سورة محمد

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): إِنَّ الذِینَ ارْتَدُّوا عَلی أَدْبَارِهِم [Surely those who return on their backs]; the meaning is those who, by abandoning the wilayah of Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him), withdrew from faith.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Halabi said: Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said regarding the verse إِنَّ الَّذِینَ ارْتَدُّوا عَلی أَدْبارِهِمْ مِنْ بَعْدِ ما تَبَیَّنَ لَهُمُ الهُدَی [Surely (as for) those who return on their backs after that guidance has become manifest to them]: "The guidance is the path of Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him)."

The Messenger (peace be upon him and his family): Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) said: "A group of my companions who hold a lofty rank and station with me will come to cross the Sirat bridge; when I see them and they see me, and I recognize them and they recognize me, they will be pulled away from before me. I will say: 'O Lord! They are my companions, my companions.' It will be said: 'You do not know what they did after you; after you departed from among them, they returned to their past.' Then I will say: 'May they be far from Allah's mercy, and death be upon them.'"

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): O Kumayl! Preserve the saying of Allah the Mighty and Majestic who said: الشَّیْطانُ سَوَّلَ لَهُمْ وَ أَمْلی لَهُمْ [Satan has made it a light matter to them, and He gives them respite]. The deceiver is Satan, and the one who grants respite is Allah the Exalted.

The Messenger (peace be upon him and his family): Abu Hurayra said: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) said: "On the Day of Resurrection, a group from my ummah will come to me, but they will be driven away from the Hawd al-Kawthar." I will say: "O Allah, these are my companions." Allah will say: "You do not know what they uttered with their tongues. They apostatized and returned to their past."

The Messenger (peace be upon him and his family): It is narrated from Bukhari: The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) said: While I am standing, I see a group, and when I recognize them, a man comes between me and them and says to them: "Hurry along." I ask: "To where?" He says: "By Allah, towards the Fire." I ask: "What have they done?" He says: "After you they apostatized and returned to their former days of ignorance. You will not see any of them saved except like the number of stray livestock left aimlessly."

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): إِنَّ الَّذینَ ارْتَدُّوا عَلی أَدْبارِهِمْ [Indeed those who turn back on their heels] — and away from the truth and faith — مِنْ بَعْدِ ما تَبَیَّنَ لَهُمُ الهُدَی [after guidance had become clear to them], meaning after the path of truth had become clear to them; these people are among the hypocrites.