سورة التوبة

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): In the narration of Abu al-Jarud from the Imam (peace be upon him), it is reported that he said: "... When the troops gathered before the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family), he set out from Thaniyyat al-Wada and left Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him) behind as his successor in Medina ... From Bani Mazin ibn al-Najjar: Abu Layla Abd al-Rahman ibn Kab; from Bani Salama: Umar ibn Ghanama; from Bani Zurayq: Salama ibn Sakhr; and from Bani al-Ghurr: Nasir ibn Sariya al-Sulami. These people came weeping to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) and said: 'O Messenger of Allah! We do not have the strength to accompany you in going out.' So Allah revealed concerning them this verse: لَیْسَ عَلَی الضُّعَفاءِ وَ لا عَلَی المَرْضی [There is no blame on the weak, nor on the sick] and: وَ لا عَلَی الَّذِینَ إِذا ما أَتَوْکَ لِتَحْمِلَهُم قُلْتَ لا أَجِدُ ما أَحْمِلُکُمْ عَلَیْهِ تَوَلَّوْا وَ أَعْیُنُهُمْ تَفیضُ مِنَ الدَّمْعِ حَزَناً أَلاَّ یَجِدُوا ما یُنْفِقُون [Nor in those who when they came to you that you might carry them, you said: I cannot find that on which to carry you; they went back while their eyes overflowed with tears on account of grief for not finding that which they should spend]. The Imam (peace be upon him) said: These weepers wanted only a single pair of sandals to wear [and accompany the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family)]. Then he said: إِنَّمَا السَّبِیلُ عَلَی الَّذِینَ یَسْتَإذنونَکَ وَ هُمْ أَغْنِیاءُ رَضُوا بِأَنْ یَکُونُوا مَعَ الخَوالِفِ [The way (to blame) is only against those who ask permission of you though they are rich; they have chosen to be with those who remained behind]. And those who sought permission to abandon the jihad were eighty men from various tribes. And what is meant by al-Khawalif is the women."

Imam Baqir and Imam Sadiq (peace be upon them): Halabi, Zurara, Humran and Muhammad ibn Muslim have narrated from them that they said: ... If you look carefully, you will never find anyone in the straits [of unawareness], and you will not find anyone except that Allah has completed the proof against him and the will and decree of Allah is carried out concerning him. So they cannot say they do whatever they wish and refrain from whatever they wish. He leads astray whom He wills and guides whom He wills (Fatir/8). And the servants are always commanded to less than what they can bear. So whatever people are commanded to do and they do it, this means they are able to do it, and whatever they are not able to do has been lifted from [the shoulders of] them. But there is no good in the people. Then they recited this word of Allah, the Blessed and Exalted: لَیْسَ عَلَی الضُّعَفاءِ وَ لا عَلَی المَرْضی وَ لا عَلَی الَّذِینَ لا یَجِدُونَ ما یُنْفِقُونَ حَرَجٌ [There is no blame on the weak, nor on the sick, nor on those who cannot find anything to spend], meaning it has been lifted from them. مَا عَلَی الْمحْسِنِینَ مِن سَبِیلٍ وَ اللهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِیمٌ، وَ لا عَلَی الَّذِینَ إِذا ما أَتَوْکَ لِتَحْمِلَهُم قُلْتَ لا أَجِدُ ما أَحْمِلُکُمْ عَلَیْهِ تَوَلَّوْا وَ أَعْیُنُهُمْ تَفیضُ مِنَ الدَّمْعِ حَزَناً أَلاَّ یَجِدُوا ما یُنْفِقُون [There is no way (of blame) against the doers of good, and Allah is Forgiving, Merciful; nor against those who, when they came to you that you might mount them, and you said: I cannot find anything to mount you on, turned back while their eyes flowed with tears out of sorrow that they could not find what to spend]; and it has been lifted from them, because they have nothing to spend. إِنَّمَا السَّبِیلُ عَلَی الَّذِینَ یَسْتَإذنونَکََ وَ هُمْ أَغْنِیاءُ ... لا یَعْلَمُونَ [The way (to blame) is only against those who ask permission of you though they are rich ... they do not know] has been placed upon them, because they have the ability to do it. إِنَّمَا السَّبِیلُ عَلَی الَّذِینَ یَسْتَإذنونَکَ وَ هُمْ أَغْنِیاءُ رَضُوا بِأَنْیَکُونُوا مَعَ الخَوالِفِ [The way (to blame) is only against those who ask permission of you though they are rich; they have chosen to be with those who remained behind], so He placed the way upon them, because they have the ability for it.

Ali ibn Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him): إِنَّمَا السَّبِیلُ عَلَی الَّذِینَ یَسْتَإذنونَکَ وَ هُمْ أَغْنِیاءُ رَضُوا بِأَنْیَکُونُوا مَعَ الخَوالِفِ [The way (to blame) is only against those who ask permission of you though they are rich; they have chosen to be with those who remained behind] — and those who sought permission were eighty men from various tribes, and by al-Khawalif is meant the women.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): وَ طَبَعَ اللهُ عَلی قُلُوبِهِمْ فَهُمْ لا یَعْلَمُونَ [And Allah has set a seal upon their hearts so they do not know]. Our wilayah and imamah is hard and difficult; none can bear it except radiant breasts, luminous and sound hearts, and good characters; for Allah the Exalted has taken a covenant from our Shia — whoever fulfills his covenant, Allah will fulfill Paradise for him, and whoever shows enmity toward us and does not render our right to us, he is in the Fire. With us there is a divine secret with which Allah has not charged anyone other than us. Then He commanded us to convey it, and we conveyed it, but we did not find for it a people, a place, or bearers to carry it, until Allah created for it a group from the clay of Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) and his progeny, and from their light. Allah the Exalted created them by the creation of His mercy; we conveyed to them what we were commanded from Allah, and they accepted it and bore it, and their hearts were not disturbed, and their souls inclined toward knowing us, seeking out our wilayah, and our secrets. And Allah the Exalted created a group for the Fire, and commanded us to convey to them, and we too conveyed the wilayah to them. Their hearts became displeased with the wilayah and felt aversion, and they rejected it back upon us and did not bear it and considered it a lie. Allah has set a seal upon their hearts. Then He set their tongues loose upon some of the truths, so they utter some of the truths with the tongue, but their hearts do not accept it.