سورة الأنعام

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Mufaddal says: I asked Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) about this verse: فالِقُ الحَبِ وَ النَّوی [the One who splits the grain and the stone]. He said: "Habb (the grain) is the believer. And this verse [refers to it]: وَ أَلْقَیْتُ عَلَیْکَ مَحَبَّةً مِنِّی [And I cast upon you love from Me]. Nawa (the stone) is the disbeliever who is far from the truth and does not accept it."

Ali ibn Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him): إِنَّ اللهَ فالِقُ الحَبِّ وَ النَّوی [Surely Allah causes the grain and the stone to germinate] — al-habb (the grain) is that which He loves, and al-nawa (the stone) is that which has moved away from the truth.

Ali ibn Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him): إِنَّ اللهَ فالِقُ الحَبِّ وَ النَّوی [Surely Allah causes the grain and the stone to germinate], al-Habb is that He splits open the knowledge which comes from the side of the Imams (peace be upon them), and al-Nawa is that which is distant from it.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): It is narrated from Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): When Allah the Mighty and Majestic willed to create Adam, in the first hour of Friday He sent Jibra'il, and with his right hand he took a handful of dust from the seventh heaven down to the lowest heaven, and from every heaven he took a portion of soil. Likewise, from the highest seventh earth down to the farthest lowest seventh earth, he took a handful of dust. Then Allah the Mighty and Majestic commanded His "Word" to hold the first handful with His right hand and the other handful with His left, then He split that clay into two portions, taking a part of the earthly substance and a part of the heavenly substance in His hand. To the one that was in His right hand He said: "From you I will create the Prophets, the Awsiya (successors), the Siddiqin (truthful ones), the believers, the blessed and all the honoured ones," and what Allah said concerning them came to pass. Then to the one in His left hand He said: "From you I will create the tyrants, the idolaters, the disbelievers, the rebellious, and everyone whose disgrace and wretchedness I desire." And what He said concerning them came to be. Then both natures were mingled together. And this is the interpretation of the word of Allah the Mighty and Majestic: إِنَّ اللهَ فالِقُ الْحَبِّ وَ النَّوی [Surely Allah causes the grain and the stone to germinate]; the grain is the nature of the believers, which is filled with love, and the stone is the nature of the disbelievers, which is far from every goodness. Indeed "al-nawa" (the stone) has been so named because it is far and set apart from every goodness. Allah the Mighty and Majestic said: یُخْرِجُ الْحَیَّ مِنَ الْمَیِّتِ وَ مُخْرِجُ الْمَیِّتِ مِنَ الْحَیِّ [He brings forth the living from the dead and He is the bringer forth of the dead from the living]; the living is the believer who comes forth from the nature of the disbeliever. The dead who comes forth from the living is the disbeliever who arises from the nature of the believer. The living is the believer and the dead is the disbeliever. Therefore Allah said: أَ وَ مَنْ کانَ مَیْتاً فَأَحْیَیْناه [Is he who was dead and We gave him life…], for his death means his being mingled with the nature of the disbeliever, and he becomes alive when Allah by His command separates them from one another. Likewise Allah the Mighty and Majestic brings the believer forth at his birth out of darkness, after he has been in the light; and He drags the disbeliever from light down into darkness, after he has been in the light. And this is the interpretation of the word of Allah the Mighty and Majestic: لِیُنْذِرَ مَنْ کانَ حَیًّا وَ یَحِقَّ الْقَوْلُ عَلَی الْکافِرِین [That it may warn him who is alive and (that) the word may prove true against the disbelievers].

Imam Sajjad (peace be upon him): One day a Jewish man came to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) and asked: "What benefit is there in using the letters of the alphabet?" At that moment Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) was in the presence of that noble one. The Prophet of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) said to Ali (peace be upon him): "Answer him!" Then he raised his hands in prayer and said: "O Lord, help him and make him firm!" Then Ali (peace be upon him) said: "Each one of the letters is a name from the names of Allah." Then he continued thus: "As for the alif, اللَّه فالِقُ الحَبِّ وَ النَّوی [Allah is the cleaver of the grain and the stone]."

Ali ibn Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him): یُخْرِجُ الحَیَّ مِنَ المَیِّتِ وَ مُخْرِجُ المَیِّتِ مِنَ الحَیِّ [He brings forth the living from the dead and brings forth the dead from the living]; that is, He brings forth the believer from the disbeliever and the disbeliever from the believer.

Ali ibn Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him): ذلِکُمُ اللهُ فَأَنَّی تُؤْفَکُونَ [That is Allah; how then are you turned away]; meaning you speak lies.