سورة الجمعة

Imam Rida (peace be upon him): When Allah chooses a person as the leader of His servants, He gives him expansiveness of breast and power of thought in this path, and makes his heart a source of wisdom, inspires knowledge into him; he is not at a loss for an answer, nor incapable of clear-sightedness. He is infallible, supported, granted success, and backed by Allah, and protected from error and slips. Allah bestows these distinctions upon him so that he may be His proof and witness among His servants. ذلِکَ فَضْلُ اللهِ یُؤْتِیهِ مَنْ یَشاءُ وَ اللهُ ذُو الْفَضْلِ الْعَظِیم [That is Allah's grace; He grants it to whom He pleases, and Allah is the Lord of mighty grace].

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Mufaddal ibn Umar narrated from Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) that he said: "In the month of Ramadan, more than a thousand rak'ats of prayer are performed." Then he said to me: "In the prayer of Ja'far, in the first rak'at you recite [Surah] al-Hamd and إِذَا زُلْزِلَتْ (al-Zilzal), and in the second [rak'at] al-Hamd and al-Adiyat, and in the third [rak'at] al-Hamd and إِذَا جَاءَ نَصْرُ اللهِ (al-Nasr), and in the fourth rak'at al-Hamd and قُلْ هُوَ اللهُ (al-Tawhid)." Then he said to me: "O Mufaddal! [These prayers that I have explained to you] ذلِکَ فَضْلُ اللهِ یُؤْتِیهِ مَنْ یَشاءُ وَ اللهُ ذُو الْفَضْلِ الْعَظِیمِ [That is Allah's grace; He grants it to whom He pleases, and Allah is the Lord of mighty grace]."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Some of the angels who are in the sky of the world look toward two or three persons and see that they are speaking of the excellence of the family of Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family). Then they say: Do you see that these people, despite being few in number while their enemies are many, still speak of the excellence of the family of Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) upon their tongues? At that moment, the other group [of angels] says: ذَلِکَ فَضْلُ اللهِ یُؤْتِیهِ مَن یَشَاءُ وَ اللهُ ذُو الْفَضْلِ الْعَظِیمِ [That is Allah's grace; He grants it to whom He pleases, and Allah is the Lord of mighty grace].

The Messenger (peace be upon him and his family): Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) narrated from his forefathers: The poor came to the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) and submitted that the rich are able to free slaves and we cannot, and they go on Hajj, and give charity and do jihad, and we cannot. He said: "Whoever says Allahu Akbar one hundred times is superior to freeing one hundred slaves, and one hundred tasbih is higher than taking one hundred sacrificial animals to Hajj, and one hundred tahmid of al-Hamdu lillah is superior to loading one hundred horses with provisions and weapons for use in the path of Allah's jihad, and whoever says لا إِلهَ إِلَّا اللهُ [There is no god but Allah] on that day is the best of people in terms of deeds, except one who has said more." This saying of the noble Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) reached the ears of the rich, and they performed all of them. The poor came again to the presence of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) and said: "O Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family)! The rich have also performed what you said." His Holiness said: ذلِکَ فَضْلُ اللهِ یُؤْتِیهِ مَنْ یَشاءُ [That is Allah's grace; He grants it to whom He pleases].

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) and Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): The verse ذلِکَ فَضْلُ اللهِ یُؤْتِیهِ مَنْ یَشاءُ [That is Allah's grace; He grants it to whom He pleases] and the verse وَ لا تَتَمَنَّوْا ما فَضَّلَ اللهُ بِهِ بَعْضَکُمْ عَلی بَعْضٍ [And do not covet that by which Allah has made some of you excel others] were revealed concerning the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them).