سورة فصلت

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): The hasana (good) mentioned in this verse is the wilaya of us the Ahl al-Bayt, and the sayyi'a (evil) is enmity and hostility toward us the Ahl al-Bayt.

Imam Kazim (peace be upon him): Muhammad ibn Fudayl said: I asked Imam Kazim (peace be upon him) about the verse: وَ لا تَسْتَوِی الحَسَنَةُ وَ لَا السَّیِّئَةُ [And not alike are the good and the evil]. He said: "The hasana (good) is us, the family, and the sayyi'a (evil) is Banu Umayya."

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): When you meet your [religious] brother and shake hands and show cheerfulness to one another and then part, whatever sins you had are gone. And he said: "Shake hands with your enemy too, even though he dislikes it, for Allah the Mighty and Majestic has commanded it and says: ادْفَعْ بِالَّتِی هِیَ أَحْسَنُ فَإِذَا الَّذِی بَیْنَکَ وَ بَیْنَهُ عَداوَةٌ کَأَنَّهُ وَلِیٌّ حَمِیمٌ وَ ما یُلَقَّاها إِلَّا الَّذِینَ صَبَرُوا وَ ما یُلَقَّاها إِلَّا ذُو حَظٍّ عَظِیمٍ [Repel (evil) with what is best, then he between whom and you was enmity would be as if he were a warm friend. And none is granted this except those who are patient, and none is granted this except one of great fortune]."

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): Ala ibn al-Hadrami came to the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) and said: "O Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family), I have a family to whom I do good and in return they do evil to me; I keep ties with them and they cut me off." The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) said: "ادْفَعْ بِالَّتِی هِیَ أَحْسَنُ فَإِذَا الَّذِی بَیْنَکَ وَ بَیْنَهُ عَداوَةٌ کَأَنَّهُ وَلِیٌّ حَمِیمٌ* وَ ما یُلَقَّاها إِلَّا الَّذِینَ صَبَرُوا وَ ما یُلَقَّاها إِلَّا ذُو حَظٍّ عَظِیمٍ [Repel (evil) with what is best, then he between whom and you was enmity would be as if he were a warm friend. And none is granted this except those who are patient, and none is granted this except one of great fortune]."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) never returned evil with evil; Allah the Exalted said to him: ادْفَعْ بِالَّتِی هِیَ أَحْسَنُ [Repel (evil) with what is best], and the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) did so.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): O Hafs! Whoever is patient has been patient for a little while, and whoever is impatient has been impatient for a little while. Then he said: You must certainly adopt patience in all your affairs, for Allah the Mighty and Majestic sent Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) and commanded him to patience and gentleness, and He said: "And be patient over what [the enemies] say, and keep away from them in a becoming manner. And leave Me and the deniers, possessors of ease, and give them a little respite" (al-Muzzammil/10). And Allah, Blessed and Exalted, says: ادْفَعْ بِالَّتِی هِیَ أَحْسَنُ السَّیِّئَةَ فَإِذَا الَّذِی بَیْنَکَ وَ بَیْنَهُ عَداوَةٌ کَأَنَّهُ وَلِیٌّ حَمِیم [Repel evil with what is best, then he between whom and you was enmity would be as if he were a warm friend].

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him), regarding the words of Allah the Mighty and Majestic "And not alike are the good and the evil," said: "The good is taqiyya (dissimulation) and the evil is disclosing [what should be concealed]." And regarding the words of Allah the Mighty and Majestic: ادْفَعْ بِالَّتِی هِیَ أَحْسَنُ السَّیِّئَةَ [Repel evil with what is best], he said: "That which is best is taqiyya, so that he between whom and you was enmity becomes like your warm friend."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Muawiya ibn Ammar said: I asked, "May I be your ransom! What is meant by لا تَسْتَوِی الحَسَنَةُ وَ لَا السَّیِّئَةُ [And not alike are the good and the evil]?" Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: "[What is meant by] the good is taqiyya (refraining from disclosing one's belief and creed), and [what is meant by] the evil is disclosing [one's belief]." I asked, "May I be your ransom! What is meant by ادْفَعْ بِالَّتِی هِیَ أَحْسَنُ [Repel with what is best]?" The Imam (peace be upon him) said: "What is meant is keeping silent [before others]." Then he said: "I put you to oath by Allah! Has it ever happened to you that you were in the company of people who were not aware of your beliefs and with whom you had no friendship or companionship, and when they came to know you and discovered your beliefs, they showed enmity toward you?" I said, "Yes! You speak truly." The Imam (peace be upon him) said to me: "This is one of those cases [in which the verse commands keeping silent]."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Sufyan ibn Sa'id said: I heard Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) — by Allah, he was truthful just as he was named — say: "O Sufyan! Hold fast to taqiyya, for it is the way of Ibrahim al-Khalil (peace be upon him)," until he said: "The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) said: 'My Lord has commanded me to deal gently and get along with people just as He has commanded me to perform the obligatory duties. Indeed Allah the Mighty and Majestic nurtured him with taqiyya.' And He said: ادْفَعْ بِالَّتِی هِیَ أَحْسَنُ فَإِذَا الَّذِی بَیْنَکَ وَ بَیْنَهُ عَداوَةٌ کَأَنَّهُ وَلِیٌّ حَمِیمٌ* وَ ما یُلَقَّاها إِلَّا الَّذِینَ صَبَرُوا [Repel (evil) with what is best, when lo! he between whom and you was enmity would be as if he were a warm friend. And none is granted this except those who are patient]. O Sufyan! Whoever employs taqiyya in the religion of Allah has climbed the loftiest pinnacle of the Quran. Indeed the honour of the believer lies in guarding his tongue, and whoever does not control his tongue will regret it."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): When the verse ادْفَعْ بِالَّتِی هِیَ أَحْسَنُ فَإِذَا الَّذِی بَیْنَکَ وَ بَیْنَهُ عَداوَةٌ کَأَنَّهُ وَلِیٌّ حَمِیمٌ [Repel (evil) with what is best, when lo! he between whom and you was enmity would be as if he were a warm friend] was revealed, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) said: "I have been commanded to practise taqiyya." He continued his call in secret for ten years, until he was commanded to proclaim his call openly. Ali (peace be upon him) had also been given such a command; he too carried out his call in secret until he was commanded to proclaim it openly. The Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them) enjoined taqiyya upon one another, and so they continued their call in secret. But when the Qaim of the family of Muhammad (may Allah hasten his noble reappearance) rises, taqiyya will be set aside, the swords will be drawn, and he will speak to the people only through the sword.

Ali ibn Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him): Then Allah trained His Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), addressing him with: وَ لا تَسْتَوِی الْحَسَنَةُ وَ لاَ السَّیِّئَةُ ادْفَعْ بِالَّتِی هِیَ أَحْسَنُ [And not alike are the good and the evil. Repel (evil) with what is best], meaning: repel the evil of one who has done evil to you by means of your good deed, so that the one between whom and you there is enmity becomes as if he were your warm friend. Allah then says: وَ ما یُلَقَّاها إِلَّا الَّذِینَ صَبَرُوا وَ ما یُلَقَّاهَا إِلَّا ذُو حَظٍّ عَظِیمٍ [And none is granted this except those who are patient, and none is granted this except one endowed with a great share].