سورة التوبة

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): In the book Tafsir al-Qummi it is narrated: Imam Sajjad (peace be upon him) said concerning this word of Allah: وَ إِنْ نَکَثُوا أَیْمانَهُمْ مِنْ بَعْدِ عَهْدِهِمْ وَ طَعَنُوا فی دینِکُمْ فَقاتِلُوا أَئِمَّةَ الْکُفْرِ إِنَّهُمْ لا أَیْمانَ لَهُمْ لَعَلَّهُمْ یَنْتَهُونَ [But if they break their oaths after their agreement and revile your religion, then fight the leaders of unbelief — surely their oaths are nothing — so that they may desist]: "It was revealed concerning the Companions of the Camel (Jamal). The Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) said on the day of the Camel: 'By Allah! I fought this covenant-breaking group only on the basis of a verse from the Book of Allah. Allah says: وَ إِنْ نَکَثُوا أَیْمانَهُمْ مِنْ بَعْدِ عَهْدِهِمْ وَ طَعَنُوا فِی دِینِکُمْ فَقاتِلُوا أَئِمَّةَ الْکُفْرِ إِنَّهُمْ لا أَیْمانَ لَهُمْ لَعَلَّهُمْ یَنْتَهُونَ [But if they break their oaths after their agreement and revile your religion, then fight the leaders of unbelief — surely their oaths are nothing — so that they may desist].'"

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): Hasan al-Basri said: "When Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him) had finished with the affair of Talha, Zubayr and A'isha, he ascended the pulpit and delivered a sermon. After praising and lauding Allah, he sent blessings upon the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family), and then said: 'O people! By Allah, yesterday I did not fight this people except with a verse which I have set forth from the Book of Allah. Indeed Allah says: وَان نَّکَثُواْ أَیْمانَهُم مِّن بَعْدِ عَهْدِهِمْ وَ طَعَنُواْ فِی دِینِکُمْ فَقَاتِلُواْ أَئِمَّةَ الْکُفْرِ إِنَّهُمْ لاَ أَیْمانَ لَهُمْ لَعَلَّهُمْ یَنتَهُونَ [But if they break their oaths after their agreement and revile your religion, then fight the leaders of unbelief — surely their oaths are nothing — so that they may desist]. By Allah! The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) said to me: "O Ali! Indeed you will fight the transgressing group (Qasitin), the covenant-breaking group (Nakithin), and the deviant group (Mariq)."'"

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): Sha'bi said: Abdullah recited this verse: وَ إِنْ نَکَثُوا أَیْمانَهُمْ مِنْ بَعْدِ عَهْدِهِمْ [But if they break their oaths after their agreement], and then said: "No fight has yet taken place with the people referred to in this verse." But when the Battle of the Camel (Jamal) broke out, Imam Ali (peace be upon him) recited it and said: "No fight had taken place with the people referred to in this verse from the time of its revelation until this day."

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): Ali (peace be upon him) urged the people to fight on the day of the Battle of Jamal and said to them: "فَقاتِلُوا أَئِمَّةَ الْکُفْرِ إِنَّهُمْ لا أَیْمانَ لَهُمْ لَعَلَّهُمْ یَنْتَهُونَ [Then fight the leaders of unbelief — surely their oaths are nothing — so that they may desist]." Then he said: "By Allah! Not a single arrow had been shot at the people of this verse before today (before today none of the polytheists had broken their covenant)."

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): Abu Uthman, the muezzin of the tribe of Banu Afsa, said: I heard Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him), when Talha and Zubayr came out to fight him, say: "My complaint is against Talha and Zubayr. They pledged allegiance to me of their own will, and then, without anything happening on my part, they broke my allegiance." Then he recited this verse: وَ إِنْ نَکَثُوا أَیْمانَهُمْ مِنْ بَعْدِ عَهْدِهِمْ وَ طَعَنُوا فِی دِینِکُمْ فَقاتِلُوا أَئِمَّةَ الْکُفْرِ إِنَّهُمْ لا أَیْمانَ لَهُمْ لَعَلَّهُمْ یَنْتَهُونَ [And if they break their oaths after their agreement and revile your religion, then fight the leaders of unbelief — surely their oaths are nothing — so that they may desist].

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): Allah has established the proof against Talha and Zubayr, and now I can fight them. They pledged allegiance to me while they had free choice and were under no compulsion; then, without anything happening from me, they broke the covenant. By Allah! Since the verse وَ إِنْ نَکَثُوا... [And if they break their oaths...] was revealed, no one has fought the people of this verse.

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): Abu al-Tufayl said: On the day of Jamal I heard Ali (peace be upon him) urging the people to battle and saying: "By Allah! Until today no one had shot a kinana arrow at the people of this verse." Then he recited this verse: فَقاتِلُوا أَئِمَّةَ الْکُفْرِ إِنَّهُمْ لا أَیْمانَ لَهُمْ لَعَلَّهُمْ یَنْتَهُونَ [Then fight the leaders of unbelief — surely their oaths are nothing — so that they may desist]. I said to Abu al-Tufayl: "What is a kinana?" He said: "An arrow in whose iron head there is a bone; some of the Arabs call it kinana."

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): In the book Kashf al-Ghumma it is narrated: As for Talha, who was standing in the midst of the battlefield, an arrow struck his soul and he perished. Then the furnace of war blazed up and the flash of the sharp Haydari sword shone on the heart of each of them. In the Battle of Jamal, his eminence recited this verse: وَ إِنْ نَکَثُوا أَیْمانَهُمْ مِنْ بَعْدِ عَهْدِهِمْ وَ طَعَنُوا فِی دِینِکُمْ فَقاتِلُوا أَئِمَّةَ الْکُفْرِ إِنَّهُمْ لا أَیْمانَ لَهُمْ لَعَلَّهُمْ یَنْتَهُونَ [And if they break their oaths after their agreement and revile your religion, then fight the leaders of unbelief — surely their oaths are nothing — so that they may desist]. The Imam (peace be upon him) then swore that this verse had not found its instance until today, when war blazed up and many people were killed and wounded.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Whoever reviles this religion of yours has disbelieved. Allah the Exalted said: طَعَنُوا فِی دِینِکُمْ فَقاتِلُوا أَئِمَّةَ الْکُفْرِ [they revile your religion, so fight the leaders of unbelief].

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): A group of the people of Basra came to me and asked me about Talha and Zubayr. I said to them: "They were among the leaders of unbelief. Ali (peace be upon him), when he arrayed the army in ranks, said to his companions: 'Do not hasten to fight this people until you have completed the proof of Allah the Mighty and Majestic against them.'" Then he rose and said to them: "O people of Basra! Have you seen any injustice from me in judgement?" They said: "No." He said: "Have you seen any inequity from me in the distribution of the treasury?" They said: "No." He said: "Have I appropriated anything of the world for myself and my family and deprived you of it, so that you have become angry with me and broken your allegiance to me?" They said: "No." He said: "Have I executed the hudud (prescribed penalties) upon you and not upon others?" They said: "No." He said: "Then why is my allegiance broken while the allegiance of others is not broken? Indeed I have thoroughly examined this matter, and I have found no solution except unbelief or the sword." Then he turned to his companions and said: "Indeed Allah the Blessed and Exalted says in His Book: وَ إِنْ نَکَثُوا أَیْمانَهُمْ مِنْ بَعْدِ عَهْدِهِمْ وَ طَعَنُوا فِی دِینِکُمْ فَقاتِلُوا أَئِمَّةَ الْکُفْرِ إِنَّهُمْ لا أَیْمانَ لَهُمْ لَعَلَّهُمْ یَنْتَهُونَ [And if they break their oaths after their agreement and revile your religion, then fight the leaders of unbelief — surely their oaths are nothing — so that they may desist]. By the One who split the seed and created the soul and chose Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) for prophethood, they are the ones referred to in this verse, and from the time this verse was revealed, no one has fought them."

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): In the book Manaqib it is narrated thus; the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) said: O people! Whoever trades today makes a profit. Among his statements was this: Behold! The dye of women is henna and the dye of men is blood, and patience is better in the outcome of affairs. Know and be aware that these are Badri grudges, Uhudi rancours and Jahili hatreds. And he recited this verse: فَقاتِلُوا أَئِمَّةَ الْکُفْرِ إِنَّهُمْ لا أَیْمانَ لَهُمْ لَعَلَّهُمْ یَنْتَهُونَ [So fight the leaders of unbelief — surely their oaths are nothing — so that they may desist]. Then he came forward and recited this rajaz ...

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): It is narrated from Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): The Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) said: "O Muslims! فَقاتِلُوا أَئِمَّةَ الْکُفْرِ إِنَّهُمْ لا أَیْمانَ لَهُمْ لَعَلَّهُمْ یَنْتَهُونَ [So fight the leaders of unbelief — surely their oaths are nothing — so that they may desist]." Then he said: "By the Lord of the Ka'ba, what is meant by this people is the companions of Siffin, Basra, and the Khawarij."

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) said: "The Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him), while fighting Mu'awiya, said: فَقاتِلُوا أَئِمَّةَ الْکُفْرِ إِنَّهُمْ لا أَیْمانَ لَهُمْ لَعَلَّهُمْ یَنْتَهُونَ [So fight the leaders of unbelief — surely their oaths are nothing — so that they may desist]; by the Lord of the Ka'ba, they are these very people."

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): Abdullah ibn Abbas said: We were with him (Ali (peace be upon him)) at the Battle of Siffin ... At that moment I saw Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) come forward while blood was dripping from his sword and his blessed face was like a piece of the moon, and he was saying: "فَقاتِلُوا أَئِمَّةَ الْکُفْرِ إِنَّهُمْ لا ایمان لَهُمْ لَعَلَّهُمْ یَنْتَهُونَ [So fight the leaders of unbelief — indeed, their oaths are nothing — so that they may desist]."