سورة النساء

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): It is obligatory upon the ear to keep itself pure from listening to what Allah has forbidden, and to turn away from what is not lawful — that is, the things Allah has prohibited — and to refrain from lending itself to what provokes Allah's anger. The Exalted has said in this regard: وَ قَدْ نَزَّلَ عَلَیْکُمْ فِی الْکِتابِ أَنْ إِذا سَمِعْتُمْ آیاتِ اللهِ یُکْفَرُ بِها وَ یُسْتَهْزَأُ بِها فَلا تَقْعُدُوا مَعَهُمْ حَتَّی یَخُوضُوا فِی حَدِیثٍ غَیْرِهِ إِنَّکُمْ إِذاً مِثْلُهُمْ إِنَّ اللهَ جامِعُ الْمُنافِقِینَ وَ الْکافِرِینَ فِی جَهَنَّمَ جَمِیعاً [And He has already revealed to you in the Book that when you hear Allah's verses being disbelieved in and mocked, do not sit with them until they enter into some other discourse; surely then you would be like them. Indeed Allah will gather the hypocrites and the disbelievers all together in Hell]. Of course, after that He excluded the case in which the ear becomes tainted with sin through forgetfulness [and error].

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): Allah has made it obligatory upon the ear that it not incline towards acts of disobedience, and He has said: وَ قَدْ نَزَّلَ عَلَیْکُمْ فِی الْکِتابِ أَنْ إِذا سَمِعْتُمْ آیاتِ اللهِ یُکْفَرُ بِها وَ یُسْتَهْزَأُ بِها فَلا تَقْعُدُوا مَعَهُمْ حَتَّی یَخُوضُوا فِی حَدِیثٍ غَیْرِهِ إِنَّکُمْ إِذاً مِثْلُهُمْ [And He has already revealed to you in the Book that when you hear Allah's verses being disbelieved in and mocked, do not sit with them until they enter into some other discourse; surely then you would be like them].

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Shuayb al-Aqarqufi said: I asked Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) about the verse: وَ قَدْ نَزَّلَ عَلَیْکُمْ فِی الْکِتابِ أَنْ إِذا سَمِعْتُمْ آیاتِ اللهِ یُکْفَرُ بِها وَ یُسْتَهْزَأُ بِها فَلا تَقْعُدُوا مَعَهُمْ حَتَّی یَخُوضُوا فِی حَدِیثٍ غَیْرِهِ إِنَّکُمْ إِذاً مِثْلُهُمْ إِنَّ اللهَ جامِعُ الْمُنافِقِینَ وَ الْکافِرِینَ فِی جَهَنَّمَ جَمِیعاً [And He has already revealed to you in the Book that when you hear Allah's verses being disbelieved in and mocked, do not sit with them until they enter into some other discourse; surely then you would be like them. Indeed Allah will gather the hypocrites and the disbelievers all together in Hell]. He said: 'What the Exalted means by this verse is that if you hear someone denying the truth and rejecting it, and speaking ill of the Imams, then get up from beside him and do not sit with him, whoever he may be.'

Imam al-Rida (peace be upon him): When you hear someone denying the truth, calling it a lie, and speaking ill of its people, rise from his presence and do not sit with him.

Imam Rida (peace be upon him): Muhammad ibn Asim said: I heard Imam Rida (peace be upon him) say: "O Muhammad ibn Asim! I have heard that you sit and associate with the Waqifis?" I said: "Yes, may I be your ransom. I sit with them while I oppose their view." He said: "Do not sit with them, for Allah has said: وَ قَدْ نَزَّلَ عَلَیْکُمْ فِی الْکِتَابِ أَنْ إِذَا سَمِعْتُمْ آیَاتِ اللهِ یُکَفَرُ بِهَا وَ یُسْتَهْزَأُ بِهَا فَلاَ تَقْعُدُواْ مَعَهُمْ حَتَّی یَخُوضُواْ فِی حَدِیثٍ غَیْرِهِ إِنَّکُمْ إِذًا مِّثْلُهُمْ إِنَّ اللهَ جَامِعُ الْمُنَافِقِینَ وَ الْکَافِرِینَ فِی جَهَنَّمَ جَمِیعًا [And indeed He has revealed to you in the Book that when you hear Allah's signs disbelieved in and mocked at, do not sit with them until they enter into some other discourse; surely then you would be like them; surely Allah will gather together the hypocrites and the unbelievers all in hell]. What is meant by آیَاتِ [signs] are the successors (awsiya) and vicegerents of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), and what is meant by یُکَفَرُ بِهَا [disbelieved in] are the Waqifis."

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family): Luqman said to his son: "O my dear son, keep company with the scholars, draw near to them, sit with them, and visit them in their homes, so that perhaps you may become like them and be with them. Sit with their righteous ones, for perhaps Allah will send down a mercy upon them and it will include you as well. And if you yourself are good, stay away from the evil and the foolish, for perhaps a punishment from Allah will reach them and it will reach you along with them." Allah has stated clearly: فَلا تَقْعُدْ بَعْدَ الذِّکْری مَعَ الْقَوْمِ الظَّالِمِینَ [when it comes to your mind, do not sit with the wrongdoing people] (al-An'am 6:68). And He said: أَنْ إِذا سَمِعْتُمْ آیاتِ اللهِ یُکْفَرُ بِها وَ یُسْتَهْزَأُ بِها فَلا تَقْعُدُوا مَعَهُمْ حَتَّی یَخُوضُوا فِی حَدِیثٍ غَیْرِهِ إِنَّکُمْ إِذاً مِثْلُهُم [that when you hear Allah's signs disbelieved in and mocked at, do not sit with them until they enter into some other discourse; surely then you would be like them]. Meaning: in that case you will become like them in sin.

Ali ibn Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him): وَ قَدْ نَزَّلَ عَلَیْکُمْ فِی الْکِتابِ أَنْ إِذا سَمِعْتُمْ آیاتِ اللهِ یُکْفَرُ بِها وَ یُسْتَهْزَأُ بِها فَلا تَقْعُدُوا مَعَهُمْ حَتَّی یَخُوضُوا فِی حَدِیثٍ غَیْرِهِ إِنَّکُمْ إِذاً مِثْلُهُمْ إِنَّ اللهَ جامِعُ المُنافِقِینَ وَ الْکافِرِینَ فِی جَهَنَّمَ جَمِیعاً [And indeed He has revealed to you in the Book that when you hear Allah's signs disbelieved in and mocked at, do not sit with them until they enter into some other discourse; surely then you would be like them; surely Allah will gather together the hypocrites and the unbelievers all in hell]. آیاتِ اللهِ [Allah's signs] in this verse are the Imams (peace be upon them).