سورة الأنعام

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Allah the Exalted made faith obligatory upon the limbs of the children of Adam (peace be upon him) and distributed it among the organs, appointing for each a specified share. He assigned each of the duties of human beings to one of the limbs, and every organ has a specific obligation that another organ is not charged with... Allah has also made certain things obligatory upon the ear, namely that one first keep his ears from what the Lord has forbidden, avoid the prohibited things, and not lend ear to speech that brings about Allah's wrath... But whenever you forget Allah's command and sit with wrongdoers and foul-tongued people — and if Satan causes you to forget — then after remembering, do not sit with this wrongdoing group.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Allah made it obligatory upon the ear to listen to what Allah has commanded, and to keep away from hearing what Allah has forbidden and what is not lawful for it from among the things that Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, has prohibited, and [to keep away] from lending ear to what angers Allah, the Mighty and Majestic. Then in another place He made an exception and said: وَ إِمَّا یُنْسِیَنَّکَ الشَّیْطانُ فَلا تَقْعُدْ بَعْدَ الذِّکْری مَعَ الْقَوْمِ الظَّالِمِینَ [And if Satan causes you to forget, then after remembering, do not sit with the wrongdoing people].

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): As for what He has made obligatory upon the ears, it is listening to the remembrance of Allah, remaining silent when His verses are being recited, and abandoning the hearing of things that anger Him. Allah the Glorious said: "When the Quran is recited, listen to it and be silent, that perhaps you may receive mercy!" (al-A'raf/204). And He also said: "And Allah has revealed [this ruling] to you in the Quran, that when you hear people denying and mocking the verses of Allah, do not sit with them until they turn to some other discourse!" (al-Nisa/140). Allah, through His mercy, set apart the case of forgetfulness and said: وَ إِمَّا یُنْسِیَنَّکَ الشَّیْطانُ فَلا تَقْعُدْ بَعْدَ الذِّکْری مَعَ الْقَوْمِ الظَّالِمِینَ [And if Satan causes you to forget, then after remembering, do not sit with the wrongdoing people].

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): Allah the Exalted has appointed duties and obligations upon all your limbs, by which He will present His argument against you on the Day of Judgement, and He will question you about them. He has reminded those limbs, admonished them, warned them, disciplined them, and has not left them in vain... Then Allah the Mighty and Majestic has assigned to each of your limbs a specific obligation, and has explicitly declared it. So He made it obligatory upon the ear that it not listen to sins, and concerning this Allah the Mighty and Majestic has said: 'And Allah has revealed [this ruling] to you in the Qur'an, that whenever you hear people denying and mocking the signs of Allah, do not sit with them until they turn to another topic! Otherwise, you will be like them.' (Nisa/140). And He has also said: وَ إِذا رَأَیْتَ الَّذِینَ یَخُوضُونَ فِی آیاتِنا فَأَعْرِضْ عَنْهُمْ حَتَّی یَخُوضُوا فِی حَدِیثٍ غَیْرِهِ [And when you see those who enter into false discourses about Our signs, withdraw from them until they enter into some other discourse]. Then Allah the Great has made an exception for what comes about through forgetfulness, saying: وَ امّا یُنْسِیَنَّکَ الشَّیْطانُ فَلا تَقْعُدْ بَعْدَ الذِّکْری مَعَ الْقَوْمِ الظَّالِمِینَ [And if Satan causes you to forget, then do not sit after recollection with the unjust people].

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day should not sit in a gathering in which an Imam is being reviled, or in which a Muslim is being backbitten. Allah has said in His Book: وَ إِذَا رَأَیْتَ الَّذِینَ یَخُوضُونَ فِی آیَاتِنَا فَأَعْرِضْ عَنْهُمْ حَتَّی یَخُوضُواْ فِی حَدِیثٍ غَیْرِهِ وَ إِمَّا یُنسِیَنَّکَ الشَّیْطَانُ فَلاَ تَقْعُدْ بَعْدَ الذِّکْرَی مَعَ الْقَوْمِ الظَّالِمِینَ [And when you see those who enter into false discourses about Our signs, withdraw from them until they enter into some other discourse, and if Satan causes you to forget, then do not sit after recollection with the unjust people].

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): It is narrated from Jabir (may Allah have mercy on him) that the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) said: Luqman said to his son: 'My son! Remember the scholars, draw near to them, sit with them, and visit them in their homes, so that you may become like them and be with them. Sit with the righteous among them, for it may be that Allah sends down a mercy upon them and it includes you too. And even if you yourself are good, keep away from the evil and the foolish, for it may be that a punishment from Allah reaches them and reaches you along with them. So after being reminded, do not sit with this unjust group.'

Imam Sajjad (peace be upon him): It is not proper for you to sit with whomever you wish [to go wherever you please and listen to whomever's speech], because Allah the Blessed and Exalted says: وَ إِذا رَأَیْتَ الَّذِینَ یَخُوضُونَ فِی آیاتِنا فَأَعْرِضْ عَنْهُمْ حَتَّی یَخُوضُوا فِی حَدِیثٍ غَیْرِهِ وَ امّا یُنْسِیَنَّکَ الشَّیْطانُ فَلا تَقْعُدْ بَعْدَ الذِّکْری مَعَ الْقَوْمِ الظَّالِمِینَ [And when you see those who enter into false discourses about Our signs, withdraw from them until they enter into some other discourse, and if Satan causes you to forget, then do not sit after recollection with the unjust people].

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: "There are three gatherings which Allah detests, and He sends His wrath upon their people; do not sit with them and do not keep company with them: the gathering of one whose tongue issues fatwas based on lies; a gathering in which the mention of our enemies is considered fresh, and our mention is considered outworn; and a gathering in which there is one who turns [people] away from us, while you know it." Then Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) recited three verses from the Qur'an as though they were present in his blessed mouth, or he said in his palm: وَ لا تَسُبُّوا الَّذِینَ یَدْعُونَ مِنْ دُونِ اللهِ فَیَسُبُّوا اللهَ عَدْواً بِغَیْرِ عِلْمٍ [And do not abuse those whom they call upon besides Allah, lest exceeding the limits they should abuse Allah out of ignorance], and the verse: وَ إِذا رَأَیْتَ الَّذِینَ یَخُوضُونَ فِی آیاتِنا فَأَعْرِضْ عَنْهُمْ حَتَّی یَخُوضُوا فِی حَدِیثٍ غَیْرِهِ [And when you see those who enter into false discourses about Our communications, withdraw from them until they enter into some other discourse], and the verse: "Because of the lie which flows on your tongues [and by which you make something permitted and something forbidden], do not say: 'This is lawful and this is unlawful', so as to fabricate a lie against Allah" (Nahl/116).

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Three deniers do not gather together except that tens of times their number of satans attend them; if they speak, the satans speak with them, and they laugh along with them, and if they speak ill of the friends of Allah, they join them in speech. So if any of the believers is afflicted with being in their gathering, when they engage in such matters, that believer must rise and withdraw, and not become a partner or companion of Satan, for nothing can withstand the wrath of Allah and nothing can turn back His curse. If he cannot separate himself, he must denounce their words in his heart and rise, even if only for the time it takes to milk a sheep or to tie up and untie the udder-band while milking a she-camel, which is called fuwaq naqah.

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): وَ إِذَا رَأَیْتَ الَّذِینَ یَخُوضُونَ فِی آیَاتِنَا [And when you see those who enter into false discourses about Our communications] — this is speech concerning Allah and disputing about the Qur'an. فَأَعْرِضْ عَنْهُمْ حَتَّی یَخُوضُواْ فِی حَدِیثٍ غَیْرِهِ [Withdraw from them until they enter into some other discourse]; and among such other discourse is the speech of the storytellers.

Imam Rida (peace be upon him): وَ إِذَا رَأَیْتَ الَّذِینَ یَخُوضُونَ فِی آیَاتِنَا فَأَعْرِضْ عَنْهُمْ حَتَّی یَخُوضُواْ فِی حَدِیثٍ غَیْرِهِ [And when you see those who enter into false discourses about Our communications, withdraw from them until they enter into some other discourse]; meaning those who deny the Qur'an and mock it. And if Satan at that time causes you to forget My command, then after you remember, do not sit with this unjust people.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): It is not fitting for a believer to sit in a gathering in which Allah is disobeyed and he is not able to change it.

Imam Kazim (peace be upon him): Ja'fari said: I heard Imam Kazim (peace be upon him) say to my father: "Why is it that I see you with Abd al-Rahman ibn Ya'qub?" He said: "He is my maternal uncle." The Imam said: "He speaks improperly about Allah — he describes Allah, though He is not to be described. Either sit with him and leave us, or sit with us and leave him." He said: "Let him say whatever he wishes; is there any sin upon me when I do not say what he says?" The Imam said: "Do you not fear that a calamity may descend upon him and strike all of you together?"

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Muhammad ibn Muslim said: Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) passed by me while I was sitting with a judge in Madinah. The next day I came to the Imam (peace be upon him), and he said to me: "What was that gathering in which I saw you yesterday?" I said to him: "May I be your ransom! This judge honours me, so sometimes I go to him and sit with him." He said to me: "What makes you secure that the curse [of Allah] may not descend and encompass everyone present in that gathering?"

Imam Rida (peace be upon him): Muhammad ibn Asim said: I heard Imam Rida (peace be upon him) say: "O Muhammad ibn Asim! It has reached me that you sit with the Waqifiyyah." I said: "Yes, may I be your ransom. I sit with them while I oppose them." He said: "Do not sit with them, for Allah the Mighty and Majestic says: 'And Allah has already sent down [this ruling] upon you in the Book, that when you hear people denying and mocking the verses of Allah, do not sit with them until they turn to another discourse; otherwise, you will be like them.' (Nisa/140). What is meant by 'verses' are the awsiya (successors) (peace be upon them), whom the Waqifiyyah disbelieved in."

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): Sitting with the wicked causes suspicion of the good.

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): Beware of companionship with the corrupt, for evil follows evil.

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): It is narrated from Imam Jawad (peace be upon him): "One day Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him), with his son Hasan (peace be upon him) accompanying him and leaning on the hand of Salman al-Farsi (may Allah have mercy on him), entered al-Masjid al-Haram and sat down. Suddenly a man of handsome appearance and fine clothing came, greeted Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him), sat before him and said: 'O Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him), I have three questions for you.' Amir al-Mu'minin said: 'Ask whatever you wish.' He said: 'When a person sleeps, where does his soul go? And how does a person remember something and forget it? And how does it happen that a person's child resembles his paternal uncles and maternal uncles?' Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) turned to Hasan (peace be upon him) and said: 'O Aba Muhammad (peace be upon him), answer this man.' Imam Hasan (peace be upon him) said to that man: 'As for what you ask — when a person sleeps, where does his soul go — indeed the soul is attached to the wind, and the wind is attached to the air, until the owner of the soul wishes to awaken. If Allah permits that soul to return to that body, the soul draws in the wind, and the wind draws in the air, and the soul settles in the body of its owner. And if Allah does not permit that soul to return to that body, the air draws in the wind, and the wind draws away the soul, and the soul does not return to the body of its owner until the Day of Resurrection. And as for what you asked about remembering and forgetting: indeed the heart of a person is in a case, and upon that case a cover has been placed. When a complete salawat is sent upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad (peace be upon them), that cover is lifted from that case and the heart is illuminated, and what has been forgotten comes back to the person's memory. And if he does not send salawat upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad (peace be upon them), or reduces the salawat upon them and leaves out a part, that cover falls upon that case, and the heart darkens, and the person falls into error and forgets what he knows.'"