سورة الشورى

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): يَتَفَطَّرْنَ مِنْ فَوْقِهِنَّ [may almost rend asunder from above them] means yatasadda'na, that is, the heavens are about to split apart.

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): تَکادُ السَّماواتُ یَتَفَطَّرْنَ مِنْ فَوْقِهِنَّ [The heavens may almost rend asunder from above them] means: because of the [great and heavy calumny in the] speech of the polytheists who [say] Allah has taken a son, each of the heavens is about to split apart from above the [heaven] adjacent to it, and this is because this statement is extremely grievous.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Allah and the angels drop the sins from the backs of our Shia, just as the autumn wind drops the leaves from the tree, and this is the meaning of the verse: وَ المَلائِکَةُ یُسَبِّحُونَ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّهِمْ وَ یَسْتَغْفِرُونَ لِمَنْ فِی الْأَرْضِ [and the angels sing the praise of their Lord and ask forgiveness for those on earth]. By Allah! Their seeking of forgiveness is exclusive to you, not to the people of the world.

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family): Abu Ayyub Ansari said: I heard the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) saying: The angels sent salutations upon me and upon Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him) for seven years, and that was because no male other than him had believed in me, and the words of Allah the Exalted: الَّذِینَ یَحْمِلُونَ الْعَرْشَ وَ مَنْ حَوْلَهُ یُسَبِّحُونَ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّهِمْ [Those who bear the Throne and those around it glorify the praise of their Lord] (Ghafir/7). وَ یَسْتَغْفِرُونَ لِمَنْ فِی الْأَرْضِ [and ask forgiveness for those on earth] is about this very matter.

Ali ibn Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him): تَکَادُ السَّمَاواتُ یتَفَطَّرْنَ مِن فَوقِهِنَّ و المَلائِکَةُ یسَبِّحُونَ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّهِمْ و یسْتَغْفِرُونَ لمَن فِی الأَرْضِ [The heavens may almost rend asunder from above them, and the angels sing the praise of their Lord and ask forgiveness for those on earth]. The angels seek forgiveness for the believing Shia, especially the repentant among them; the wording of the verse is general but its meaning is specific.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): وَ یَسْتَغْفِرُونَ لِمَنْ فِی الْأَرْضِ [and they ask forgiveness for those on earth] — they seek forgiveness for the believers.