سورة الطلاق

Ali ibn Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him): فَإِذَا بَلَغْنَ أَجَلَهُنَّ فَأَمْسِکُوهُنَّ بِمَعْرُوفٍ أَوْ فَارِقُوهُنَّ بِمَعْرُوفٍ [So when they have reached their prescribed time, then retain them with kindness or separate them with kindness] means that whenever her ʿidda (waiting period) is completed, either he returns to her or he separates from her. In that case, he must divorce her and provide for her — the one of ample means according to his capacity, and the one of straitened means also according to his capacity.

Imam Hadi (peace be upon him): Divorce has only five conditions: the testimony of two just witnesses at the time of divorce; that the woman be pure (in a state of ṭuhr) without her husband having had intercourse with her; and that he have a firm resolve and definite intention to do this (and it not be in jest).

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Abd al-Rahman ibn Hajjaj said: Hakam ibn Utaybah and Salamah ibn Kuhayl came to Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) and asked him about [judgement based on] one witness together with an oath. The Imam said: "The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) gave judgement on the basis of one witness and an oath, and the Commander of the Faithful, Ali (peace be upon him), gave judgement on it among you in Kufa." They said: "This is contrary to the Qur'an!" The Imam said: "Where did you find it to be contrary to the Qur'an?" The two said: "Allah, Blessed and Exalted, says: وَ أَشْهِدُوا ذَوَیْ عَدْلٍ مِنْکُم [and call to witness two men of justice from among you]." Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) said to them: "Is the meaning of Allah's word that you must not accept the testimony of a single person together with his oath?!" Then he said: "The Commander of the Faithful, Ali (peace be upon him), was sitting in the mosque of Kufa when Abd Allah ibn Qufl al-Tamimi passed by with him carrying the coat of mail of Talhah. The Imam said to him: 'This is the coat of mail of Talhah which was taken as stolen booty on the day of Basra.' Abd Allah ibn Qufl said to the Imam: 'Place between me and you the judge whom you have approved for the Muslims.' The Imam appointed Shurayh as arbitrator between himself and Abd Allah ibn Qufl. The Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) said to Shurayh: 'This is the coat of mail of Talhah, taken as stolen booty on the day of the battle of Basra.' Shurayh said to the Imam: 'Bring evidence (bayyinah) for your claim.' The Imam brought Imam Hasan (peace be upon him). He testified that it was the coat of mail of Talhah, taken as stolen booty on the day of the battle of Basra. Shurayh said: 'This is one witness, and I do not judge on the basis of one witness until another one is with him.' The Imam summoned Qanbar. He too testified that it was the coat of mail of Talhah and had been taken as stolen booty on the day of the battle of Basra. Shurayh said: 'This one is a slave, and I do not judge on the basis of the testimony of a slave.' The Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) grew angry and said: 'Take this coat of mail; Shurayh has judged unjustly (contrary to right) three times.' Shurayh moved from his seat and said: 'I will not judge between any two persons until you tell me where I judged unjustly three times.' The Imam said to him: 'Woe to you! When I told you that this was the coat of mail of Talhah, taken as stolen booty on the day of the battle of Basra, you said: "Bring evidence for what you say," although the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) said: "Wherever ghulul (something misappropriated from the war spoils) is found, it is taken without evidence." But I said, "The man has not heard the report." This is one judgement contrary to right. Then I brought Hasan (peace be upon him) and he testified, and you said: "This is one, and I do not judge on the testimony of one until another is with him," although the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) used to judge on the basis of one witness and an oath. This is two judgements contrary to right. Then I brought Qanbar and he testified that it was the coat of mail of Talhah, treacherously taken from the spoils on the day of the battle of Basra, and you said: "This is a slave, and I do not judge on the basis of a slave's testimony," whereas there is no objection to the testimony of a slave if he is upright.' Then the Imam said: 'O Shurayh, woe to you! The leader (imam) of the Muslims is trusted concerning matters of theirs which are greater than this!'"

Imam al-Hadi (peace be upon him): It is narrated from Imam al-Hadi (peace be upon him) that in reply to a question of Yahya ibn Aktham he said: As for the testimony of a woman alone which is permitted, it concerns the midwife, whose testimony is accepted when there is consent; and if there is no consent, then at the least two women must bear witness, for here, out of necessity, two women are accepted in place of one man, because in this particular matter a man cannot perform the work of a woman; and if the woman is alone, her testimony is accepted together with her oath.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Allah did not permit divorce for married women except with two just Muslim witnesses, and concerning other testimonies regarding properties, estates, blood [murder] and private matters He said: "And call to witness two [just] men from among you [over this right]! And if there are not two men, then one man and two women, from those whom you approve of and trust!" (Al-Baqarah/282). And Allah the Mighty and Majestic clarified the conditions of divorce and said: یا أَیُّهَا النَّبِیُّ إِذا طَلَّقْتُمُ النِّساءَ فَطَلِّقُوهُنَّ لِعِدَّتِهِنَّ وَ أَحْصُوا الْعِدَّةَ وَ اتَّقُوا اللهَ رَبَّکُمْ [O Prophet! When you divorce women, divorce them at their prescribed period, and count the period, and be careful of (your duty to) Allah, your Lord]. And if a divorced woman becomes separated by three divorces, one word or more or less would combine them, for Allah said: وَ أَحْصُوا الْعِدَّةَ وَ اتَّقُوا اللهَ رَبَّکُمْ ... وَ تِلْکَ حُدُودُ اللهِ وَ مَنْ یَتَعَدَّ حُدُودَ اللهِ فَقَدْ ظَلَمَ نَفْسَهُ لا تَدْرِی لَعَلَّ اللهَ یُحْدِثُ بَعْدَ ذلِکَ أَمْراً فَإِذا بَلَغْنَ أَجَلَهُنَّ فَأَمْسِکُوهُنَّ بِمَعْرُوفٍ أَوْ فارِقُوهُنَّ بِمَعْرُوفٍ وَ أَشْهِدُوا ذَوَیْ عَدْلٍ مِنْکُمْ وَ أَقِیمُوا الشَّهادَةَ لِلهِ ذلِکُمْ یُوعَظُ بِهِ مَنْ کانَ یُؤْمِنُ بِاللهِ وَ الْیَوْمِ الْآخِر [And count the period, and be careful of (your duty to) Allah, your Lord ... And these are the limits of Allah, and whoever exceeds the limits of Allah has indeed wronged himself. You do not know, perhaps Allah may bring about after that some new thing. So when they have reached their prescribed time, then retain them with kindness or separate them with kindness, and call to witness two men of justice from among you, and give upright testimony for Allah. With that is admonished he who believes in Allah and the latter day].

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Dawud ibn al-Husayn said: "I asked Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) about the testimony of women regarding marriage without a man being with them, when the woman is unknown, and he said: 'There is no problem with it.' Then he said to me: 'What do your jurists say about this?' I said: 'They say that nothing is permissible except the testimony of two just men.' He said: 'They lie. May Allah curse them! They have taken lightly and belittled the firm commands and obligations of Allah, and have made hard and magnified what Allah has made easy. Indeed Allah commanded regarding divorce that it should take place with the testimony of two just men, yet they permitted divorce without even a single witness; and concerning the prohibition of marriage nothing has come from Allah, and the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) established two witnesses in this matter as a recommended etiquette, and out of consideration that the child and inheritance should not be denied, established it as a sunnah — and the marriage bond is confirmed and the private part of the woman becomes lawful without any witness being present.'"

Imam Kazim (peace be upon him): Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Abi Nasr said: I asked Imam Kazim (peace be upon him) about a man: "He divorced his wife after having had intercourse with her, and had two just witnesses on this matter." He said: "This is not a divorce." I said: "May I be your ransom! How is the divorce of the sunnah?" He said: "When she has become pure from her menses, and before he has intercourse with her, he divorces her and brings two just witnesses upon it, as Allah the Mighty and Majestic has said in the Quran; and if he opposes that, he is referred back to the Quran." I said to him: "If he divorces her at the time of purity and without intercourse, and has one male witness and two female witnesses, what is the ruling?" He said: "The testimony of women in the matter of divorce is not permissible; sometimes their testimony along with others in the matter of blood (menses), if they are present, is permissible." I said: "If two Nasibi men bear witness to the divorce, has the divorce taken place?" He said: "Whoever is born upon the fitrah and is known for goodness and virtue (has no notoriety for corruption), his testimony for divorce is permitted."

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): Whoever conceals a testimony, or bears witness in order to shed the blood of a Muslim person or to withhold the property of a Muslim person, will come on the Day of Resurrection with a darkness spread across his face as far as the eye can see, and upon his face are scratches by which the creatures will know him by his name and lineage. And whoever gives a truthful testimony in order to revive the right of a Muslim, will come on the Day of Resurrection with a light spread across his face as far as the eye can see, and the angels will know him by his name and lineage. Then Imam Muhammad Baqir (peace be upon him) said: "Do you not see that Allah the Blessed and Exalted says: وَ أَقِیمُوا الشَّهَادَةَ لِلهِ [And uphold the testimony for Allah]."

Imam Mahdi (may Allah hasten his noble relief): Muhammad ibn Abdullah al-Himyari asks about a man who endows a piece of land or an animal, and takes witnesses upon himself in the name of one of the agents of the endowment. Then this agent dies or his position changes and another becomes the trustee. Is it permissible for the witness to bear witness for the new trustee, if the origin of the endowment is established for one person, or is it not permissible? His Holiness answered: "Other than that is not permissible; for the testimony was not for the agent, but only for the owner, and Allah has said: وَ أَقِیمُوا الشَّهادَةَ لِلهِ [And uphold the testimony for Allah]."

Imam Kazim (peace be upon him): Bear witness for Allah, even if it be against yourself, or your parents, or your relatives, between yourself and them. But if you fear harm for your religious brother, then do not bear witness.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): وَ مَنْ یَتَّقِ اللهَ یَجْعَلْ لَهُ مَخْرَجاً وَ یَرْزُقْهُ مِنْ حَیْثُ لا یَحْتَسِبُ [And whoever is careful of (his duty to) Allah, He will make for him an outlet, and give him sustenance from where he does not expect]. These are a group of our weak Shia who do not have the financial means to travel to us and hear our narrations and take from the lights of our knowledge. But a group who do have the means undertake this journey, bear the expenses, hear our hadith and return and relate them to those others. These friends preserve our hadith while those [who travelled] let them slip away. These are the ones for whom Allah has provided a way out and are given sustenance from where they do not expect.

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): Whoever Allah grants a share of sustenance which he did not step towards with his foot, nor stretched out his hand towards, nor uttered a word about with his tongue, nor devised any scheme for, nor exposed himself to in any way — this is one of those cases which Allah has mentioned in His Book: وَ مَنْ یَتَّقِ اللهَ یَجْعَلْ لَهُ مَخْرَجاً وَ یَرْزُقْهُ مِنْ حَیْثُ لا یَحْتَسِبُ [And whoever is careful of (his duty to) Allah, He will make for him an outlet, and give him sustenance from where he does not expect].

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Ali ibn Abd al-Aziz says: Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said to me: "What is Umar ibn Muslim doing?" I said: "May I be your ransom! He has turned to worship and abandoned trade." He said: "Woe to him! Does he not know that whoever abandons the seeking [of sustenance], his supplication is not answered? Indeed a group of the companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family), when this verse was revealed: وَ مَنْ یَتَّقِ اللهَ یَجْعَلْ لَهُ مَخْرَجاً وَ یَرْزُقْهُ مِنْ حَیْثُ لا یَحْتَسِبُ [And whoever is careful of (his duty to) Allah, He will make for him an outlet, and give him sustenance from where he does not expect], shut their doors and turned to worship, saying: 'This is sufficient for us.' This matter reached the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), and he sent for them and said: 'What has driven you to what you have done?' They said: 'O Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family)! Our sustenance has been guaranteed, so we turned to worship.' He said: 'Whoever does so, his supplication is not answered; you must seek [sustenance].'"

The Imams (peace be upon them): When this saying of Allah was revealed: وَ مَنْ یَتَّقِ اللهَ یَجْعَلْ لَهُ مَخْرَجاً وَ یَرْزُقْهُ مِنْ حَیْثُ لا یَحْتَسِبُ [And whoever is careful of (his duty to) Allah, He will make for him an outlet, and give him sustenance from where he does not expect], a group of the companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) remained in their homes and abandoned all effort, and, trusting that their sustenance had been guaranteed, occupied themselves with worshipping their Lord. When the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) learned of the matter, he rebuked them and said: "Indeed I hate the man who opens his mouth to his Lord and says: 'Grant me sustenance,' yet does not seek it through work and effort."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Indeed part of worship is intense fear of Allah the Mighty and Majestic. Allah says: إِنَّما یَخْشَی اللهَ مِنْ عِبادِهِ الْعُلَماءُ [Only those of His servants who are the learned fear Allah] (Fatir/28). And Allah the Exalted also says: فَلا تَخْشَوُا النَّاسَ وَ اخْشَوْنِ [So do not fear people, but fear Me]. And again Allah, blessed and exalted, says: وَ مَنْ یَتَّقِ اللهَ یَجْعَلْ لَهُ مَخْرَجاً [And whoever is careful of (his duty to) Allah, He will make for him an outlet]. And Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: "Love of status and fame does not exist in the heart of the one who fears and dreads [Allah] — [so whoever fears Allah does not have love of leadership and fame]."

Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him): Whoever's sustenance has become straitened and the paths of seeking a livelihood have been closed to him, let him write this supplication on a piece of deer parchment or a piece of another animal's hide and hang it upon himself, or place it in one of the garments he wears, and keep it always with him and not part from it — Allah the Exalted will make his sustenance abundant and open for him the doors of his needs from where he does not expect. The supplication is this: O Allah, there is no endurance for so-and-so son of so-and-so in hardship, and no patience for him in the face of affliction, and no strength for him to bear poverty and need. O Allah, so send blessings upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad (peace be upon them), and do not withhold Your sustenance from so-and-so son of so-and-so, and do not restrict upon him the abundance of what is with You of gifts, and do not deprive him of the surplus of Your bounty, and do not cut off from him the greatness of Your blessings, and do not entrust him to Your creation nor to himself, lest he become incapable of attaining those blessings and grow weak in standing firm and attending to that which sets him right and sets right what is before him. Rather, You alone attend to gathering together his scattered affairs, and take charge of providing for him, and look upon him with the gaze of mercy in all his affairs. For indeed, if You entrust him to Your creation, they will not benefit him; and if You commit him to his relatives, they will deprive him; and if they give him something, they give but a very little; and if they refuse him, they refuse most severely; and if they act miserly, they act miserly — indeed they are fit for miserliness. O Allah, enrich so-and-so son of so-and-so from the surplus of Your bounty, and do not leave him bereft of Your grace, for indeed he is one who takes refuge with You, needy of what is in Your hands, and You are free of need from him, and You are Seeing and Knowing of his state. And whoever relies upon Allah, He is sufficient for him. Indeed Allah accomplishes His command [for whomever He wills]. Indeed Allah has appointed a measure for every thing. "فَإِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ یُسْراً إِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ یُسْراً [So surely with [every] hardship there is ease! [Yes] certainly with [every] hardship there is ease. (Sharh/6-5)]." وَ مَنْ یَتَّقِ اللهَ یَجْعَلْ لَهُ مَخْرَجاً وَ یَرْزُقْهُ مِنْ حَیْثُ لا یَحْتَسِبُ [And whoever is careful of (his duty to) Allah, He will make for him an outlet, and provide for him from whence he does not reckon].

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): O Aba Dharr (may Allah have mercy on him)! If all people were to take hold of this verse, it would suffice them: وَ مَنْ یَتَّقِ اللهَ یَجْعَلْ لَهُ مَخْرَجا [And whoever is careful of (his duty to) Allah, He will make for him an outlet].

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): Indeed I know a verse from the Book of Allah which, if all people were to follow it, would suffice them. They said: "O Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family), which one is it?" He said: "وَ مَنْ یَتَّقِ اللهَ یَجْعَلْ لَهُ مَخْرَجاً وَ یَرْزُقْهُ مِنْ حَیْثُ لا یَحْتَسِبُ [And whoever is careful of (his duty to) Allah, He will make for him an outlet, and provide for him from whence he does not reckon]."

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family): There is a trait such that whoever possesses it, this world and the hereafter are placed at his disposal, and he gains the triumph of Paradise. It was said: What is that trait, O Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family)? He said: "Taqwa (Allah-consciousness). Whoever wishes to be the mightiest of people, let him fear Allah the Mighty and Majestic." Then he recited: وَ مَنْ یَتَّقِ اللهَ یَجْعَلْ لَهُ مَخْرَجاً وَ یَرْزُقْهُ مِنْ حَیْثُ لا یَحْتَسِبُ [And whoever is mindful of Allah, He will make a way out for him, and will provide for him from where he does not reckon].

Imam Kazim (peace be upon him): The meaning of the verse وَ مَنْ یَتَّقِ اللهَ یَجْعَلْ لَهُ مَخْرَجاً وَ یَرْزُقْهُ مِنْ حَیْثُ لا یَحْتَسِبُ [And whoever is mindful of Allah, He will make a way out for him, and will provide for him from where he does not reckon] is that He opens a way out for him in matters of his religion.

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): یَجْعَلْ لَهُ مَخْرَجاً [He will make a way out for him] means: whoever, out of fear and awe of the Truth, makes taqwa (Allah-consciousness) and piety his way.

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family): مخرجاً [a way out] is the path of deliverance and release from the doubts and difficulties of this world, and from the agonies of death and the hardships of the Day of Resurrection.

Imam Hasan (peace be upon him): Taqwa (Allah-consciousness) is the door to every repentance, the head of every wisdom, and [the source of] the honour of every deed. Whoever among the Allah-conscious attains success, does so through taqwa, for it is by taqwa that he has been granted such success. Allah the Blessed and Exalted said: "Indeed, for the Allah-conscious there is a great salvation and triumph." (An-Naba/31) And He said: "And Allah delivers those who guarded (against evil) with their achievement; evil shall not touch them, nor shall they grieve." (Az-Zumar/61) So, O servants of Allah, adopt taqwa of Allah, and know that whoever is mindful of Allah, Allah will make for him a way out from the midst of [the waves of] tribulations, will make his step firm in his affair, will prepare for him [the means of] guidance, will grant victory to his proof, will make his face bright, and will grant him his heart's desire.

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): And know! مَنْ یَتَّقِ اللهَ یَجْعَلْ لَهُ مَخْرَجاً [Whoever is mindful of Allah, He will make a way out for him] — Allah will provide him with a way out from tribulations, and a light by which he finds his way through the darkness, and He will make him abide forever in what his soul desired, and He will lodge him with Himself in a dwelling that bears the mark of His honouring him — in a house that He built for Himself.

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): Allah never opens the door of reliance upon Him to anyone without appointing a way out for the one who relies on Him; for Allah the Glorified says: وَ مَنْ یَتَّقِ اللهَ یَجْعَلْ لَهُ مَخْرَجا [and whoever is careful of (his duty to) Allah, He will make for him an outlet].

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): وَ مَنْ یَتَّقِ اللهَ یَجْعَلْ لَهُ مَخْرَجا [and whoever is careful of (his duty to) Allah, He will make for him an outlet] — Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: "If the heavens and the earth were sealed shut upon a believing servant and he then had taqwa of Allah, Allah the Exalted would appoint for such a servant a relief and a way out from between them."

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family): Whoever cuts himself off toward Allah, Allah suffices him in his provision and sustains him from where he does not reckon; and whoever attaches himself to the world, Allah leaves him to it.

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): In the hadith of Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him) it is reported: Miqdad said to him [Imam Ali (peace be upon him)]: "For three days I have eaten nothing." Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) went out and sold his coat of mail for five hundred and gave a portion of it to him and returned bewildered. A Bedouin called out to him: "Buy this she-camel from me on credit!" He bought it for a hundred, and the Bedouin went off, and another man came before him and said: "Sell this to me for a hundred and fifty dirhams." He sold it and called out: "O Hasan (peace be upon him) and O Husayn (peace be upon him), go after the Bedouin," while he was at the door. The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), smiling, saw him and said: "O Ali! The Bedouin who owned the she-camel was Jibra'il and the buyer was Mika'il. O Ali! The hundred was for the she-camel and the fifty was for the five you paid to Miqdad," then he recited: وَ مَنْ یَتَّقِ اللهَ یَجْعَلْ لَهُ [and whoever is careful of (his duty to) Allah, He will make for him...].

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): By Allah, if all the heavens and the earth were shut upon a servant and that servant took the path of taqwa (Allah-consciousness), Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, would give him relief from that hardship.

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family): Allah has made it obligatory upon Himself that whoever believes in Him, He will guide him; and whoever adopts taqwa (Allah-consciousness) of Him, He will protect him; and whoever places his trust in Him, He will suffice him; and whoever lends to Him, He will make it grow (increase it); and whoever relies on Him, He will save him; and whoever seeks refuge with Him, He will shelter him; and whoever calls upon Him, He will respond to him and answer him. The confirmation of these words from the Book of Allah is these verses: 'And whoever believes in Allah, He guides his heart' (Taghabun/11). 'وَ مَنْ یَتَوَکَّلْ عَلَی اللهِ فَهُوَ حَسْبُهُ [And whoever places his trust in Allah, He is sufficient for him]. Who is it that will lend to Allah a goodly loan, [and spend from the wealth that Allah has bestowed on him], so that He may multiply it for him many times?' (Baqarah/245). 'And whoever holds fast to Allah has indeed been guided to a straight path' (Al Imran/101). 'Return to your Lord' (Zumar/54). 'And when My servants ask you about Me, [say]: I am near! I answer the call of the caller when he calls upon Me. So let them respond to My call and believe in Me, so that they may be rightly guided [and reach the destination]!' (Baqarah/186).

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): It is narrated from Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) that one day he said to one of his students: "What have you learned from me?" He said: "My master, I have learned eight matters from you." The Imam said: "State them so that I may know them." He said: ... "The eighth is that I saw a group relying on the soundness of their bodies, and a group on the abundance of their wealth, and a group on creatures like themselves, but I lent the ear of my heart to this word of Allah where He says: وَ مَنْ یَتَّقِ اللهَ یَجْعَلْ لَهُ مَخْرَجاً [And whoever adopts taqwa of Allah, He will make for him a way out]."

Imam Kazim (peace be upon him): Whoever fears Allah, people will fear him; and whoever obeys Allah, he will be obeyed.

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Abd al-Hamid al-Wasiti said: I said to Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): "May Allah set your affair right — indeed, we have left off our trades in anticipation of the appearance of the rightful state, to the point where some of us are close to having to beg." The Imam said: "Do you suppose that if someone devotes himself to the way of Allah, Allah will not open a way of sustenance for him? Yes, by Allah! Allah will surely open the door of His mercy upon him. May Allah have mercy on the one who has placed himself at our disposal. May Allah have mercy on the one who keeps our cause alive."

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family): Whoever seeks forgiveness abundantly, Allah will remove every worry from him and bring him out of every hardship; وَ یَرْزُقْهُ مِنْ حَیْثُ لا یَحْتَسِب [and He will provide for him from where he does not reckon].

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) — Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Awn ibn Malik al-Ashja'i came to the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) and said, "O Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family)! The enemy has taken my son captive in war, and my grief has grown intense and my patience has run out — what do you command me?" He said, "I command you to say much: لَا حَوْلَ وَ لَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللهِ [There is no power and no strength except by Allah], in every state." And while he was reciting this dhikr, his son came along with a hundred camels which the polytheists had grown heedless of, and he drove them on. Then al-Ashja'i came to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) and told the story. At this moment this verse was revealed: وَ مَنْ یَتَّقِ اللهَ یَجْعَلْ لَهُ مَخْرَجاً وَ یَرْزُقْهُ مِنْ حَیْثُ لا یَحْتَسِبُ [And whoever is careful of his duty to Allah, He will make for him an outlet, and give him sustenance from whence he thinks not].

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): When the sages and scholars of old wrote to one another, they would write three sentences and no fourth: whoever devoted his aspiration to the affair of the Hereafter, Allah takes care of the affair of his worldly life.

Imam Sajjad (peace be upon him): Abd al-Malik heard that the sword of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) was with Zayn al-Abidin. He sent a message asking him to give it to him. He said he needed it. The Imam refused. Abd al-Malik wrote a threatening letter saying that he would cut off his stipend from the public treasury. In reply he (peace be upon him) wrote: Indeed Allah has guaranteed for the Allah-fearing that He will deliver them from where they dislike and provide them sustenance from where they do not expect.