سورة المائدة

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) said: I was given the long surahs in place of the Torah, and the surahs of a hundred verses (al-Mi'in) in place of the Injil, and the similar surahs (al-Mathani) in place of the Zabur, and I was favoured with the detailed surahs (al-Mufassal, that is, of short verses), which are sixty-eight surahs, given to me in addition. And this Quran is the guardian (muhaymin) and witness over the other books, and the Torah belongs to Musa (peace be upon him), the Injil to Isa (peace be upon him), and the Zabur to Dawud (peace be upon him).

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): Allah the Mighty and Majestic has made my Book the guardian (muhaymin) over their books and the abrogator of them.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Neither a Jew, nor a Christian, nor a Zoroastrian — [none of them] is to be made to swear an oath by anything other than Allah. Allah the Mighty and Majestic says: فَاحْکُمْ بَیْنَهُمْ بِما أَنْزَلَ اللهُ [therefore judge between them by what Allah has revealed].

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): If the People of the Book take their dispute to the judge, the judge decides between them according to what Allah has revealed, just as Allah the Mighty and Majestic says: وَ أَنِ احْکُمْ بَیْنَهُمْ بِما أَنْزَلَ اللهُ [And that you should judge between them by what Allah has revealed].

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): It is narrated from Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) that in his argument against Abu Hanifa he said: ... You imagined that you [in religious rulings] are a man of opinion. Opinion from the Messenger (peace be upon him and his family) is correct, and from anyone other than him is error; because Allah the Exalted said: فَاحْکُمْ بَیْنَهُمْ بِما أَنْزَلَ اللهُ [therefore judge between them by what Allah has revealed], and He did not say this to anyone other than him.

Ali ibn Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him): لِکُلٍّ جَعَلْنا مِنْکُمْ شِرْعَةً وَ مِنْهاجاً [For every one of you We appointed a law and a way]; every prophet has a shari'a (law) and a way.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Hanan ibn Sadir said: I said to Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): "For what reason is it necessary for us to know every Imam after the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), but it is not required for us to know every Imam before the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family)?" He said: "Because of the difference of the sharai' (revealed laws)."

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): But whenever the people of a prophet answer him and accept his call, they will have a way toward their prophet and through that way they will establish a connection with him. Allah said to Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family): إِنَّا أَوْحَیْنا إِلَیْکَ کَما أَوْحَیْنا إِلی نُوحٍ وَ النَّبِیِّینَ مِنْ بَعْدِهِ [Indeed We have revealed to you as We revealed to Nuh and the prophets after him]. (Nisa/163) Allah commanded every prophet to follow the sunnah and the way of the previous prophet, and part of the sunnah of Musa (peace be upon him) which Allah had made obligatory for him was Saturday.

Ali ibn Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him): وَلَکِن لِّیَبْلُوَکُمْ فِی مَآ آتَاکُم [But that He might try you in what He has given you] — meaning that He tests you.

Imam Hadi (peace be upon him): Imam Hadi (peace be upon him) in his letter to the people of Ahwaz, when he was asked about jabr (predestination) and tafwid (delegation), said: ... Then concerning the word of Allah: وَ لَنَبْلُوَنَّکُمْ حَتَّی نَعْلَمَ الْمُجاهِدِینَ مِنْکُمْ وَ الصَّابِرِینَ وَ نَبْلُوَا أَخْبارَکُمْ [We shall surely test all of you until it becomes known who are the true strivers and the patient ones among you, and We shall test your reports]. (Muhammad/31) And the verse: سَنَسْتَدْرِجُهُمْ مِنْ حَیْثُ لا یَعْلَمُونَ [We shall gradually seize them with punishment from where they do not know]. (A'raf/182) And the verse: أَنْ یَقُولُوا آمَنَّا وَ هُمْ لا یُفْتَنُونَ [When they say: We believe, will they be left alone and not be tested?]. (Ankabut/2) And the verse: وَ لَقَدْ فَتَنَّا سُلَیْمانَ [Indeed We tested Sulayman]. (Sad/34) And the verse: فَإِنَّا قَدْ فَتَنَّا قَوْمَکَ مِنْ بَعْدِکَ وَ أَضَلَّهُمُ السَّامِرِیُّ [Indeed We tested your people after you, and Samiri led them astray]. (Taha/85) And the word of Musa (peace be upon him) who said: إِنْ هِیَ إِلَّا فِتْنَتُکَ [This is nothing other than Your trial]. (A'raf/155) And the verse: لِّیَبْلُوَکُمْ فِی مَآ آتَاکُم [That He might try you in what He has given you] and the verse: ثُمَّ صَرَفَکُمْ عَنْهُمْ لِیَبْتَلِیَکُمْ [Then He turned you away from them so that He might test you with an affliction]. (Al-i Imran/152) And the verse: إِنَّا بَلَوْناهُمْ کَما بَلَوْنا أَصْحابَ الْجَنَّةِ [Indeed We tested them as We tested the owners of the garden]. (Qalam/17) And the verse: لِیَبْلُوَکُمْ أَیُّکُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلًا [That He might test you as to which of you is best in deed]. (Mulk/2) The verse: وَ إِذِ ابْتَلی إِبْراهِیمَ رَبُّهُ بِکَلِماتٍ [And when the Lord of Ibrahim tested him with certain words]. (Baqarah/124) And the verse: وَ لَوْ یَشاءُ اللهُ لَانْتَصَرَ مِنْهُمْ وَ لکِنْ لِیَبْلُوَا بَعْضَکُمْ بِبَعْضٍ [If Allah had willed, He would have taken vengeance on them Himself, but He wishes to test some of you by means of others]. (Muhammad/4); all of these verses in the Qur'an have come in the meaning of examination and testing.