever loves you in the matter of religion and takes up your path and way has been guided to the straight and upright path, and whoever deviates from your guidance and holds enmity toward you and abandons you, on the Day of Resurrection when he meets Allah, is utterly without portion."

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): Jabir and Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him) narrated that Ubayy ibn Ka'b recited before the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) this verse: وَ أَسْبَغَ عَلَیْکُمْ نِعَمَهُ ظاهِرَةً وَ باطِنَة [And He has lavished upon you His favors, outward and inward]. The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) said to the people who were with him — among them Abu Bakr, Ubayda, Umar, Uthman and Abd al-Rahman: "Tell me now: what is the first blessing by which Allah honored you and tested you?" They spoke of livelihood, food, children and wives. When they fell silent, the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) said to Ali (peace be upon him): "O Abu al-Hasan (peace be upon him), you say." He (peace be upon him) said: "Allah the Exalted created me when I was nothing, and He was good to me and made me alive and not dead. Then He gave me being in the finest form — praise be to Him — and the most balanced composition, and made me thinking and aware, not stupid and heedless. He set in me faculties of perception by which I grasp whatever I seek, and placed in me a shining lamp. He guided me to His religion and did not lead me astray from His path. He appointed for me in life a return that has no cutting off, and made me a possessor and a leader, not a slave and follower. Then He made the earth and the heavens and all that is in them and between them subservient to me, and He made us men and guardians over our wives, and not women." The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family), at every phrase Ali (peace be upon him) said, would say: "You have spoken truly."

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): It is narrated from Aisha that she said: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) said: "Whoever does not recognize the favor of Allah the Mighty and Majestic upon himself except in his food and drink, his knowledge is scant and his punishment is near."