سورة الطور

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): وَ اتَّبَعَتْهُمْ ذُرِّیَّتُهُمْ بِإِیمانٍ أَلحَقْنا بِهِمْ ذُرِّیَّتَهُمْ [And (as for) those whose offspring follow them in faith, We will unite with them their offspring]; that is, upon the very same covenant to which the fathers believed, their offspring also believed.

Ali ibn Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him): أَلحَقْنَا بِهِمْ ذُرِّیَّتَهُمْ [We will unite with them their offspring] — that is, on the Day of Resurrection they will be guided to their fathers.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): وَ الَّذِینَ آمَنُوا وَ اتَّبَعَتْهُمْ ذُرِّیَّتُهُمْ بِإِیمانٍ أَلحَقْنا بِهِمْ ذُرِّیَّتَهُمْ [And those who believe and their offspring follow them in faith, We will unite with them their offspring] — [the good deeds of some] children do not measure up to the [good] deeds of their fathers; nevertheless, in order that the eyes of the fathers may be gladdened [by seeing their children], Allah joins their children to them.

The Imams (peace be upon them): One of the Imams (peace be upon them) was asked about children [who die before reaching the age of maturity]. The Imam (peace be upon him) said: "When the Day of Resurrection comes, Allah will gather them together and kindle a fire for them, and command them to throw themselves into it. Whoever, in Allah's [boundless] knowledge, is among the felicitous will cast himself into the fire, and the fire will be cool and safe for him. And whoever, in Allah's [boundless] knowledge, is among the wretched will refuse [to do this], and Allah will command that these ones be cast into Hell. They will say: 'O our Lord! You did not lay any obligation upon us in the world, yet You command that we be cast into Hell?!' Allah the Compeller says: 'I commanded you face to face and you did not obey Me; how then, had I sent My messenger [with a command] from the unseen [to you], would you have obeyed Me?'"

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): What is meant by "offspring" [in this verse] is offspring who have reached the age of maturity [in this world], and [on the Day of Resurrection] they will be joined to the rank of their fathers, out of honour for their fathers, even if their [good] deeds are few.

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): وَ الَّذِینَ آمَنُوا وَ اتَّبَعَتْهُمْ ذُرِّیَّتُهُمْ بِإِیمانٍ أَلحَقْنا بِهِمْ ذُرِّیَّتَهُمْ وَ ما أَلَتْناهُمْ مِنْ عَمَلِهِمْ مِنْ شَیْءٍ کُلُّ امْرِئٍ بِما کَسَبَ رَهِینٌ [And those who believe and their offspring follow them in faith, We will unite with them their offspring and We will not diminish to them aught of their work; every man is responsible for what he shall have wrought] — the meaning of the verse is that We join the children to their fathers in Paradise, on account of their fathers, and place them in the same rank, so that by their gathering together with their fathers in Paradise the eyes of the fathers may be gladdened, just as in the world their eyes used to be gladdened by their children.

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family): Allah raises the offspring of the believer to his rank, even if they are below him [in status], so that his eye may be delighted through them. Then he recited this verse: وَ الَّذِینَ آمَنُوا وَ اتَّبَعَتْهُمْ ذُرِّیَّتُهُمْ بِإِیمانٍ [And those who believed and whose offspring followed them in faith].

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Sometimes a person has firm footing and therefore enters Paradise, and he has children who are also raised up to him so that the eyes of the fathers may be delighted, even though they themselves have not reached that rank.

The Imams (peace be upon them): The children of believers join their fathers and the children of polytheists join their fathers; as Allah the Mighty and Majestic has said: بِإِیمانٍ أَلحَقْنا بِهِمْ ذُرِّیَّتَهُمْ [in faith, We shall unite their offspring with them].

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family): The believers and their children will be in Paradise; then he recited the aforementioned verse.

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): Sa'id ibn Jubayr narrates from Ibn Abbas that he said: Allah raises the offspring of a Muslim person, even though they are below him in deeds, so that by this He may delight his eye. Then he recited this verse: أَلحَقْنا بِهِمْ ذُرِّیَّتَهُمْ [We shall unite their offspring with them].

Imam Baqir and Imam Sadiq (peace be upon them): Allah protects the children on account of the righteousness of their fathers, just as [in the story of Musa and Khidr (peace be upon them)] He protected two orphan children on account of the righteousness of their father.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Allah, Blessed and Exalted, has appointed Ibrahim (peace be upon him) and [his wife] Sarah as guardians of the children of the believers. They feed them by means of a tree in Paradise, and that tree has udders like the udders of a cow, and it stands in a palace of pearl. When the Day of Resurrection arrives, those children are clothed and perfumed and presented as a gift to their fathers and mothers, and they are, alongside their fathers and mothers, kings of Paradise. This is the meaning of the words of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic: وَ الَّذِینَ آمَنُوا اتَّبَعَتْهُمْ ذُرِّیَّتُهُمْ بِإِیمانٍ أَلحَقْنا بِهِمْ ذُرِّیَّتَهُمْ [And those who believed and whose offspring followed them in faith — We shall join their offspring to them].

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): When a child of the believers dies, a caller calls out in the heavens and the earth that the child of so-and-so has passed away. Then, if his father and mother, or one of the two, or someone else from his believing relatives, has passed away before him, that child is handed over to that person to feed him; otherwise his guardianship is entrusted to Lady Fatima (peace be upon her), and he is raised under her care until his father and mother, or one of them, or another of his relatives, joins him, and then Lady Fatima (peace be upon her) hands that child over to him.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Ibrahim, the son of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family), was eighteen months old when he passed away, and Allah the Mighty and Majestic completed [the period of] his suckling in Paradise.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Jamil ibn Darraj said: I asked Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) about the children of the prophets (peace be upon them); the Imam said: "They are not like the children of the rest of the people." I also asked him about Ibrahim, the son of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family), whether, had he lived, he would have been truthful (siddiq)? The Imam said: "Had he lived, he would have been upon the path of his father (peace be upon him and his family)."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): The meaning of وَ ما أَلَتْناهُمْ مِنْ عَمَلِهِمْ مِنْ شَیْءٍ [And We shall not diminish anything from their deeds] is that nothing is reduced from the reward of the fathers on account of the joining of the children to them.

Ali ibn Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him): وَ ما أَلَتْناهُمْ مِنْ عَمَلِهِمْ مِنْ شَیْءٍ [And We shall not diminish anything from their deeds] means: We do not reduce [the reward of the deeds of] the fathers.

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): The Quraysh sought felicity but reached wretchedness; they sought salvation but were destroyed; and they sought guidance but went astray. Woe to them! Did they not hear this word of Allah [where He has said]: وَ الَّذِینَ آمَنُوا وَ اتَّبَعَتْهُمْ ذُرِّیَّتُهُمْ بِإِیمانٍ أَلحَقْنا بِهِمْ ذُرِّیَّتَهُمْ [And those who believed and whose offspring followed them in faith — We shall join their offspring with them]? So where is one from the offspring of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) adorned with justice, toward whom the people would be drawn? The very offspring whose foundation Allah raised above the foundation of the Quraysh, whom He granted mastery over the Quraysh and chose over them. Know that the offspring of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) are branches of which I am the tree, and they are a great tree of which I am the trunk; I am to Ahmad (peace be upon him and his family) as light is to light; before the creation of humankind and [even] before the creation of the clay from which humankind is made, we were beneath the shade of the Throne — shadows in the form of noble apparitions, not [in the form of] growing bodies. Knowledge of us (the Ahl al-Bayt) is a hard matter and difficult to bear, and none attains its reality except three: a favoured angel, a sent prophet, or a servant whose heart Allah has made pure for faith. So whenever a secret is unveiled to you or a matter becomes clear to you, accept it; otherwise keep silent so that you remain safe [from deviation], and [or] entrust our knowledge to Allah. For you stand before a reality greater than the distance between heaven and earth (that is, its understanding is above the level of human perception and thought).

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): الَّذِینَ آمَنُوا [refers to] the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him), and his descendants [meaning] the Imams and his successors (peace be upon them). [Allah has said]: أَلحَقْنَا بِهِمْ [We joined them with them], and the proof which [Prophet] Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) brought concerning [Imam] Ali (peace be upon him), We do not diminish it in respect of his descendants; and the proof of all of them is one, and [the ruling of] obedience to them is also one.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Muhammad ibn Muslim said: Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: "Allah the Exalted, in recompense for the martyrdom of Imam Husayn (peace be upon him), placed the station of Imamate in his lineage, healing in his turbah (soil of his grave), and the answering of supplication at his grave. And the days that his visitors spend going to visit him and returning are not counted as part of their lifespan." Muhammad ibn Muslim said: "I said to Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): 'These qualities are for the visitors of Imam Husayn (peace be upon him); then what station will that noble one himself have?!' The Imam (peace be upon him) said: 'Allah the Exalted has joined Imam Husayn (peace be upon him) with the noble Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), and Imam Husayn (peace be upon him) is in the rank and station of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family).'" Then Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) recited this verse: وَ الَّذِینَ آمَنُوا وَ اتَّبَعَتْهُمْ ذُرِّیَّتُهُمْ بِإِیمانٍ أَلحَقْنا بِهِمْ ذُرِّیَّتَهُمْ [And those who believed and whose offspring followed them in faith — We joined their offspring with them].

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): وَ الَّذِینَ آمَنُوا وَ اتَّبَعَتْهُمْ ذُرِّیَّتُهُمْ بِإِیمانٍ أَلحَقْنا بِهِمْ ذُرِّیَّتَهُمْ [And those who believed and whose offspring followed them in faith — We joined their offspring with them] — this verse was revealed concerning the noble Prophet, Ali, Fatima, Hasan and Husayn (peace be upon them).

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): The muqarrabun (those brought near [the Divine presence]) are the family of Muhammad (peace be upon them). Allah says: "The foremost, the foremost! Those are the ones brought near." (al-Waqi'a/10–11) [Namely] the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family), Khadija (peace be upon her) and Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him), and their descendants join them, [for] Allah says: أَلحَقْنا بِهِمْ ذُرِّیَّتَهُمْ [We joined their offspring with them].

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): The guardianship of the children of our believing Shia [who die in childhood] is undertaken by Fatima (peace be upon her).

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): One day the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) came in upon Lady Fatima (peace be upon her) while she was sorrowful... The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) said: "Jibra'il has informed me from Allah the Mighty and Majestic that [after my death] you will be the first of my Ahl al-Bayt to join me. Woe to whoever wrongs you, and the great triumph is for whoever aids you." Ata [ibn Abi Rabah] said: "Whenever Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him) related this hadith, he would recite this verse: وَ الَّذِینَ آمَنُوا وَ اتَّبَعَتْهُمْ ذُرِّیَّتُهُمْ بِإِیمانٍ أَلحَقْنا بِهِمْ ذُرِّیَّتَهُمْ وَ ما أَلَتْناهُمْ مِنْ عَمَلِهِمْ مِنْ شَیْءٍ کُلُّ امْرِئٍ بِما کَسَبَ رَهِین [And those who believe and whose offspring follow them in faith, We will unite with them their offspring, and We will not diminish anything of their work; every man is pledged for what he has earned]."

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): On the Day of Resurrection a caller from the Throne will cry out: 'O people! Lower your eyes so that Fatimah (peace be upon her), the daughter of Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family), may pass by.' She will be the first to be clothed, and twelve thousand houris from Paradise, together with fifty thousand angels, will come out to receive her, mounted on steeds of ruby with wings of chrysolite and reins of fresh pearl, upon whose backs are saddles of pearl, and upon each saddle a cushion of silk. They will take Fatimah (peace be upon her) across the Bridge of Sirat, and all of them will enter the highest Paradise. The people of Paradise will give Fatimah (peace be upon her) glad tidings, and she will sit upon a throne of light while those houris and angels sit around her. In the Throne there are two palaces, a white palace and a yellow palace, [both] fashioned from a single pearl. In the white palace there are seventy thousand houses, the dwellings of Muhammad and the family of Muhammad (peace be upon them), and in the yellow palace there are seventy thousand houses, the dwellings of Ibrahim (peace be upon him) and the family of Ibrahim. Allah will send to Fatimah (peace be upon her) an angel whom He had not sent to anyone before her nor to anyone after her, and that angel will say to her: 'Your Lord sends you greetings of peace and says: [Whatever you wish], ask of Me and I shall grant it to you.' Fatimah (peace be upon her) will say: 'Allah has completed His blessing upon me, granted me His Paradise, honoured me with His grace, and preferred me over all the women of the world. I ask of Allah that He accept my intercession for my children and my offspring and those who, after me, loved them and safeguarded them.' Allah will then reveal to that angel, before he moves from his place, telling him to say to Fatimah (peace be upon her): 'I have accepted your intercession for your children and your offspring and for those who, after you, loved them and safeguarded them.' At that point Fatimah (peace be upon her) will say: 'Praise be to Allah who has removed sorrow from me and made my eyes rejoice.' Then Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: 'Whenever my father (Imam Baqir (peace be upon him)) narrated this hadith, he would recite this verse: وَ الَّذِینَ آمَنُوا وَ اتَّبَعَتْهُمْ ذُرِّیَّتُهُمْ بِإِیمانٍ أَلحَقْنا بِهِمْ ذُرِّیَّتَهُمْ وَ ما أَلَتْناهُمْ مِنْ عَمَلِهِمْ مِنْ شَیْءٍ کُلُّ امْرِئٍ بِما کَسَبَ رَهِینٌ [And (as for) those who believe and their offspring follow them in faith, We will unite with them their offspring and We will not diminish to them aught of their work; every man is responsible for what he shall have wrought].'

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): کُلُّ نَفْسٍ بِما کَسَبَتْ رَهِینَةٌ إِلَّا أَصْحابَ الْیَمِینِ [Every soul is held in pledge for what it has earned, except the Companions of the Right] — they are the children of the believers.