سورة التغابن

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Husayn ibn Nu'aym al-Sahhaf said: I asked Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq (peace be upon him) about this saying of Allah the Exalted: فَمِنکُمْ کَافِرٌ وَ مِنکُم مُّؤْمِنٌ [So among you is a disbeliever, and among you is a believer]. He said: "Allah the Mighty and Majestic, on the day when they were in the loins of Adam (peace be upon him) in the form of particles and He took the covenant from them, came to know their belief in our wilayah (guardianship) and their disbelief in it."

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Love of us is faith, and hatred and enmity toward us is disbelief.

Ali ibn Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him): This verse is specific to the believers and the disbelievers.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Hamza ibn al-Tayyar said: Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said to me: People are of six categories. I said: 'Do you permit me to write them down?' He said: 'Yes.' I said: 'What shall I write?' He said: 'Write: the people of the [divine] promise from the people of Paradise and the people of the Fire. And write: وَ آخَرُونَ اعْتَرَفُوا بِذُنُوبِهِمْ خَلَطُوا عَمَلًا صالِحاً وَ آخَرَ سَیِّئاً [And others have confessed their sins; they have mixed a righteous deed with another that was evil.] (Tawbah/102). I said: 'Who are these?' He said: 'Wahshi (the killer of Hamza ibn Abd al-Muttalib (may Allah have mercy on him), the Master of Martyrs, the uncle of the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him and his family)) is one of them.' He said: 'And write: وَ آخَرُونَ مُرْجَوْنَ لِأَمْرِ اللَّهِ إِمَّا یُعَذِّبُهُمْ وَ إِمَّا یَتُوبُ عَلَیْهِمْ [And others are left awaiting Allah's command — either He will punish them or He will turn to them in mercy.] (Tawbah/106). And write: إِلَّا الْمُسْتَضْعَفِینَ مِنَ الرِّجالِ وَ النِّساءِ وَ الْوِلْدانِ لا یَسْتَطِیعُونَ حِیلَهًْ وَ لا یَهْتَدُونَ سَبِیلًا [Except the truly oppressed among the men, women and children who are truly under pressure and truly weak, who have no means and can find no way (of escape from that corrupt environment).] (Nisa/98) — they have no means toward disbelief and no way toward faith. فَأُولئِکَ عَسَی اللَّهُ أَنْ یَعْفُوَ عَنْهُمْ [As for these, it may be that Allah will pardon them.] (Nisa/99). He said: And write: the People of al-A'raf (the Heights).' He said, I said: 'And who are the People of al-A'raf?' He said: 'A people whose good deeds and evil deeds are equal; so if He enters them into the Fire, it is because of their sins, and if He enters them into Paradise, it is by His mercy.'

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): People are of six categories which return to three categories: faith, disbelief, and misguidance. They are the people of the two promises to whom Allah has promised Paradise and the Fire: the believers, and the disbelievers, and the oppressed, and those left awaiting Allah's command [and whose affair rests with Allah] — either He will punish them, or He will accept their repentance. (Tawbah/106) And those who confess their sins and mix a righteous deed with another that is evil. (Tawbah/102) And others are the People of al-A'raf (the Heights).

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Zurarah said: I asked Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) about the mustad'af (the oppressed one). He said: 'He is the one who has no means to disbelief that he might disbelieve, and finds no way to faith [that he might become a believer] — he can neither believe nor disbelieve. They are the children, and every man and woman whose intellect is like that of children, and the pen [of religious obligation] has been lifted from them.'

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Zurara said: I said to Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): "What is your view concerning marriage with people?" I said: "May Allah set your affairs right, what do you command me? Should I go and marry according to your instruction and command?" He said to me: "If you intend to do so, you must choose for yourself from among the women the 'balha''." I said: "Who is the 'balha''?" He said: "A woman who is veiled and chaste." I said: "A woman who follows the religion of Salim ibn Abi Hafsa?" He said: "No." I said: "A woman who follows the religion of Rabi'a al-Ra'y?" He said: "No, rather free women who are not nasibi (disbelievers in wilaya), and who have no awareness of what you know." I said: "But is she not outside of this state — that she must be either a believer or a disbeliever?" He said: "She fasts, prays, has the fear of Allah, and has no awareness of your affairs." I said: "Allah the Mighty and Majestic says: هُوَ الَّذِی خَلَقَکُمْ فَمِنکُمْ کَافِرٌ وَ مِنکُم مُّؤْمِنٌ [He it is Who created you, but one of you is an unbeliever and another of you is a believer]. No, by Allah! It is not possible that anyone among humankind be neither a believer nor a disbeliever." Imam Ja'far Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: "O Zurara! The word of Allah is more truthful than your word. Have you not observed the word of Allah the Mighty and Majestic: 'And others have confessed their sins, they have mixed a good deed with another evil one; it may be that Allah will accept their repentance' (Tawba/102)? Why then did He say 'asa' (it may be)?" I said: "They are not outside of these two states; either they are believers or they are disbelievers." He said: Then he said: "What is your view concerning this word of Allah the Mighty and Majestic: 'Except the weak from among the men and the women and the children who have not in their power the means nor can they find a way [to escape from that corrupt environment] to faith' (Nisa/98)?" I said: "They are not outside of these two states; either they are believers or they are disbelievers." He said: "By Allah! They are neither believers nor disbelievers." Then he turned to me and said: "What is your view concerning the People of al-A'raf?" I said: "They are not outside of these two states; either they are believers or they are disbelievers. If they enter Paradise, they are believers, and if they enter Hell, they are disbelievers." He said: "By Allah! They are neither believers nor disbelievers. If they were believers, they would enter Paradise as the believers enter it, and if they were disbelievers, they would enter Hell as the disbelievers enter it."