سورة النساء

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him)- Allah the Mighty and Majestic in this verse reproached certain peoples for spreading [news]: وَ إِذَا جَاءهُمْ أَمْرٌ مِّنَ الأَمْنِ أَوِ الْخَوْفِ أَذَاعواْ بِهِ [And when there comes to them news of security or fear they spread it abroad]. That is, I warn you against spreading [such news].

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him)- Muhammad ibn Nu'man al-Ahwal said: Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said to me: "Allah has censured a group in the Quran because of divulging secrets." I said: "May I be your ransom, where?" He said: "This verse: وَ إِذا جاءَهُمْ أَمْرٌ مِنَ الْأَمْنِ أَوِ الْخَوْفِ أَذاعُوا بِهِ [And when there comes to them news of security or fear they spread it abroad]." Then he said: "The one who divulges our secrets is like one who has taken up the sword to fight us. May Allah have mercy on a servant who makes use of our hidden knowledge and buries it beneath his feet. O son of Nu'man, I narrate a hadith [of the secrets] to one of you, and he narrates that hadith from me [and divulges it]; by this very act he becomes deserving of my curse and my disavowal of him." My father used to say: "What thing brings more joy than taqiyya (dissimulation)? Taqiyya is the shield of the believer. Were it not for taqiyya, Allah would not be worshipped. And in this verse Allah says: The believers should not take the disbelievers as friends in place of the believers, and whoever does so has no relation with Allah, unless you fear them (Aal Imran/28). O son of Nu'man, the one who divulges our secrets is not like the one who fights us by the sword; rather his sin is greater than his, rather his sin is greater, rather his sin is greater [he repeated it three times]. O son of Nu'man, whoever narrates a hadith to our detriment is among those who have fought us intentionally, not mistakenly. O son of Nu'man! The scholar cannot tell you all that he knows, because it is the secret of Allah which was entrusted to Jibra'il, and he to Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family), and he to Ali (peace be upon him), and Ali (peace be upon him) to Imam Hasan (peace be upon him), and he to Imam Husayn (peace be upon him), and he to Ali ibn al-Husayn (peace be upon him), and he to Muhammad ibn Ali (peace be upon him), and he to whomever it must be entrusted. Do not be hasty! By Allah, this matter drew near three times, but you divulged it, and Allah delayed it. I swear by Allah that you have no secret except that your enemy is better informed of it than you. O son of Nu'man, protect your own life, do not oppose me, and do not divulge my secret. Mughira ibn Sa'id fabricated lies against my father and divulged his secret, so Allah afflicted him with the heat of iron [and he died]. And Abu al-Khattab fabricated lies against me and divulged my secret, so he was afflicted with the heat of iron. Whoever conceals our matter, Allah adorns him with it in this world and the Hereafter, gives him his reward, and preserves him from being afflicted with the heat of iron and the narrowness of prisons. The Bani Isra'il were struck by a drought until their livestock perished and their offspring were on the verge of extinction. Musa ibn Imran (peace be upon him) [in order to solve this problem] supplicated at the court of Allah, and Allah revealed to him: 'O Musa (peace be upon him)! They openly commit adultery and usury, and build synagogues (Jewish places of worship) [luxuriously, but no worship takes place in them], and they have destroyed the zakat [and because of these sins they have been afflicted with punishment].' Musa (peace be upon him) said: 'O Allah, be gracious to them by Your mercy, for they do not understand [and so they act this way].' Allah revealed to Musa (peace be upon him): 'I shall send down rain from the sky, but they shall be informed of it after forty days.' However, the people divulged this news, and so they were deprived of rain for forty years. The matter of your relief (faraj) had also drawn near, but you divulged it in your gatherings. Whoever begins his day by divulging our secret, Allah will set upon him the heat of iron and the narrowness of prisons."

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Abdullah ibn Ajlan narrates: Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) said regarding the verse وَ لَوْ رَدُّوهُ إِلَی الرَّسُولِ وَإِلَی أُوْلِی الأَمْرِ مِنْهُمْ [And if they had referred it to the Messenger and to those in authority among them]: "What is meant is the Imams."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Regarding the word of Allah وَ لَوْ رَدُّوهُ إِلَی الرَّسُولِ وَ إِلی أُولِی الْأَمْرِ مِنْهُمْ [And if they had referred it to the Messenger and to those in authority among them], he was asked: "Who are they (Ulul-Amr)?" He said: "We are the possessors of authority, whom Allah has commanded that matters and reports be referred back to us [and that the truth and falsehood of them and their aspects be asked of us]."

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): That is, they know every aspect and state of a matter that is mentioned, or that they mention — those who deduce it (yastanbituna) and, by their intellects which are supported by Ruh al-Qudus (Jibril (peace be upon him)), perceive the management of affairs. What is meant by istinbat (deduction) is the drawing out of "nabat", and nabat refers to the first water that appears when a well is dug.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): When Allah the Mighty and Majestic sent Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family), the mustahfizin (guardians of the previous scriptures) [who had held true faith in the earlier books] submitted to him, but the Children of Israel denied him. He called to Allah the Mighty and Majestic and strove in His path, until Allah commanded him to make manifest the excellence of his successor... So the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) [on the day of Ghadir] openly announced the excellence of Ali (peace be upon him)... The proof concerning the imamate of Ali (peace be upon him) was completed both by the word of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) and by the Qur'an which people recite. He continued to make the people understand the excellence of his household through his speech, and he also made it clear through the Qur'an: 'O Ahl al-Bayt, Allah wishes to remove impurity from you and keep you pure' (al-Ahzab/33). And He said: أَطِیعُوا اللهَ وَ أَطِیعُوا الرَّسُولَ وَ أُولِی الْأَمْرِ مِنْکُمْ [Obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you]; and He also said: وَ لَوْ رَدُّوهُ [and if they had referred it] to Allah وَ إِلَی الرَّسُولِ وَ إِلی أُولِی الْأَمْرِ مِنْهُمْ لَعَلِمَهُ الَّذِینَ یَسْتَنْبِطُونَهُ مِنْهُمْ [and to the Messenger and to those in authority among them, then those among them who can search out the knowledge of it would have known it]. So the reference of every matter concerning the affairs of the people has been made to their ulul-amr (those in authority), whom they have been commanded to obey and to whom they have been directed to refer.

Imam Rida (peace be upon him): Something occurred to these people, and Satan cast them into doubt and made them err in the matter of religion. This was because of the slander they uttered, and they gathered together and disregarded the Imam (peace be upon him), and wished to guide themselves by themselves [and abandon the Imam]. So they said: 'On what basis has Musa ibn Ja'far (peace be upon him) departed the world? Who is the Imam after him, and on what basis does he say al-Rida is the Imam?' This caution they took became the cause of their destruction, and they were seized by their own hands — Allah does not wrong anyone (Fussilat/46). These questions were no concern of theirs; rather, it was incumbent upon them, at the time of perplexity and in what they did not know, to refer to one who is knowledgeable and possesses the power of istinbat (deduction). For Allah says in the Qur'an: وَ لَوْ رَدُّوهُ إِلَی الرَّسُولِ وَ إِلی أُولِی الْأَمْرِ مِنْهُمْ لَعَلِمَهُ الَّذِینَ یَسْتَنْبِطُونَهُ مِنْهُمْ [And if they had referred it to the Messenger and to those in authority among them, those among them who can search out the knowledge of it would have known it]. The meaning is the family of Muhammad — they are the ones who possess the knowledge of the Qur'an and distinguish the halal and the haram, and they are the proof of Allah upon the people.

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): In this verse Allah has chosen a people for knowledge and made obedience to them obligatory upon everyone: أَطِیعُوا اللهَ وَ أَطِیعُوا الرَّسُولَ وَ أُولِی الْأَمْرِ مِنْکُمْ [Obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you]; and the verse: وَ لَوْ رَدُّوهُ إِلَی الرَّسُولِ وَ إِلی أُولِی الْأَمْرِ مِنْهُمْ لَعَلِمَهُ الَّذِینَ یَسْتَنْبِطُونَهُ مِنْهُمْ [And if they had referred it to the Messenger and to those in authority among them, those among them who can search out the knowledge of it would have known it]. 'Fear Allah and be with the truthful' (Tawbah/119). And: 'while none knows its interpretation except Allah, and those firmly rooted in knowledge' (Aal Imran/7). And: 'enter the houses through their doors' (Baqarah/189).

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): It is narrated from Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Imam Ali (peace be upon him) said [addressing] Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): ... The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) had, during his lifetime, ordered his companions to greet me with the title of Amir al-Mu'minin, and I insisted that this be the case after his passing as well... Ibn Abbas! My thought, worry, sorrow and swallowing of grief after grief has stretched long, on account of a matter or a people busy with sins and in need of me regarding rulings of the lawful and the unlawful — yet when the world turns toward them, they display their independence from me; as though they had not heard this word of Allah the Mighty and Majestic who says: وَ لَوْ رَدُّوهُ إِلَی الرَّسُولِ وَ إِلی أُولِی الْأَمْرِ مِنْهُمْ لَعَلِمَهُ الَّذِینَ یَسْتَنْبِطُونَهُ مِنْهُمْ [And if they had referred it to the Messenger and to those in authority among them, those among them who can search out the knowledge of it would have known it]. They knew that they were in need of me and that I was independent of them, أَمْ عَلی قُلُوبٍ أَقْفالُها [or are there locks upon their hearts].

Imam al-Hadi (peace be upon him): Fath ibn Yazid al-Jurjani said: On my return from Makkah toward Khurasan I was in the company of Imam al-Hadi (peace be upon him). He was heading toward Iraq, and along the way I heard him saying: ... We cannot even grasp the depth and greatness of Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family). Allah has placed Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) alongside His own name, made him a partner in His giving and bestowal, and made it obligatory that whoever obeys him receives the reward of that obedience, for He says: وَ ما نَقَمُوا إِلَّا أَنْ أَغْناهُمُ اللهُ وَ رَسُولُهُ مِنْ فَضْلِهِ [And they took revenge only because Allah and His Messenger enriched them out of His bounty] (Tawbah/74). And, relating the words of those who abandoned obedience to him while He punishes them amid the layers of its fires and the garments of its tar, He says: یا لَیْتَنا أَطَعْنَا اللهَ وَ أَطَعْنَا الرَّسُولَا [Oh, would that we had obeyed Allah and obeyed the Messenger] (Ahzab/66). How can the reality and depth of the essence of those whose obedience the Majestic has joined and paired with obedience to the Messenger be known — in this verse: أَطِیعُوا اللهَ وَ أَطِیعُوا الرَّسُولَ وَ أُولِی الْأَمْرِ مِنْکُمْ [Obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you], and in another verse He says: وَ لَوْ رَدُّوهُ إِلَی الرَّسُولِ وَ إِلی أُولِی الْأَمْرِ مِنْهُمْ [And if they had referred it to the Messenger and to those in authority among them], and in this verse too He says: إِنَّ اللهَ یَأْمُرُکُمْ أَنْ تُؤَدُّوا الْأَماناتِ إِلی أَهْلِها [Indeed, Allah commands you to render trusts to their owners], and in another verse He says: فَسْئَلُوا أَهْلَ الذِّکْرِ إِنْ کُنْتُمْ لا تَعْلَمُونَ [So ask the people of the Reminder if you do not know] (Nahl/43). He said: 'O Fath! Just as the mighty Allah, the noble Messenger, and the children of Fatimah al-Zahra cannot be described, so too a believer who submits to our command cannot be described.'

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) had certain practices in dealing with the polytheists, and we too, after him, have practices like those sunnahs concerning the oppressors, and whoever turns to our qiblah is accepted by us and is called a follower of our religion. Allah has said concerning a people whose guidance He loved: یا أَیُّهَا الَّذِینَ آمَنُوا أَطِیعُوا اللهَ وَ أَطِیعُوا الرَّسُولَ وَ أُولِی الْأَمْرِ مِنْکُمْ فَإِنْ تَنازَعْتُمْ فِی شَیْءٍ فَرُدُّوهُ إِلَی اللهِ وَ الرَّسُولِ إِنْ کُنْتُمْ تُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللهِ وَ الْیَوْمِ الْآخِرِ ذلِکَ خَیْرٌ وَ أَحْسَنُ تَأْوِیلًا [O you who believe! Obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you; and if you dispute in anything, refer it to Allah and the Messenger, if you believe in Allah and the Last Day; that is better and more excellent in the end], and He has said: وَ لَوْ رَدُّوهُ إِلَی الرَّسُولِ وَ إِلی أُولِی الْأَمْرِ مِنْهُمْ لَعَلِمَهُ الَّذِینَ یَسْتَنْبِطُونَهُ مِنْهُمْ وَ لَوْ لا فَضْلُ اللهِ عَلَیْکُمْ وَ رَحْمَتُهُ لَاتَّبَعْتُمُ الشَّیْطانَ إِلَّا قَلِیلًا [And if they had referred it to the Messenger and to those in authority among them, those among them who can derive its meaning would have known it; and were it not for the grace of Allah upon you and His mercy, you would have followed Satan except for a few]. So referring matters back to Allah is acting according to the clear text of His Book, and referring matters back to the Messenger (peace be upon him and his family) is acting according to the unifying, undivided sunnah. And we, the family of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family), are the ones who derive the muhkam (decisive verses) of the Qur'an, distinguish between its muhkam and mutashabih (ambiguous) verses, and recognise the abrogating verses from those which Allah has abrogated and whose obligation He has lifted. So deal with your enemy in the same way you have seen us deal with the like of them among the enemies, and send us letters reporting every new event, with any general command coming to you from us. It is Allah who is the Helper.

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) said: 'Nothing is further from the minds and understanding of men than the understanding and interpretation of the Qur'an. In this matter all people are bewildered and lost, except those whom Allah wills. The reason Allah has made the Qur'an ambiguous and beyond the reach of everyone is so that people would turn to His door and His path, worship Him, and in understanding His speech turn to obeying and following the interpreters of His Qur'an and those who speak on behalf of His command, and in deriving what they need from the Qur'an refer to these interpreters and speakers, and not undertake the interpretation of the Qur'an and derivation from it on their own. Allah has said: وَ لَوْ رَدُّوهُ إِلَی الرَّسُولِ وَ إِلی أُولِی الْأَمْرِ مِنْهُمْ لَعَلِمَهُ الَّذِینَ یَسْتَنْبِطُونَهُ مِنْهُمْ [And if they had referred it to the Messenger and to those in authority among them, those among them who can derive its meaning would have known it]. As for those other than these true interpreters (the Ahl al-Bayt), they can never undertake the interpretation and derivation of the Qur'an. And you have come to know that the social order cannot be upright if all people were possessors of authority and wilayah, for in that case they would find no one to obey them and no one to whom they could convey the commands and prohibitions of Allah [because everyone would themselves be a ruler and leader!]. For this reason, Allah appointed the rulers as a special group so that the general body of people and the rest would follow them.'

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Musa (peace be upon him) supposed that all the matters he needed in his prophethood, and all the knowledge required, had been inscribed for him in the tablets — just as those who claim knowledge and jurisprudence suppose. They imagine that they possess all the jurisprudence and knowledge that this ummah needs in the religion, and that they have learned this knowledge from the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) and have preserved it. Yet they do not know all that the Messenger of Allah knew, nor have they any information of his knowledge, nor do they know him. Whenever they are asked about the lawful and the forbidden and the rulings, if nothing has been narrated from the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) about it, they are ashamed for people to attribute ignorance to them, and they hate to be unable to answer a question. Thus people seek knowledge from other than its source. So they bring their own opinion and analogy (qiyas) into the religion of Allah, and abandon the words of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family), and wish to conduct the affairs of Allah with innovation (bid'ah) — while the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) said: 'Every innovation is misguidance.' If they were asked about a matter in the religion of Allah and there was no narration from the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) concerning it, and they referred it to Allah and His Messenger (peace be upon him and his family) and to those in authority (ulul-amr) — those who have learned knowledge from the family of Muhammad — they would know its answer. What prevents them from seeking knowledge from us is enmity and envy towards us. No, by Allah, Musa (peace be upon him) did not envy that learned one (Khidr (peace be upon him)). Musa (peace be upon him) was a prophet to whom revelation came, and for that reason he met him and desired to speak with him and became informed of his knowledge — rather, he acknowledged his knowledge before him and did not envy him — unlike this ummah, which after the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) has envied us for our knowledge and our inheritance from the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family), and has had no desire for our knowledge, contrary to how Musa (peace be upon him) became devoted to that learned one.

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): A person asked: "Who are the divine proofs?" He said: "The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) and the chosen ones of Allah who stand in the place of the Prophet. They are the very chosen ones whom Allah has made companions of and joined to Himself and to His Messenger, and just as He made obedience to Himself obligatory upon people, He made obedience to them obligatory upon people as well. They are the ones in authority (Ulul-Amr), concerning whom Allah said: أَطِیعُوا اللهَ وَ أَطِیعُوا الرَّسُولَ وَ أُولِی الْأَمْرِ مِنْکُمْ [Obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you], and also said: وَ لَوْ رَدُّوهُ إِلَی الرَّسُولِ وَ إِلی أُولِی الْأَمْرِ مِنْهُمْ لَعَلِمَهُ الَّذِینَ یَسْتَنْبِطُونَهُ مِنْهُم [And if they had referred it to the Messenger and to those in authority among them, those among them who can search out the knowledge of it would have known it]." He asked: "What is that matter (amr)?" Amir al-Mu'minin Ali (peace be upon him) said: "What is meant by 'the matter' is that which the angels brought down, on the night in which every wise decree from Allah the Wise is apportioned among the creatures. Matters such as origination and creation, sustenance, appointed terms, deeds, life, death, knowledge of the unseen of the heavens and the earth, and the miracles and signs which no one is worthy of being informed of except Allah the Exalted, His chosen ones, and the emissaries between Allah and His creation."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Regarding the words of Allah: وَ لَوْ رَدُّوهُ إِلَی الرَّسُولِ وَ إِلی أُولِی الْأَمْرِ مِنْهُمْ لَعَلِمَهُ الَّذِینَ یَسْتَنْبِطُونَهُ مِنْهُمْ [And if they had referred it to the Messenger and to those in authority among them, those among them who can search out the knowledge of it would have known it], what is meant by "referring the matter" is that people should ask about their affairs from the possessors of authority (wilayah) and their Ulul-Amr, for Allah has commanded people to obey them and to refer matters to them.

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): O Jabir! The hadiths and words of the Ahl al-Bayt of the Prophet are [in terms of comprehension and understanding] difficult and hard; their speech is very keen, subtle and decisive. By Allah, no one believes in these sayings except a close angel of Allah's court, or a sent prophet, or a believing servant whose heart Allah has tested and whose faith He has confirmed! And know that the wretched, blameworthy and ruined person is the one who abandons the sayings of the family of the Messenger [and does not act upon them]. Whenever a hadith from the family of Muhammad reaches you which you recognise [and understand to be attributed to the Ahl al-Bayt] and your hearts feel soft and at ease with it [and you find it pleasing], accept it, for our hadiths are the manifest truth. And that hadith which seems heavy to you and you cannot bear to accept and its acceptance is hard upon you and you do not accept it — refer it back to us, for the one who refers [his matters] back to us is humble [before the command of Allah]. Have you not heard that Allah says: وَ لَوْ رَدُّوهُ إِلَی الرَّسُولِ وَ إِلی أُولِی الْأَمْرِ مِنْهُمْ لَعَلِمَهُ الَّذِینَ یَسْتَنْبِطُونَهُ مِنْهُمْ [And if they had referred it to the Messenger and to those in authority among them, those among them who can search out the knowledge of it would have known it].

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): It is not so that Allah would place among the limbs and organs of humans a leader and imam that removes doubt and uncertainty from them and establishes certainty for them — and that imam is the heart of a person — yet fall short in [providing] proofs [for the people]. So He made obedience to those in authority (ulu al-amr), who are the guardians of His religion, obligatory upon the people, just as He made obedience to the Messenger (peace be upon him and his family) obligatory, and He said: أَطِیعُوا اللهَ وَ أَطِیعُوا الرَّسُولَ وَ أُولِی الْأَمْرِ مِنْکُمْ [Obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you]. Then He identified those in authority, who are among the people of knowledge, and made their standing clear, and He said in His Book: وَ لَوْ رَدُّوهُ إِلَی الرَّسُولِ وَ إِلی أُولِی الْأَمْرِ مِنْهُمْ لَعَلِمَهُ الَّذِینَ یَسْتَنْبِطُونَهُ مِنْهُمْ [And if they had referred it to the Messenger and to those in authority among them, those among them who can search out the knowledge of it would have known it]. From this it is clear that the people are incapable of the interpretation (ta'wil) of the Book, and only those in authority can derive it, because they are the ones firmly rooted in knowledge, and they are the place of trust regarding the ta'wil of the Qur'an. And He said in the Qur'an: 'while none knows its interpretation except Allah. And those who are firmly rooted in knowledge.' (Al Imran/7). And in another place He said: 'Rather, the Qur'an is clear verses which reside in the breasts of the people of knowledge.' (Al-Ankabut/49). Seeking knowledge and virtue is better than worship, and Allah says: 'Indeed, among the servants of Allah, only the learned truly fear Him.' (Fatir/28). Allah has named them truthful and has made obedience to them obligatory upon all servants, and He said: 'O you who have believed, fear Allah and be with the truthful.' (Tawbah/119).

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): Imam Ali (peace be upon him) wrote in a letter to Mu'awiya... Those firmly rooted in knowledge are us, the household of Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family), and Allah has commanded the rest of the community to say: 'We believe in it; all is from our Lord. And none takes heed but the possessors of understanding.' (Al Imran/7). And He commanded that they submit the matter to us and refer its knowledge back to us; Allah says: وَ لَوْ رَدُّوهُ إِلَی الرَّسُولِ وَ إِلی أُولِی الْأَمْرِ مِنْهُمْ لَعَلِمَهُ الَّذِینَ یَسْتَنْبِطُونَهُ مِنْهُمْ [And if they had referred it to the Messenger and to those in authority among them, those among them who can search out the knowledge of it would have known it]. And ulu al-amr are those to whom questions are put and from whom [knowledge] is sought. By my life! If, when the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) passed away, the people had handed over the caliphate to us and followed us and entrusted their affairs to us, blessings would have poured upon them from every side.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Humran narrates: Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said regarding the verse وَ لَوْلاَ فَضْلُ اللهِ علَیْکُمْ وَ رَحْمَتُهُ [And were it not for the grace of Allah upon you and His mercy]: "The grace of Allah is His Messenger, and the mercy of Allah is the wilayah of the Imams (peace be upon them)."

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): The meaning of فَضْلُ [grace] in this verse is the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), and رَحْمَةُ [mercy] is Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) and the excellence of the awsiya (successors) and the Imams (peace be upon them).

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): The meaning of فَضْلُ اللهِ [the grace of Allah] is the Messenger (peace be upon him and his family), and the meaning of رَحْمَةُ [mercy] is Ali (peace be upon him).

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): What is meant by فَضْلُ اللهِ [the grace of Allah] is Ali (peace be upon him), and what is meant by رَحْمَةُ [His mercy] is Fatima (peace be upon her).

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): What is meant by فَضْلُ اللهِ [the grace of Allah] and His mercy is the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) and Ali (peace be upon him).

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): فَضْلُ [the grace] is the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) and رَحْمَةُ [the mercy] is Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him).

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): What is meant by فَضْلُ اللهِ [the grace of Allah] is Islam, and what is meant by رَحْمَةُ [the mercy] is the Quran.

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): What is meant by فَضْلُ اللهِ [the grace of Allah] is knowledge of the ta'wil [and interpretation] of the verses of the Quran, and [the servants'] being granted the success of showing love toward Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) and his pure household and showing enmity toward their enemies. And how could this love not be better than all that they (the people and those who love the Prophet and the Ahl al-Bayt) have gathered, when the reward and price of this love is Paradise, and [the one who loves the Ahl al-Bayt] deserves to be gathered together with Muhammad and his Ahl al-Bayt.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Ibn Muskan narrates from someone who related to him from Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Regarding the verse وَ لَوْلاَ فَضْلُ اللهِ عَلَیْکُمْ وَ رَحْمَتُهُ لاَتَّبَعْتُمُ الشَّیْطَانَ إِلاَّ قَلِیلاً [Were it not for the grace of Allah upon you and His mercy, you would have certainly followed Satan save a few], he said: "You are asking from the point of view of the Qadariyya [who hold to compulsion], and this is not the religion of mine nor of my forefathers, and I have not found anyone from my Ahl al-Bayt who holds to it."