سورة الفتح

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Indeed the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) has ten names, five of which are in the Quran and five of which are not in the Quran. Those which are in the Quran are: Muhammad, Ahmad, Abdullah, Ya-Sin and Nun.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): The inscription on the seal-ring of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) was thus: مُحَمَّدٌ رَسُولُ اللَّه [Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah] (peace be upon him and his family).

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family): Abdullah ibn Salam asked the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): "Are you a prophet or a messenger?" He said: "Indeed Allah has sent me as both a prophet and a messenger, and I am the seal of the prophets. Have you not read in the Torah: مُحَمَّدٌ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ وَ الَّذِینَ مَعَهُ أَشِدَّاءُ عَلَی الْکُفَّارِ رُحَماءُ بَیْنَهُمْ تَراهُمْ رُکَّعاً سُجَّداً یَبْتَغُونَ فَضْلاً مِنَ اللَّهِ وَ رِضْواناً سیماهُمْ فی وُجُوهِهِمْ مِنْ أَثَرِ السُّجُودِ ذلِکَ مَثَلُهُمْ فِی التَّوْراةِ وَ مَثَلُهُمْ فِی الْإِنْجیلِ کَزَرْعٍ أَخْرَجَ شَطْأَهُ فَآزَرَهُ فَاسْتَغْلَظَ فَاسْتَوی عَلی سُوقِهِ یُعْجِبُ الزُّرَّاعَ لِیَغیظَ بِهِمُ الْکُفَّارَ وَعَدَ اللَّهُ الَّذینَ آمَنُوا وَ عَمِلُوا الصَّالِحاتِ مِنْهُمْ مَغْفِرَةً وَ أَجْراً عَظیماً [Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and those with him are firm of heart against the unbelievers, compassionate among themselves; you will see them bowing down, prostrating themselves, seeking grace from Allah and pleasure; their marks are in their faces because of the effect of prostration; that is their description in the Torah and their description in the Injil; like a seed that puts forth its sprout, then strengthens it, so it becomes stout and stands firmly on its stem, delighting the sowers, that He may enrage the unbelievers on account of them; Allah has promised those among them who believe and do good, forgiveness and a great reward]."

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family): On the gate of Paradise it is written: لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ مُحَمَّدٌ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ [There is no god but Allah, Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah]; Ali (peace be upon him) is the brother of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family). [This was written] a thousand years before the heavens and the earth were created.

Imam Rida (peace be upon him): وَ الَّذِینَ مَعَهُ أَشِدَّاءُ عَلَی الْکُفَّارِ [And those with him are firm of heart against the unbelievers] — what is meant is Ali (peace be upon him).

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Allah has caused to flow in the believing person a breath from the spirit of Allah. For in His eternal Book He says thus: رُحَمَاءُ بَیْنَهُمْ [compassionate among themselves].

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Abu Amr Zubayri narrates from Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) that he said to His Eminence: "Inform me: is calling people to Allah and jihad in His way [something] specific to a particular group and not permissible for others to enter into? Or is this matter permissible for anyone who believes in the oneness of Allah and in the Prophet, so that he may call others to tawhid (monotheism) and obedience to Allah and engage in jihad in the way of Allah?" He said: "This matter is exclusive to a particular group and is not lawful for others, and no one undertakes this matter except this group." I asked: "Who are this group?" He said: "Those who abide by Allah's conditions in jihad; jihad is the responsibility of the mujahideen, so no one is permitted to undertake jihad or to call others to Allah unless he is judged in this regard according to what Allah has commanded in the conditions of jihad." I said: "May Allah have mercy on you, tell me more." He said: "Indeed Allah the Exalted, in the Qur'an, has set forth the call to Himself and the qualities of the one who calls, and has defined for them ranks by which some of them are known through others and by which some are inferred from others… Then He mentioned in the Glorious Qur'an the followers of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) and the followers of this ummah and the Imams (peace be upon them), and characterised them as commanding what is right and forbidding what is wrong, and introduced them as those who call to Allah, and gave them permission to call others to their Lord, and He said: 'O Prophet! Allah and the believers who follow you are sufficient for your support [rely only upon them]!' (Anfal/64). Then He described the followers of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) from the people of faith and said: مُحَمَّدٌ رَسُولُ اللهِ وَ الَّذِینَ مَعَهُ أَشِدَّاءُ عَلَی الْکُفَّارِ رُحَماءُ بَیْنَهُمْ تَراهُمْ رُکَّعاً سُجَّداً یَبْتَغُونَ فَضْلًا مِنَ اللهِ وَ رِضْواناً سِیماهُمْ فِی وُجُوهِهِمْ مِنْ أَثَرِ السُّجُودِ ذلِکَ مَثَلُهُمْ فِی التَّوْراةِ وَ مَثَلُهُمْ فِی الْإِنْجِیل [Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and those with him are firm against the disbelievers, compassionate among themselves; you see them bowing, prostrating, seeking bounty from Allah and [His] pleasure; their mark is on their faces from the effect of prostration; that is their likeness in the Torah and their likeness in the Injil]."

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): It is narrated from Imam Ali (peace be upon him): Your Prophet asked You for help, O Allah, and You aided him through me (Ali), Ja'far and Hamza (may Allah have mercy on him). We are the ones You chose for Your Prophet and named us his helpers. He is our leader to Paradise, and You are witness over us. You made us three: no mighty one rose against us but You humiliated him through us, and no king but You destroyed him. You made us أَشِدَّاءُ عَلَی الْکُفَّارِ رُحَماءُ بَیْنَهُمْ تَراهُمْ رُکَّعاً سُجَّداً [firm of heart against the unbelievers, compassionate among themselves; you will see them bowing down, prostrating themselves], and concerning this You revealed a verse of the Qur'an and bestowed on us this honour. You removed oppression from our faces, and through our awe You struck terror into the peoples. Whenever Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family), Your Messenger, would battle a rebellious enemy, his family would surround him like brilliant stars around the shining moon.

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): The relationship of every believer with another believer is like that of two full brothers to each other, because they have been kneaded from the clay of the seven heavens, which came from Paradise. Then he recited the verse: رُحَماءُ بَیْنَهُمْ [compassionate among themselves] and said: "Is not the merciful one indeed good-natured and generous?"

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Sama'a says: I asked Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): "If a people have wealth beyond their need, and their brothers are in great need, and zakat does not suffice their needs, do those wealthy ones have the right to be full while their brothers remain hungry, because the times have become hard?" He said: "A Muslim is the brother of a Muslim; he does not oppress him, does not abase him, and does not fail him. So Muslims must strive at every time, and must engage in caring for and helping one another, and must place some of their wealth at the disposal of the needy and those seeking aid who are among you, so that you may act just as Allah has commanded: all being compassionate toward one another, and observing mercy and generosity between themselves — from both sides."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): The Muslim is the brother of the Muslim; he does not oppress him, does not abandon him, and does not betray him. It is incumbent upon Muslims to strive in joining together with one another and in compassionate mutual help, and in accompanying the needy, and in attending to one another, so that just as Allah the Mighty and Majestic has commanded you: رُحَماءُ بَیْنَهُمْ [compassionate among themselves], you too may be such and show mercy to one another; and be sorrowful for whatever of their affairs is beyond your reach — exactly in the same way that the group of the Ansar conducted themselves in the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family).

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Maintain ties with one another, do good to one another, and be merciful to one another, and be righteous brothers, just as Allah the Mighty and Majestic has commanded you.

Imam Kazim (peace be upon him): تَراهُمْ رُکَّعاً سُجَّداً [you will see them bowing down, prostrating themselves] — it is reported from Imam Kazim (peace be upon him), on the authority of his noble forefathers: "This noble verse was revealed concerning Ali (peace be upon him)."

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Sa'd narrates from Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) that he was asked: "What is the interpretation of the verse: مُحَمَّدٌ رَسُولُ اللهِ وَ الَّذِینَ مَعَهُ أَشِدَّاءُ عَلَی الْکُفَّارِ رُحَماءُ بَیْنَهُمْ تَراهُمْ رُکَّعاً سُجَّداً یَبْتَغُونَ فَضْلًا مِنَ اللهِ وَ رِضْواناً [Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and those with him are firm of heart against the unbelievers, compassionate among themselves; you will see them bowing down, prostrating themselves, seeking grace from Allah and His pleasure]?" The Imam (peace be upon him) said: "This is a parable which flows among our Shia just as it flows for them in the loins, and then they are sown in the wombs, and after a set period He brings them out from the wombs and takes a covenant from them. A group of them are among the Allah-fearing, a company of them count as martyrs, a group have their hearts tested, some of them are among the scholars, a company are counted among the great ones, some of them are among the brave. Some are pious and a group are people of taqwa (Allah-consciousness) and virtue, a group are among the people of submission and contentment. By these virtues and nobilities they attained salvation and reached the mercy of Allah, and gained excellence over people, and left a good name for themselves among the people."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Abdullah ibn Sinan asked Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) about the interpretation of the verse: سِیماهُمْ فِی وُجُوهِهِمْ مِنْ أَثَرِ السُّجُودِ [their marks are on their faces from the effect of prostration], and he said: "What is meant is staying awake at night in prayer."

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): تَراهُمْ رُکَّعاً سُجَّداً یَبْتَغُونَ فَضْلًا مِنَ اللهِ وَ رِضْواناً سِیماهُمْ فِی وُجُوهِهِمْ مِنْ أَثَرِ السُّجُودِ [you will see them bowing down, prostrating themselves, seeking grace from Allah and His pleasure; their marks are on their faces from the effect of prostration]; it is what appears on their faces from the effect of staying awake at night. It is narrated from Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): "The traces of their prayer appear on their faces."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): What is meant is staying awake at night.

Imam Rida (peace be upon him): Hold fast to the night prayer. There is no servant who rises at the end of the night and prays eight rak'ats, and the two rak'ats of shaf', and the one rak'at of witr, and says "استغفر الله [I seek forgiveness from Allah]" seventy times in his qunut, except that he is protected from the punishment of the grave and from the fire of Hell, his lifespan is lengthened, and expansion comes into his livelihood. Then he (peace be upon him) said: "The houses in which the night prayer is performed, their light shines for the people of the heavens just as the light of the stars shines for the people of the earth."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): One who does not perform the night prayer is not from our Shia.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Zayd al-Zarrad said: I said to Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): "I fear that we are not believers." He said: "Why?" I said: "Because among us there is no one whose brother is dearer to him than his money; from this I understand that money is dearer to us than a brother of the same faith, though both of us are friends and followers of the Commander of the Faithful." He said: "No, never — you are believers, but your faith is not complete; until our Qa'im (may Allah hasten his noble relief) arises, then Allah will make you people of one purpose and you will all be complete believers. If there were no complete believers on the face of the earth, Allah would raise us up to Himself; you deny both the earth and the heavens. Yes, by the One in whose hand my soul is, in the far corners of the earth there are believers with whom the whole world is not worth the wing of a mosquito; and if the world with all that is in it and upon it were red gold and were a necklace of one of them, and it fell from his neck, he would not pay heed to what had been on his neck or what had fallen from it, so worthless is it in his sight. Theirs is a hidden life; they wander here and there upon the earth; their bellies are drawn to their backs from fasting; their lips are withered from the remembrance of tasbih; their eyes are dishevelled from weeping; the colour of their faces has faded from sleeplessness. This is their appearance and outward form, of whom Allah has given a likeness for them in the Injil, and in the Tawrat and the Furqan and the earlier scriptures He described them, saying: سِیماهُمْ فِی وُجُوهِهِمْ مِنْ أَثَرِ السُّجُودِ ذلِکَ مَثَلُهُمْ فِی التَّوْراةِ وَ مَثَلُهُمْ فِی الْإِنْجِیل [Their marks are on their faces from the effect of prostration; that is their description in the Tawrat and their description in the Injil]. What He meant was the yellowness of their faces from sleeplessness at night. They are good brothers in hardship and ease; they prefer others over themselves in hardship, as Allah described them, saying: and they prefer others over themselves though they themselves are in dire need — those who are guarded against the miserliness and greed of their own souls, they are the successful ones (Hashr 59:9), and they have triumphed and, by Allah, attained salvation.

Imam Sajjad (peace be upon him): تَراهُمْ رُکَّعاً سُجَّداً یَبْتَغُونَ فَضْلًا مِنَ اللهِ وَ رِضْواناً سِیماهُمْ فِی وُجُوهِهِمْ مِنْ أَثَرِ السُّجُودِ [You see them bowing and prostrating, seeking grace from Allah and pleasure; their marks are on their faces from the effect of prostration] — it has been narrated from Imam Zayn al-Abidin (peace be upon him) that he said: they were alone with their Allah, so the Lord illuminated them with His light.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Abdullah ibn Sinan said: I said to Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): "May I be your ransom! I see some of our own companions afflicted with bad temper, sharpness and agitation, and I grieve intensely over that, while I see among our opponents some who are of good samt (bearing)." He said: "Do not say 'good samt', for samt is used for the road; rather say 'good sima (mark)', for Allah the Mighty and Majestic says: سِیماهُمْ فِی وُجُوهِهِمْ [Their marks are on their faces]."

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): The verse سِیماهُمْ فِی وُجُوهِهِمْ مِنْ أَثَرِ السُّجُودِ [Their marks are on their faces from the effect of prostration] means that their sign is that on the Day of Resurrection their foreheads will have the greatest luminance.

Imam Kazim (peace be upon him): Whoever wishes to meet Allah the Mighty and Majestic with his sins forgiven should love Ali ibn al-Husayn (peace be upon him), for he is among those about whom Allah said: سِیماهُمْ فِی وُجُوهِهِمْ مِنْ أَثَرِ السُّجُودِ [Their marks are on their faces from the effect of prostration].

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): This verse was revealed concerning the Jews and the Christians. The Lord says concerning them: Those to whom We have given the heavenly Book know him [the Prophet] well, just as they know their own children (An'am/20) — that is, the Jews and the Christians know the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) completely. For Allah revealed to them in the Tawrat, the Injil and the Zabur the qualities of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) and his companions, and also his mission and his migration. Allah says concerning this in the Noble Qur'an: مُحَمَّدٌ رَسُولُ اللهِ وَ الَّذِینَ مَعَهُ أَشِدَّاءُ عَلَی الْکُفَّارِ رُحَماءُ بَیْنَهُمْ تَراهُمْ رُکَّعاً سُجَّداً یَبْتَغُونَ فَضْلاً مِنَ اللهِ وَ رِضْواناً سِیماهُمْ فِی وُجُوهِهِمْ مِنْ أَثَرِ السُّجُودِ ذلِکَ مَثَلُهُمْ فِی التَّوْراةِ وَ مَثَلُهُمْ فِی الْإِنْجِیلِ [Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and those with him are firm against the unbelievers, compassionate among themselves; you see them bowing and prostrating, seeking grace from Allah and pleasure; their marks are on their faces from the effect of prostration; that is their description in the Tawrat and their description in the Injil]. These are the attributes and qualities of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) in the Tawrat and the Injil. As Allah has stated in the Noble Qur'an, when Allah chose that Noble One for prophethood, they knew him completely.

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): The name of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) in the scriptures of Ibrahim (peace be upon him) is al-Mahi (the Effacer), and in the Tawrat of Musa (peace be upon him) al-Hadd, and in the Injil of Isa (peace be upon him) Ahmad, and in the Furqan Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family). It was asked: "What does Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) mean?" He said: "Indeed Allah and His angels and all His prophets (peace be upon them) and His messengers and all their nations praise him and send blessings upon him, and indeed his name is written on the Throne: Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family)."

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): كَزَرْعٍ أَخْرَجَ شَطْأَهُ فَآزَرَهُ فَاسْتَغْلَظَ فَاسْتَوَى عَلَى سُوقِهِ يُعْجِبُ الزُّرَّاعَ لِيَغِيظَ بِهِمُ الْكُفَّارَ [Like a crop that puts forth its shoot, then strengthens it, so it grows stout and stands firm on its stem, delighting the sowers, that He may enrage the unbelievers on account of them]; the meaning of كَزَرْعٍ أَخْرَجَ شَطْأَهُ is this: the root of that sown crop is Abd al-Muttalib, and its shoot is that Noble One, Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family). يُعْجِبُ الزُّرَّاعَ means Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him). [It means the people's amazement at Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him).]

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Allah says: يُعْجِبُ الزُّرَّاعَ لِيَغِيظَ بِهِمُ الْكُفَّارَ [It delights the sowers, so that [Allah] may enrage the unbelievers on account of their abundance]. It is narrated from Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) that he said: "He is Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him)."

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): A group asked the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family): "About whom was this verse revealed: وَعَدَ اللهُ الَّذِینَ آمَنُوا وَ عَمِلُوا الصَّالِحاتِ مِنْهُمْ مَغْفِرَةً وَ أَجْراً عَظِیماً [Allah has promised those among them who believe and do good, forgiveness and a great reward]?" He said: "When the Day of Resurrection comes, a banner of white light will be raised and a caller will call out: Let the master of the believers and those who believed after the mission of Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) rise. At that moment Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him) will rise, and Allah will give him the banner of white light, and all the foremost and earliest of the Muhajirin and the Ansar will come under his command, and no one else will join their ranks, until Ali (peace be upon him) sits upon a pulpit of the light of Allah."