سورة الأحقاف

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): Patience regarding those in authority has been made obligatory, [as Allah says]: فَاصْبِرْ کَما صَبَرَ أُولُوا الْعَزْمِ مِنَ الرُّسُلِ [So be patient as the messengers of firm resolve were patient]. Allah the Exalted also made this patience obligatory upon His friends and those who obey Him, and said: "For you there was a good example in the life of the Messenger of Allah." (Al-Ahzab/21).

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Samaʿa ibn Mihran said: I asked Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) about the verse: فَاصْبِرْ کَمَا صَبَرَ أُولوا العَزْمِ مِنَ الرُّسُل [So be patient as the messengers of firm resolve were patient]. The Imam (peace be upon him) said: "They are Nuh, Ibrahim, Musa, Isa and Muhammad (peace be upon them all)." I said: "How did they attain this station?" He (peace be upon him) said: "Because Nuh (peace be upon him) had a book and a shariah, and all the prophets who came after him made use of his book, shariah and method. This continued until the scriptures (suhuf) were revealed to Ibrahim (peace be upon him), and Allah granted him firm resolve and determination. He set aside the book of Nuh (peace be upon him) — of course, not out of disbelief in it. So all the prophets raised after Ibrahim (peace be upon him) benefited from his scriptures, his shariah and his method, until Musa (peace be upon him) was chosen as a prophet and Allah granted him the Tawrat, its shariah and its method. All the prophets (peace be upon them) sent after Musa (peace be upon him) took from his book and his method. This continued until Isa (peace be upon him) was raised as a prophet; when he attained prophethood and the Injil was revealed to him, he set aside the shariah and method of Musa (peace be upon him). All the prophets sent after Isa (peace be upon him) benefited from his book and his method. This continued until Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) was chosen as a prophet. Allah revealed the Qur'an to him and granted him a shariah and a method of guidance. Therefore, whatever he declared halal or haram will remain halal or haram until the Day of Resurrection, and no change whatsoever will occur in them. These aforementioned prophets (peace be upon them) are the Ulul Azm (those of firm resolve)."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Ismail ibn Makhlad al-Sarraj said: Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) wrote this letter to his companions ... Know that it is an evil lot for one who risks himself before Allah by abandoning Allah's commands and busying himself with disobedience, tearing away the veil of the sacred limits of Allah and occupying himself with the fleeting pleasures of this world in place of the blessings of Paradise, its delights and the great station of its people. Woe to them — how worthless is their portion, how loss-bearing their return, and how evil their state before their Lord on the Day of Resurrection. Ask Allah to protect you from such deeds, and to keep you from being afflicted with what they were afflicted with; there is no strength for us or for you except through Allah. So fear Allah, O saved group, if Allah completes and perfects what He has bestowed upon you. Know that the matter is not completed until you undergo the trials of the righteous who came before you, and until you are tested in your souls and your wealth, and until you taste much harm from the enemies of Allah and bear those troubles, to the point that they hate you and count you as lowly and abased. They will wrong you — in the way of Allah and to attain the felicity of the world to come, bear it — and swallow down your intense anger at their harm and abuse. In the path of truth they will deny you and, on account of that belief, become your enemies. Accept all of this with patience and forbearance. The proof of all of this is in the Noble Quran that was revealed upon the noble Prophet (peace be upon him and his family). You have heard that Allah says to His Prophet: فَاصْبِرْ کَما صَبَرَ أُولُوا الْعَزْمِ مِنَ الرُّسُلِ وَ لا تَسْتَعْجِلْ لَهُمْ [Therefore bear up patiently as did the messengers endowed with constancy, and do not seek to hasten for them].

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): A zindiq (heretic) came to Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) and said, "Were it not for this discrepancy in the verses of your Qur'an, I would surely enter your religion." The Imam said, "Which verse is that? ... Allah, in various verses, has made His prophets known by unbecoming qualities. For example, the verse: 'وَعَصَىٰ آدَمُ رَبَّهُ فَغَوَىٰ [(Yes) Adam disobeyed his Lord and was deprived of his reward]' (Ta Ha/121). And in the verse: 'إِنَّ ابْنِي مِنْ أَهْلِي [Indeed my son is of my family]' (Hud/45), He denied Nuh (peace be upon him), saying, 'إِنَّهُ لَيْسَ مِنْ أَهْلِكَ [Indeed he is not of your family]' (Hud/46). And He introduced Ibrahim (peace be upon him) as, in turn, a worshipper of a star, the moon, and the sun. And He described Yusuf (peace be upon him) in this way: that the woman intended him and he too would have intended her had he not seen the proof of his Lord (Yusuf/24). And He rebuked Musa (peace be upon him) in this verse: 'رَبِّ أَرِنِي أَنظُرْ إِلَيْكَ [My Lord! Show Yourself to me, that I may look upon You]' (al-A'raf/143). And on account of sending Jibra'il and Mika'il to Dawud (peace be upon him), that they climbed over the mihrab — to the end of the story. And that He imprisoned Yunus (peace be upon him) in the belly of the fish because he left the city in anger and sin. Through these verses He made the errors and slips of the prophets (peace be upon them) manifest. Then, in a concealed manner, He alludes to a person who was deceived and practised deception, and who led astray and himself went astray — without mentioning his name — in this verse: 'وَ [remember] the day when the wrongdoer will bite his hands [in intense regret] and will say: يَا لَيْتَنِي اتَّخَذْتُ مَعَ الرَّسُولِ سَبِيلًا يَا وَيْلَتَىٰ لَيْتَنِي لَمْ أَتَّخِذْ فُلَانًا خَلِيلًا لَقَدْ أَضَلَّنِي عَنِ الذِّكْرِ بَعْدَ إِذْ جَاءَنِي [O would that I had taken a path with the Messenger of Allah! O woe to me, would that I had not taken so-and-so (the misguided person) as a friend! He led me astray from the remembrance (of truth) after it had come to me]' (al-Furqan/27-29). Is the wrongdoer in this verse the name of one of the prophets (peace be upon them), whose name has not been mentioned? ... [Imam Ali (peace be upon him) said:] As for the slips and errors of the prophets (peace be upon them) mentioned in the Qur'an, and likewise the errors of persons whose outward offence is greater than that of the prophets (peace be upon them) but whose names are alluded to by pronoun and left concealed ... the veiling of the names of the criminal hypocrites in the Qur'an is not from the act of Allah — rather, it is from the act of those who altered and changed it, those who divided the Qur'an into portions and took the world in exchange for the religion. And Allah has well set forth the account of those who altered it in verses such as: 'فَوَيْلٌ لِّلَّذِينَ يَكْتُبُونَ الْكِتَابَ بِأَيْدِيهِمْ ثُمَّ يَقُولُونَ هَٰذَا مِنْ عِندِ اللَّهِ لِيَشْتَرُوا بِهِ ثَمَنًا قَلِيلًا [So woe to those who write the Book with their own hands, then say: "This is from Allah," so that they may sell it for a small price]' (al-Baqarah/79). And: 'وَإِنَّ مِنْهُمْ لَفَرِيقًا يَلْوُونَ أَلْسِنَتَهُم بِالْكِتَابِ [And among them (the Jews) are some who twist their tongues when reciting the Book (of Allah)]' (Al Imran/78). And: 'إِذْ يُبَيِّتُونَ مَا لَا يَرْضَىٰ مِنَ الْقَوْلِ [When at night they plot in gatherings words with which Allah is not pleased]' (al-Nisa/108). After the passing of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), they set up what they did of the crookedness of their falsehood — just as the Jews and Christians, after the passing of Musa and Isa (peace be upon them), altered the Torah and the Injil and distorted words from their places. And the verse: 'يُرِيدُونَ أَن يُطْفِئُوا نُورَ اللَّهِ بِأَفْوَاهِهِمْ وَيَأْبَى اللَّهُ إِلَّا أَن يُتِمَّ نُورَهُ [They wish to extinguish Allah's light with their mouths, but Allah refuses (anything) except to complete His light, even though the disbelievers may dislike it]' (al-Tawbah/32) — its meaning is that they set down in the Book words other than the speech of Allah, so that the matter would be confused for the people; then Allah blinded their hearts, so that they left in it the traces of their crime of innovation and distortion. And He well set forth their slander, their confusion, and their concealment of what they knew, and this is Allah's saying: 'لِمَ تَلْبِسُونَ الْحَقَّ بِالْبَاطِلِ [Why do you mix truth with falsehood and make it dubious (so that others do not understand and are led astray)]' (Al Imran/71). And with the verse: 'فَأَمَّا الزَّبَدُ فَيَذْهَبُ جُفَاءً وَأَمَّا مَا يَنفَعُ النَّاسَ فَيَمْكُثُ فِي الْأَرْضِ [As for the foam, it is cast out, but as for what benefits the people (pure water or metal), it remains in the earth]' (al-Ra'd/17), He struck a parable for them: al-zabad (the foam) in this place is the speech of the heretics who inserted something into it, which has no path except to annihilation, invalidation and decay when subjected to scrutiny. And what benefits the people is the true revelation, which no falsehood approaches from before it or from behind it, and which hearts accept. And "the earth" in this verse is the abode and dwelling of knowledge. And with the presence of taqiyyah (dissimulation) it was not permissible for the names of those who made the alteration to be mentioned explicitly, nor was it advisable that anything be added to what they had written — for such an act would strengthen the arguments of the people of denial, of unbelief, and of the sects deviant from our qiblah, and would nullify this outward knowledge to which both the agreeing and the disagreeing have submitted, since they made a compact to follow those people and to be content with them. And from ancient times the people of falsehood have been more numerous than the people of truth. And it should not go unsaid that patience with the holders of authority is obligatory and prescribed on the basis of this verse: 'لَقَدْ كَانَ لَكُمْ فِي رَسُولِ اللَّهِ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ [Surely there is for you in the Messenger of Allah an excellent example]' (al-Ahzab/21). Its obligation extends also to His friends and the people of His obedience. This much that has been answered to you suffices, for the rule of taqiyyah does not allow more than this to be disclosed."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Ibn Abi Ya'fur said: I heard Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) say: "The greatest and most exalted of the prophets are five, who are called the Ulul-Azm prophets (peace be upon them), to whom most of the sharias were given: Nuh, Ibrahim, Musa, Isa and Muhammad (peace be upon them)."

Imam Rida (peace be upon him): These prophets were named Ulul-Azm for the reason that they possessed resolve and sharia. That is to say, all the prophets who were raised after Nuh (peace be upon him) acted and preached according to his sharia and method, and followed his book until the time of the raising of Ibrahim (peace be upon him). All the prophets who came to prophethood in the time of Ibrahim (peace be upon him) and after him took from his sharia and method, and were followers of his book until the time of the raising of Musa (peace be upon him). Until Isa (peace be upon him) came to prophethood. All the prophets of the time of Isa (peace be upon him) and after him followed his sharia, method and book. This matter continued until Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) came to prophethood. These five personalities are the greatest and most exalted of the prophets of Allah. Whoever, after Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family), claims prophethood, or claims to bring a book after the Quran, the shedding of his blood is lawful for all who hear this ruling.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): فَاصْبِرْ کَما صَبَرَ أُولُوا الْعَزْمِ مِنَ الرُّسُلِ [Therefore bear up patiently as did the apostles endowed with constancy]; these prophets were possessors of scripture, and Nuh (peace be upon him) brought a sharia ...

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): In a long hadith in which he mentions the ranks of the prophets and messengers [it is stated]: And the prophet who sees [the angel] in his sleep and hears the voice, in the waking state sees the angel, and he is a leader (imam) like the Ulul-Azm prophets.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Allah favoured the Ulul-Azm messengers (peace be upon them) over the [other] prophets with knowledge, and He bequeathed their knowledge to us and favoured us over them in their virtue. And He taught the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) what they did not know [and we possess both the knowledge of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) and their knowledge], and the knowledge of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) has been taught to us. We too have narrated [it] to our Shia. Whoever of them (the Shia) accepts it (the knowledge) is the best of them, and wherever we are, our Shia are with us.

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): It was said to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family): "How do people live in this world?" He said: "Just as a caravan moves and travels from one place to another." It was said: "How long is the duration of life and stay there?" He said: "As long as one who has fallen behind the caravan [stays]." They said: "O Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family), how much is [the distance] between this world and the hereafter?" He said: "The blink of an eye. Allah the Exalted says: كَأَنَّهُمْ يَوْمَ يَرَوْنَ ما يُوعَدُونَ لَمْ يَلْبَثُوا إِلَّا ساعَةً مِنْ نَهارٍ [On the day they see what they are promised, they will think it was but an hour of a day]."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Shihab narrated from Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) that he said: "When a woman's childbirth becomes difficult, write for her on a piece of paper: بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِیمِ. كَأَنَّهُمْ يَوْمَ يَرَوْنَ ما يُوعَدُونَ لَمْ يَلْبَثُوا إِلَّا ساعَةً مِنْ نَهارٍ [On the day they see what they are promised, they will think it was but an hour of a day]. كَأَنَّهُمْ يَوْمَ يَرَوْنَها لَمْ يَلْبَثُوا إِلَّا عَشِيَّةً أَوْ ضُحاها [On the day they see it (the Hour), it will be as if they had tarried but an evening or its morning]. إِذْ قالَتِ امْرَأَتُ عِمْرانَ رَبِّ إِنِّي نَذَرْتُ لَكَ ما فِي بَطْنِي مُحَرَّراً [(Remember) when the wife of Imran said: 'My Lord! I have vowed to You what is in my womb to be dedicated (freed for Your service)'] (Al Imran/35). Then attach a thread to it and tie it on her right thigh, and after the baby is born, remove it."

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) said: Whenever a woman's childbirth becomes difficult, these verses should be written in a clean vessel with musk and saffron, then washed off with well-water, and that woman should be given it to drink and it should be sprinkled on her belly and private part — she will give birth immediately. Write: "On the day they see it (the Hour), it will be as if they had tarried but an evening or its morning!" (Nazi'at/46) كَأَنَّهُمْ يَوْمَ يَرَوْنَ ما يُوعَدُونَ لَمْ يَلْبَثُوا إِلَّا ساعَةً مِنْ نَهارٍ بَلاغٌ فَهَلْ يُهْلَكُ إِلَّا الْقَوْمُ الْفاسِقُونَ [On the day they see what they are promised, they will think they tarried but an hour of a day. A sufficient exposition! Shall then any be destroyed save the transgressing people?].