سورة الأنعام

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Sulayman ibn Khalid said: Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: Whenever Allah the Mighty and Majestic wills good for His servant, He places a point of light in his heart and opens the ears of his heart and appoints an angel for him who guides him [to the right path]; and whenever He wills evil for a servant, He places a black point in his heart and blocks the ears of his heart and appoints a satan over him who leads him astray. Then he recited this verse: فَمَن یُرِدِ اللهُ أَن یَهْدِیَهُ یَشْرَحْ صَدْرَهُ لِلإِسْلاَمِ وَمَن یُرِدْ أَن یُضِلَّهُ یَجْعَلْ صَدْرَهُ ضَیِّقًا حَرَجًا کَأَنَّمَا یَصَّعَّدُ فِی السَّماء [Therefore whomsoever Allah intends to guide, He expands his breast for Islam, and whomsoever He intends to cause to err, He makes his breast strait and narrow as though he were ascending upwards].

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Abd al-Hamid ibn Abi al-Ala narrates that Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: "Indeed, whenever Allah the Mighty and Majestic wills good for a servant, He places a point of light in his heart, and that light illuminates his heart and his hearing, so that he becomes more eager for what you possess than you yourselves are. And whenever He wills evil for a servant, He places a black point in his heart, so that his hearing and his heart become dark." Then he recited this verse: فَمَنْ یُرِدِ اللهُ أَنْ یَهْدِیَهُ یَشْرَحْ صَدْرَهُ لِلْإِسْلامِ وَ مَنْ یُرِدْ أَنْ یُضِلَّهُ یَجْعَلْ صَدْرَهُ ضَیِّقاً حَرَجاً کَأَنَّما یَصَّعَّدُ فِی السَّماءِ [Therefore whomsoever Allah intends to guide, He expands his breast for Islam; and whomsoever He intends to lead astray, He makes his breast strait and narrow as though he were ascending upwards].

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) was asked about the word of Allah the Glorified: فَمَنْ یُرِدِ اللهُ أَنْ یَهْدِیَهُ یَشْرَحْ صَدْرَهُ لِلْإِسْلامِ [Therefore whomsoever Allah intends to guide, He expands his breast for Islam]. He said: "When the light enters the heart, it becomes expanded [and gains breadth], and that is 'sharh al-sadr' (the expansion of the breast)." It was asked: "Is there any sign for it by which it may be known?" He said: "Yes: turning towards the everlasting abode, withdrawal from the abode of delusion, and preparing for death before its arrival."

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): When this word of Allah was revealed: فَمَنْ یُرِدِ اللهُ أَنْ یَهْدِیَهُ یَشْرَحْ صَدْرَهُ لِلْإِسْلامِ [Therefore whomsoever Allah intends to guide, He expands his breast for Islam], they said: "O Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family)! How does Allah expand his breast for Islam?" He said: "Allah the Exalted casts a light into his heart, then it becomes expanded and gains breadth." They said: "Is there any sign for it?" He said: "Yes: withdrawal from the abode of delusion, turning towards the everlasting abode, and gathering provision for dwelling in the grave."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Muhammad al-Halabi reports: Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: "Indeed the heart stirs within a person seeking the truth, and whenever it finds it, it settles and comes to rest." Then Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) recited this verse: فَمَنْ یُرِدِ اللهُ أَنْ یَهْدِیَهُ یَشْرَحْ صَدْرَهُ لِلْإِسْلامِ وَ مَنْ یُرِدْ أَنْ یُضِلَّهُ یَجْعَلْ صَدْرَهُ ضَیِّقاً حَرَجاً کَأَنَّما یَصَّعَّدُ فِی السَّماءِ [Therefore whomsoever Allah intends to guide, He expands his breast for Islam; and whomsoever He intends to lead astray, He makes his breast strait and narrow as though he were ascending upwards].

Imam Kazim (peace be upon him): Abd Allah ibn Ja'far narrated from his brother Imam Kazim (peace be upon him) who said: "The heart of a person is disturbed and restless until it finds the truth; but when it attains the truth, it gains stillness and peace." And he recited this verse: فَمَنْ یُرِدِ اللهُ أَنْ یَهْدِیَهُ یَشْرَحْ صَدْرَهُ لِلْإِسْلامِ وَ مَنْ یُرِدْ أَنْ یُضِلَّهُ یَجْعَلْ صَدْرَهُ ضَیِّقاً حَرَجاً کَأَنَّما یَصَّعَّدُ فِی السَّماءِ [Therefore whomsoever Allah intends to guide, He expands his breast for Islam; and whomsoever He intends to lead astray, He makes his breast strait and narrow as though he were ascending upwards].

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Khuthayma said: I heard Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) saying: "Indeed the heart, so long as it has not found the truth, is thrown out from its place and is turned upside down towards the throat, but when it finds the truth, it settles down." Then he gathered his fingers together and recited this verse: فَمَن یُرِدِ اللهُ أَن یَهْدِیَهُ یَشْرَحْ صَدْرَهُ لِلإِسْلاَمِ وَ مَن یُرِدْ أَن یُضِلَّهُ یَجْعَلْ صَدْرَهُ ضَیِّقًا حَرَجًا [So whomever Allah wishes to guide, He expands his breast for Islam, and whomever He wishes to lead astray, He makes his breast narrow and constricted].

Imam Rida (peace be upon him): مَنْ یُرِدِ اللهُ أَنْ یَهْدِیَهُ [Whomever Allah wishes to guide]; the one whom Allah wishes to guide, through his faith in this world, towards Paradise and the abode of His honour in the Hereafter, He expands his breast for submission to Allah, reliance upon Him, and confidence in the reward He has promised, until he attains assurance [in his Lord] and finds tranquility. وَ مَنْ یُرِدْ أَنْ یُضِلَّهُ [And whomever He wishes to lead astray]; and whomever He wishes — on account of the disbelief he has shown towards Allah and the disobedience he has committed against Him in this world — to lead astray from His Paradise and the abode of His honour in the Hereafter, He makes his breast so narrow that he begins to doubt his disbelief, and his heart becomes disturbed and agitated on account of his belief, until he reaches this state: كَأَنَّما یَصَّعَّدُ فِی السَّماءِ کَذلِکَ یَجْعَلُ اللهُ الرِّجْسَ عَلَی الَّذِینَ لاَ یُؤْمِنُونَ [as though he were ascending into the sky; thus does Allah place uncleanness upon those who do not believe].

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): Then Allah the Exalted, on account of the vastness of His mercy and compassion towards His creation, and because He knew that alterers would introduce changes into His Book, divided His speech into three kinds: one kind He made such that both the learned and the ignorant can understand it; another kind He made such that only those with a pure mind, refined perception and sound discernment can understand it — namely those whose breasts He Himself has expanded for Islam.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Know that when Allah intends good for a servant, He expands his breast for Islam, and when He grants him that, his tongue speaks the truth, his heart is bound to it, and he acts upon it. When Allah gathers these things together for him, his Islam becomes complete, and with Allah — if he dies in that state — he is among the true Muslims. And when Allah does not intend good for a servant, He leaves him to himself, and his breast becomes narrow and constricted. If truth flows on his tongue, his heart does not hold to it, and when his heart does not hold to it, Allah does not grant him action upon it. When these things gather in him and he dies in that state, he is with Allah among the hypocrites, and whatever truth flowed on his tongue — which Allah did not grant his heart to be bound to, nor grant him action upon — becomes a proof against him. So fear Allah, and ask Him to expand your breasts for Islam, and to make your tongues speak the truth, so that He may take you to Him while you are upon that.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Musa ibn Ashyam narrates: Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: "O Ibn Ashyam! فَمَنْ یُرِدِ اللهُ أَنْ یَهْدِیَهُ یَشْرَحْ صَدْرَهُ لِلْإِسْلامِ وَ مَنْ یُرِدْ أَنْ یُضِلَّهُ یَجْعَلْ صَدْرَهُ ضَیِّقاً حَرَجاً [So whomever Allah wishes to guide, He expands his breast to Islam; and whomever He wishes to send astray, He makes his breast tight and constricted] — do you know what haraj is?" I said: "No." Then he closed the fingers of his hand together and said: "It is like a sealed thing into which nothing enters and out of which nothing comes."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Abd al-Khaliq narrates: I asked Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) about the words of Allah the Exalted: وَ مَن یُرِدْ أَن یُضِلَّهُ یَجْعَلْ صَدْرَهُ ضَیِّقًا حَرَجًا کَأَنَّمَا یَصَّعَّدُ فِی السَّمَاء [And whomever He wishes to send astray, He makes his breast tight and constricted, as though he were ascending into the sky], and he said: "Sometimes the breast may be narrow yet have an opening through which it hears and sees; but haraj is the heart that is sealed shut, having no opening by which it can hear sounds or see things."

Ali ibn Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him): Haraj is that which has no way of entry. And dayyiq (narrow) is that which has a narrow way of entry, as though it were ascending with difficulty toward the sky. Like a tree around which there are many trees, so it cannot spread its branches to this side or that, and therefore it grows upward toward the sky — and this is called hirjah.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): کَذَلِکَ یَجْعَلُ اللهُ الرِّجْسَ عَلَی الَّذِینَ لاَ یُؤْمِنُونَ [Thus does Allah lay uncleanness on those who do not believe]; [al-rijs] means doubt.