سورة الزخرف

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Safwan said: I asked Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): "Who are the referents and those addressed in the verse: وَ إِنَّهُ لَذِکْرٌ لَکَ وَ لِقَوْمِکَ وَ سَوْفَ تُسْئَلُونَ [And most surely it is a reminder for you and your people, and you shall soon be questioned]?" The Imam (peace be upon him) said: "It is us."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Abd al-Rahman ibn Kathir said: I said to Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): the verse in which Allah the Exalted says: وَ إِنَّهُ لَذِکْرٌ لَکَ وَ لِقَوْمِکَ وَ سَوْفَ تُسْئَلُونَ [And most surely it is a reminder for you and your people, and you shall soon be questioned], [what does it mean?] He said: "He meant only us; we are the people of the Dhikr (Ahl al-Dhikr) and we are the ones who will be questioned."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): وَ إِنَّهُ لَذِکْرٌ لَکَ وَ لِقَوْمِکَ وَ سَوْفَ تُسْئَلُونَ [And most surely it is a reminder for you and your people, and you shall soon be questioned]; the Dhikr is the Quran, we are the people (qawm) of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), and we are the ones who will be questioned.

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): وَ إِنَّهُ لَذِکْرٌ لَکَ وَ لِقَوْمِکَ وَ سَوْفَ تُسْئَلُونَ [And most surely it is a reminder for you and your people, and you shall soon be questioned]; the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) is the dhikr (reminder), and his Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them) are the ones who will be questioned and are the People of the Reminder.

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Abu Basir said: I asked Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): "Is the testimony of one born of fornication valid?" He said: "No." I said: "Hakam ibn Utayba holds that it is accepted and valid." He said: "O Allah, do not forgive his sin. Allah did not say to Hakam إِنَّهُ لَذِکْرٌ لَکَ وَ لِقَوْمِکَ [Indeed it is a reminder for you and your people] [rather, He said it concerning our grandfather]. So let Hakam go right and left (knock on every door). By Allah! Knowledge is obtained only from the household upon whom Jibra'il descended."

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): And this is a reminder [and honour] for you and your people, and you shall soon be questioned about Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him).

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Abdullah said: Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said concerning the verse وَ إِنَّهُ لَذِکْرٌ لَکَ وَ لِقَوْمِکَ وَ سَوْفَ تُسْئَلُونَ [And most surely it is a reminder for you and your people, and you shall soon be questioned]: What is meant by وَ لِقَوْمِکَ [and for your people] is Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him). And وَ سَوْفَ تُسْأَلُونَ [and you shall soon be questioned] means: you will be questioned about his wilayah.

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) is a dhikr (reminder) from Allah, and Ali (peace be upon him) is a reminder from Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family), just as He said: وَ إِنَّهُ لَذِکْرٌ لَکَ وَ لِقَوْمِکَ [And most surely it is a reminder for you and your people].

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Abd al-Hamid ibn Abi al-Daylam narrated from Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) that he said: Allah has said: "فَسْئَلُوا أَهْلَ الذِّکْرِ إِنْ کُنْتُمْ لا تَعْلَمُونَ [If you do not know, ask those who are aware (so that you do not wonder at the fact that the Prophet of Islam has been raised from among these very men)]". (Nahl/43) The dhikr is the Quran, and the people of the dhikr are the Ahl al-Bayt of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family). Allah has commanded the people to ask them, and He has not commanded the people to ask the ignorant. Allah has named the Quran "dhikr" and said: "وَ أَنْزَلْنا إِلَیْکَ الذِّکْرَ لِتُبَیِّنَ لِلنَّاسِ ما نُزِّلَ إِلَیْهِمْ وَ لَعَلَّهُمْ یَتَفَکَّرُونَ [And We have sent down this dhikr (the Quran) to you, so that you may make clear to the people what has been sent down to them, and so that they may reflect]". (Nahl/44) And He also said: وَ إِنَّهُ لَذِکْرٌ لَکَ وَ لِقَوْمِکَ وَ سَوْفَ تُسْأَلُونَ.

Imam Hasan (peace be upon him): Allah sent Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) as a mercy for the worlds, and through him He made the truth manifest and repelled falsehood, humiliated the people of polytheism through him and honoured the Arabs in general, and specially ennobled whomever He wished through that noble one, as He says: وَ إِنَّهُ لَذِکْرٌ لَکَ وَ لِقَوْمِکَ.

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): وَ إِنَّهُ لَذِکْرٌ لَکَ وَ لِقَوْمِکَ, meaning this Quran which was revealed to you is a source of honour [greatness] for you and for your people, the Quraysh.