سورة الحديد

Imam Kazim (peace be upon him): وَ رَهْبانِیَّةً ابْتَدَعُوها ما کَتَبْناها عَلَیْهِمْ إِلَّا ابْتِغاءَ رِضْوانِ اللهِ [And monasticism they innovated — We did not prescribe it for them, except (that they should) seek the pleasure of Allah] — they innovated monasticism and renunciation of the world; We did not prescribe anything upon them except that they seek the pleasure and satisfaction of Allah.

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): O son of Mas'ud! Do you know from where the Children of Israel brought monasticism? I said: "Allah and His Messenger know best." He said: "After Isa (peace be upon him), tyrants prevailed over them and disobeyed Allah. The people of faith became angry and fought them, and were defeated three times, until only a few of them remained. They said to themselves: If we go out to fight these people, they will destroy us and no one will remain alive to call the people to the religion. So come, let us scatter to the corners of the earth until Allah raises up that Prophet whom Isa (peace be upon him) promised us — meaning Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family). So they scattered into the caves of the mountains and invented monasticism. Some of them held fast to their religion, and some became disbelievers." Then he recited this verse: رَهْبانِیَّةً ابْتَدَعُوها ما کَتَبْناها عَلَیْهِمْ إِلَّا ابْتِغاءَ رِضْوانِ اللهِ [And monasticism they innovated — We did not prescribe it for them — only seeking the pleasure of Allah] ... Then he said: "O son of Mas'ud! Do you know what the monasticism of my Ummah is?" I said: "Allah and His Messenger know best." He said: "Migration, jihad, prayer, fasting, hajj and umrah."

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): The monasticism that they innovated was their taking to the wildernesses and the mountains.

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): And the people after them did not observe it with its due observance, because they denied Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family).

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): O Ibn Mas'ud! The community of Isa (peace be upon him) who were before you split into seventy-two sects, and two sects among them were saved and the rest perished. One sect [of those two] fought the kings on the basis of the religion of Isa (peace be upon him), and in the end the kings killed them; and the other sect, who did not have the strength to confront the kings and could not stand against them and call them to the religion of Allah the Exalted and the religion of Isa (peace be upon him), in the end took to wandering through the lands and adopted monasticism. And they are the ones about whom Allah said: رَهْبانِیَّةً ابْتَدَعُوهَا مَا کَتَبْنَاهَا عَلَیْهِمْ [(as for) monkery, they innovated it — We did not prescribe it to them]. Then the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) said: Whoever believes in me and affirms me and follows me has observed true monasticism, and whoever does not believe in me is among those who will certainly be destroyed. Whoever believes in me, and affirms me, and follows me, has observed monasticism with its due observance, and whoever does not believe in me is destroyed.