سورة الأحزاب

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Halabi said: Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: When the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) had performed the Isha prayer, he would order that his water for wudu and his miswak be placed near his head, covered. Then he would sleep for as long as Allah willed, then he would wake up and use the miswak and perform wudu and pray four rak'ahs. Then he would sleep for as long as Allah willed. Then he would wake up and use the miswak and perform wudu and pray four rak'ahs. Then he would sleep again until it was close to the time of the Fajr prayer; at that time he would rise from sleep and pray two rak'ahs. Then he (peace be upon him) said: لَقَدْ کانَ لَکُمْ فِی رَسُولِ اللهِ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ [Certainly you have in the Messenger of Allah an excellent exemplar]. I asked: 'At what hour did the Prophet wake up from sleep?' He said: 'After one third of the night had passed.'

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): Sa'id ibn al-A'raj said: I heard Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) say: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) prayed and gave the salam at the second rak'ah. A man from behind him asked: 'O Messenger of Allah, did something happen during the prayer?' The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) said: 'How so?' They said: 'You gave the salam at the second rak'ah of the prayer.' The Prophet said to a person known as Dhu al-Yadayn — who was also known as Dhu al-Shimalayn: 'Is it so?' He answered: 'Yes.' So His Holiness resumed the prayer and completed four full rak'ahs and said: 'Allah caused this forgetfulness to come upon me so that it would be a mercy for the ummah. Do you not see that if a person were to commit this lapse, he would be reproached and it would be said that his prayer is not accepted?! It would be said that your prayer is not accepted; and whoever after this commits such forgetfulness, this is the ruling.' He said: 'The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) established a sunnah, and this sunnah became a model for all, namely that he performed two sajdahs of sahw for this case.'

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): In the book al-Ihtijaj it is recorded — Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him), in reply to a disbeliever who claimed there were contradictions in the Qur'an, said: "... As for the slips of the prophets (peace be upon them) and what Allah made clear in His Book, and the placing of allusion in the stead of the names of those who committed a crime greater than the crimes of the prophets — those whose wrongdoing is attested to by the Book of Allah — this is among the greatest proofs of the shining wisdom, the overpowering might, and the manifest majesty of Allah the Mighty and Majestic. He knew that the proofs of the prophets (peace be upon them) sit heavy in the breasts of their nations, and that some of them take some others as god — like what the Christians did concerning the son of Maryam (peace be upon her). For this reason He spoke thus, so that it would be an indication that they are far removed from the perfection which is proper to Allah the Mighty and Majestic alone. Have you not heard that Allah, in describing Isa (peace be upon him) — where He spoke of him and his mother (peace be upon her) — said: كانا يَأْكُلانِ الطَّعامَ [They both used to eat food] (al-Ma'idah 5:75)? That is, whoever eats food produces waste, and whoever produces waste is far removed from what the Christians claim about the son of Maryam (peace be upon her). Allah the Mighty and Majestic did not veil the names of the prophets (peace be upon them) out of boastfulness or arrogance, but did so in order that the people of insight might know that the veiling of the names of the hypocrites who commit great sins, in the Qur'an, is not from the act of Allah the Exalted, but is from the act of the alterers and substituters who broke the Qur'an into pieces and took the world in exchange for the religion. Allah the Exalted, in setting forth the tales of the alterers, said: فَأَمَّا الزَّبَدُ فَيَذْهَبُ جُفاءً وَ أَمَّا ما يَنْفَعُ النَّاسَ فَيَمْكُثُ فِي الْأَرْضِ [As for the scum, it is cast aside; but as for that which benefits the people, it remains in the earth] (al-Ra'd 13:17). The scum here is that very speech which the heretics inserted into the Qur'an, and this speech, when it is examined, is annihilated, nullified and falls apart. But that which benefits the people is the true revelation, which no falsehood approaches from before it or from behind it, and which the hearts accept; and the earth here is the place and abode of knowledge. So, given the all-encompassing scope of taqiyya (dissimulation), it is not permissible to declare openly the names of the substituters, just as it is not permissible to add to the verses concerning what they themselves inserted into the Book of Allah; for this would strengthen the arguments of the people of denial (of Allah's attributes), of the disbelievers, and of the communities that have deviated from our qiblah, and would nullify this manifest knowledge — knowledge to which both those who agree and those who disagree have submitted, since it benefits them and secures their contentment, and so they accept it. Furthermore, this use of allusion is because, both in the past and at present, the number of the people of falsehood has been greater than the people of truth; and also because, in accordance with what Allah said to His Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), patience in bearing with the rulers of the affair has been made obligatory: فَاصْبِرْ كَما صَبَرَ أُولُوا الْعَزْمِ مِنَ الرُّسُلِ [So be patient, as the resolute among the messengers were patient] (al-Ahqaf 46:35). The Truth, the Exalted, made this patience obligatory upon His friends and those who obey Him as well, and said: لَقَدْ كانَ لَكُمْ فِي رَسُولِ اللهِ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ [Certainly you have in the Messenger of Allah an excellent exemplar]. So what you have heard is enough for you as an answer to your question on this matter, and that is that the law of taqiyya does not permit any more openness than this."

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): Ibn Mas'ud reports: The people were debating and disputing with one another in the Mosque of Kufa, saying, "Why did Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) not fight and contend with those three men in the same way that he fought Talha, Zubayr, A'isha and Mu'awiya?" This news reached the blessed ears of Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him). He ordered the caller to call out: al-salatu jami'a [that is, gather together in the mosque for prayer]. When the people assembled, the Imam ascended the pulpit, praised Allah and glorified Him, and then said: "O people, it has reached me from you that you have said such and such." The people said, "O Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him), yes, we did say that." The Imam said: "In what I have done, I have followed [six prophets]. Allah the Mighty and Majestic says in the Qur'an: لَقَدْ کانَ لَکُمْ فِی رَسُولِ اللهِ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ [Certainly you have in the Messenger of Allah an excellent exemplar]." The people said, "O Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him), who are those prophets whom you have followed in your conduct?" The Imam said: "The first of them is Ibrahim (peace be upon him), who said to his people: وَ أَعْتَزِلُکُمْ وَ ما تَدْعُونَ مِنْ دُونِ اللهِ [And I withdraw from you and from what you call upon besides Allah]. (Maryam/48) Then the Imam said: If you say Ibrahim (peace be upon him) withdrew from his people without any harm having reached him from them, you have disbelieved; and if you say he withdrew from them because of some harm that reached him from them, then I say: the wasi (successor) of the Prophet is more entitled to withdraw from others because of harm that reaches him from them. And I have also followed the maternal cousin of Ibrahim (peace be upon him), namely Lut (peace be upon him), for he said to his people: لَوْ أَنَّ لِی بِکُمْ قُوَّةً أَوْ آوِی إِلی رُکْنٍ شَدِیدٍ [[Alas]! If only I had power against you, or could take refuge in some strong support! [then I would know what to do with you, you vile and brutish people]]. (Hud/80) If you say Lut had the power to stop them, then since you have belied his word you become disbelievers; and if you say he did not have the power to stop them, then I say: when a prophet does not have the power to stop the enemy, the wasi, for not having the power, is more excused for not stopping them. And I have also followed Yusuf (peace be upon him), for he said: رَبِّ السِّجْنُ أَحَبُّ إِلَیَّ مِمَّا یَدْعُونَنِی إِلَیْهِ [My Lord, prison is dearer to me than that to which they invite me!]. (Yusuf/33) If you say Prophet Yusuf (peace be upon him) asked Allah for prison because his Lord had subjected him to wrath and anger, this statement of yours makes you a disbeliever; and if you say Yusuf's (peace be upon him) intent in this supplication was that his Lord should not be angry with him and so he chose prison, then I say the wasi is more entitled to withdraw and not confront. And I have also followed the noble Musa (peace be upon him), for he said: فَفَرَرْتُ مِنْکُمْ لَمَّا خِفْتُکُمْ [So I fled from you when I feared you]. (Shu'ara/21) If you say Musa (peace be upon him) fled without any fear of his people, then since you have belied his word you become disbelievers; and if you say Musa (peace be upon him) feared them, then I say: when a prophet fears his enemy, the wasi is more entitled to that. And I have also followed the noble Harun, for he said to his brother Musa (peace be upon him): یَا ابْنَ أُمَّ إِنَّ الْقَوْمَ اسْتَضْعَفُونِی وَ کادُوا یَقْتُلُونَنِی [Son of my mother, this people pressured and weakened me, and they were close to killing me]. (A'raf/150) If you say the people did not humiliate Harun and did not come close to killing him, then since you have belied the word of the Prophet you become disbelievers; and if you say they did weaken and humiliate him and came close to killing him, so he kept silent and did not confront them, then I say: when the prophet is like that, the wasi is more entitled to it. And I have also followed Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family), for he fled from the fear of his enemies and took refuge in the cave, and I slept in his bed. If you say he fled without any fear of his enemies, you become disbelievers; and if you say he feared them, and I slept in his bed, and he took refuge in the cave out of fear of them, then I, being his wasi, am more entitled to fear."

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): In the book al-Ihtijaj it is narrated that the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) sent Abdullah ibn Abbas to the Khawarij — while he was within their sight and hearing — to ask them why they were hostile to him. Ibn Abbas said to them: "What is it that you hold against the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him)?" They replied: "Ibn Abbas, we hold against your companion certain traits, every one of which is a cause of unbelief and destruction, and calls to the Fire. The first of them is that he erased his name from 'Commander of the Faithful' — then it was written between him and Muawiya; so when he is not the Commander of the Faithful and we are the believers, we are not content that he should be our commander. The second is that he doubted himself when he said to the two arbitrators: 'Look — if Muawiya is more deserving of it, then confirm him, and if I am more worthy of it, then confirm me.' So when he himself doubts and does not know whether he is in the right or Muawiya is, we have even greater doubt about him. The third is that he appointed someone other than himself as arbitrator, while with us he was the most judicious of people ..." Ibn Abbas said: "O Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him), I have heard the words of that group, and you are more entitled to answer them." He said: "Yes." Then he continued: "... And as for your saying that I appointed someone other than myself as arbitrator while I was, in your view, the most judicious of people — this is the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family), who on the day of Banu Qurayza appointed Sa'd as arbitrator, while he himself was the most judicious of people. And Allah the Exalted has said: لَقَدْ کَانَ لَکُمْ فِی رَسُولِ اللهِ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ [Certainly you have in the Messenger of Allah an excellent exemplar]; so I followed the example of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family)."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) was asked about a man who, out of fear of Allah, had given up women and good food, and out of reverence and glorification of Allah could not raise his head to the sky. The Imam (peace be upon him) said: "As for your statement about giving up women — you know well that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) did not abandon this act. And as for setting aside good foods, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) used to eat meat and honey. And as for fear of Allah to the point that he would not raise his head — indeed, the place of khushu (humility) is in the heart. And who is more humble and more fearful of Allah than the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) in the presence of the Lord? Yet he never lowered his blessed head. And Allah the Exalted says: لَقَدْ کانَ لَکُمْ فِی رَسُولِ اللهِ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ لِمَنْ کانَ یَرْجُوا اللهَ وَ الْیَوْمَ الْآخِر [Certainly you have in the Messenger of Allah an excellent exemplar for him who hopes in Allah and the last day]."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Sa'id al-A'raj said: I heard Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) say: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) slept through the morning prayer, and Allah the Mighty and Majestic caused sleep to overcome him until the sun rose upon him, and this occurrence was a mercy from your Lord for the people. Do you not see that if a man sleeps until sunrise, people reproach him and taunt him, saying, 'You do not attend to your prayers.' But this became a sunnah and an example, so that a man says to another, 'You slept through the prayer,' and he replies, 'Indeed this also happened to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family).' So this occurrence was a fine example and a divine mercy for this ummah.

The Messenger (peace be upon him and his family): Ahmad narrated in the Musnad that the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) ordered that it be written: "بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِیمِ [In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate]", but Suhayl ibn Amr said: "This is a document between us and you, so begin it with what we know and write: بِاسْمِکَ اللَّهُمَّ [In Your name, O Allah]", so he ordered that be erased and wrote: "بِاسْمِکَ اللَّهُمَّ [In Your name, O Allah], this is what Muhammad the Messenger of Allah and Suhayl ibn Amr and the people of Mecca have agreed upon". Suhayl said: "If I accept this, I have acknowledged your prophethood." He (peace be upon him and his family) said: "O Ali (peace be upon him)! Erase it," but he delayed and refused, so the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) erased it himself and wrote: "This is what Muhammad ibn Abdullah ibn Abd al-Muttalib and the people of Mecca have agreed upon". Allah says in His Book: لَقَدْ کَانَ لَکُمْ فِی رَسُولِ اللهِ أُسْوَةٌ [Certainly you have in the Messenger of Allah an excellent exemplar]. And Muhammad ibn Ishaq narrated from Buraydah ibn Sufyan, from Muhammad ibn Ka'b, that the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) said to Ali (peace be upon him): "The like of it shall be for you, and you will grant it while you are oppressed".

The Messenger (peace be upon him and his family): It has been said that the verse لَقَدْ کانَ لَکُمْ فی رَسُولِ اللهِ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ [Certainly you have in the Messenger of Allah an excellent exemplar] was revealed concerning Tha'labah ibn Hatib [who was one of the Ansar]: He said to the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): "Pray that Allah grants me wealth." The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) said: "O Tha'labah! A little wealth whose gratitude you can fulfill is better than much wealth which you cannot bear [and cannot give its due right]. Is the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) [who possesses no wealth] not an example and a fine model for you? By the One in whose hand is my soul, if I wished the mountains would become gold and silver for me, they would do so"!

The Messenger (peace be upon him and his family): Abu Dharr (may Allah have mercy on him) says: I entered upon the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) while he was sitting in the mosque ... He said: "O Abu Dharr! Hold fast to the recitation of the Quran and remembering Allah abundantly, for it is a remembrance of you in the heavens and a light for you on the earth".