سورة النساء

Ali ibn Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him): إِنَّ الْمنافِقِینَ فِی الدَّرْکِ الْأَسْفَلِ [Indeed the hypocrites are in the lowest depth (of the Fire)] was revealed concerning Abd Allah ibn Ubayy, and it applies to every hypocrite and polytheist.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): And know that the deniers are the rejecters, and the rejecters are the hypocrites, and Allah the Mighty and Majestic has said concerning the hypocrites — and His word is the truth: إِنَّ الْمنافِقِینَ فِی الدَّرْکِ الْأَسْفَلِ مِنَ النَّارِ وَ لَنْ تَجِدَ لَهُمْ نَصِیراً [Indeed the hypocrites are in the lowest depth of the Fire, and you shall not find any helper for them]. And none of you, whose heart Allah has bound to obedience to Him and fear of Him, should fear any of those people whom Allah has excluded from the description of truth and has not made from its people; for those whom Allah has not made fit for the description of truth — they are the satans of mankind and jinn.

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family): Do not declare a Muslim an unbeliever for a sin that repentance can wipe away, except one whom Allah has mentioned in His Book. Allah the Mighty and Majestic said: إِنَّ المُنافِقِینَ فِی الدَّرْکِ الْأَسْفَلِ مِنَ النَّارِ [Indeed the hypocrites are in the lowest depth of the Fire]. And busy yourself with your own affair, for which you are held responsible.

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family): It is narrated from Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) performed Hajj from Medina... and on the Day of Ghadir he said: "O group of people! After my passing, leaders will appear who will call you to the Fire of Hell, and on the Day of Resurrection they will receive no help or aid. O group of people! Indeed Allah and I disavow them. O group of people! They and all their helpers, supporters and followers are in the lowest level of the Fire, and truly evil is the abode of the arrogant! Know that they are the people of the document (sahifa), so let each of you look into his document." Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) said: "Except for a small group, the rest of the people forgot the affair of the document." The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) added: "O group of people! I have left the Imamate to remain in my progeny until the Day of Resurrection."

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family): Woe upon the oppressors of my household; it is as though I see their place on the Day of Resurrection with the hypocrites in the lowest depth (the bottom level) of the Fire.

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): The hypocrites [in Hell] are placed in coffins of iron whose doors are locked upon them, and fire is set upon them.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): There are some scholars who love that their knowledge be stored and hoarded, and that it not be learned from them; such people are in the first level of the Fire. And there are some scholars who, whenever they are given advice, become arrogant and refuse [to accept it], and whenever they themselves give advice, they behave harshly and do not show gentleness; they are in the second level of the Fire. And there are some scholars who are seen placing knowledge with those who possess much wealth and nobility [teaching them], but are not seen saying anything to the poor and destitute [they do not benefit the poor and dervishes from their knowledge]; they are in the third level of the Fire. And there are some scholars who conduct themselves regarding their knowledge in the manner and way of tyrants and kings, and if anything of their speech is rejected [and it is said to them: your speech is false and incorrect] or there is any shortcoming in their affairs [they are not honored and shown kindness], they become angry; they are in the fourth level of the Fire. And there are some scholars who seek out the hadiths and sayings of the Jews and Christians and desire [to relate them to the people] so that their knowledge and speech may become abundant [that people may say: he is very learned and knows the sayings of every group]; they are in the fifth level of the Fire. And there are some scholars who present themselves for issuing fatwas and giving rulings [on people's questions] and say: 'Ask me [your questions],' though it is hoped [feared] that they have not grasped or found a single word [and have burdened themselves], and Allah does not love those who [know nothing yet say: we are knowledgeable, and when answering questions] burden themselves [He deprives them of His mercy]; they are in the sixth level of the Fire. And there are some scholars who acquire their knowledge for the sake of chivalry and intelligence [they gain knowledge and teach it to others so that people may count them among the chivalrous and the wise]; he too is in the seventh level of the Fire.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): We have seen [and read] that Allah the Mighty and Majestic, in His firm Book, has mentioned that by which He punished a group of His servants, where He says: 'So He put hypocrisy into their hearts as a consequence, until the day they meet Him, because they broke their promise to Allah and because they used to lie.' (Tawbah/77). And Allah made the hypocrisy which He placed in their hearts a punishment and recompense for their breaking of the promise, and named them hypocrites. Then He said in His Book: إِنَّ الْمُنَافِقِینَ فِی الدَّرْکِ الْأَسْفَلِ مِنَ النَّارِ [Indeed the hypocrites are in the lowest depth of the Fire]. If this is the state of one who has broken a promise — that his punishment is hypocrisy leading to the lowest depth of the Fire — then what will be the state of one who openly rises up against Allah the Mighty and Majestic and His Messenger (peace be upon him and his family) in opposition to them, and in rejecting their speech and disobeying their command, and commits injustice, and — despite his awareness — shows enmity toward those whom Allah has commanded people to obey, to cling to their rope, and to be with them?