سورة محمد

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Hafs ibn Ghiyath narrated from Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): A man from among those who love us asked my father about the wars of Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him). Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) said to him: "Allah the Mighty and Majestic sent Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) with five swords: three of those swords are unsheathed and drawn from the scabbard; and they will not be sheathed until the war ends and the weapons are laid down on the ground, and the war will not end until the sun sets from the east [until the Day of Resurrection], and on that day when the sun rises from the west all people will believe; but the belief of those who did not previously believe, or did not perform any good deed in their belief, will bring them no benefit! Say: '[Now that you hold such wrong expectations], wait; we too are waiting [for your punishment]!' (al-An'am 6/158) ... And the third sword is drawn against the non-Arab polytheists, namely the Turks, the Daylam and the inhabitants of the shore of the Khazar. Allah the Exalted at the beginning of the surah in which He mentions the state of the disbelievers and relates their story said: فَإِذَا لَقِیتُمُ الَّذِینَ کَفَرُوا فَضَرْبَ الرِّقابِ حَتَّی إِذا أَثْخَنْتُمُوهُمْ فَشُدُّوا الْوَثاقَ فَإِمَّا مَنًّا بَعْدُ وَ إِمَّا فِدَاءً حَتَّی تَضَعَ الحَرْبُ أَوْزارَها [So when you meet those who disbelieve, strike the necks until, when you have overpowered them, bind the bonds firmly; then afterwards either favour or ransom, until the war lays down its burdens]. As for this word of Allah: فَإِمَّا مَنًّا بَعْدُ [Then afterwards either favour]; meaning: after taking them captive, وَ إِمَّا فِدَاءً [or ransom]; meaning: the payment of the price of freedom that is paid by the people of dhimmah to the people of Islam. So nothing is accepted from them other than being killed or entering into Islam, and marriage with them is not lawful for us as long as they are in a state of war with Islam."

Ali ibn Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him): فَإِذا لَقِیتُمُ الَّذِینَ کَفَرُوا فَضَرْبَ الرِّقابِ حَتَّی إِذا أَثْخَنْتُمُوهُمْ فَشُدُّوا الْوَثاقَ فَإِمَّا مَنًّا بَعْدُ وَ إِمَّا فِدَاءً حَتَّی تَضَعَ الحَرْبُ أَوْزارَها ذلِکَ وَ لَوْ یَشاءُ اللهُ لاَنْتَصَرَ مِنْهُمْ [So when you meet those who disbelieve, strike the necks until, when you have overpowered them, bind the bonds firmly; then afterwards either favour or ransom, until the war lays down its burdens. That (is so); and if Allah had willed He would certainly have taken vengeance on them]. This sword is drawn against the non-Arab zindiq polytheists and all those who do not follow a heavenly scripture, including the star-worshippers and the fire-worshippers.

Ali ibn Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him): In the phrase فَإِذَا لَقِیتُمُ الَّذِینَ کَفَرُوا فَضَرْبَ الرِّقَابِ [So when you meet in battle those who disbelieve, then smite the necks], the address is directed to the community, but the meaning is directed to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) and the Imam after him. وَ الَّذِینَ قُتِلُوا فِی سَبِیلِ اللهِ فَلَنْ یُضِلَّ أَعْمَالَهُمْ * سَیَهْدِیهِمْ وَ یُصْلِحُ بَالَهُمْ * وَ یُدْخِلُهُمُ الْجَنَّةَ عَرَّفَهَا لَهُمْ [And those who are slain in the way of Allah, He will by no means allow their deeds to perish; He will guide them and improve their condition and admit them into the Paradise which He has made known to them]; that is, He has promised them entry into such a Paradise and has prepared it for them. لِیَبْلُوَ بَعْضَکُمْ بِبَعْضٍ [That He may try some of you by means of others] — meaning that He may test them.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Abu Amr al-Zubayri narrated from Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): I said, "Does faith reach completion, and is it capable of decrease and of increase?" He said, "Yes." I said, "How is that?" The Imam (peace be upon him) said, "Allah the Exalted made faith obligatory upon the limbs of the children of Adam, and distributed it among the parts, and assigned a specific share to each one... Allah has also assigned certain duties to the two hands of human beings: they must not wrong or oppress people with their hands, and must employ them in places where Allah has commanded, and He has ordered that with the hand one give charity and maintain the ties of kinship and wage jihad in the way of Allah, and perform purification for prayer and make wudu. In the glorious Quran He said: يا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِذا قُمْتُمْ إِلَى الصَّلاةِ فَاغْسِلُوا وُجُوهَكُمْ وَ أَيْدِيَكُمْ إِلَى الْمَرافِقِ وَ امْسَحُوا بِرُؤُسِكُمْ وَ أَرْجُلَكُمْ إِلَى الْكَعْبَيْنِ [O you who believe! When you rise up for prayer, wash your faces and your hands as far as the elbows, and wipe your heads and your feet to the ankles!] (al-Ma'idah/6). And He also said: فَإِذَا لَقِیتُمُ الَّذِینَ کَفَرُوا فَضَرْبَ الرِّقَابِ حَتَّی إِذَا أَثْخَنْتُمُوهُمْ فَشُدُّوا الْوَثَاقَ فَإِمَّا مَنًّا بَعْدُ وَ إِمَّا فِدَاءً حَتَّی تَضَعَ الْحَرْبُ أَوْزَارَهَا [So when you meet in battle those who disbelieve, then smite the necks until when you have overcome them, then make (them) prisoners, and afterwards either set them free as a favor or let them ransom (themselves) until the war terminates]. These were the duties of the hand, because striking with the sword is performed by the hand."

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): Allah the Exalted has laid down duties and obligations upon all of your limbs, by means of which He will hold you to account on the Day of Resurrection and question you about them. He has reminded those limbs and admonished them and warned them and disciplined them, and He has not left them idle... And He has imposed upon the two hands that you not stretch them out towards what Allah the Mighty and Majestic has made forbidden to you, and that you employ them in obedience to Him. Concerning this He, the Mighty and Majestic, has said: يا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِذا قُمْتُمْ إِلَى الصَّلاةِ فَاغْسِلُوا وُجُوهَكُمْ وَ أَيْدِيَكُمْ إِلَى الْمَرافِقِ وَ امْسَحُوا بِرُؤُسِكُمْ وَ أَرْجُلَكُمْ إِلَى الْكَعْبَيْنِ [O you who believe! When you rise up for prayer, wash your faces and your hands as far as the elbows, and wipe your heads and your feet to the ankles!] (al-Ma'idah/6). And He, the Mighty and Majestic, has said: فَإِذَا لَقِیتُمُ الَّذِینَ کَفَرُوا فَضَرْبَ الرِّقَابِ [So when you meet in battle those who disbelieve, then smite the necks].

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Sulayman ibn Khalid said: Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said to me: "May Allah have mercy on my uncle Zayd; he was not able to act according to the command of the Qur'an for even a single hour." Then he asked: "How did you regard your enemies — what sort of people were they?" I said: "Disbelievers." He said: "In that case, Allah says: حَتَّی إِذا أَثْخَنْتُمُوهُمْ فَشُدُّوا الْوَثاقَ فَإِمَّا مَنًّا بَعْدُ وَ إِمَّا فِداءً [until when you have overcome them, then bind them firmly; and thereafter either show favour or take ransom]. In this verse Allah says that after inflicting heavy losses, if you wish, you may release them. You fought, took a group as prisoners, and then released them before inflicting heavy losses. So you released them before displaying your power, whereas Allah, in this verse, placed the showing of favour after the display of power. This act of yours caused them to attack you from another direction."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Sulayman ibn Khalid said: Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) asked me: "What made you place Zayd in the spot where you placed him?" He said: I replied: "Three things led to this act: first, the small number of those who remained with us — we were no more than eight persons; second, we feared that morning would come and expose our affair; and third, that very spot of ground was his destined resting place." He said: "From the place where you buried him to the Euphrates, what was the distance?" I said: "The distance of a stone's throw." He said: "Subhan Allah! Why did you not tie iron to his body and cast him into the Euphrates, for that would have been better?" I said: "May I be your ransom, by Allah, we were not able to do so." He said: "On the day you went out with Zayd, what were you?" I said: "We were believers (mu'minin)." He said: "And what was your enemy?" I said: "A disbeliever (kafir)." He said: "I find in the Book of Allah that He has said: یا أیّها الّذین آمنوا فَإِذا لَقِیتُمُ الَّذِینَ کَفَرُوا فَضَرْبَ الرِّقابِ حَتَّی إِذا أَثْخَنْتُمُوهُمْ فَشُدُّوا الْوَثاقَ فَإِمَّا مَنًّا بَعْدُ وَ إِمَّا فِداءً حَتَّی تَضَعَ الْحَرْبُ أَوْزارَها [O you who believe, when you meet those who disbelieve, smite their necks, until when you have overcome them, bind them firmly, and thereafter either show favour or take ransom, until the war lays down its burdens], and yet you began by releasing those whom you had taken captive. Subhan Allah! You were not able to act with justice for even a single hour."

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Talha ibn Zayd said: I heard Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) saying: My father used to say: There are two rulings for war. If the war is still ongoing and has not ended and the two sides are engaged, then for any prisoner taken in this state, the decision regarding him rests with the Imam, and he has the choice to cut off his hand and foot on opposite sides so that he wallows in his blood and perishes, just as Allah the Mighty and Majestic has commanded: "إِنَّما جَزاءُ الَّذِینَ یُحارِبُونَ اللهَ وَ رَسُولَهُ وَ یَسْعَوْنَ فِی الْأَرْضِ فَساداً أَنْ یُقَتَّلُوا أَوْ یُصَلَّبُوا أَوْ تُقَطَّعَ أَیْدِیهِمْ وَ أَرْجُلُهُمْ مِنْ خِلافٍ أَوْ یُنْفَوْا مِنَ الْأَرْضِ ذلِکَ لَهُمْ خِزْیٌ فِی الدُّنْیا وَ لَهُمْ فِی الْآخِرَةِ عَذابٌ عَظِیمٌ" [The punishment of those who wage war against Allah and His Messenger, and strive to make mischief in the land, and [threatening with weapons, attack the lives, property and honour of people,] is only this, that they should be executed or crucified, or [four fingers of] their [right] hands and [left] feet should be cut off on opposite sides, or they should be exiled from their land. This is their disgrace in this world, and in the Hereafter they shall have a great punishment.] (al-Ma'idah 5:33). The recompense of those who wage war against Allah and His Messenger and cause corruption in the land is that they be killed, or crucified, or their hands and feet be cut off on opposite sides, or that they be exiled. This punishment is a source of disgrace for them in this world and a great punishment in the Hereafter... Do you not see that Allah has given the Imam a choice in a single matter, and that is the destruction of the enemy, which does not have differing states. Then I said to Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): "What is meant by the word of Allah the Mighty and Majestic: 'أَوْ یُنْفَوْا مِنَ الْأَرْضِ' [or that they be exiled from their land] (al-Ma'idah 5:33)?" He said: "This ruling applies when the enemy seeks a chance to flee; if he is captured, one of the rulings mentioned is applied to him. As for the other ruling, it is that if the fighting has ended and the two sides have laid down arms, then for anyone taken captive in this state, the Imam has the choice to grant favour upon the enemy and return the captive to them, or to take ransom from them, or to take him as a slave."

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): Makhul said: Amir al-Mu'minin Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him) said: "Those among the companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) who preserve matters well know that there is no one among them who possesses a virtue in which I have not shared and surpassed him, but I possess seventy virtues in which none of them shares with me." I said: "O Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him), inform me of those virtues." ...He said: "The fifty-third: indeed, Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, will not let this world pass away until the Qa'im of our household (may Allah hasten his noble reappearance) arises, kills our enemies, refuses to accept the jizya, breaks the crosses and idols, until the war lays down its heavy burden, seizes the wealth and distributes it equally, and treats the subjects with justice."

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): حَتَّی تَضَعَ الْحَرْبُ أَوْزارَها [until the war lays down its heavy burden] means that the war continues until the people of war set aside their weapons and no longer engage in fighting. And it is said: "until not one of the polytheists remains."

Imam al-Hadi (peace be upon him): Among the statements that Imam al-Hadi (peace be upon him) made in his letter in response to the people of Ahwaz — when they had asked him about jabr (predestination) and tafwid (delegation) — are these words: ... Imam Ali (peace be upon him) said to Abaya: "... Have you not heard that people ask [Allah] for movement and strength and say: لَا حَوْلَ وَ لَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللَّه [There is no might nor power except by Allah]?!" That man [Abaya] said: "O Amir al-Mu'minin! What is the [true] meaning of this phrase?" He said: "[It means] we have no [recourse or] movement to keep away from the disobediences of Allah except by Allah's protection, and we find no power over obeying Him except by His help." At that, the man fell upon the hands and feet of Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) and kissed them. Then Imam al-Hadi (peace be upon him) said: "This word of Allah the Exalted: وَ لَنَبْلُوَنَّکُمْ حَتَّی نَعْلَمَ المُجاهِدِینَ مِنْکُمْ وَ الصَّابِرِینَ وَ نَبْلُوَا أَخْبارَکُمْ [And We will most certainly try you until We have known those among you who strive hard and the patient, and made your affairs known]; and also the word of Allah the Mighty and Majestic: 'We will gradually seize them by degrees from where they do not know.' (al-A'raf/182); and His saying: 'that they will be left [to say], "We believe," and they will not be tested?!' (al-Ankabut/2); and His saying: 'And We tested Sulayman and placed a body upon his throne.' (Sad/34); and His saying: 'We tested your people after you, and the Samiri led them astray!' (Ta-Ha/85); and the word of Allah the Exalted describing the state of Musa (peace be upon him): 'This is nothing but Your trial.' (al-A'raf/155); and His saying: 'that He may test you in what He has given you.' (al-Ma'ida/48); and His saying: 'Then Allah turned you away from them [and your victory ended in defeat] so that He might test you.' (Al Imran/152); and the word of Allah the Generous: 'We have tested them, just as We tested the "owners of the garden."' (al-Qalam/17); and His saying: 'that He may test you as to which of you is best in deed!' (Hud/7). And elsewhere, Allah the Mighty and Majestic says: '[Ibrahim] received words from his Lord [and repented with them]. And Allah accepted his repentance.' (al-Baqara/37); and elsewhere He says: وَ لکِنْ لِیَبْلُوَا بَعْضَکُمْ بِبَعْضٍ [But that He may try some of you by means of others]. All of these have come in the Qur'an with the meaning of testing."

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): وَ الَّذِینَ قُتِلُوا فِی سَبِیلِ اللهِ [And those who are slain in the way of Allah]; that is, those who were martyred in the way of Allah and in propagating the religion, such as Hamza, the Master of the Martyrs (may Allah have mercy on him), and Jaʿfar al-Tayyar. فَلَنْ یُضِلَّ أَعْمالَهُمْ [He will by no means allow their deeds to perish] — their good deeds and their striving will never be forgotten, and their reward is Paradise and the garden of ridwan.