سورة الأنفال

Imam Kazim (peace be upon him): Zayd al-Shahham narrates from Imam Kazim (peace be upon him) that regarding the exegesis of إِلَّا مُتَحَرِّفاً لِقِتالٍ أَوْ مُتَحَیِّزاً إِلی فِئَةٍ [unless turning aside for the sake of fighting or withdrawing to a company], he said: "[Mutaharrif] means one who withdraws [from the battlefield] with the aim [of this act being] that he may attack the enemy again; and mutahayyiz means one who retreats with the intention of joining his comrades-in-arms, not with the intention of fleeing. [But] whoever flees in such a way that he passes beyond the line of his comrades will be caught by the wrath of Allah."

Ali ibn Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him): فَلا تُوَلُّوهُمُ الْأَدْبارَ وَ مَنْ یُوَلِّهِمْ یَوْمَئِذٍ دُبُرَهُ إِلَّا مُتَحَرِّفاً لِقِتالٍ [So do not turn your backs to them, and whoever turns his back to them on that day, unless he turns aside for the sake of fighting] — meaning [one who] returns again [to the battle]; أَوْ مُتَحَیِّزاً إِلی فِئَةٍ [or withdraws to a company] — meaning [one who] returns to his master, who is the Messenger (peace be upon him and his family) or the Imam. [Whoever turns his back to the enemy and flees] has indeed disbelieved; وَ باءَ بِغَضَبٍ مِنَ اللهِ وَ مَأْواهُ جهنّم وَ بِئْسَ الْمصِیر [and he has incurred wrath from Allah, and his abode is Hell, and an evil destination it is].

Imam Jawad (peace be upon him): Abd al-Azim al-Hasani said: Imam Jawad (peace be upon him) was speaking with me and said: I heard my father say: I heard my father Musa ibn Ja'far (peace be upon him) say: Amr ibn Ubayd came to Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him). When he had greeted him and sat down, he recited this verse: الَّذِینَ یَجْتَنِبُونَ کَبائِرَ الْإِثْمِ وَ الْفَواحِشَ [Those who avoid the great sins and indecencies], then he fell silent. Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said to him: "Why did you fall silent?" He said: "I would like to know the major sins from the Book of Allah the Mighty and Majestic." He said: "Yes, O Amr! The greatest of the major sins ... is fleeing from jihad, for Allah the Mighty and Majestic says: وَ مَنْ یُوَلِّهِمْ یَوْمَئِذٍ دُبُرَهُ إِلَّا مُتَحَرِّفاً لِقِتالٍ أَوْ مُتَحَیِّزاً إِلی فِئَةٍ فَقَدْ باءَ بِغَضَبٍ مِنَ اللهِ وَ مَأْواهُ جهنّم وَ بِئْسَ المَصِیرُ [And whoever turns his back to them on that day, unless turning aside for the sake of fighting or withdrawing to a company, has indeed incurred wrath from Allah, and his abode is Hell, and an evil destination it is]."

Imam Kazim (peace be upon him): Zayd al-Shahham said: I said to Imam Kazim (peace be upon him): "[Common people] say: 'If truth was with Ali (peace be upon him), why did he not defend his right?'" Imam Kazim (peace be upon him) replied: "Allah did not impose this obligation on anyone to that extent except His Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), to whom He said: Then fight in the way of Allah! You are not responsible except for yourself. (Nisa/84) And to others He said: إِلَّا مُتَحَرِّفاً لِقِتالٍ أَوْ مُتَحَیِّزاً إِلی فِئَةٍ [Unless turning aside for the sake of fighting or withdrawing to a company]. And Ali (peace be upon him) did not find a group [of fighters to strive and take back his right], for had he found one, he would certainly have fought [with their help to take his right]."

Imam Kazim (peace be upon him): Zayd al-Shahham said: I said to Imam Kazim (peace be upon him): "May I be your ransom! They say, if Ali (peace be upon him) had the right, why did he not take his right?" He said: "Indeed Allah did not appoint anyone to this task except His Prophet (peace be upon him and his family). Allah said to him: Then fight in the way of Allah! You are not responsible except for yourself. (Nisa/84) And to others He said: إِلاَّ مُتَحَرِّفاً لِّقِتَالٍ أَوْ مُتَحَیِّزاً إِلَی فِئَةٍ [Unless turning aside for the sake of fighting or withdrawing to a company]. Ali (peace be upon him) had not found a group, and had he found one, he would have fought." Then he said: "If Ja'far and Hamza had been alive, two men would have remained." Allah the Exalted said: مُتَحَرِّفاً لِّقِتَالٍ أَوْ مُتَحَیِّزاً إِلَی فِئَةٍ; he flees while he intends to charge back at them, or he is withdrawing — meaning he has fallen back to his companions, without fleeing. So whoever flees until he passes beyond the ranks of his fellow-fighters is stricken with the wrath and anger of Allah."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Sulayman ibn Khalid said: I said to Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): "People say, if Ali (peace be upon him) had a right [to the caliphate], why did he not rise up [to take his right]?" He (peace be upon him) said: "Allah the Exalted made this matter [rising up alone without any helper] obligatory upon only one person, and that was the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family). [In this regard] Allah the Exalted said: 'Fight in the way of Allah! You are responsible only for your own duty! And urge the believers on [to this]!' (al-Nisa/84). This obligation was only for the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family), but regarding others He said: إِلَّا مُتَحَرِّفاً لِقِتالٍ أَوْ مُتَحَیِّزاً إِلی فِئَةٍ [unless he turns aside for the sake of fighting or withdraws to a company]." Then Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: "On that day (the usurpation of the caliphate) there was no group to help Ali (peace be upon him) in the matter of the caliphate."

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): The limits of the obligations that Allah has made obligatory upon His creation, among the great obligations, are five: prayer, zakat, hajj, fasting, and wilayah, which is the guardian of these four obligations. The great matters of the wilayah of the Imam whose obedience is obligatory are that the Imam must be infallible (ma'sum) and no error or slip should issue from him; he must be the bravest of people. The reason for his being brave is that the Imam is the central rallying point (fi'ah) of the Muslims to whom they return on the battlefronts; if he is not braver than all of them, he is not safe from fleeing and running away from the battlefield, thereby handing them over to killing and destruction and incurring the wrath of Allah.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): As for the qualities that belong to the Imam himself, they are that the Imam must be the most ascetic, the most knowledgeable, and the bravest of people; and if he is not the bravest of people, the obligation of his imamah falls away, because the Imam at the time of battle is the refuge (fi'ah) of the Muslims, and if he flees he becomes an instance of this verse: وَ مَنْ یُوَلِّهِمْ یَوْمَئِذٍ دُبُرَهُ إِلَّا مُتَحَرِّفاً لِقِتالٍ أَوْ مُتَحَیِّزاً إِلی فِئَةٍ فَقَدْ باءَ بِغَضَبٍ مِنَ اللهِ [And whoever turns his back to them on that day — unless he turns aside for the sake of fighting or withdraws to a company — has indeed incurred the wrath of Allah].

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Zurarah said: I said to Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): "Was Zubayr present at Badr?" He said: "Yes, but he fled on the Day of the Camel (Jamal). If he was fighting against the believers, then he perished by his fighting against them; and if he was fighting against disbelievers, then his fate is the wrath and anger of Allah, because he fled from the battlefield against them."