سورة الانسان

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): [This verse] was revealed concerning Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him) and his wife Fatimah (peace be upon her), the daughter of Muhammad the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family), and Fatimah's (peace be upon her) maidservant. It was [in this way] that they visited the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family), and he gave each of them one sa' (approximately three kilograms) of food. When they went to their homes, a beggar came asking for help; Ali (peace be upon him) gave away his one sa'. Then an orphan from among the neighbors came, and Fatimah (peace be upon her), the daughter of Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family), gave him her one sa'. Ali (peace be upon him) said to her: 'The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) used to say: Allah says: By My Might and Majesty! Today no servant will silence his crying but that I will settle him wherever he wishes in Paradise.'

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): وَ یُطْعِمُونَ الطَّعامَ عَلی حُبِّهِ [And they give food out of love for Him] was revealed concerning Ali (peace be upon him) and Fatimah (peace be upon her). They had three loaves of bread, and they gave them to a poor person, an orphan, and a captive, and they themselves went to sleep hungry, so this verse was revealed.

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): [It] was revealed concerning Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him), when he gave away his evening meal and broke his fast with water.

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Hasan ibn Mihran narrates from Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him), from his father (peace be upon him), that he said: "Hasan and Husayn (peace be upon them), while they were children, fell ill. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) came to visit them along with two men. One of them said: 'O Abal-Hasan (peace be upon him), if you were to make a vow for your two sons, Allah would cure them.' He said: 'I will fast three days in thanks to Allah.' And Fatimah (peace be upon her) said likewise, and Hasan and Husayn (peace be upon them) also said: 'We too will fast three days.' And their maidservant Fiddah made the same vow. Allah clothed them with the garment of well-being. In the morning they had the intention of fasting but had no food. Ali (peace be upon him) went to his Jewish neighbour named Shamʿun, whose trade was in wool, and said: 'Can you give me some wool for the daughter of Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) to spin for you, in exchange for three saʿ of barley?' He said: 'Yes,' and gave some wool along with barley to him. He informed Fatimah (peace be upon her), and she accepted and obeyed, and spun one-third of the wool. She took one saʿ of the barley, ground it, kneaded it, and baked five loaves of bread from it, one loaf for each person. Ali (peace be upon him) prayed maghrib with the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) and came home. They spread the tablecloth and the five of them sat down to break their fast. The first morsel Ali (peace be upon him) picked up — a needy man stood at the door and said: 'Peace be upon you, O family of Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family)! I am a needy Muslim. Feed me from what you eat; may Allah feed you from the food of paradise.' He put down the morsel and took everything on the tablecloth and gave it to the needy man, and they slept hungry and had nothing but water. Then she took the second third of the wool and spun it, took a saʿ of barley, ground it, kneaded it, and baked it, and prepared five loaves of bread, one loaf for each. Ali (peace be upon him) prayed maghrib with the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) and came home. When the tablecloth was spread and the five of them sat down, and Ali (peace be upon him) took the first morsel, a Muslim orphan stood at the door and said: 'Peace be upon you, O household of Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family)! I am a Muslim orphan. Give me from what you eat; may Allah bestow on you from the food of paradise.' Ali (peace be upon him) put down the morsel. Then whatever was on the tablecloth she gave to that orphan. She spun the third portion of the wool and ground the last saʿ of barley, kneaded it and baked from it another five loaves, one loaf for each. Ali (peace be upon him) prayed maghrib with the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) and came home. They spread the tablecloth, and again when Ali (peace be upon him) took the first morsel, a captive from among the polytheists called out from the door: 'O family of Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family)! You take us captive and bind us and do not feed us.' Ali (peace be upon him) placed the morsel from his hand on the ground, and they took whatever was on the tablecloth and gave it to that captive... And all of them slept hungry, and in the morning they were not fasting, nor did they have anything to eat. Shuʿayb in his hadith said: Ali brought Hasan and Husayn (peace be upon them) to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family), and they were trembling like chicks from hunger. When the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) saw them in that state, he said: 'O Abal-Hasan (peace be upon him)! Your condition greatly distresses me; hurry, let us go to Fatimah (peace be upon her).' And they all came to Fatimah (peace be upon her), and she was in her prayer niche, and from hunger her stomach had stuck to her back and her eyes had sunk in. When the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) saw her, he took her in his embrace and said: 'I call upon Allah for help — you have been in this state for three days.' Jibra'il descended and said: 'O Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family), take what Allah has prepared for your household.' He said: 'What shall I take?' He said: هَلْ أَتی عَلَی الْإِنْسانِ حِینٌ مِنَ الدَّهْرِ... إِنَّ هذا کانَ لَکُمْ جَزاءً وَ کانَ سَعْیُکُمْ مَشْکُوراً [Has there not come upon man a time... Indeed this is a reward for you, and your effort has been appreciated]... Hasan ibn Mihran in his hadith said: The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) leapt up and went to Fatimah's (peace be upon her) house and saw their state, and gathered them and bent over them, weeping, and saying: 'You have been in this condition for three days, and I have been unaware of you.' Jibra'il brought these verses: إِنَّ الْأَبْرارَ یَشْرَبُونَ مِنْ کَأْسٍ کانَ مِزاجُها کافُوراً عَیْناً یَشْرَبُ بِها عِبادُ اللهِ یُفَجِّرُونَها تَفْجِیراً [Indeed the righteous shall drink from a cup whose mixture is of camphor, a spring from which the servants of Allah drink, making it gush forth abundantly]."

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): It has been narrated from Asbagh ibn Nubata and others from Imam Baqir (peace be upon him), and the wording of the hadith [here] is that of Asbagh ibn Nubata. He then continued the hadith up to this point: they broke their fast while there was nothing with them. Then he said: "The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) saw them hungry, and Jibra'il descended, and with him was a large bowl of gold, adorned with pearls and rubies, filled with bread and broth and meat on the bone, and the scent of musk and camphor spread from it. So they sat and ate until they were satisfied, and not a single morsel of it was diminished. And Husayn (peace be upon him) went out, and with him was a piece of a bone, and a Jewish woman called out: 'O family of hunger, from where has this come to you? Feed some of it to me.' Husayn (peace be upon him) stretched out his hand to feed her, whereupon Jibra'il descended and took it from his hand and raised the large bowl to the heavens. The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) said: 'Were it not for Husayn's (peace be upon him) desire to feed that woman from that bowl, that bowl would have become a source of blessing among my Ahl al-Bayt, and they would have eaten from it until the Day of Resurrection, and not a morsel of it would have diminished.' And [after this event] there was revealed: يُوفُونَ بِالنَّذْرِ [They fulfill their vows], and the charity took place on the night of the twenty-fifth of Dhu al-Hijjah, and هَلْ أَتَی (Surah al-Insan) was revealed on the twenty-fifth day of it."

Imam Askari (peace be upon him): Peace be upon you, O Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him), master of the successors of the prophets, first of the worshippers and the most ascetic of the ascetics, and Allah's mercy, His blessings, His salutations and His favours [be upon you]. You are the one who gives food, and [you] give [your] food, despite [your own] love [and need] for it, to the "poor," the "orphan" and the "captive." You [feed them] for the sake of Allah, and you seek no reward or thanks from them.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Abu Basir said: We were with Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him), and some of the wealthy ones were also among us, when the subject of zakat came up. He said: 'Zakat is not something for which its giver is to be praised; rather, it is an official duty by which his blood is protected, and by paying it a person is called a "Muslim," and if he does not pay it, his prayer is not accepted. And know that upon your wealth there is a due to be paid other than zakat as well.' ... I said: What is the meaning of this verse: وَ یُطْعِمُونَ الطَّعامَ عَلی حُبِّهِ مِسْکِیناً وَ یَتِیماً وَ أَسِیراً [And they give food out of love for Him to the poor, the orphan and the captive]? He said: 'This is not zakat.'

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family): The best of you is the one who gives food, offers salaam aloud, and prays while people are asleep.

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family): Any Muslim who clothes a naked Muslim, Allah will clothe him from the green [garments] of Paradise. And any Muslim who feeds a hungry Muslim to satisfaction, Allah will feed him from the fruits of Paradise on the Day of Resurrection. And any Muslim who gives a thirsty Muslim to drink, Allah will give him to drink from [the pure drink] on the Day of Judgement.

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family): When the tablecloths of the family of Muhammad (peace be upon them) are spread out, the angels surround them and glorify Allah and seek forgiveness for them and for whoever has eaten their food. And some of them (peace be upon them), when someone was present by his food, would say: "Eat, O servant of Allah, and take blessing from it."

Imam Rida (peace be upon him): Mu'ammar ibn Khallad reports from Imam Rida (peace be upon him): I asked him about the statement of Allah the Exalted: وَ یُطْعِمُونَ الطَّعامَ عَلی حُبِّهِ مِسْکِیناً [And they give food out of love for Him to the poor]: "Does it mean that they love Allah, or that they love the food?" He said: "They love the food (that is, they themselves are in need of eating it)."

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): وَ یُطْعِمُونَ الطَّعامَ — and they feed [others with] their food despite having a desire and inclination for it themselves.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): وَ یُطْعِمُونَ الطَّعامَ عَلی حُبِّهِ — meaning, while having need of it themselves, they give it to a poor person from among the poor of the Muslims, and an orphan from among the [orphans of the] Muslims, and a captive from among the captives of the polytheists.

Imam Kazim (peace be upon him): Mu'ammar ibn Khallad narrates from Imam Kazim (peace be upon him) that he said: "A man should be generous toward his family, so that they do not wish for his death." And he recited this verse: وَ یُطْعِمُونَ الطَّعَامَ عَلَی حُبِّهِ مِسْکِینًا وَ یَتِیمًا وَ أَسِیرًا [And they give food out of love for Him to the poor and the orphan and the captive]. The intended meaning of "captive" is the man's family. If a man's provision and sustenance increases, it is necessary for him to be generous toward his family. Then he said: "Allah increased the provision of so-and-so, but that person was not generous toward his family; so Allah took the provision away from him and gave it to another." That person was present at that very moment.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): The captive must be fed, even if he has been readied for execution. Imam Ali (peace be upon him) used to feed those imprisoned for life from the treasury of the Muslims.