سورة التوبة

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): If everyone were equal in faith, no one would have any merit or superiority over another; through complete faith the believers enter Paradise and attain its ranks. If some have deficient faith or lose their faith, they enter Hell. Those who have precedence in faith attain superiority over others. Allah has said in His Qur'an: وَ السَّابِقُونَ السَّابِقُونَ، أُولئِکَ الْمُقَرَّبُونَ [And (the third group) the foremost are the foremost; those are the ones brought near!] (Waqi'ah/10-11). In another verse He says: وَ السَّابِقُونَ الْأَوَّلُونَ مِنَ الْمُهاجِرِینَ وَ الْأَنْصارِ [And the foremost, the first of the Muhajirin and the Ansar], and then those who followed them possess merit.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Abu Amr al-Zubayri said: I asked the Imam (peace be upon him): "Does faith have degrees and levels by which the believers surpass one another before Allah?" He said: "Yes." I said: "May Allah have mercy on you, explain it to me so that I may understand it." He said: "Allah set up a race between the believers, just as horses are raced on the day of the contest, and He granted them excellence according to the degrees of their precedence. He placed each of the believers at a station corresponding to his degree of precedence, and did not diminish his right in that degree, nor does one who has been outstripped move ahead of one who outstripped him, nor does one of lesser merit [before Allah] move ahead of one of greater merit. It is by this that the earliest of this ummah gained excellence over its later members. If the one who was foremost in faith had no merit over the one who was outstripped, the last of this ummah [in rank and merit] would catch up with its first. If the one foremost in faith had no merit and superiority over the one who lagged, those who lagged would catch up with the foremost — indeed, they would surpass them. But Allah, by the degrees of faith, placed the foremost ahead, and, on account of their delay and lagging in faith, placed those who fell short behind. For we see among the later believers those whose deeds — prayer, fasting, hajj, zakat, jihad and spending — are greater than those of the earlier ones. And if there were not [degrees of] precedence by which the believers gain merit over one another, the later ones, by reason of their many deeds, would have to be placed ahead of the earlier ones. But Allah the Mighty and Majestic has never willed that one who stands in the lowest degrees of faith should reach a higher degree, nor that one whom Allah has placed behind be placed ahead, nor that one whom Allah has placed ahead be placed behind." I said: "Tell me about that to which Allah the Mighty and Majestic has called the believers, of racing toward faith." He said: "The word of Allah the Mighty and Majestic: … وَ السَّابِقُونَ الْأَوَّلُونَ مِنَ الْمُهاجِرِینَ وَ الْأَنْصارِ وَ الَّذِینَ اتَّبَعُوهُمْ بِإِحْسانٍ رَضِیَ اللهُ عَنْهُمْ وَ رَضُوا عَنْهُ [And the foremost, the first of the Muhajirin and the Ansar, and those who followed them in goodness — Allah is well pleased with them and they are well pleased with Him]. In this verse Allah began first with the earliest Muhajirin on account of their precedence, then second with the Ansar, then third with those who followed them in goodness. So He placed each group according to the measure of their degrees and stations before Him."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): This verse is about Ali (peace be upon him) and whoever follows him; مِنَ الْمُهاجِرینَ وَ الْأَنْصارِ وَ الَّذینَ اتَّبَعُوهُمْ بِإِحْسانٍ رَضِیَ اللهُ عَنْهُمْ وَ رَضُوا عَنْهُ وَ أَعَدَّ لَهُمْ جَنَّاتٍ تَجْری تَحْتَهَا الْأَنْهارُ خالِدینَ فیها أَبَداً ذلِکَ الْفَوْزُ الْعَظیم [of the Muhajirin and the Ansar, and those who followed them in goodness — Allah is well pleased with them and they are well pleased with Him, and He has prepared for them gardens beneath which rivers flow, to abide in them forever; that is the mighty achievement].

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): By His words, the Exalted: اتَّبَعُوهُمْ بِإِحْسانٍ رَضِیَ اللهُ عَنْهُمْ وَ رَضُوا عَنْهُ [those who followed them in goodness — Allah is well pleased with them and they are well pleased with Him], Allah meant Ali (peace be upon him).

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): Sulaym ibn Qays al-Hilali narrates that his Eminence (peace be upon him), in the midst of a speech [which he delivered in the mosque among a gathering of the Muhajirin and Ansar during the days of the caliphate of Uthman], said: "I adjure you by Allah! Do you know that when the verse وَ السَّابِقُونَ الْأَوَّلُونَ مِنَ الْمُهاجِرِینَ وَ الْأَنْصارِ [And the foremost, the first of the Muhajirs and the Ansars] and the verse وَ السَّابِقُونَ السَّابِقُونَ أُولئِکَ الْمُقَرَّبُونَ [And the foremost are the foremost; those are the ones brought near] (Waqiah/10-11) were revealed, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) was asked about them, and his Eminence (peace be upon him and his family) said: 'Allah revealed these verses concerning the prophets and their successors. I am the most excellent of the prophets and messengers of Allah, and Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him), my successor, is the most excellent of the awliya (guardians)'?" They said: "Yes! By Allah."

Imam Hasan (peace be upon him): My father was the first to believe in the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) and protected him with his own life. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) gave him precedence on every occasion and sent him for every difficult task, because he trusted and relied upon him, since he knew that he was sincere for Allah and His Messenger and was the closest of those brought near to Allah and His Messenger. Indeed, Allah the Mighty and Majestic said: ... وَ السَّابِقُونَ الْأَوَّلُونَ مِنَ الْمُهَاجِرِینَ وَ الْأَنْصارِ وَ الَّذِینَ اتَّبَعُوهُمْ بِإِحْسانٍ رَضِیَ اللهُ عَنْهُمْ [And the foremost, the first of the Muhajirs and the Ansars, and those who followed them in goodness — Allah is well pleased with them]. So he was the foremost of all the foremost, and just as Allah the Mighty and Majestic preferred the foremost over those who lagged behind and came later, likewise He preferred the foremost of the foremost over the foremost themselves.

Imam Hasan (peace be upon him): Just as the foremost in faith have superiority over others, likewise Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him) has excellence over them in proportion to the precedence he had over others.

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): When the Day of Resurrection comes, a banner of white light will be tied and a caller will call out: 'Let the master of the believers, Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him), stand up.' Then Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him) will stand up and that banner of white light will be given into his hand. All the foremost and the first believers from among the Muhajirin and the Ansar will be beneath that banner, and no one else will mingle with them.

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): وَ السَّابِقُونَ الْأَوَّلُونَ [And the foremost, the first] was revealed concerning the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him), for he preceded all people in embracing faith, prayed toward the two qiblas [Masjid al-Aqsa and Masjid al-Haram], and performed the two pledges of allegiance.

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): The foremost (the one who took precedence) of this Ummah is Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him).

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): Yusha ibn Nun (peace be upon him) believed in Musa (peace be upon him) before others, and the companion of Al Yasin believed in Isa (peace be upon him) before others, and Ali ibn Abi Talib, Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him), believed in Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) before the rest.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Ja'far ibn Ahmad, through a chain of narrators, reports from Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) who said: "One day my father and I left home, and suddenly we saw some people from among our companions who were between the pulpit and the grave of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family). My father greeted them and then said: 'Be aware, by Allah, I love your scent and your souls; so help me in this matter with piety (taqwa) and striving. Whoever follows a servant must act according to his deeds, and you are the Shia of the family of Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family), and you are the soldiers of Allah and the helpers of Allah, and you are the foremost of the first and the foremost of the last in this world, and in the Hereafter you are the foremost toward Paradise.'"

Ali ibn Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him): وَ السَّابِقُونَ الْأَوَّلُونَ مِنَ الْمُهَاجِرِینَ وَ الْأَنْصَارِ [And the foremost, the first of the Muhajirs and the Ansars] — they are the naqibs (chiefs): Abu Dharr, Miqdad, Salman, Ammar, and those who believed, affirmed, and stood firm on the wilayah of the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him).

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): وَ السَّابِقُونَ الْأَوَّلُونَ [And the foremost, the first] — the meaning is Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him), Hamzah, Ammar, Abu Dharr, Salman, and Miqdad.

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): وَ السَّابِقُونَ الْأَوَّلُونَ [And the foremost, the first] — the meaning is Ali (peace be upon him) and Salman (may Allah have mercy on him).

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): Ubadah ibn Abdullah said: I heard Ali (peace be upon him) say: "I am the servant of Allah and the brother of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family), and I am the greatest affirmer (siddiq) of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family). No one after me shall say this except that he is a liar. I prayed seven years before the people."

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): The angels sent blessings upon me and upon Ali (peace be upon him) for seven years, and that was because in those days there was no one who prayed other than me and Ali (peace be upon him).

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): The name of muhajir (emigrant) is not given to anyone except one who recognizes the Hujjah (Proof) upon the earth. So whoever recognizes him and affirms him is a muhajir.

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Religion is built upon following the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): قُلْ إِنْ کُنْتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ اللهَ فَاتَّبِعُونِی [Say: "If you love Allah, follow me"] (Al-Imran/31); and following the Book of Allah, on the basis of this verse: وَ اتَّبَعُوا النُّورَ الَّذِی أُنْزِلَ مَعَهُ [and they followed the light which was sent down with him] (Al-A'raf/157); and following the Imams (from the descendants of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family)), on the basis of: وَ الَّذِینَ اتَّبَعُوهُمْ بِإِحْسانٍ [and those who followed them in goodness]. Following the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) brings about love: "Say: 'If you love Allah, ...'" (Al-Imran/31). And following the Quran brings about felicity: فَمَنِ اتَّبَعَ هُدایَ فَلا یَضِلُّ وَ لا یَشْقی [Whoever follows My guidance will not go astray, nor fall into distress] (Ta-Ha/123). Following the Imams brings about Paradise.