سورة المنافقون

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): It has been narrated from Zayd ibn Arqam: We were with the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) on a journey. [Zayd continued his account and] said: I heard from Abdullah ibn Ubayy ibn Salul, who said: By Allah, "if we return to Medina, the mighty will surely drive out the meaner therefrom"! Zayd ibn Arqam said: I came to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) and informed him of that [statement]; then Allah the Exalted revealed Surah al-Munafiqun from its beginning to its end, and revealed [confirmation of] my being excused and the verification of my report.

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him) said: In the Battle of Hunayn, Abdullah ibn Ubayy ibn Salul [the chief of the hypocrites], together with [the other] hypocrites, would [gather] on one side of the army, distancing themselves from the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), in order to engage in [plotting and scheming against] the affair of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family). And when [Abdullah ibn Ubayy] intended to return to Medina, he saw a Muslim "Jaffal" strike a hypocrite "Hamqa'" on the face with a slap. As a result, Abdullah ibn Ubayy ibn Salul became angry and said: "If you had refrained from feeding these people, they would have dispersed from around him — meaning from around the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family). If we return from this battle to Medina, the mighty will surely drive out the meaner therefrom"; by [the mighty] he meant himself, and by [the meaner] he meant the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family). Zayd ibn Arqam [who was a youth] reported his words to the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family); so Abdullah ibn Ubayy ibn Salul came with the notables of the Ansar to the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family); the notables of the Ansar excused him and denied Zayd's report; as a result, Zayd was embarrassed and refrained from coming into the presence of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family); then there was revealed: يَقُولُونَ لَئِنْ رَجَعْنا إِلَی الْمَدِینَةِ لَیُخْرِجَنَّ الْأَعَزُّ مِنْهَا الْأَذَلَّ وَ لِلهِ الْعِزَّةُ وَ لِرَسُولِهِ وَ لِلْمُؤْمِنِینَ [They say: If we return to Medina, the mighty will surely drive out the meaner therefrom; and to Allah belongs the might and to His Messenger and to the believers]; that is, the strength and power belong to Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) and his companions against the hypocrites. Then the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) took Zayd's hand and his ear and said: "Glad tidings to you, O truthful one! Allah has confirmed your report and exposed the lie of your hypocrite companion."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Abu al-Hasan al-Ahmasi has narrated from Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) that he said: Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, has entrusted the believer with all his affairs, but He has not entrusted him with being lowly. Have you not heard the word of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, who says: وَ لِلهِ الْعِزَّةُ وَ لِرَسُولِهِ وَ لِلْمُؤْمِنِینَ [and to Allah belongs the might and to His Messenger and to the believers]; so the believer is mighty and will not be lowly. Then he said: "The believer is mightier than a mountain; a mountain can be chipped away with pickaxes and its bulk reduced, but nothing can reduce anything from the religion of the believer."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Sama'ah said: Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: "Allah the Mighty and Majestic has entrusted the believer with authority over all his affairs, but He has not given him the authority to debase himself. Have you not heard the saying of Allah the Mighty and Majestic: وَ لِلهِ الْعِزَّةُ وَ لِرَسُولِهِ وَ لِلْمُؤْمِنِینَ [And to Allah belongs the might and to His Messenger and to the believers]? The believer must be mighty and must not be lowly. Allah honours him through faith and Islam."

Imam Hasan (peace be upon him): It was said to Imam Hasan ibn Ali (peace be upon him): "There is [a sense of] greatness in you." He said: "No, rather there is might (izzah) in me. Allah the Exalted says: وَ لِلهِ الْعِزَّةُ وَ لِرَسُولِهِ وَ لِلْمُؤْمِنِینَ [And to Allah belongs the might and to His Messenger and to the believers]."

Imam Husayn (peace be upon him): Zubayr ibn Bakkar narrated: A man said to Imam Husayn (peace be upon him): "There is arrogance in you." Imam Husayn (peace be upon him) said: "Arrogance belongs to Allah alone; but what is in me is might (izzah). Allah the Mighty and Majestic says: وَ لِلهِ الْعِزَّةُ وَ لِرَسُولِهِ وَ لِلْمُؤْمِنِینَ [And to Allah belongs the might and to His Messenger and to the believers]."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Mufaddal ibn Umar said: Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: "It is not fitting for the believer to debase himself." I said: "By what does [the believer] debase himself?" He said: "He enters into a matter that he cannot manage (that is, he takes on great tasks that he has no ability to carry out), so he must then excuse himself from it."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Dawud al-Raqqi said: I heard Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) say: "It is not fitting for the believer to debase himself." He was asked: "How does he debase himself?" He said: "By exposing himself to what he cannot bear."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Allah placed the believer in charge of all things, except debasing his own self.

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Abd al-Mu'min narrated from Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) that he said: The Great Allah has bestowed upon the believer three qualities: honour and glory in this world, salvation in the Hereafter, and awe in the eyes of the oppressors. Then he recited this verse: وَ لِلهِ الْعِزَّةُ وَ لِرَسُولِهِ وَ لِلْمُؤْمِنِینَ [And to Allah belongs the might and to His Messenger and to the believers].

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): The nobility of the believer is in his night prayer, and his honour is in withholding his harm from people.

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): وَ لِلهِ الْعِزَّةُ وَ لِرَسُولِهِ وَ لِلْمُؤْمِنِینَ [And to Allah belongs the might and to His Messenger and to the believers] means strength and power for Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) and his companions against the hypocrites.

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): Tariq ibn Shihab narrates from Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) that he said: ... The Imam is the sweet water for the thirsty and the guide to guidance; the Imam is the one purified from sins and informed of the unseen. The Imam is the shining sun over the servants; no one has the power to close their eyes to his station or to reach him with their hands. This verse points to this same meaning: وَ لِلهِ الْعِزَّةُ وَ لِرَسُولِهِ وَ لِلْمُؤْمِنِینَ [And to Allah belongs the might and to His Messenger and to the believers]. The believers are Ali (peace be upon him) and his household; so honour belongs exclusively to the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) and his progeny.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Humran narrates that Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: I was travelling with Abu Ja'far (al-Mansur, the Abbasid caliph); he was riding a horse ... When I returned to my house, one of our friends [the Shia] came to me and said: 'By Allah, I saw you in the retinue of al-Mansur while you were riding a donkey and he was on a horse, and he was leaning down toward you and speaking to you, as though you were beneath him.' I said to myself: 'This is the proof of Allah and the Imam who must be obeyed, yet that other one (that is, al-Mansur) commits oppression, kills the descendants of the Prophet, and sheds blood upon the earth. Despite this, he is upon a mount and you are riding a donkey!' In this way doubt entered my heart, so much so that I feared for my religion and my very self.' The Imam (peace be upon him) said: 'I said to that Shia man: If you could see how many angels are around me, in front of me, behind me, and to my right and my left, you would consider him and his companions utterly contemptible.' He said: 'Now my heart is at rest.' Then that Shia man asked: 'Until when will these people rule, and when shall we find relief from them?' I said: 'Do you not know that everything has an appointed term?' He said: 'Yes, we know.' I said: 'Does this knowledge not benefit you?! When it is decreed that they be brought to their end, the scroll of their rule shall be rolled up faster than the blink of an eye. If you knew their state before Allah the Mighty and Majestic, and how it is, you would be even more wrathful toward them. If you and all the people of the earth were to try to plunge them into sin more than they already are, you would not be able to. So let not Satan tempt you, for الْعِزَّةَ لِلهِ وَ لِرَسُولِهِ وَ لِلْمُؤْمِنِینَ وَلکِنَّ الْمنافِقِینَ لا یَعْلَمُونَ [might belongs to Allah and to His Messenger and to the believers, but the hypocrites do not know].'