سورة ص

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Muhammad ibn Sulayman narrated from his father: Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said to Abu Basir: "O Abu Muhammad! Allah the Exalted mentioned you and related the words of your enemies in Hell, saying: وَ قَالُوا مَا لَنَا لَا نَرَی رِجَالًا کُنَّا نَعُدُّهُم مِّنَ الْأَشْرَارِ، أَتَّخَذْنَاهُمْ سِخْرِیًّا أَمْ زَاغَتْ عَنْهُمُ الْأَبْصَارُ [And they shall say: What is the matter with us that we do not see men whom we used to count among the vicious? Did we (only) take them in scorn, or have our eyes missed them?]. By Allah! In this verse Allah intended none but you. In the sight of the people of this world you came to be counted as evildoers, yet by Allah! you are in Paradise, rejoicing, while they in the Fire are searching for you."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Muyassir said: I came into the presence of Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him). He said: "How are your companions and fellow-travellers [meaning the Shia]?" I said: "May I be your ransom! In the eyes of the people we are worse than the Jews, the Christians, the Magians and the polytheists!" The Imam (peace be upon him) was at that moment reclining [when I said this], and he sat up straight and said: "What did you say?" I said: "By Allah! In the sight of the people we are worse than the Jews, the Christians, the Magians and the polytheists!" He said: "Beware! By Allah, not two of you shall enter the Fire — no, by Allah, not even one of you shall enter the Fire. By Allah, you are the ones concerning whom Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, has said: وَ قَالُواْ مَا لَنَا لَا نَرَی رِجَالًا کُنَّا نَعُدُّهُم مِّنَ الْأَشْرَارِ* أَتخَّذْنَاهُمْ سِخْرِیًّا أَمْ زَاغَتْ عَنهْمُ الْأَبْصَارُ *إِنَّ ذَالِکَ لحَقٌّ تخَاصُمُ اهل النَّار [And they shall say: What is the matter with us that we do not see men whom we used to count among the vicious? Did we (only) take them in scorn, or have our eyes missed them? Most surely this is the truth: the contending one with another of the inmates of the Fire]." Then he said: "By Allah, they will search for you in the Fire, but they will not find a single one of you there."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Sama'ah ibn Mihran said: Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said to me: "How is your condition in the sight of the people?" I said: "No one is in a worse condition in their eyes than we are; in their sight we are worse than the Jews, the Christians, the Magians and the polytheists." He said: "No, by Allah, not two of you shall be seen in the Fire — no, by Allah, not even one shall be seen there. And you are the ones concerning whom the verse was revealed: وَ قَالُواْ مَا لَنَا لَا نَرَی رِجَالًا کُنَّا نَعُدُّهُم مِّنَ الْأَشْرَارِ، أَتخَّذْنَاهُمْ سِخْرِیًّا أَمْ زَاغَتْ عَنهْمُ الْأَبْصَار [And they shall say: What is the matter with us that we do not see men whom we used to count among the vicious? Did we (only) take them in scorn, or have our eyes missed them?]."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Jabir al-Ju'fi narrated from Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) that he said: "The people of the Fire will say: مَا لَنَا لَا نَرَی رِجَالًا کُنَّا نَعُدُّهُم مِّنَ الْأَشْرَارِ [What is the matter with us that we do not see men whom we used to count among the vicious?] — and they mean you. They search for you but do not find you in the Fire. By Allah, they will not see a single one of you in the Fire."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Anbasa narrated from Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) that he said: When the people of the Fire settle in the fire of Hell, they will look for you but will not find any one of you, so they will say to one another: مَا لَنَا لَا نَرَی رِجَالًا کُنَّا نَعُدُّهُم مِّنَ الْأَشْرَارِ، أَتَّخَذْنَاهُمْ سِخْرِیًّا أَمْ زَاغَتْ عَنْهُمُ الْأَبْصَارُ [What is the matter with us that we do not see men whom we used to count among the vicious? Did we take them in scorn, or have the eyes turned away from them?] And this is the word of Allah the Mighty and Majestic: إِنَّ ذَلِکَ لَحَقٌّ تَخَاصُمُ أَهْلِ النَّارِ [Indeed, that is truly the disputing of the people of the Fire] — they dispute with one another about you and about what they used to say in the world.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Muhammad ibn Sulayman al-Daylami narrated from his father: Sama'a ibn Mihran came to Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him). The Imam (peace be upon him) said: "O Sama'a! In the eyes of the people, who are the worst of them?" I said: "By Allah, I do not lie to you, O son of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family)! We, in the eyes of the people, are the worst of them, because they call us unbelievers and Rafidis." The Imam (peace be upon him) looked at me, then said: "What will your state be when you are driven to Paradise and they are driven to the Fire, and then they cast their eyes upon you and say: مَا لَنَا لَا نَرَی رِجَالًا کُنَّا نَعُدُّهُم مِّنَ الْأَشْرَارِ [What is the matter with us that we do not see men whom we used to count among the vicious?] O Sama'a! If any one of you does something displeasing, we, on the Day of Resurrection, come to Allah on our own feet and intercede for him, and our intercession is accepted. By Allah, the number of those from among you who go to the Fire is not ten men. By Allah, the number of those from among you who go to the Fire is not five men. By Allah, the number of those from among you who go to the Fire is not three men. By Allah, the number of those from among you who go to the Fire is not even one man. So compete with one another for the higher ranks, and grieve your enemies with piety."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): The enemies of Allah, from the intensity of their sweat, will have their mouths gagged, and from fear their hearts will burst, and [terrified] they will look at the punishments Allah has prepared for them and say: ما لَنا لا نَری رِجالًا کُنَّا نَعُدُّهُمْ مِنَ الْأَشْرارِ [What is the matter with us that we do not see men whom we used to count among the vicious?]. The friends of Allah will look at this scene and laugh at them, just as Allah has said [on the tongue of the people of Hell]: أَتَّخَذْناهُمْ سِخْرِیًّا أَمْ زاغَتْ عَنْهُمُ الْأَبْصارُ [Did we take them in ridicule, or have our eyes missed them?]. [Then He says]: But today the believers laugh at the disbelievers, while seated on the adorned couches of Paradise, looking on [at their evil fate]! (al-Mutaffifin/34-35). And no one will remain who has helped a believer from among our friends [even] with a single word, but that Allah will admit him to Paradise without reckoning.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): It is narrated from Zayd al-Zarrad: I said to Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): 'I fear that we are not believers!' He said: 'Why is that?' I said: 'Because among us there is no one for whom his brother is dearer than his money; rather, I find that money is dearer to us than a brother of the same faith, when both of us are friends and followers of the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him).' He said: 'No, never! You are believers, but your faith is not complete until our Qa'im (may Allah hasten his noble relief) rises. Then Allah will bring your aspirations together and you will all become complete believers. If there were no complete believers on earth, then Allah would raise us up to Himself; you would deny both the earth and the sky. Yes, by the One in whose hand my soul is! In the corners of the earth there are believers such that, alongside them, the whole world is not worth the wing of a mosquito. If the world with all that is in it and upon it were red gold and were a necklace on the neck of one of them, and it fell from his neck, he would not pay attention to what was on his neck nor what fell from his neck, so contemptible is it in his eyes ... And their likeness in Paradise is like Firdaws among the gardens; they are the ones who are sought in the Fire and are joyful in Paradise. And this is why the people of the Fire will say: ما لَنا لا نَری رِجالًا کُنَّا نَعُدُّهُمْ مِنَ الْأَشْرارِ [What is the matter with us that we do not see men whom we used to count among the vicious?]. And Allah will lift the veil from their rank so that they see them, and they will grieve over them in the Fire and say: How we wish we were sent back and were like them, for they were the good ones and we were the wicked. And this is the regret of the people of the Fire.'