سورة الزخرف

Imam Sajjad (peace be upon him): Sa'id ibn al-Musayyab said: I asked Ali ibn al-Husayn (peace be upon him) about this saying of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic: وَ لَوْ لا أَنْ یَکُونَ النَّاسُ أُمَّةً واحِدَةً [And were it not that all people had been a single nation]. He replied: "What is meant by it is the ummah of Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family), that they would all gather upon a single belief and disbelieve in Allah and refuse to accept the religion; لَجَعَلْنا لِمَنْ یَکْفُرُ بِالرَّحْمنِ لِبُیُوتِهِمْ سُقُفاً مِنْ فِضَّةٍ [We would certainly have assigned to those who disbelieve in the Beneficent the roofs of their houses of silver]. If Allah were to treat the ummah of Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) in such a way, the believers would be upset and this matter would grieve them, and it would cause them neither to enter into marriage ties with them nor to inherit from them."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Atiyyah ibn Najih ibn Mutahhar al-Razi and Ishaq ibn Ammar said: When Abdullah ibn al-Hasan and his family were taken to prison and Mansur seized them, Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) wrote him a letter of condolence for what had befallen them ... Know, dear uncle and dear cousin! Allah gives no importance for even a moment to the affliction of the world for His friend, and He loves nothing more for His friend than affliction, struggle and trial along with patience. And He, Blessed and Exalted, has never given any importance to the enjoyment of the world for His enemy, for even a moment. Were it not so, the enemies of Allah would not kill His friends and would not keep them constantly in fear and distress while they themselves live at ease, comfortable, possessing power and rule. And were it not so, Zakariyya and Yahya (peace be upon them) would not have been killed out of injustice and enmity, and your grandfather Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him) and also your uncle Husayn (peace be upon him), the son of Fatimah al-Zahra (peace be upon her), would not have been killed out of oppression and enmity because of their uprising for the truth. Were it not so, Allah would not have said in the Quran: وَ لَوْ لا أَنْ یَکُونَ النَّاسُ أُمَّةً واحِدَةً لَجَعَلْنا لِمَنْ یَکْفُرُ بِالرَّحْمنِ لِبُیُوتِهِمْ سُقُفاً مِنْ فِضَّةٍ وَ مَعارِجَ عَلَیْها یَظْهَرُون [And were it not that all people had been a single nation, We would certainly have assigned to those who disbelieve in the Beneficent Allah the roofs of their houses of silver and the stairs by which they ascend].

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Ishaq ibn Ammar said: I heard Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) say concerning the verse: وَ لَوْ لا أَنْ یَکُونَ النَّاسُ أُمَّةً واحِدَةً [And were it not that all people had been a single nation]: "If Allah were to do so, all the people would become disbelievers."

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family): Ibn Mas'ud said: ... The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) said: ... Allah the Exalted said to Musa (peace be upon him): 'O Musa (peace be upon him), no one who adorns himself has adorned himself with any adornment better in My sight than asceticism. O Musa (peace be upon him), when you see poverty approaching you, say: Welcome to the garb of the righteous! And when you see wealth approaching you, say: This is a sin whose punishment has been hastened. ... O son of Mas'ud! This is the word of Allah the Exalted, who says: وَ لَوْ لا أَنْ یَکُونَ النَّاسُ أُمَّةً واحِدَةً لَجَعَلْنا لِمَنْ یَکْفُرُ بِالرَّحْمنِ لِبُیُوتِهِمْ سُقُفاً مِنْ فِضَّةٍ وَ مَعارِجَ عَلَیْها یَظْهَرُونَ* وَ لِبُیُوتِهِمْ أَبْواباً وَ سُرُراً عَلَیْها یَتَّکِؤُنَ* وَ زُخْرُفاً وَ إِنْ کُلُّ ذلِکَ لَمَّا مَتاعُ الحَیاةِ الدُّنْیا وَ الْآخِرَةُ عِنْدَ رَبِّکَ لِلْمُتَّقِین [And were it not that all people had been a single nation, We would certainly have assigned to those who disbelieve in the Beneficent Allah (to make) of silver the roofs of their houses and the stairs by which they ascend, and the doors of their houses and the couches upon which they recline, and other embellishments — and all this is nothing but a provision of the life of this world, and the hereafter with your Lord is for those who guard against evil].

Ali ibn Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him): وَ لَوْ لا أَنْ یَکُونَ النَّاسُ أُمَّةً واحِدَةً [And were it not that all people had been a single nation] — being a single nation means the people's following of one madhhab (school); لَجَعَلْنا لِمَنْ یَکْفُرُ بِالرَّحْمنِ لِبُیُوتِهِمْ سُقُفاً مِنْ فِضَّةٍ وَ مَعارِجَ عَلَیْها یَظْهَرُونَ [We would certainly have assigned to those who disbelieve in the Beneficent Allah, of silver the roofs of their houses and stairs by which they ascend] — meaning the steps by which they go up. وَ لِبُیُوتِهِمْ أَبْواباً وَ سُرُراً عَلَیْها یَتَّکِؤُنَ [And the doors of their houses and couches upon which they recline] — meaning the house adorned with gold.' Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: 'If Allah had done so, no one would have believed. But Allah has placed among the believers wealthy people and among the disbelievers needy people, and likewise among the disbelievers wealthy people and among the believers needy people, and He has tested them by means of command, prohibition, patience and contentment.'

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Were it not for these Shia's insistence upon Allah in seeking sustenance, He would transfer them from the state they are in to something more constrained.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Among the children of Adam (peace be upon him) the believers were always poor and the disbelievers were always wealthy, and for this reason Ibrahim (peace be upon him) said: 'Our Lord! Do not make us a means of misguidance for those who disbelieve' (al-Mumtahanah/5), and so Allah placed among each of the two groups wealth and need — He gave wealth to one group and made another group needy.

Ali ibn Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him): لَجَعَلْنا لِمَنْ یَکْفُرُ بِالرَّحْمنِ لِبُیُوتِهِمْ سُقُفاً مِنْ فِضَّةٍ وَ مَعارِجَ عَلَیْها یَظْهَرُونَ [We would certainly have assigned to those who disbelieve in the Beneficent Allah, of silver the roofs of their houses and stairs by which they ascend] — meaning the steps by which they go up.

Imam Kazim (peace be upon him): Allah the Exalted says: "I have not made anyone wealthy because of any honour or esteem he has with Me, nor have I made anyone poor in order to humiliate him. I test the wealthy through the poor, and were it not for the poor, the wealthy would not enter Paradise."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Mufaddal narrated from Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) that he said: Allah the Exalted apologises to His believing servant just as a brother apologises to his brother. The Lord says: "By My might and majesty, I did not make you needy in this world in order to humiliate you. Now lift this veil of nature and see what things I have prepared for you." The Imam (peace be upon him) said: "At that moment he lifts his gaze and beholds things and says: 'O my Lord! I have suffered no loss in the world, and now I have seen its recompense.'"

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Sa'dan said: Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: Allah the Mighty and Majestic on the Day of Resurrection turns towards the poor among the believers, and like one apologising to them, He says: "By My might and majesty, I did not make you poor in the world so that you would be humiliated, nor to belittle you. Now I shall make up for your poverty in the world, and now whoever helped you in the world — take him by the hand and admit him into Paradise." At that point a man from among them says: "O my Lord! The people of the world acquired much wealth and gathered precious things; they married women, wore soft garments, ate various foods, dwelt in houses, and rode swift steeds and special mounts. O my Lord, now grant us also here just as You granted them these blessings in the world." At that moment Allah says: "To you and to those like you I shall give an amount seventy times what I gave to the people of the world during the world's existence."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Allah says: "Were it not that My believing servant would fall into doubt and hesitation within himself, I would surely have made all the garments of the disbelievers of gold."

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): Blessed are the needy who are patient, and they are the ones who behold the kingdom of the heavens and the earth.

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family): O company of the needy! Good tidings to you, rejoice now and make your hearts aware of Allah's pleasure; Allah will reward you for your poverty, and if you do not endure patiently you will have no reward.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): The poor among the believers stroll about in the gardens of Paradise and enter it forty years before the wealthy. Their likeness is like two ships that pass before the tax-collector; he looks at one of them, and when he sees nothing in it he lets it go, but he detains the second ship because of the abundant goods it carries.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Uthman ibn Isa has narrated from Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): A wealthy man came into the presence of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) and sat beside him. At that moment a poor man came and sat next to that well-dressed wealthy man. When the wealthy man saw that the poor man had sat by his side, he drew himself away and pulled his clothes away from him. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) said: "Did you fear that something of his poverty would reach you, that you drew yourself away and kept your distance from him?" The wealthy man said: "No!" The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) said: "Did you fear that something of your wealth would reach him?" He said: "No, that is not it either." He said: "Did you fear that your clothes would become dirty?" He said: "No!" He said: "Then why, when he sat next to you, were you displeased and gathered yourself up?" That man said: "O Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family), I have a companion who makes every beautiful thing appear ugly in my eyes and makes every ugly thing appear beautiful, and now I will give him half of my wealth." The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) said to that poor man: "Do you accept?" He said: "No, I will not take it." That man said: "Why?" He said: "Because I do not wish to become like you and act haughtily towards others."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Ali ibn Asbat said: Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: "Poverty is the red death." I said: "Is it poverty of dinar and dirham?" He said: "No, but of religion."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): In the intimate discourse of Musa (peace be upon him) with Allah it is related: whenever you see poverty coming towards you, say: Welcome, O emblem of the righteous! And whenever you see wealth coming towards you, say: This is a sin whose punishment has been hastened.