سورة الأعراف

Ali ibn Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him): O Muhammad! These are the towns and settlements some of whose reports We narrate to you; مِنْ أَنبَآئِهَا [some of their reports] means from their news. فَمَا کَانُواْ لِیُؤْمِنُواْ بِمَا کَذَّبُواْ مِن قَبْلُ [they would not believe in what they had denied before] means in the first world and in the world of dharr (atoms/pre-existence). And in this world they do not believe in what they denied in the world of spirits (dharr) (before creation), and this is a reply to those who denied the covenant in the world of spirits (dharr).

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): "Allah created the creation, and every creature He loved He created from a substance He loved, and what He loved He created from the clay of Paradise. And every creature He did not love He created from a substance He did not love, and what He did not love He created from the clay of Hell. Then He raised them up in a shadow (zill)." I said: "What is the shadow?" He said: "Do you not see that your shadow in the sunlight is something and yet is not something (that is, it is a thing that has no personality or independence of its own)? Then Allah raised up the Prophets among them to call them to acknowledge Allah. This is the word of Allah who says: وَ لَئِنْ سَأَلْتَهُمْ مَنْ خَلَقَهُمْ لَیَقُولُنَّ اللهُ [And if you ask them who created them, they will certainly say: Allah]. (Zukhruf/87) Then Allah called them to acknowledge the Prophets, and some acknowledged and some denied. Then He called them to our wilayah, and by Allah, whoever Allah loved acknowledged it, and whoever He did not love denied it. This is the word of Allah the Exalted: فَما کانُوا لِیُؤْمِنُوا بِما کَذَّبُوا بِهِ مِنْ قَبْلُ [But they would not believe in what they had rejected before]. (Yunus/74)" Then Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) said: "Their denial was there (in the world of dharr — the realm of atoms)."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Ibn Muskan said: I asked Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) about this word of Allah the Mighty and Majestic: وَ إِذْ أَخَذَ رَبُّکَ مِن بَنِی آدَمَ مِن ظُهُورِهِمْ ذُرِّیَّتَهُمْ وَأَشْهَدَهُمْ عَلَی أَنفُسِهِمْ أَلَسْتَ بِرَبِّکُمْ قَالُواْ بَلَی [And when your Lord took from the children of Adam, from their loins, their descendants, and made them testify against themselves, saying: Am I not your Lord? They said: Yes] (A'raf/172). I asked and said: "Was this witnessed with the eye?" He said: "Yes, so the recognition became fixed, and they forgot the scene, and they will recall it. And were it not for that, no one would know his Creator and his Sustainer. A group acknowledged with their tongue in the world of dharr (atoms), but did not believe with their heart, so Allah said: فَما کانُوا لِیُؤْمِنُوا بِما کَذَّبُوا بِهِ مِنْ قَبْلُ [But they would not believe in what they had rejected before]. (Yunus/74)"