سورة التوبة

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Zurara narrates from Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) that concerning this word of Allah the Mighty and Majestic: وَ آخَرُونَ مُرْجَوْنَ لِأَمْرِ اللهِ [And others are made to await Allah's command], he said: "A group were polytheists and killed people such as Hamza (may Allah have mercy on him) and Ja'far (may Allah have mercy on him) and the like of them. Then they entered Islam and worshipped Allah and abandoned polytheism, but they did not recognise faith with their hearts so as to be among the believers and their entry into Paradise be certain. And they did not persist in their denial and rejection so as to become disbelievers and their entry into the Fire be certain. They remain in that state — either He punishes them or He accepts their repentance; Allah deals with them according to His own view." I said: "May I be your ransom! From where does their sustenance come?" He said: From wherever Allah wills.

Imam Kazim (peace be upon him): These are a people whom Allah has held back until He forms His view about them.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Harith says: I asked Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): "Is there a station between faith and disbelief?" He said: "Yes! Rather there are stations such that if a person denies one of them, Allah casts him upon his face into the Fire. Another group are consigned to Allah's command [and their affair rests with Allah], and among them are the mustad'afun (the oppressed / weak), and among them are yet others; and another group who confessed their sins and mixed a good deed with another that was bad (At-Tawba/102). And among them are (the people of al-A'raf), in this word of Allah the Blessed and Exalted where He says: On the A'raf are men (Al-A'raf/46)."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): People are of six groups and are interpreted (reduced) to three groups: faith, disbelief and misguidance. They are the people of the promise — those whom Allah has promised Paradise or the Fire — and they are: the believers, the disbelievers, the mustad'afun (the oppressed / weak), and وَ مرْجَوْنَ لِأَمْرِ اللهِ إِمَّا یُعَذِّبُهُمْ وَ إِمَّا یَتُوبُ عَلَیْهِمْ [and those who are made to await Allah's command, whether He chastises them or turns to them mercifully], and وَ المُعْتَرِفُونَ بِذُنُوبِهِمْ خَلَطُوا عَمَلًا صالِحاً وَ آخَرَ سَیِّئاً [and those who confess their sins, having mixed a good deed with another that was bad], and the people of al-A'raf.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Hamza ibn Tayyar said: Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said to me, "People are of six kinds." I said, "Do you permit me to write their names down?" He said, "Yes!" I said, "What shall I write?" He said, "...Write: وَ آخَرُونَ مُرْجَوْنَ لِأَمْرِ اللهِ إِمَّا یُعَذِّبُهُمْ وَ إِمَّا یَتُوبُ عَلَیْهِمْ [And others are made to await Allah's command, whether He chastise them or whether He turn to them (mercifully)]. And write: except those men, women and children who have truly been placed under pressure [and are genuinely oppressed], who have no means, nor do they find any way [to escape from that corrupt environment]. ...It may be that Allah will pardon them. (An-Nisa/98-99)."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Hisham ibn Salim narrates from Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) that concerning this verse, وَ آخَرُونَ مُرْجَوْنَ لِأَمْرِ اللهِ [And others are made to await Allah's command], he said, "They are a group of the polytheists who shed the blood of some of the Muslims, then embraced Islam. So their matter has been left to Allah."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Dawud ibn Farqad said: I said to Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him), "Al-Murjawn are a group to whom, whenever the virtue of Ali (peace be upon him) is related, they say: we do not know, perhaps it is so, and perhaps it is not so." He (peace be upon him) said, "They are hopeful of the mercy of their Lord, for Allah the Exalted says: وَ آخَرُونَ مُرْجَوْنَ لِأَمْرِ اللهِ إِمَّا یُعَذِّبُهُمْ وَ إِمَّا یَتُوبُ عَلَیْهِمْ وَ اللهُ عَلیمٌ حَکیمٌ [And others are made to await Allah's command, whether He chastise them or whether He turn to them (mercifully), and Allah is Knowing, Wise]."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Humran said: I asked Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) about the interpretation of al-mustad'afin (the oppressed). He said, "They are the people of wilayah (allegiance)." I said, "Which wilayah do you mean?" He said, "I do not mean wilayah in religion; rather, it is wilayah in marriage, inheritance and social dealings with them. They are neither believers nor disbelievers — a group whose salvation in the hereafter is hoped for."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Humran said: "I asked Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) about al-mustad'afin (the oppressed)." He said, "They are neither believers nor disbelievers. They are those whose matter is left to Allah's command."

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): The murjawn (those made to await) are a people who fought on the day of Badr, Uhud and the day of Hunayn, and remained safe from the polytheists. Then they embraced Islam.

Imam Rida (peace be upon him): Hasan ibn Muhammad Nawfali said: ... Imran said, "I would be most pleased if the Imam (peace be upon him) would bring us a proof regarding bada' so that by it we may argue with the people of insight." Ma'mun said, "What is your view on the dispute between these two?" The Imam (peace be upon him) said, "O Sulayman! What you denied of bada' [is not correct, for] Allah says in the Quran: ... وَ آخَرُونَ مُرْجَوْنَ لِأَمْرِ اللهِ إِمَّا یُعَذِّبُهُمْ وَ إِمَّا یَتُوبُ عَلَیْهِم [And others are made to await Allah's command, whether He chastise them or whether He turn to them mercifully]."

Imam Rida (peace be upon him): It is narrated from Hasan ibn Ahmad Nawfali: ... Imam Rida (peace be upon him) rose for wudu and then attended Ma'mun's assembly, and between him and Sulayman a discussion took place regarding bada' in the sense of the appearance [of something new] due to a change and alteration of the underlying interest. His Eminence (peace be upon him) cited many verses of the Quran to establish its validity, such as the verse: "He originates creation, then reproduces it" (Yunus/4), "And He adds to creation whatever He wills" (Fatir/1), "Allah blots out what He wills and confirms what He wills" (Ra'd/39), "And no aged person is granted long life, nor is anything diminished of his life" (Fatir/11), and وَ آخَرُونَ مُرْجَوْنَ لِأَمْرِ اللهِ [And others are made to await Allah's command], and the like.