سورة التوبة

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): ذَلِکَ بِأَنَّهُمْ لا یُصِیبُهُمْ ظَمَأٌ [that is because there afflicts them no ظمأ] — meaning thirst; وَ لا نَصَبٌ — meaning hardship; وَ لا مَخْمَصَةٌ فِی سَبِیلِ اللهِ — meaning hunger; وَ لا یَطَؤُنَ مَوْطِئاً یَغِیظُ الْکُفَّارَ — meaning they do not enter the lands of the disbelievers; وَ لا یَنالُونَ مِنْ عَدُوٍّ نَیْلاً — meaning killing and taking captive.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Abu Amr al-Zubayri said: I said to Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): "Does faith have degrees and ranks by which believers surpass one another before Allah?" He said: "Yes." I said: "May Allah have mercy on you, explain it to me so I may understand." ... He said: "Allah in this verse began with the first Muhajirin on account of their precedence, and secondly with the Ansar, and thirdly with those who followed them in doing good. So He placed each group at Him according to the measure of their degrees and ranks. Then Allah the Mighty and Majestic mentioned that by which He preferred some of His prophets and awliya over others in these verses: ... ذلِکَ بِأَنَّهُمْ لا یُصِیبُهُمْ ظَمَأٌ وَ لا نَصَبٌ وَ لا مَخْمَصَةٌ فِی سَبِیلِ اللهِ وَ لا یَطَؤُنَ مَوْطِئاً یَغِیظُ الْکُفَّارَ وَ لا یَنالُونَ مِنْ عَدُوٍّ نَیْلاً إِلَّا کُتِبَ لَهُمْ بِهِ عَمَلٌ صالِحٌ [that is because there does not afflict them thirst nor fatigue nor hunger in the way of Allah, nor do they tread a place that enrages the disbelievers, nor do they attain any gain from an enemy, except that a righteous deed is recorded for them thereby]. ... This is the exposition of the degrees and ranks of faith before Allah the Mighty and Majestic."

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): If everyone were equal in faith, no one would have any merit or superiority over anyone else. The believers enter Paradise through the completeness and perfection of their faith and attain its ranks. If some people's faith is deficient or they lose their faith, they enter the Fire. Those who have precedence in faith gain superiority over others. Allah in His Quran has said: ... ذلِکَ بِأَنَّهُمْ لا یُصِیبُهُمْ ظَمَأٌ وَ لا نَصَبٌ وَ لا مَخْمَصَةٌ فِی سَبِیلِ اللهِ وَ لا یَطَؤُنَ مَوْطِئاً یَغِیظُ الْکفّار وَ لا یَنالُونَ مِنْ عَدُوٍّ نَیْلًا إِلَّا کُتِبَ لَهُمْ بِهِ عَمَلٌ صالِحٌ [this is because there afflicts them not thirst or fatigue or hunger in Allah's way, nor do they tread a path which enrages the unbelievers, nor do they attain from the enemy what they attain, but a good work is written down to them on account of it]. These are the ranks and stations of faith with Allah the Exalted.