سورة سبإ

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Abu Hamza al-Thumali narrates: I asked Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) about the verse: قُلْ إِنَّمَا أَعِظُکُم بِوَاحِدَةٍ [Say: I exhort you only to one thing]. The Imam (peace be upon him) replied: "It means I exhort you only to the wilayah of Ali (peace be upon him), and the wilayah of Ali (peace be upon him) is that same واحدة (one thing) about which Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, said: إِنَّمَا أَعِظُکُم بِوَاحِدَةٍ [I exhort you only to one thing]."

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) and Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): قُلْ إِنَّما أَعِظُکُمْ بِواحِدَةٍ [Say: I exhort you only to one thing] — the meaning is wilayah; أَن تَقُومُوا لِلهِ مَثْنَی وَ فُرَادَی [that you rise up for Allah in twos and singly] refers to the Imams from their offspring (the remaining Imams and the acceptance of their wilayah).

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Ya'qub ibn Yazid says: I asked Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) about the interpretation of the verse: قُلْ إِنَّمَا أَعِظُکُم بِوَاحِدَةٍ أَن تَقُومُوا لِلهِ مَثْنَی وَ فُرَادَی [Say: I exhort you only to one thing, that you rise up for Allah in twos and singly]. The Imam (peace be upon him) said: "The meaning is the exhortation to wilayah." I said to the Imam (peace be upon him): "How did this verse come to be revealed?" The Imam (peace be upon him) replied: "The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) appointed Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) as his successor over the people and said: 'Whoever I am his master, Ali (peace be upon him) is his master.' A man began to speak behind the back of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) and said: 'Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) calls us every day to a new matter, and he wants to place his household in authority over us.' It was thus that Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, revealed a verse to His Prophet concerning this matter and said: قُلْ إِنَّمَا أَعِظُکُم بِوَاحِدَةٍ [Say: I exhort you only to one thing], meaning: I have conveyed to you what your Lord has made obligatory upon you." I said: "Then what is the meaning of Allah's words: أَن تَقُومُوا لِلهِ مَثْنَی وَ فُرَادَی [that you rise up for Allah in twos and singly]?" The Imam (peace be upon him) replied: "By مَثنی (in twos) is meant obedience to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) and Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him), and by فرادی (singly, one by one) is meant obedience to the Imams (peace be upon them) who come from the offspring of those two after those two. And no, by Allah, O Ya'qub! The verse means nothing other than this."

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): When the verse: "And warn your nearest kinsmen!" (Shu'ara/214) was revealed, the Prophet went up onto Mount Safa and said: "Ya sabahah! (Come to my aid!)" The Quraysh gathered and said: "What is the matter?" He said: "If I tell you that the enemy is about to attack you by night or by morning, would you believe me?" They said: "Yes." He said: "I warn you of a severe chastisement that lies before you." Abu Lahab said: "May you perish! Is it for this that you have summoned us all?" So Allah revealed the surah تَبَّتْ یَدا أَبِی لَهَبٍ وَ تَبَّ [Perish the hands of Abu Lahab, and perish he].