سورة الدخان

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): Hasan ibn Hakam al-Nakha'i narrated from a man who said: I heard Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) in al-Rahbah (the name of a district in Kufa) reciting this verse: فَما بَكَتْ عَلَيْهِمُ السَّماءُ وَ الْأَرْضُ وَ ما كانُوا مُنْظَرِينَ [So the heaven and the earth did not weep for them, nor were they respited]. At that moment Husayn (peace be upon him) entered upon him through one of the doors of the mosque. The Imam (peace be upon him) said: 'Know that this son of mine will be killed and the heavens and the earth will weep for him.'

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): It is narrated from Kathir ibn Shihab al-Harithi who said: While we were sitting in the presence of Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) in al-Rahbah, suddenly Husayn (peace be upon him) entered upon him. Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) laughed heartily, so that his back teeth showed. Then he said: 'Allah has mentioned a people and said [about them]: فَما بَكَتْ عَلَيْهِمُ السَّماءُ وَ الْأَرْضُ وَ ما كانُوا مُنْظَرِينَ [So the heaven and the earth did not weep for them, nor were they respited]; by the One who split the seed and created man! This son of mine will be killed and the heavens and the earth will weep in mourning for him.'

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): It is narrated from Ibrahim al-Nakha'i who said: Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) came out from his house and went to the mosque and sat there, and his companions gathered around him. [Shortly after] Husayn (peace be upon him) came and stood before him. Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) placed his hand on Husayn's (peace be upon him) head and said: 'My son! Allah has rebuked certain peoples in the Quran and said: فَما بَكَتْ عَلَيْهِمُ السَّماءُ وَ الْأَرْضُ وَ ما كانُوا مُنْظَرِينَ [So the heaven and the earth did not weep for them, nor were they respited]; by Allah! They will kill you and the heavens and the earth will weep for you.'

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Halabi narrated from Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) that concerning the verse فَمَا بَکَتْ عَلَیْهِمُ السَّمَاء وَالأَرْضُ [So the heaven and the earth did not weep for them] he said: "The heaven did not weep for anyone before the killing of Yahya ibn Zakariyya (peace be upon him) or after it, until Imam Husayn (peace be upon him) was martyred, and then the heaven wept for him."

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): Abdullah ibn Fudayl al-Hamdani narrates from his forefathers from Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him): A man who was an enemy of Allah and His Messenger (peace be upon him and his family) passed by Imam Ali (peace be upon him); the Imam [recited this verse]: فَمَا بَکَتْ عَلَیْهِمُ السَّمَاءُ وَالْأَرْضُ وَمَا کَانُوا مُنْظَرِینَ [So the heaven and the earth did not weep for them, nor were they respited]. Shortly afterwards, Husayn ibn Ali (peace be upon him) passed by Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) and he said: "But the heaven and the earth shall indeed weep for Husayn (peace be upon him)." And he said: "The heaven and the earth have not wept for anyone except Yahya ibn Zakariyya (peace be upon him) and Husayn ibn Ali (peace be upon him)."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): It is narrated from Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) that he said: "The heaven and the earth wept for the martyrdom of Husayn ibn Ali (peace be upon him) and turned red, and [before that] they had not wept for anyone except Yahya ibn Zakariyya (peace be upon him)."

Imam al-Mahdi (may Allah hasten his noble reappearance): Yahya (peace be upon him) was slaughtered just as Husayn (peace be upon him) was slaughtered, and the heaven and the earth did not weep for anyone except those two.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): The heaven wept blood in mourning for Imam Husayn (peace be upon him) for forty days.

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): When Allah takes the soul of one of the prophets (peace be upon them), the heaven and the earth weep over him for forty years; and when a scholar who acts upon his knowledge departs from this world, the heaven and the earth weep over him for forty days; but the heaven and the earth will weep over [the tragedy of] Imam Husayn (peace be upon him) until the Day of Resurrection. The proof of this is that on the day of his martyrdom the sky wept blood, and this redness that is seen in the sky appeared from the day of the martyrdom of Imam Husayn (peace be upon him) and was never seen before that; and on that day no stone in the world was lifted from the ground except that beneath it blood was [flowing].

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): When Husayn ibn Ali (peace be upon him) was martyred, the sky became red for one year. The heaven and the earth wept over Husayn ibn Ali (peace be upon him) and Yahya ibn Zakariyya (peace be upon him), and the redness of the sky is [the sign of] its weeping.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): When a believer departs from this world, the places on earth in which he used to worship Allah the Mighty and Majestic, the door [in the sky] through which his deeds used to ascend, and the place of his prostration — all of them weep over him.

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family): There is no believer but that he has a door [in the sky] through which his deeds ascend, and a door through which his sustenance descends. When he dies, both of them weep over him, and this is the saying of Allah the Mighty and Majestic: فَما بَکَتْ عَلَیْهِمُ السَّماءُ وَ الْأَرْضُ وَ ما کانُوا مُنْظَرِینَ [So the heaven and the earth did not weep for them, nor were they respited].

Imam Sajjad (peace be upon him): It is narrated from Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) that Imam Sajjad (peace be upon him) used to say continually: "Any believer whose eyes shed tears for the martyrdom of Husayn ibn Ali (peace be upon him) and flow down his cheek, Allah will settle him in chambers in Paradise in which he shall dwell for long ages; and any believer whose eyes shed tears and flow down his cheek because of the harm that has reached us from our enemies in the abode of this world, Allah will settle him in a worthy place in Paradise; and any believer who is harmed on our path, and because of the pain he suffered on our path his eyes shed tears and flow down his cheeks, Allah will remove the state of harm and pain from his face and will keep him safe on the Day of Resurrection from His wrath and from the Fire."

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): It is narrated that Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked about this verse: "Do the heaven and the earth weep for anyone?" He answered: "Yes! The place of his prayer on the earth and the place where his deeds ascend in the heaven."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Whoever remembers us, or we are remembered before him, and a tear the size of a fly's wing flows from his eye, Allah will forgive all his sins, even if they are like the foam of the sea.

Imam Sajjad (peace be upon him): [addressing the people of Madinah] O people! Which of your men can be joyful and glad after the killing of Imam Husayn (peace be upon him)?! Or whose eye among you can hold back its tears and prevent them from flowing?! When the seven firm heavens, the seas with their waves, the heavens with their pillars, the earth with its edges and surroundings, the trees with their branches, the fish and the depths of the seas, the angels brought near to the divine presence, and the inhabitants of the heavens — all of them wept over his killing! O people! Which heart is there that would not split apart over his killing?! Or which soul is there that would not moan for him?! Or which ear can hear of this breach that has appeared in Islam and not be deafened?

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): [in describing the categories of the worldly-minded] Some have escaped the trap of destruction but have been mortally wounded by the world; some have torn bodies and stripped skin; some have severed heads; others have had their blood spilled on the earth; some bite their fingers in regret; some rub their hands together from intense sorrow; some have sunk their heads into the collar of contemplation; and a group grieve over their past mistakes; and some have turned back from their intention — but the way of remedy has been closed upon them and sudden death has come upon them, and the time of salvation has passed (Sad/3). Alas! Alas! What has been lost is gone, and what has passed is gone, and the world has ended just as it wished; فَما بَکَتْ عَلَیْهِمُ السَّماءُ وَ الْأَرْضُ وَ ما کانُوا مُنْظَرِینَ [So the heaven and the earth did not weep for them, nor were they respited].