سورة الحديد

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): "This is the Book in which there is no doubt" (Baqarah/2), that is, Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) — there is no doubt in his Imamate.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Musa (peace be upon him) gave the testamentary charge to Yusha ibn Nun, and Yusha ibn Nun gave the charge to the son of Harun, while he had given it neither to his own son nor to the son of Musa (peace be upon him). Indeed Allah the Mighty and Majestic has His chosen ones, and He selects whomever He wills from whomever He wills. He gave Musa (peace be upon him) and Yusha glad tidings of al-Masih (peace be upon him). When Allah the Mighty and Majestic sent al-Masih (peace be upon him), al-Masih said to them: "Indeed after me there will come a prophet whose name is Ahmad (peace be upon him and his family), from the descendants of Isma'il (peace be upon him), who will bring the confirmation of me and of you, and my proof and your proof." And after him this matter continued among the disciples (Hawariyyin) and among the Mustahfizin (the entrusted guardians). Allah the Exalted named them Mustahfizin only because the Ism al-Akbar (the Greatest Name) was entrusted to their keeping, and it is the Book by which knowledge of everything is known — the very Book that was with the prophets (peace be upon them). Allah the Exalted says: وَلَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا رُسُلًا مِنْ قَبْلِكَ [And certainly We sent apostles before you] (Ra'd/38), and وَأَنْزَلْنَا مَعَهُمُ الْكِتَابَ وَالْمِيزَانَ [And We sent down with them the Book and the Balance]. The Book is the Ism al-Akbar, and what is known by the names Torah, Injil and Furqan is this same Book. In it is the book of Nuh (peace be upon him), and in it is the book of Salih (peace be upon him), of Shu'ayb (peace be upon him), and of Ibrahim (peace be upon him). Thus Allah the Mighty and Majestic said: إِنَّ هَذَا لَفِي الصُّحُفِ الْأُولَى * صُحُفِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَمُوسَى [Certainly this is in the earlier scriptures, the scriptures of Ibrahim and Musa] (A'la/18-19). What are the scriptures of Ibrahim? The scriptures of Ibrahim (peace be upon him) are the Ism al-Akbar, and the scriptures of Musa (peace be upon him) are also the Ism al-Akbar. The matter of the transmission of the wasiyyah (testamentary trust) continued uninterruptedly from one knower to another, until they conveyed it to Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family). When Allah the Mighty and Majestic raised up Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family), the remnant of the Mustahfizin submitted to him, while the Bani Isra'il denied him. So he sought help from Allah the Mighty and Majestic and struggled in His path. Then Allah the Mighty and Majestic sent down upon him a verse: "O Muhammad! Proclaim the virtue of your successor (wasi)." So the noble Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) said: "O Allah! The Arabs are an unjust people; they have had no Book, no prophet was sent to them, and it is for this reason that they do not recognise the virtue of prophethood or the honour of the prophets, and if I speak to them of the virtue of my Ahl al-Bayt, they will not believe me." So Allah the Mighty and Majestic said: وَقُلْ سَلَامٌ فَسَوْفَ يَعْلَمُونَ [And say: Peace; for soon they shall know] (Zukhruf/89). So he mentioned some of the virtues of his successor, and hypocrisy arose in their hearts. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) came to know of this hypocrisy of theirs and what they were saying. Allah the Mighty and Majestic said: وَلَقَدْ نَعْلَمُ أَنَّكَ يَضِيقُ صَدْرُكَ بِمَا يَقُولُونَ [And certainly We know that your breast is straitened by what they say] (Hijr/97), فَإِنَّهُمْ لَا يُكَذِّبُونَكَ وَلَكِنَّ الظَّالِمِينَ بِآيَاتِ اللَّهِ يَجْحَدُونَ [In reality they do not deny you, but the wrongdoers reject the signs of Allah] (An'am/33) — they reject it without any proof. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) used to be gentle with them and would seek the help of some of them against others, and he continued to speak to them of the virtue of his successor until this surah was revealed. When he was informed that he must respond to the call of the Truth and that the time of his death had come, he laid out his argument and evidence for them. Allah the Mighty and Majestic said: فَإِذَا فَرَغْتَ فَانْصَبْ وَإِلَى رَبِّكَ فَارْغَبْ [So when you are free, exert yourself, and turn to your Lord with longing] (Sharh/7-8) — meaning: when you are free, raise up your banner and appoint your successor, and openly declare his virtue. So the noble Messenger (peace be upon him and his family) said: "Whoever's mawla I am, Ali is his mawla; O Allah, befriend whoever befriends him and be an enemy to whoever is his enemy," three times. Then he said: "I shall send forth a man who loves Allah and His Messenger and whom Allah and His Messenger love; he does not turn away from them and is no fugitive" — by these words the Prophet meant a person who had turned back [from battle] and was frightening his companions and they were frightening him. And he said: "Ali (peace be upon him) is the master of the believers." And he said: "Ali (peace be upon him) is the pillar of the religion." And he said: "This is the one who will fight the people with the sword for the sake of the truth after me." And he said: "The truth is with Ali (peace be upon him), whichever way he turns." And he said: "I am leaving among you two matters; if you take hold of these two, you will never go astray: the Book of Allah the Mighty and Majestic, and my Ahl al-Bayt. O people! Listen — I have conveyed [the message] to you. You will come to me at the Hawd (pond), and there I shall ask you about your deeds regarding the two weighty things (thaqalayn). The Thaqalayn are: the Book of Allah the Mighty and Majestic, and my Ahl al-Bayt. Do not go ahead of them, or you will perish, and do not attempt to teach them, for they are more knowledgeable than you." Through the word of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) and the Book which the people recite, the proof was completed against them (no room for excuse remained). The noble Messenger (peace be upon him and his family) continued to expound the virtue of his Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them) and to make it clear to them from the Quran: إِنَّمَا يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ لِيُذْهِبَ عَنْكُمُ الرِّجْسَ أَهْلَ الْبَيْتِ وَيُطَهِّرَكُمْ تَطْهِيرًا [Allah only wishes to remove uncleanness from you, O People of the House, and to purify you thoroughly] (Ahzab/33). And Allah the Mighty and Majestic said: وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّمَا غَنِمْتُمْ مِنْ شَيْءٍ فَأَنَّ لِلَّهِ خُمُسَهُ وَلِلرَّسُولِ وَلِذِي الْقُرْبَى [And know that whatever thing you take as spoils, indeed one fifth of it is for Allah and for the Messenger and for the near of kin] (Anfal/41). Then Allah the Mighty and Majestic said: وَآتِ ذَا الْقُرْبَى حَقَّهُ [And give the near of kin his right] — the one meant by dhi al-qurba is Ali (peace be upon him), and Ali's (peace be upon him) right was the successorship (wasiyyah) that was granted to him, and likewise he was the Ism al-Akbar, the inheritance of knowledge, and the traces of the knowledge of prophethood. So [Allah] said: قُلْ لَا أَسْأَلُكُمْ عَلَيْهِ أَجْرًا إِلَّا الْمَوَدَّةَ فِي الْقُرْبَى [Say: I do not ask of you any reward for it save the love for the near of kin]. Then He said: وَإِذَا الْمَوْؤُودَةُ سُئِلَتْ بِأَيِّ ذَنْبٍ قُتِلَتْ [And when the female infant buried alive is asked: for what sin was she killed?] — meaning: I shall ask you about the mawaddah (love) whose virtue I have sent down upon you, the love of the near of kin — for what sin did you kill them? Allah the Mighty and Majestic said: فَاسْأَلُوا أَهْلَ الذِّكْرِ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ [So ask the people of the Reminder if you do not know]. He said: The Book is the Reminder (dhikr), and its people are the family of Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family), whom Allah the Mighty and Majestic commanded to be asked, and not the ignorant. And Allah the Mighty and Majestic named the Quran "Reminder" and said: وَأَنْزَلْنَا إِلَيْكَ الذِّكْرَ لِتُبَيِّنَ لِلنَّاسِ مَا نُزِّلَ إِلَيْهِمْ وَلَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ [And We have sent down the Reminder to you that you may make clear to the people what has been sent down to them, and that they may reflect]. And Allah the Mighty and Majestic said: وَإِنَّهُ لَذِكْرٌ لَكَ وَلِقَوْمِكَ وَسَوْفَ تُسْأَلُونَ [And indeed it is a Reminder for you and for your people, and soon you will be questioned]. And Allah the Mighty and Majestic said: أَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ وَأُولِي الْأَمْرِ مِنْكُمْ [Obey Allah, and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you]. And Allah the Mighty and Majestic said: وَلَوْ رَدُّوهُ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَإِلَى الرَّسُولِ وَإِلَى أُولِي الْأَمْرِ مِنْهُمْ لَعَلِمَهُ الَّذِينَ يَسْتَنْبِطُونَهُ مِنْهُمْ [And if they had referred it to Allah and to the Messenger and to those in authority among them, those of them who are able to draw out its meaning would have known it]. So Allah referred the affairs of the people back to ulu al-amr (those in authority) — those whom He commanded people to obey and to turn to. When the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) was returning from Hijjat al-Wada (the Farewell Pilgrimage), Jibra'il (peace be upon him) descended upon him and said: يَا أَيُّهَا الرَّسُولُ بَلِّغْ مَا أُنْزِلَ إِلَيْكَ مِنْ رَبِّكَ وَإِنْ لَمْ تَفْعَلْ فَمَا بَلَّغْتَ رِسَالَتَهُ وَاللَّهُ يَعْصِمُكَ مِنَ النَّاسِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الْكَافِرِينَ [O Messenger! Deliver what has been sent down to you from your Lord; and if you do not, then you have not delivered His message; and Allah will protect you from the people. Indeed Allah does not guide the disbelieving people]. So he called the people, and they gathered. He ordered that some branches be brought and the thorns of that ground be swept away. Then he said: "O people! Who is your mawla and who has more authority over you than yourselves?" They said: "Allah and His Messenger." He said: "Whoever's mawla I am, Ali is his mawla. O Allah, befriend whoever loves Ali, and be an enemy to whoever is an enemy of Ali." And he repeated these words three times. So the thorn of hypocrisy lodged in the hearts of the people, and they said: "Allah the Mighty and Majestic never sent this down upon Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family); by this he only wants to raise up the standing of his cousin." When he entered Medina, the Ansar came to him and said: "O Messenger of Allah! Allah the Mighty and Majestic has done us a great kindness, and by you and by your being raised up among us He has honoured us. Allah has gladdened our friend and humbled and abased our enemy. Sometimes delegations come to you and you have no wealth to give them, and for this reason the enemy taunts you. We would love for you to take one third of our wealth, so that you may be able to give something to the delegations that come to you from Mecca." The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) gave them no reply and waited for a verse to be sent down to him from his Lord. So Jibra'il descended upon him and said: قُلْ لَا أَسْأَلُكُمْ عَلَيْهِ أَجْرًا إِلَّا الْمَوَدَّةَ فِي الْقُرْبَى [Say: I do not ask of you any reward for it save the love for the near of kin]. The noble Prophet did not accept their wealth. So the hypocrites said: "This has not been sent down upon Muhammad; he only wants to raise up the position of his cousin and load his household onto our shoulders. Yesterday he said: 'Whoever's mawla I am, Ali is his mawla,' and today he says: 'Say: I do not ask of you any reward for it save the love for the near of kin.'" Then the verse of khums was sent down. They said: "He wants us to give our wealth and spoils of war to him." Then Jibra'il (peace be upon him) descended upon him and said: "O Muhammad! You have completed your prophethood and brought the days of your life in this world to their end. So place the Ism al-Akbar, the inheritance of knowledge, and the traces of the knowledge of prophethood with Ali (peace be upon him), for I do not leave the earth without a knower, one through whom My obedience is recognised and My wilayah is recognised, and that knower is a proof for those who are born in the interval between the death of one prophet and the raising up of the next prophet." He said: So he entrusted to him the Ism al-Akbar, the inheritance of knowledge, and the traces of the knowledge of prophethood, and he entrusted to him a thousand words and a thousand doors, each word and each door opening onto a thousand words and a thousand doors.

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Sa'd narrated from Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) that he said: We are Sabilullah (the path of Allah); we are that very path — whoever enters it, a fortress is wrapped around him, and the fortress is the Imam himself. On the Day of Resurrection there will be in the scale of his deeds a rock heavier than the seven heavens and the seven earths and whatever is upon them and between them and beneath them. I said: "O Abu Ja'far! What is the mizan (balance)?" He said: "O Sa'd! Your depth of insight and breadth of vision have increased. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) is that rock, and we are the balance. And Allah the Mighty and Majestic said concerning the Imam: لِیَقُومَ النَّاسُ بِالقِسْطِ [that men may conduct themselves with equity]. And whoever, before the Imam, says takbir and says: لا اله الا الله وحده لا شریک له [there is no god but Allah alone, He has no partner], Allah records for him the greatest good pleasure (ridwan al-akbar); and for whomever Allah records the greatest good pleasure, He joins him with Ibrahim (peace be upon him) and Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) and the prophets in Dar al-Jalal (the Abode of Majesty)." I said: "What is Dar al-Jalal?" He said: "We are Dar al-Jalal. And this is the word of Allah the Mighty and Majestic: '[Yes,] this abode of the Hereafter We assign to those who do not desire self-exaltation on earth nor corruption, and the good end is for the pious!' (Qasas/83) O Sa'd, we are that good end. And Allah the Mighty and Majestic says concerning our love for the pious: 'Blessed and imperishable is the name of your Lord, the Possessor of Majesty and Honour!' (al-Rahman/78) We are that majesty and honour of Allah, and Allah the Blessed and Exalted has honoured the servants through obedience to us."

Ali ibn Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him): وَ أَنْزَلْنا مَعَهُمُ الْکِتابَ وَ الْمِیزانَ [And We sent down with them the Book and the Balance] — the mizan (balance) means the Imam.

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): وَ أَنْزَلْنَا الْحَدِیدَ فِیهِ بَأْسٌ شَدِیدٌ [And We sent down iron, wherein is great violence] — [what is meant by] Allah's sending down of iron is Allah's very creating of it.

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): وَأَنزَلنَا الحَدِیدَ [And We sent down iron] — Allah sent Adam down together with the sword Dhulfiqar, and He created this sword from the leaves of the myrtle tree of Paradise. فِیهِ بَأْسٌ شَدِیدٌ [wherein is great violence] — Adam used it to fight his enemies from among the jinn and the satans, and on it was written: 'My prophets will continue to fight with it, one prophet (peace be upon him and his family) after another and one truthful one after another, until the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) inherits it and fights with it on behalf of the Ummi Prophet (peace be upon him and his family).' وَمَنَافِعُ لِلنَّاسِ [and advantages to men] — that belongs to Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) and Ali (peace be upon him).

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family): Indeed Allah the Mighty and Majestic sent down four blessings from the sky to the earth: iron, fire, water, and salt.

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family): Then the mountains boasted over themselves and raised themselves up high and said, 'What thing can overcome us?' So Allah created iron, and it cut them, and they became subdued and humbled. Then iron boasted over the mountains and said, 'What thing can overcome me?' So Allah created fire, and it melted the iron.

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): Allah sent down together with Adam (peace be upon him), from iron: the anvil (a blacksmith's tool upon which iron is beaten), the tongs, and the hammer.

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): وَ أَنْزَلْنَا الْحَدِیدَ فِیهِ بَأْسٌ شَدِیدٌ [And We sent down iron wherein is great violence] — meaning weapons and instruments of battle and other than that.

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): إِنَّ اللهَ قَویٌّ عَزِیزٌ [Indeed Allah is Strong, Mighty] — He is powerful enough to punish the disbelievers by means of Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him).