سورة الأنعام

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Yunus ibn Zabyan said: Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) recited: وَ تَمَّتْ کَلِمَةُ رَبِّکَ صِدْقاً وَ عَدْلًا لا مُبَدِّلَ لِکَلِماتِهِ وَ هُوَ السَّمِیعُ الْعَلِیمُ [And the word of your Lord has been accomplished truly and justly; there is none who can change His words, and He is the Hearing, the Knowing]; then he said: "This verse pertains specifically to the Imams (peace be upon them)." Then he said: "O Yunus! Allah creates the Imam (peace be upon him) with His own hand, and does not entrust his creation to anyone else, and it is He who makes him hearing and seeing in his mother's womb. When he is placed on the earth, it is written upon his shoulder: وَ تَمَّتْ کَلِمَةُ رَبِّکَ صِدْقاً وَ عَدْلًا لا مُبَدِّلَ لِکَلِماتِهِ وَ هُوَ السَّمِیعُ الْعَلِیمُ."

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): The Imam has ten signs and proofs. First: he is born circumcised. Second: from the moment he is placed upon the earth, he looks to the sky and pronounces the two testimonies. Third: on his right arm it is written: وَ تَمَّتْ کَلِمَةُ رَبِّکَ صِدْقاً وَ عَدْلًا لا مُبَدِّلَ لِکَلِماتِهِ وَ هُوَ السَّمِیعُ الْعَلِیمُ [And the word of your Lord has been accomplished truly and justly; there is none who can change His words, and He is the Hearing, the Knowing]. Fourth: he does not walk with a swaggering or haughty gait. Fifth: he does not yawn. Sixth: he never has a wet dream, and Satan does not come near him. Seventh: the smell of what comes out of his belly is like musk, and the earth covers it by swallowing all of it. Eighth: when he stands in the sun he has no shadow, because he is a light from the Light, and has no shadow. Ninth: he stamps a seal upon stone just as his fathers used to do. Tenth: his supplication is answered.

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): The Imam (peace be upon him) has ten signs and proofs; he is born circumcised and pronouncing the two testimonies, and on his right arm it is written: وَ تَمَّتْ کَلِمَةُ رَبِّکَ صِدْقاً وَ عَدْلًا [And the word of your Lord has been accomplished truly and justly], and he does not walk with a swaggering or haughty gait, and he does not yawn, and he does not have wet dreams, and he has no shadow, and the smell of what comes out of his belly is like musk, and the earth covers it, and he stamps a seal on stone [and its imprint remains], and his supplication is answered.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): When Allah creates the Imam in his mother's womb, the following is written on his right arm: وَ تَمَّتْ کَلِمَةُ رَبِّکَ صِدْقاً وَ عَدْلًا لا مُبَدِّلَ لِکَلِماتِهِ وَ هُوَ السَّمِیعُ الْعَلِیمُ [And the word of your Lord has been accomplished truly and justly; there is none who can change His words, and He is the Hearing, the Knowing].

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): When Allah wills that the mother of an Imam should conceive the Imam, seven leaves from Paradise are brought for his father, and he eats them before intercourse. When the Imam settles in the mother's womb, he hears speech in his mother's belly. When he is born, a pillar of light rises between him and the sky, and on his right arm is written: وَ تَمَّتْ کَلِمَةُ رَبِّکَ صِدْقاً وَ عَدْلًا لا مُبَدِّلَ لِکَلِماتِهِ وَ هُوَ السَّمِیعُ الْعَلِیمُ [And the word of your Lord has been accomplished truly and justly; there is none who can change His words, and He is the Hearing, the Knowing].

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): When the sperm-drop has settled in the womb for forty days and nights, Allah sets up for him a pillar of light in the mother's womb. By that light he sees as far as the eye can reach. Then, after four months in the mother's belly, an angel called Hayawan comes to him and writes on his right arm: وَ تَمَّتْ کَلِمَةُ رَبِّکَ صِدْقاً وَ عَدْلًا لا مُبَدِّلَ لِکَلِماتِهِ وَ هُوَ السَّمِیعُ الْعَلِیمُ [And the word of your Lord has been accomplished truly and justly; there is none who can change His words, and He is the Hearing, the Knowing].

Imam Kazim (peace be upon him): The sperm-drop of the Imam (peace be upon him), when it has been in the womb for forty days and nights, has a pillar of light set up for it in his mother's belly, by which he sees as far as his sight reaches. When four months are complete, an angel called "al-Khayr" comes to him and writes on his right arm: وَ تَمَّتْ کَلِمَةُ رَبِّکَ صِدْقاً وَ عَدْلًا لا مُبَدِّلَ لِکَلِماتِهِ وَ هُوَ السَّمِیعُ الْعَلِیمُ [And the word of your Lord has been accomplished truly and justly; there is none who can change His words, and He is the Hearing, the Knowing]. When his mother brings him into the world, he places his hand on the ground, raises his head to the sky, and bears witness that there is no god but Allah.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Yunus ibn Zabyan said: I heard Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) saying: When Allah the Mighty and Majestic wills to create an Imam from an Imam, He sends an angel who takes a draught of water from beneath the Throne. Then he places it in the Imam — or he said: gives it to him — and the Imam drinks it. He then remains in the womb for forty days without hearing speech, and after that he hears speech. When his mother gives birth to him, Allah sends to him that same angel who had taken the draught, and he writes on his right arm [this verse]: وَ تَمَّتْ کَلِمَتُ رَبِّکَ صِدْقًا وَ عَدْلاً لاَّ مُبَدِّلِ لِکَلِمَاتِهِ [And the word of your Lord has been accomplished truly and justly; there is none who can change His words]. Then when he rises with this affair, Allah raises for him in every city a minaret through which he observes the deeds of the servants.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Whenever Allah, Blessed and Exalted, wishes to create an Imam, He commands one of the angels to take a draught of water from beneath the Throne and give it to his father to drink, and from that (water) the Imam is created. He remains for forty days and nights in his mother's womb without hearing sound, then after that he hears speech. And when he is born, Allah sends that angel and he writes between his eyes [this verse]: وَ تَمَّتْ کَلِمَتُ رَبِّکَ صِدْقًا وَ عَدْلاً لاَّ مُبَدِّلِ لِکَلِمَاتِهِ وَ هُوَ السَّمِیعُ الْعَلِیمُ [And the word of your Lord has been accomplished truly and justly; there is none who can change His words, and He is the Hearing, the Knowing]. Then when the Imam who was before him passes away, a minaret of light is raised for him by which he sees the deeds of the servants, and it is by this that Allah establishes His argument over His creation [for He has completed the proof upon them].

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Hasan ibn Rashid narrated that Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: "When Allah wishes to create an Imam, He takes a draught from beneath the Throne and gives it to an angel to give his mother to drink, and the Imam is created from that draught. After his birth, Allah sends that same angel to write on the Imam's forehead: وَ تَمَّتْ کَلِمَةُ رَبِّکَ صِدْقاً وَ عَدْلًا لا مُبَدِّلَ لِکَلِماتِهِ وَ هُوَ السَّمِیعُ الْعَلِیمُ [And the word of your Lord has been accomplished truly and justly; there is none who can change His words, and He is the Hearing, the Knowing]. And when the previous Imam passes from the world, He raises for him a pillar by which he sees the deeds of the servants, and by this same means Allah establishes His argument over His creation."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): When Allah wishes to take the soul of an Imam and create another Imam after him, He sends down a drop from beneath the Throne to the earth and casts it upon a fruit or upon one of the grains. Allah creates from that drop a sperm-drop in the loins, then that sperm-drop transfers to the womb and remains there for forty days, and after these forty days pass it hears sounds, and after four months this verse is written on his right arm: وَ تَمَّتْ کَلِمَة رَبِّکَ صِدْقًا وَ عَدْلاً لاَّ مُبَدِّلِ لِکَلِمَاتِهِ وَ هُوَ السَّمِیعُ الْعَلِیمُ [And the word of your Lord has been accomplished truly and justly; there is none who can change His words, and He is the Hearing, the Knowing]. And when he sets foot upon the earth, wisdom is granted to him and he is adorned with forbearance and dignity, and the garment of awe and majesty is placed upon him, and a lamp of light is set for him by which he knows [the inner state of people] and sees the deeds of the servants.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): When Allah the Exalted wills to create an Imam, He sends down a drop of the water of Paradise into a cloud, and it drips onto one of the fruits of Paradise, and the Imam eats it [and from this fruit the sperm-drop of the Imam is formed]. When it settles in the mother's placenta, after forty days he hears the speech of people, and when four months pass, on his right arm is written: وَ تَمَّتْ کَلِمَةُ رَبِّکَ صِدْقاً وَ عَدْلًا لا مُبَدِّلَ لِکَلِماتِهِ وَ هُوَ السَّمِیعُ الْعَلِیمُ [And the word of your Lord has been accomplished truly and justly; there is none who can change His words, and He is the Hearing, the Knowing]. And when he is born, he rises by the command of Allah, and a light from him shines to the surroundings of the world.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Yunus narrated that Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: "When Allah wills to create an Imam, He sends down a drop from beneath His Throne onto one of the grains of the earth or one of its fruits, and the Imam from whom the next Imam is to be born eats it, and the sperm-drop is formed from that drop. When forty days have passed over him in his mother's womb, he hears sounds, and when four months have passed, upon his right arm is written: وَ تَمَّتْ کَلِمَةُ رَبِّکَ صِدْقاً وَ عَدْلًا لا مُبَدِّلَ لِکَلِماتِهِ وَ هُوَ السَّمِیعُ الْعَلِیمُ [And the word of your Lord has been accomplished truly and justly; there is none who can change His words, and He is the Hearing, the Knowing]. And when he is born from his mother's womb, wisdom is given to him and a lamp is kindled for him by which he sees their deeds."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): When Allah wills to create an Imam, He takes with His hand a drink from beneath His Throne and hands it to one of His angels, who conveys it to the Imam. The sperm-drop of the [next] Imam is from that drink. When forty days have passed, he hears sounds in his mother's womb. After his birth, wisdom is given to him and upon his right arm is written: وَ تَمَّتْ کَلِمَةُ رَبِّکَ صِدْقاً وَ عَدْلًا لا مُبَدِّلَ لِکَلِماتِهِ وَ هُوَ السَّمِیعُ الْعَلِیمُ [And the word of your Lord has been accomplished truly and justly; there is none who can change His words, and He is the Hearing, the Knowing]. When the office of imamate reaches him, Allah aids him with three hundred and thirteen angels, matching the number of the warriors of Badr, and they are with him. And with him are seventy men and twelve naqibs (chiefs); the seventy men he sends out to the regions to call people to the path he calls to, and there is for him in a certain place a lamp by which he observes the deeds of the people.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Muhammad ibn Marwan narrated from Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) who said: "O Muhammad! The Imam hears sounds in his mother's womb; when he is born, something is written on his two shoulders." Then he said: "On his hands this word of Allah is written: وَ تَمَّتْ کَلِمَةُ رَبِّکَ صِدْقاً وَ عَدْلًا لا مُبَدِّلَ لِکَلِماتِهِ وَ هُوَ السَّمِیعُ الْعَلِیمُ [And the word of your Lord has been accomplished truly and justly; there is none who can change His words, and He is the Hearing, the Knowing]."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): The Imam hears in his mother's womb, and whenever he is born, this [verse] is written between his shoulders: وَ تَمَّتْ کَلِمَتُ رَبِّکَ صِدْقًا وَ عَدْلاً لاَّ مُبَدِّلِ لِکَلِمَاتِهِ وَ هُوَ السَّمِیعُ الْعَلِیمُ [And the word of your Lord has been accomplished truly and justly; there is none who can change His words, and He is the Hearing, the Knowing]. When the matter (the station of Imamate) is handed over to him, Allah appoints for him a pillar of light through which he observes the deeds of the people of every city.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Ishaq ibn Ammar said: I came to Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) to bid him farewell. In a manner resembling anger he said: "Sit down!" Then he said: "O Ishaq! It seems you think I am like these people? Do you not know that the Imams, one after another, hear the voice in their mother's womb, and when they are born from their mother, it is written on their right arm: وَ تَمَّتْ کَلِمَةُ رَبِّکَ صِدْقاً وَ عَدْلًا لا مُبَدِّلَ لِکَلِماتِهِ وَ هُوَ السَّمِیعُ الْعَلِیمُ [And the word of your Lord has been accomplished truly and justly; there is none who can change His words, and He is the Hearing, the Knowing]. As soon as he grows and begins to move and develop, a pillar is set up for him from the sky to the earth by which he sees the deeds of the servants."

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): The Imam hears speech in his mother's womb, and when he is born on the earth, an angel comes to him and writes on his right arm: وَ تَمَّتْ کَلِمَةُ رَبِّکَ صِدْقاً وَ عَدْلًا لا مُبَدِّلَ لِکَلِماتِهِ وَ هُوَ السَّمِیعُ الْعَلِیمُ [And the word of your Lord has been accomplished truly and justly; there is none who can change His words, and He is the Hearing, the Knowing]. Then when he reaches youth, Allah raises up for him in every town a pillar of light of his station therein; he sees and knows what is being done in another town.

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Our Imam hears speech in his mother's womb, and when he is born on the earth, an angel comes to him and then writes on his right arm: وَ تَمَّتْ کَلِمَةُ رَبِّکَ صِدْقاً وَ عَدْلًا لا مُبَدِّلَ لِکَلِماتِهِ وَ هُوَ السَّمِیعُ الْعَلِیمُ [And the word of your Lord has been accomplished truly and justly; there is none who can change His words, and He is the Hearing, the Knowing]. Then when he reaches youth, Allah raises up for him a pillar of light, and in it he sees the world and all that is in it; nothing of it is hidden from him.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Ishaq ibn Ammar narrated from Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) that he said: "The Imam hears voices in his mother's womb, and when he sets foot on the earth, it is written on his right arm: وَ تَمَّتْ کَلِمَةُ رَبِّکَ صِدْقاً وَ عَدْلًا لا مُبَدِّلَ لِکَلِماتِهِ وَ هُوَ السَّمِیعُ الْعَلِیمُ [And the word of your Lord has been accomplished truly and justly; there is none who can change His words, and He is the Hearing, the Knowing]. And when he stands upon his feet, a pillar of light is set up for him from the earth to the heaven, by which he sees the deeds of the servants."

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): When any of you enters into the presence of the Imam, be mindful of what you say! For the Imam hears while in his mother's womb; when his mother gives birth to him, a light shines forth from him towards the heaven. At the time of birth, on his right arm is written: وَ تَمَّتْ کَلِمَةُ رَبِّکَ صِدْقاً وَ عَدْلًا لا مُبَدِّلَ لِکَلِماتِهِ وَ هُوَ السَّمِیعُ الْعَلِیمُ [And the word of your Lord has been accomplished truly and justly; there is none who can change His words, and He is the Hearing, the Knowing]. And when he speaks, Allah sets up for him a pillar by which he looks over the people of the earth and knows the deeds of the servants.

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): The Imam indeed hears the voice in his mother's womb, and when he is separated from his mother, it is written on his right arm: وَ تَمَّتْ کَلِمَةُ رَبِّکَ صِدْقاً وَ عَدْلًا لا مُبَدِّلَ لِکَلِماتِهِ وَ هُوَ السَّمِیعُ الْعَلِیمُ [And the word of your Lord has been accomplished truly and justly; there is none who can change His words, and He is the Hearing, the Knowing]. And when affairs are entrusted to him, a pillar of light is raised for him by which he sees the deeds of the servants.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Yunus ibn Zabyan said: Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: The Imam (peace be upon him) hears while in his mother's womb, and when he is born, a line is written on his two shoulders. Then he said: "Likewise on his hand, and that [line is this] statement of Allah the Exalted: وَ تَمَّتْ کَلِمَةُ رَبِّکَ صِدْقاً وَ عَدْلًا لا مُبَدِّلَ لِکَلِماتِهِ [And the word of your Lord has been accomplished truly and justly; there is none who can change His words]. And in every city and land a pillar of light is placed for him, by which he sees what the people of the city do therein."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Abu Basir said: We performed the Hajj with Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) in the year in which his son Musa (peace be upon him) was born. When we alighted at [the region of] al-Abwa, he laid out the meal for us, and whenever he served food to his companions, he would serve it in abundance and of good quality. He said: We were eating when the messenger of Hamida arrived. He said to him: "Hamida says: 'I do not recognise myself, and I am feeling what I used to feel when the time of my delivery drew near, and you have ordered me not to let this child of yours precede you [i.e. to call you before the delivery].'" So Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) rose and set off with the messenger, and when he returned, his companions said to him: "May Allah gladden you, and may we be made your ransom — what has Hamida borne for you?" He said: "May Allah keep her safe. Allah has granted me a son, and he is the best of those whom Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, has created. Hamida told me something about him that she thought I did not know, whereas I knew it better than she did." I said: "May I be made your ransom! What did Hamida tell you about him?" He said: "She said that when this boy was born, his two hands were placed on the ground and his head was raised toward the sky. I informed her that this act is a mark of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) and a mark of the wasi (successor) after him." I said: "May I be made your ransom, what connection has this [mark] with the mark of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) and the mark of the wasi after him?" He said to me: "On the night in which the seed of my grandfather was conceived, an angel brought to the grandfather of my father a cup in which was a drink thinner than water, softer than butter, sweeter than honey, cooler than ice, and whiter than milk. He made him drink it and commanded him to have intercourse. He rose and had intercourse, and then the seed and the clot of my grandfather were conceived. On the very night in which the seed of my father was conceived, the angel came to my grandfather and made my grandfather drink [the same cup] which he had made the grandfather of my father drink, and gave him the same command. He rose and performed the act of intercourse, and the seed and the clot of my father were conceived. On the very night in which my own seed was conceived, an angel came to my father and made him drink the same cup he had made them drink, and gave him the same command. So he rose and performed the act of intercourse, and my seed and clot were conceived. On the very night in which the seed of my son was conceived, an angel like the angel who had come to them came to me, and did with me as he had done with them. So I rose — and my Allah knows that I am delighted with what Allah is giving me — and I performed the act of intercourse, and this son of mine came into being, and he is before you, and by Allah he is your Imam after me. The seed of the Imam is formed from what I have told you, and whenever the seed remains in the womb for four months and the spirit is created within it, Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, sends an angel called Hayawan, who then writes on its right upper arm this verse: وَ تَمَّتْ کَلِمَتُ رَبِّکَ صِدْقًا وَ عَدْلاً لاَّ مُبَدِّلِ لِکَلِمَاتِهِ وَ هُوَ السَّمِیعُ الْعَلِیمُ [And the word of your Lord has been accomplished truly and justly; there is none who can change His words, and He is the Hearing, the Knowing]. And when he comes out of his mother's belly, his two hands are placed on the ground and his head is toward the sky. As for the raising of his head toward the sky, it is because a caller calls out to him from the midst of the Throne, from the side of the Lord of Glory, from the highest horizon, by his name and the name of his father, and says: 'O so-and-so, son of so-and-so, you are made firm and steadfast, and on account of the great purpose for which I created you, you are My chosen one from among My creation, the place of My secret, the vessel of My knowledge, My trustee over My revelation, and My vicegerent on My earth. I have made My mercy binding upon you and upon those who follow you, and I have granted them My paradise and settled them in My proximity. By My might and My majesty, I shall inflict upon those who show enmity to you the severest of My punishment, even if I expand My provision for him in My world.' Whenever the voice — the voice of the caller — ceases, he replies to Him, with his hands placed on the ground and his head raised toward the sky, and says: شَهِدَ اللهُ أَنَّهُ لا إِلهَ إِلَّا هُوَ وَ الْمَلائِکَةُ وَ أُولُوا الْعِلْمِ قائِماً بِالْقِسْطِ لا إِلهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الْعَزِیزُ الْحَکِیمُ [Allah bears witness, [by establishing the single order of the universe of existence], that there is no deity but He, and the angels and those endowed with knowledge [each in their own way bear witness to this matter], while [Allah in the whole of the universe] stands in justice; there is no deity but He, the Mighty, the Wise] (Al Imran/18)." I said: "May I be made your ransom, is not the Ruh (Spirit) Jibrail (peace be upon him)?" He said: "The Ruh is greater than Jibrail (peace be upon him). Jibrail (peace be upon him) is one of the angels, but the Ruh is a creation greater than the angels. Does not Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, say: تَنَزَّلُ الْمَلائِکَةُ وَ الرُّوحُ [The angels and the Ruh descend] (Qadr/4)."

Imam Sajjad (peace be upon him): The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) taught Ali (peace be upon him) a word that opened a thousand words, and each of those thousand words opened a thousand words.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) entrusted to Ali (peace be upon him) a thousand words, each word of which opened a thousand words.

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) taught Ali (peace be upon him) a thousand letters [that each letter] opened a thousand letters, and each one of those thousand letters opened a thousand letters.

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): We are the very words that Adam (peace be upon him) received from Allah, whereupon Allah accepted his repentance.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): [It is narrated] from Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) concerning the ziyarat of the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him): Then move to the side of the feet and say: 'Peace be upon the father of the Imams (peace be upon them), the intimate friend of prophethood, and the one singled out for brotherhood. Peace be upon the great chief of religion and faith, and the word of the [Allah] the Most Merciful.'

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): Indeed Ali (peace be upon him) is the banner of guidance, the leader of my friends, and the light of whoever obeys me, and he is the word to which the Allah-fearing hold fast.

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): Tariq ibn Shihab narrates: Imam Ali (peace be upon him) said: O Tariq! The Imam is Kalimatullah (the Word of Allah), Hujjatullah (the Proof of Allah), Wajhullah (the Face of Allah), Nurullah (the Light of Allah), Hijabullah (the Veil of Allah), and Ayatullah (the Sign of Allah). Allah chooses him and places in him whatever He wills. By virtue of this station, obedience to him and his wilayah (guardianship) are obligatory upon the whole world. He is the wali (friend) of Allah in the heavens and the earth. This covenant has been taken from all the worlds. Whoever puts himself before him has disbelieved in Allah. He does whatever he wishes. Whatever Allah wills, he carries out. Upon his right arm is written: وَ تَمَّتْ کَلِمَةُ رَبِّکَ صِدْقاً وَ عَدْلًا [And the word of your Lord has been accomplished truly and justly]. He is truth and justice. For him a pillar of light is set up from the earth to the sky, and by means of it he sees the deeds of the servants.