سورة فاطر

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): In the narration of Abu al-Jarud it is reported: Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) said: ... جَنَّاتُ عَدْنٍ یَدْخُلُونَها [Gardens of perpetuity which they shall enter] — meaning the family of Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) enter the palaces of Paradise. Each palace is made of a single pearl in which there is no crack, joint or seam, such that if all the people of Islam were to gather in that palace, it would have room for them. It has domes of chrysolite; each dome has two door-leaves [a single door-leaf is called a mesra] and each door-leaf is twelve miles long. Allah says: یُحَلَّوْنَ فِیها مِنْ أَساوِرَ مِنْ ذَهَبٍ وَ لُؤْلُؤاً وَ لِباسُهُمْ فِیها حَرِیر [They shall be adorned therein with bracelets of gold and pearls, and their garments therein shall be silk].

Imam Rida (peace be upon him): Rayyan ibn Salt said: Imam Rida (peace be upon him) attended the gathering of Ma'mun in Marw. In that gathering a number of the scholars of Iraq and Khurasan were present ... Imam Rida (peace be upon him) said [regarding the verse: ثُمَّ أَوْرَثْنَا الْکِتابَ الَّذِینَ اصْطَفَیْنا مِنْ عِبادِنا فَمِنْهُمْ ظالِمٌ لِنَفْسِهِ وَ مِنْهُمْ مُقْتَصِدٌ وَ مِنْهُمْ سابِقٌ بِالْخَیْراتِ بِإِذْنِ اللهِ (Then We gave the Book as inheritance to those of Our servants whom We chose; among them is he who wrongs himself, among them is he who takes a middle course, and among them is he who is foremost in good deeds by Allah's permission)]: "If the whole ummah were meant, then all of them would have to be people of Paradise, for Allah says: فَمِنْهُمْ ظالِمٌ لِنَفْسِهِ وَ مِنْهُمْ مُقْتَصِدٌ وَ مِنْهُمْ سابِقٌ بِالْخَیْراتِ بِإِذْنِ اللهِ ذلِکَ هُوَ الْفَضْلُ الْکَبِیرُ [Among them is he who wrongs himself, and among them is he who takes a middle course, and among them is he who is foremost in good deeds by Allah's permission; that is the great grace], then He placed all of them among the people of Paradise, saying: جَنَّاتُ عَدْنٍ یَدْخُلُونَها یُحَلَّوْنَ فِیها مِنْ أَساوِرَ مِنْ ذَهَب [Gardens of perpetuity which they shall enter, they shall be adorned therein with bracelets of gold]. So the inheritance is exclusively for the pure Progeny, not others."

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): جَنَّاتُ عَدْنٍ یَدْخُلُونَها [Gardens of perpetuity which they shall enter] — the sublime Paradise which they enter — are those who are foremost (al-sabiq) and those who take the middle course (al-muqtasid).

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): Abu al-Darda said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) say concerning the verse: As for those mentioned in the verse as sabiq bil-khayrat (foremost in good deeds), they enter Paradise without reckoning; the muqtasid (one on the middle course) undergoes a light reckoning; but the one who wrongs himself is first detained, then he will enter Paradise — these are the very ones from whose speech Allah quotes in this verse: الْحَمْدُ لِلهِ الَّذِی أَذْهَبَ عَنَّا الْحَزَن [Praise be to Allah who has removed from us grief].

Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him): Imam Ali (peace be upon him), while arguing with the people on the day of the Shura, said: "I ask you by Allah, is there among you anyone besides me about whom the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) said: 'Whoever wishes to live my life and die my death and dwell in my Paradise which my Lord has promised me — the Gardens of Eden, a branch which Allah planted with His own hand and then said to it: Be, and it was — let him take Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him) as his guardian, and his descendants after him, for they are the Imams and they are the successors. Allah has bestowed my knowledge and my understanding upon them. They will not lead you into any door of misguidance nor take you out of any door of guidance. Do not try to teach them, for they are more knowledgeable than you. The truth is with them wherever they turn' — other than me?" They said: "By Allah, no."

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him), in a long hadith, [gave answers] to the questions of a Jew [...] until the Jew said: "Where is the station of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) in Paradise?" Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) said: "The dwelling of Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) in Paradise is in Jannat Adn, and it is in the middle of Paradise and the closest place to the Throne of the All-Merciful." The Jew said: "I call Allah to witness that you have spoken the truth. By Allah, indeed this is in the handwriting of Harun (peace be upon him) and the dictation of Musa ibn Imran (peace be upon him)."

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): So when the believer enters his dwellings in Paradise, the crown of sovereignty and honour is placed upon his head, and brocades of gold, silver, ruby and pearl — strung in garlands — are brought and put upon him beneath the crown, and seventy multicoloured brocades woven of gold, silver, pearl and red ruby are clothed upon him, and this is the saying of Allah the Mighty and Majestic who said: يُحَلَّوْنَ فِیهَا مِنْ أَسَاوِرَ مِن ذَهَبٍ وَلُؤْلُؤًا وَلِبَاسُهُمْ فِیهَا حَرِیرٌ [they shall be adorned therein with bracelets of gold and pearls, and their garments therein shall be silk] ... At that moment, the dark-eyed houri who is his wife comes out from her tent towards him, and while her handmaidens surround her, she steps forward ardently, having put on seventy brocades woven with ruby, pearl and chrysolite, dyed with musk and ambergris, wearing on her head a crown of honour, and on her feet sandals of gold set with ruby and pearl, with straps of red ruby; when she draws near to the friend of Allah and he, out of longing, is about to rise towards her, she says to him: "O friend of Allah! Today is not a day of fatigue or weariness, so do not rise. I am for you and you are for me."