سورة الزخرف

Imam Hadi (peace be upon him): Allah the Exalted revealed this verse upon His Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): The wilayah of Ali (peace be upon him) is certainly a reminder for the Allah-fearing. And We know that some of you deny it (Al-Haqqah/48-49), and Ali (peace be upon him) is a source of regret for the disbelievers! (Al-Haqqah/50) And his wilayah is the very haqq al-yaqin (certain truth); and it is established that the verses ... إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا عَبْدٌ أَنْعَمْنا عَلَیْهِ [He was naught but a servant on whom We bestowed favor] were revealed concerning him.

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) — Abu Basir narrates from Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) that the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) said: "O Ali! Were it not for my fear that people would say about you what they said about Isa the Messiah (peace be upon him), I would say something about you today such that wherever you passed, the Muslims would take the dust of your feet as a blessing." Harith ibn Amr al-Fihri said to a group of his friends: "Muhammad found no likeness for his cousin except Isa ibn Maryam (peace be upon him), and he is about to make him a prophet after himself. By Allah, the gods we used to worship are better than him." So Allah revealed these verses: وَ لَمَّا ضُرِبَ ابْنُ مَرْیَمَ مَثَلًا إِذا قَوْمُکَ مِنْهُ یَصِدُّونَ وَ قالُوا أَ آلِهَتُنا خَیْرٌ أَمْ هُوَ ما ضَرَبُوهُ لَکَ إِلّا جَدَلاً بَلْ هُمْ قَوْمٌ خَصِمُونَ إِنْ هُوَ إِلّا عَبْدٌ أَنْعَمْنا عَلَیْهِ وَ جَعَلْناهُ مَثَلاً لِبنی اِسْرائیلَ وَ لَوْ نَشاءُ لَجَعَلْنا مِنْکُمْ مَلائِکَةً فِی الْأَرْضِ یَخْلُفُونَ وَ إِنَّهُ لَعِلْمٌ لِلسَّاعَةِ فَلا تَمْتَرُنَّ بِها وَ اتَّبِعُونِ هذا صِراطٌ مُسْتَقِیمٌ [And when the son of Maryam is cited as an example, behold, your people cry out at it; and they said, "Are our gods better, or is he?" They cited him to you only for argument. Rather, they are a contentious people. He was but a servant upon whom We bestowed favor, and We made him an example for the children of Israel. And if We willed, We could have made among you angels succeeding one another on the earth. And indeed, he is a sign of the Hour, so do not be in doubt of it, and follow Me. This is a straight path.] And in another narration it is stated that this verse was also revealed: إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا عَبْدٌ أَنْعَمْنا عَلَیْهِ [He was naught but a servant on whom We bestowed favor]. The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) said: "O Harith! Fear Allah and take back your words, for what you have said arises from your enmity toward Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him)." Harith said: "If you are the Messenger of Allah and Ali is your successor after you, and Fatima your daughter is the mistress of the women of the worlds, and your two sons Hasan and Husayn are the masters of the youth of the people of Paradise, and your uncle Hamza is the master of the martyrs, and your cousin Jafar al-Tayyar flies in Paradise with the angels with two wings, and you have also given the office of providing water to your uncle Abbas — what have you left for the Quraysh, who are the sons of your father?" The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) said: "Woe to you, Harith! I did not do these things for the sons of Abd al-Muttalib; rather, Allah did so."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): [After the two-rak'ah prayer on the Eid of Ghadir, recite this supplication:] I bear witness that Ali (peace be upon him) is the commander, the guardian and the master of the believers, and my master. O our Lord! We heard the call and we affirmed the caller — that is, Your Messenger — when, according to Your command, he called out and delivered the guardianship of the guardian of the believers which You had sent down upon him; and You warned him that, if he did not deliver it, You would be angry with him, and that, if he delivered Your messages, You would protect him from the people. So he called out and made Your revelation and Your messages known to us: 'Be aware! Whoever's master I am, Ali (peace be upon him) is his master; and whoever's guardian I am, Ali (peace be upon him) is his guardian; and whoever's prophet I am, Ali (peace be upon him) is his commander. O our Lord, we have answered the call of that warner who warned, Your servant and Your messenger Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family), concerning Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him), upon whom You bestowed favour and whom You made an example for the children of Israel. He is the Commander of the Believers, and their chief and master until the Day of Resurrection and the Day of Judgement, and You Yourself have said concerning him: إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا عَبْدٌ أَنْعَمْنا عَلَیْهِ وَ جَعَلْناهُ مَثَلًا لِبَنِی إِسْرائِیلَ [He was naught but a servant on whom We bestowed favour, and We made him an example for the children of Israel].'