سورة الصف

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): [In the Battle of Badr, from the army of the polytheists] Utbah, Shaybah and al-Walid came out for single combat, and from the other side [the army of the Muslims] Ubayd Allah ibn Rawahah came out. The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) did not like that [the beginning and] the first encounter of the battle should be with the Ansar; therefore, he began [the battle] with his own household. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) said: "Order them to return to their ranks; for this group [of polytheists] want [to fight] the sons of their uncles (the Muhajirun)." Consequently, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) called Ali (peace be upon him), Hamzah (may Allah have mercy on him) and Ubaydah ibn al-Harith ibn Abd al-Muttalib; they came before him with their swords. He said: "Place him (Ali (peace be upon him)) between yourselves" — and he feared for him due to his youth. Then he said: "Go and defend your right and the religion with which your Prophet was sent! For they have brought their falsehood لِیُطْفِؤُا نُورَ اللهِ بِأَفْواهِهِمْ [that they may put out the light of Allah with their mouths]. Go, in [the safety and] protection of Allah."

Imam Kazim (peace be upon him): Muhammad ibn Fudayl said: I asked Imam Kazim (peace be upon him) about the verse: يُرِيدُونَ لِيُطْفِؤُا نُورَ اللهِ بِأَفْوَاهِهِمْ [They desire to put out the light of Allah with their mouths]. He said: "They wish to extinguish the wilayah (guardianship) of Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) with their mouths." I said: "What is the meaning of وَاللهُ مُتِمُّ نُورِهِ [But Allah will perfect His light]?" He said: "It means that Allah will complete the Imamate, just as He said: 'Believe in Allah and His Messenger and the light which We have sent down.' (Taghabun/8) The light is the Imam (peace be upon him)." I said: "What is the meaning of هُوَ الَّذِي أَرْسَلَ رَسُولَهُ بِالْهُدَى وَدِينِ الْحَقِّ [He it is Who sent His Messenger with the guidance and the true religion]?" He said: "He is the One who commanded His Messenger with the wilayah of his successor and vicegerent, and the wilayah is the true religion." I said: "What is the meaning of لِيُظْهِرَهُ عَلَى الدِّينِ كُلِّهِ [that He may make it prevail over all religions]?" He said: "At the time of the rising of the Qa'im (may Allah hasten his noble relief), [He will make this religion prevail over all religions and grant it dominance]. Allah the Mighty and Majestic says: through the wilayah of Ali (peace be upon him) [Allah completes His light by means of the wilayah of the Qa'im (may Allah hasten his noble relief)], وَلَوْ كَرِهَ الْكَافِرُونَ [though the unbelievers may be averse]." I said: "Is this speech [part of the] Qur'an?" He said: "Yes, these words are part of the Qur'an, but other than that is ta'wil (interpretation)."

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family)- Abu Ishaq Harith ibn Abdullah said: Imam Ali (peace be upon him) said: One day the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) ascended the pulpit and said: "Allah looked upon the people of the earth and chose me from among them; then a second time He looked and chose Ali (peace be upon him) as my brother, my minister, my heir, my successor and vicegerent among the ummah, and the wali (guardian) of every believer after me. Whoever loves him has loved Allah, and his enemy is the enemy of Allah; whoever holds affection for him, Allah will hold affection for him; whoever bears rancour against him, Allah bears rancour against him. By Allah! None loves him except a believer, and none bears enmity toward him except a disbeliever. He is the light of the earth and its pillar and foundation after me; he is the word of taqwa (piety) and the firmest handhold (al-'urwah al-wuthqa)." Then the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) recited this verse: يُرِيدُونَ أَنْ يُطْفِؤُا نُورَ اللهِ بِأَفْوَاهِهِمْ وَيَأْبَى اللهُ إِلَّا أَنْ يُتِمَّ نُورَهُ وَلَوْ كَرِهَ الْكَافِرُونَ [They desire to put out the light of Allah with their mouths, but Allah refuses except that He perfect His light, though the unbelievers may be averse]. "O people, let those of you who are present convey this speech of mine to those who are absent. O Allah, I take You as witness over them."

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): يُرِيدُونَ لِيُطْفِؤُا نُورَ اللهِ بِأَفْوَاهِهِمْ وَاللهُ مُتِمُّ نُورِهِ [They desire to put out the light of Allah with their mouths, but Allah will perfect His light]. By Allah, if you were to abandon this matter, Allah would not abandon it.

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) — Salman (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "It was the practice of the Quraysh that whenever they sat in their gatherings and saw a man from the Ahl al-Bayt, they would break off their conversation." Once, while they were sitting together, one of them said: "The likeness of Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) among his Ahl al-Bayt is only like the likeness of a date-palm that has grown on a rubbish heap." The Prophet's (peace be upon him and his family) reaction to the insult against the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon him): this news reached the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family). He became angry and went to the pulpit and sat upon it until the people gathered. Then he stood and praised and glorified Allah, and said: ... "O people, know that we, the children of Abd al-Muttalib, are the chiefs of the people of Paradise: I, and Ali (peace be upon him) — the chosen of the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon him) from among the people of the earth — and Ja'far (may Allah have mercy on him), and Hamza (may Allah have mercy on him), and Hasan and Husayn (peace be upon them), and Fatima (peace of Allah be upon her), and al-Mahdi. Know that Allah looked upon the people of the earth and chose from among them two men: one is I, whom He sent as a messenger and prophet (peace be upon him and his family), and the other is Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him), and He revealed to me that I should take him as a brother, a friend, a minister, my successor and my caliph. Ali (peace be upon him) is the guardian of every believer, the stillness of the earth and the word of piety. Know that he is the master of every believer after me. Whoever loves him, Allah loves him, and whoever bears enmity to him, Allah bears enmity to him. None loves him but a believer and none hates him but a disbeliever. He is the sustainer of the earth after me and the cause of its tranquility. He is the word of piety of Allah and His firm rope. أَنْ تُطْفِئُوا نُورَ اللهِ بِأَفْوَاهِکُمْ وَ اللهُ مُتِمُّ نُورِهِ وَ لَوْ کَرِهَ الْکافِرُونَ [that you should put out the light of Allah with your mouths, but Allah will perfect His light, though the disbelievers may be averse]. The selection of the twelve Imams (peace be upon them) as the proofs of Allah: know that Allah looked a second time and, after us, chose twelve successors from my Ahl al-Bayt, and made them the chosen of my ummah. They are, one after another, like stars in the sky — whenever one star sets, another rises. They are guiding Imams, themselves guided; the plotting of those who plot against them and the abandonment of those who abandon them do them no harm. They are the proofs of Allah on His earth, His witnesses over His creation, the treasurers of His knowledge, the expounders of His revelation and the mines of His wisdom. Whoever obeys them has obeyed Allah, and whoever disobeys them has disobeyed Allah. They are with the Qur'an, and the Qur'an is with them; they do not part from it until they come to me at the Hawd al-Kawthar. So let those present convey to those absent. O Lord, bear witness; O Lord, bear witness" — and he said this three times.

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family): Ibn Abbas said: I entered upon the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) and he said: ... O son of Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him), soon people will turn right and left (and each will go his own way in religion and creed); when that happens, follow Ali (peace be upon him) and his followers, for he is with the truth and the truth is with him, and the two shall not part until they come to me at the Pond. O son of Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him)! Their wilayah is my wilayah, and my wilayah is the wilayah of Allah; their party is my party, and my party is the party of Allah; peace with them is peace with me, and peace with me is peace with Allah. Then he said: يُرِیدُونَ لِیُطْفِؤُا نُورَ اللهِ بِأَفْواهِهِمْ وَ یَأْبَی اللهُ إِلَّا أَنْ یُتِمَّ نُورَهُ وَ لَوْ کَرِهَ الْکافِرُونَ [They desire to put out the light of Allah with their mouths, but Allah refuses except that He perfect His light, though the unbelievers may be averse].

Imam Kazim (peace be upon him): It has been said: A learned Indian was present in the assembly of Harun al-Rashid. Then Imam Kazim (peace be upon him) entered and Harun al-Rashid raised his station. The Indian envied the Imam (peace be upon him). [The Imam (peace be upon him)] said: "You have become independent of others by your knowledge and you are as Allah the Exalted said: Nay! Indeed man rebels, because he sees himself as self-sufficient (Alaq 6[-7]). ... Then the Imam (peace be upon him) said: "Inform me of the shell-like forms: when the total heat is perfected in them, and the natural motions come upon them successively, and the elemental faculties are firmly established in them, do they become intellectual forms or imaginary phantoms?" The Indian was astounded and kissed the head of the Imam (peace be upon him) and said: "From a human body, you have spoken to me divine speech." Harun al-Rashid said: "Whenever we desire to bring down the people of this House, Allah refuses [everything] except to raise them." The Imam (peace be upon him) said: يُرِیدُونَ لِیُطْفِؤُا نُورَ اللهِ بِأَفْواهِهِمْ وَ اللهُ مُتِمُّ نُورِهِ وَ لَوْ کَرِهَ الْکافِرُونَ [They desire to put out the light of Allah with their mouths, but Allah will perfect His light, though the unbelievers may be averse].

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): The earth, from its beginning, has never been empty of a learned and knowing proof (hujjah) who revives the commands that people have forgotten and which have been lost; then His Eminence recited this verse: يُرِیدُونَ لِیُطْفِؤُا نُورَ اللهِ بِأَفْواهِهِمْ وَ اللهُ مُتِمُّ نُورِهِ وَ لَوْ کَرِهَ الْکافِرُونَ [They desire to put out the light of Allah with their mouths, but Allah will perfect His light, though the unbelievers may be averse].

Ali ibn Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him): يُرِیدُونَ لِیُطْفِؤُا نُورَ اللهِ بِأَفْواهِهِمْ وَ اللهُ مُتِمُّ نُورِهِ [They desire to put out the light of Allah with their mouths, but Allah will perfect His light] — through the appearance of the Qa'im of the family of Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family). When His Eminence appears, he will make the religion of Islam prevail over all religions, to the point that none other than Him will be worshipped, and thus he will fill the earth with justice and equity, just as it had previously been filled with oppression and tyranny.