سورة النساء

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Muhammad ibn Ali narrates from Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) regarding the verse: یَا أَیُّهَا الَّذِینَ آمَنُواْ لاَ تَأْکُلُواْ أَمْوَالَکُمْ بَیْنَکُمْ بِالْبَاطِلِ [O you who believe! Do not devour your property among yourselves falsely], he said: "Allah the Exalted has forbidden gambling. The custom of the Quraysh was that they would gamble over their family and their wealth, so Allah forbade them from this act." And he recited this verse: وَ لاَ تَقْتُلُواْ أَنفُسَکُمْ إِنَّ اللهَ کَانَ بِکُمْ رَحِیمًا [And do not kill yourselves; indeed Allah is Merciful to you]. He said: "The Muslims used to pursue their enemies into the caves, in such a way that the enemy would gain the upper hand over them and kill them. So Allah forbade them from entering the caves in pursuit of the enemy."

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): What is meant is gambling, suht [unlawful wealth and vile earnings], riba (usury), and false oaths.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Samaʿah said: I said to Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): 'A man like me who has a bare-subsistence income and is in debt — can he spend this income on his wife and children until Allah provides relief and he pays off his loan, or, despite being in debt and in straitened circumstances and the badness of the times and the difficulty of earning, may he take another loan, or accept charity?' He said: 'Let him pay off people's loans, and let him not consume people's property unless he has the means to repay their rights; as Allah says: لاَ تَأْکُلُواْ أَمْوَالَکُمْ بَیْنَکُمْ بِالْبَاطِلِ إِلاَّ أَن تَکُونَ تِجَارَةً عَن تَرَاضٍ مِّنکُمْ [Do not devour your property among yourselves falsely, except that it be trading by your mutual consent]. And one who has a debt upon him should not borrow unless he has the ability to repay; even if he goes door to door and people turn him away with a morsel or two or a date or two — unless he has someone who, after him, will fulfill these dues. Among us there is none who dies without Allah appointing a wali or guardian for him to pay his debts and fulfill his promises.'

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): Hasan ibn Zayd narrates from his father from Imam Ali (peace be upon him): I asked the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) about the wudu of jabira (splints) and the ghusl of janabah for an injured person. He said: 'Wiping over them is sufficient, both for wudu and for the ghusl of janabah.' I said: 'And if, due to the severity of the cold, he fears for himself from pouring water on his body, what then?' The Prophet recited this verse: وَ لاَ تَقْتُلُواْ أَنفُسَکُمْ إِنَّ اللهَ کَانَ بِکُمْ رَحِیمًا [And do not kill yourselves; indeed Allah is Merciful to you].

The Imams (peace be upon them): The ruling for a person in janabah [and traveling] is: if he passes by a well of water in which he does not find even enough water to drink, he must perform tayammum; or [if there is water] but he has a wound or illness [such that he cannot use the water and perform wudu], then he should perform tayammum; likewise, if he fears that if he performs ghusl he will die from the cold, he must perform tayammum; and if [there was no reasonable likelihood that he would die from the cold] and he did not fear performing ghusl in cold weather and he performed ghusl and died, he is counted as a martyr; and likewise if [a person in janabah who is traveling] had only a small amount of water and feared that if he performed wudu or ghusl and purified himself he would die of thirst, he should perform tayammum and keep the water for himself, and not [by performing wudu with that water] assist in destroying himself, for Allah has said: وَ لا تَقْتُلُوا أَنْفُسَکُمْ إِنَّ اللهَ کانَ بِکُمْ رَحِیمًا [And do not kill yourselves; indeed Allah is Merciful to you].

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Its meaning is that you should not risk your lives by fighting one whom you cannot overcome.

Ali ibn Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him): وَ لا تَقْتُلُوا أَنْفُسَکُمْ [and do not kill yourselves] — a man, when he went out with the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) in the battles, would charge at the enemy alone, without the order of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), [and would be defeated and killed]. So Allah forbade him from killing himself without the order of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family).

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Ubayd ibn Kathir said: Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) regarding the words of Allah the Exalted: لا تَقْتُلُوا أَنْفُسَکُمْ [and do not kill yourselves] said: "It means: do not kill the Ahl al-Bayt of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family)."