سورة الزمر

Ali ibn Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him): وَ لَقَدْ أُوحِیَ إِلَیْکَ وَ إِلَی الَّذینَ مِنْ قَبْلِکَ لَئِنْ أَشْرَکْتَ لَیَحْبَطَنَّ عَمَلُکَ وَ لَتَکُونَنَّ مِنَ الْخاسِرینَ [And certainly, it has been revealed to you and to those before you: Surely if you associate (with Allah), your work would certainly come to naught and you would certainly be of the losers] — this verse addresses the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), but what is meant is his community, and the proof of this is His statement: بَلِ اللهَ فَاعْبُدْ وَ کُنْ مِنَ الشَّاکِرِینَ [Nay! but serve Allah alone and be of the thankful]. And Allah knew that His Prophet worshipped Him and was thankful to Him [and did not associate anything with Him], but through this address He commanded His Prophet to servitude in order to warn his community through this means.

Imam Rida (peace be upon him): Ma'mun said to him: 'O son of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family)! ... Inform me about the statement of Allah the Exalted: "Allah has pardoned you; why did you give them permission?" (Tawbah/43).' The Imam said: 'This is among the verses which Allah revealed by addressing one person while intending another to hear. Through this speech Allah addressed His Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), but He intended his community. Likewise is the statement of Allah the Mighty and Majestic: لَئِنْ أَشْرَکْتَ لَیَحْبَطَنَّ عَمَلُکَ وَ لَتَکُونَنَّ مِنَ الخَاسِرِینَ [Surely if you associate (with Allah), your work would certainly come to naught and you would certainly be of the losers].'

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): This verse, addressed to the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), is in the context of discipline, and addressed to others it is in the context of a threat, because Allah the Exalted has preserved him (the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family)) from shirk (associating partners with Allah) and from compromising with the disbelievers, and in the case of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) there is no such possibility [that he would commit shirk].

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): [Some verses of the Quran, such as this verse, of] the Quran were revealed in the manner of the Arabic proverb [which says]: "إِیَّاکِ أَعْنِی وَ اسْمَعِی یَا جَارَة [I mean you, but listen, O neighbour]; that is, I say it to you, but O neighbour, you listen."

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) ordered that a thief's hand be cut off. The thief said, "I offered this hand in Islam, and now you order it to be cut off?" The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) said, "Even if my daughter Fatima (peace be upon her) had done such a thing, I would have cut off her hand too." When Lady Fatima (peace be upon her) heard this statement, she became grieved. So Jibra'il descended and recited this verse to her: لَئِنْ أَشْرَکْتَ لَیَحْبَطَنَّ عَمَلُکَ [Surely if you associate (with Allah), your work would certainly come to naught]. After this verse was revealed, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) became sorrowful, so the following verse was revealed: لَوْ کانَ فِیهِما آلِهَةٌ إِلَّا اللهُ لَفَسَدَتا [If there were, in the heavens and the earth, other gods besides Allah, they would have gone to ruin]. (Anbiya/22). With the revelation of this verse, the Prophet of Islam (peace be upon him and his family) was astonished, so Jibra'il descended and said, "Because Lady Fatima (peace be upon her) was upset by that statement of yours, these verses were revealed to gain her satisfaction."

Ali ibn Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him): Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him) was performing prayer and Ibn al-Kawwa was behind him, and Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) was reciting when Ibn al-Kawwa said: "وَ لَقَدْ أُوحِیَ إِلَیْکَ وَ إِلَی الَّذِینَ مِنْ قَبْلِکَ لَئِنْ أَشْرَکْتَ لَیَحْبَطَنَّ عَمَلُکَ وَ لَتَکُونَنَّ مِنَ الْخاسِرِینَ [And certainly, it has been revealed to you and to those before you: Surely if you associate (with Allah), your work would certainly come to naught and you would certainly be of the losers]." Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) fell silent until Ibn al-Kawwa became silent [finished the verse]. Then he resumed his recitation, until Ibn al-Kawwa did this three times. On the third time, Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) said: "Now that it is so, be patient, for indeed the promise of Allah is true, and let not those who have no certainty of faith enrage you [and turn you from your path]!" (Rum/60).

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, will call every creature to account except the one who associated partners with Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, for he will not be called to account, and the order will be given for him to be taken to the Fire.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): That is, if one considers anyone besides Him a partner in wilayah (guardianship).

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Abu Hamza said: I asked Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) about the words of Allah the Mighty and Majestic to His Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): لَئِنْ أَشْرَکْتَ لَیَحْبَطَنَّ عَمَلُکَ وَ لَتَکُونَنَّ مِنَ الخَاسِرِینَ [Surely if you associate (with Allah), your work would certainly come to naught and you would certainly be of the losers]. He said: "Its interpretation is that if, after yourself, you command the wilayah (guardianship) of anyone else along with the wilayah of Ali (peace be upon him), all your deeds will be nullified and you will be among the losers."

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) and Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): وَ لَقَدْ أُوحِیَ إِلَیْکَ وَ إِلَی الَّذِینَ مِنْ قَبْلِکَ [And certainly, it has been revealed to you and to those before you] ... The revelation of these verses was at the time when Allah the Exalted commanded His Messenger (peace be upon him and his family) to appoint Ali (peace be upon him) [as Imam] and not to associate anyone as a partner with Ali (peace be upon him).

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): A man from the tribe of Banu Adi said: "The tribe of Quraysh came to me, and we all came to the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family)." They said: "O Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family)! We have abandoned the worship of idols and have followed you, so make us partners in the wilayah of Ali (peace be upon him) so that we too may have a share [in the wilayah]." Jibra'il descended upon the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) and said: "O Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family)! لَئِنْ أَشْرَکْتَ لَیَحْبَطَنَّ عَمَلُکَ وَ لَتَکُونَنَّ مِنَ الْخاسِرِینَ [Surely if you associate (with Allah), your work would certainly come to naught and you would certainly be of the losers]." The man said: "Because of the hardship of this event that had befallen me [in accepting the wilayah of Ali (peace be upon him)], my chest was constricted and I hurried out. I met a horseman sitting on a horse, and a yellow turban on his head dazzled the eye, and the fragrance of musk came from him. He said: 'O man! Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) has tied a knot [the wilayah of Ali (peace be upon him)] which none but a disbeliever or a hypocrite will loosen.'" The man said: "I came to the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) and gave him this news." He said: "Did you recognise that horseman? He was Jibra'il (peace be upon him), who presented to you a wilayah such that if you loosen that knot [of wilayah] or doubt in it, I shall be your adversary on the Day of Resurrection."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): When [the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family)] at the beginning of the matter [the beginning of prophethood] explicitly declared the Imamah of Ali (peace be upon him) [and announced his Imamah openly], a group from the tribe of Quraysh came to him and said: "O Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family)! The people are new to Islam and do not like that prophethood be in you and Imamah in your cousin Ali (peace be upon him)." The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) said: "I did not do this of my own accord that I would have discretion in it [and could remove the Imamah from him]; rather, Allah commanded me to it and made [its announcement] obligatory upon me." They said: "Then make a man from the Quraysh a partner with him [in Imamah] so that the people do not oppose you." On account of these words, this verse was revealed: لَئِنْ أَشْرَکْتَ لَیَحْبَطَنَّ عَمَلُکَ وَ لَتَکُونَنَّ مِنَ الْخاسِرِینَ [Surely if you associate (with Allah), your work would certainly come to naught and you would certainly be of the losers].

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): When the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) at the beginning of the matter explicitly declared [the Imamate of] Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him), a group of the people of Quraysh came and said: "O Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family)!" ... "Make a man from Quraysh a partner with him in the caliphate so that the people may find peace in him and the matter may be completed for you." Then this verse was revealed: لَئِنْ أَشْرَکْتَ لَیَحْبَطَنَّ عَمَلُکَ وَ لَتَکُونَنَّ مِنَ الْخاسِرِینَ [Surely if you associate (with Allah), your work would certainly come to naught and you would certainly be of the losers].