سورة النساء

Ali ibn Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him): Iman (faith) in the Book of Allah has four meanings. Among them is verbal affirmation, which Allah has called iman; and [others are] belief in the heart, and fulfilment [of deeds], and confirmation. As for the iman which is verbal affirmation and which Allah the Blessed and Exalted has called iman and by which He addressed its people, it is this verse: یا أَیُّهَا الَّذِینَ آمَنُوا خُذُوا حِذْرَکُمْ فَانْفِرُوا ثُباتٍ أَوِ انْفِرُوا جَمِیعاً [O you who believe! take your precaution, then go forth in detachments or go forth in a body] and وَ إِنَّ مِنْکُمْ لَمَنْ لَیُبَطِّئَنَّ فَإِنْ أَصابَتْکُمْ مُصِیبَةٌ قالَ قَدْ أَنْعَمَ اللهُ عَلَیَّ إِذْ لَمْ أَکُنْ مَعَهُمْ شَهِیداً وَ لَئِنْ أَصابَکُمْ فَضْلٌ مِنَ اللهِ لَیَقُولَنَّ کَأَنْ لَمْ تَکُنْ بَیْنَکُمْ وَ بَیْنَهُ مَوَدَّةٌ یا لَیْتَنِی کُنْتُ مَعَهُمْ فَأَفُوزَ فَوْزاً عَظِیماً [And indeed among you is he who would certainly hang back; if a misfortune befalls you he says: Allah has been gracious to me since I was not present with them; and if a bounty from Allah reaches you he will surely say — as if there had been no affection between you and him — 'Would that I had been with them so I might have achieved a great success']. Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: 'If the people of the east and the west uttered this statement, they would all be outside of iman; but Allah has called them believers because of their verbal affirmation.'

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): The verse یَا أَیُّهَا الَّذِینَ آمَنُواْ [O you who believe] called them believers, while they are not believers, and there is no honour or dignity for them. Then he recited the verse: یا أَیُّهَا الَّذِینَ آمَنُوا خُذُوا حِذْرَکُمْ فَانْفِرُوا ثُباتٍ أَوِ انْفِرُوا جَمِیعاً [O you who believe! take your precaution, then go forth in detachments or go forth in a body] and وَ إِنَّ مِنْکُمْ لَمَنْ لَیُبَطِّئَنَّ فَإِنْ أَصابَتْکُمْ مُصِیبَةٌ قالَ قَدْ أَنْعَمَ اللهُ عَلَیَّ إِذْ لَمْ أَکُنْ مَعَهُمْ شَهِیداً وَ لَئِنْ أَصابَکُمْ فَضْلٌ مِنَ اللهِ لَیَقُولَنَّ کَأَنْ لَمْ تَکُنْ بَیْنَکُمْ وَ بَیْنَهُ مَوَدَّةٌ یا لَیْتَنِی کُنْتُ مَعَهُمْ فَأَفُوزَ فَوْزاً عَظِیماً [And indeed among you is he who would certainly hang back; if a misfortune befalls you he says: Allah has been gracious to me since I was not present with them; and if a bounty from Allah reaches you he will surely say — as if there had been no affection between you and him — 'Would that I had been with them so I might have achieved a great success']. And if the people of the heavens and the earth were to say: 'Allah has bestowed a favour upon us that we were not with the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family),' they would certainly be polytheists; and whenever a bounty from Allah reaches them, they will say: 'Would that I had been with them and had fought in the way of Allah.'

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): What is meant by حِذْرَ in the verse یا أَیُّهَا الَّذِینَ آمَنُوا خُذُوا حِذْرَکُمْ [O you who believe! take your precaution] is weapons. [That is, take your weapons in hand].

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): In this verse, what is meant by the word ثُباتٍ is a part of the army (detachments), and what is meant by the word جَمِیع is the [whole] army.