سورة البلد

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Allah the Exalted, in His words فَکُّ رَقَبَةٍ [the setting free of a slave], means the wilayah of the Commander of the Faithful, Ali (peace be upon him). So the wilayah of the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) is the freeing [of the responsibility from] the neck.

Ali ibn Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him): The steep path is the Imams (peace be upon them); whoever ascends it is freed from the bond of the Fire.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Regarding the words of Allah the Exalted فَکُّ رَقَبَةٍ [the setting free of a slave], he said: "It is through us and through knowing us that the necks are freed."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): I will tell you a word better for you than the world and all that is in it. In this verse He says: فَکُّ رَقَبَةٍ [the setting free of a slave] — Allah has freed you from the Fire of Hell through the wilayah of us, the Ahl al-Bayt. You are the chosen ones of Allah. Even if a man among you were to come to the gathering [of Judgement] with sins as many as the sands of ‘Alij, we would intercede for him with Allah. Glad tidings be upon you in the life of this world and in the Hereafter — لا تَبْدِیلَ لِکَلِماتِ اللهِ [there is no change in the words of Allah]; ذلِکَ هُوَ الْفَوْزُ الْعَظِیمُ [that is the great success].

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Abu Bakr al-Hadrami narrates from Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) that regarding the verse فَکُّ رَقَبَةٍ [the setting free of a slave] he said: All people are slaves of the Fire except one who enters into our obedience and our wilayah; in that case his neck is freed from the bond of the Fire, and the steep path is our wilayah.

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family): It has been narrated in a marfu' hadith from Bara ibn Azib: A bedouin (an Arab of the desert) came to the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) and said: "O Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family)! Teach me a deed that will admit me into Paradise." He said: "If I had shortened my speech, you would have refrained from asking. اعتق النسمه [free a soul] and فک رقبة [free a neck (of a slave)]." [The bedouin] said: "Are these two not one and the same?" He said: "No! عتق رقبه (عتق نسمه) [manumission of a neck / freeing of a soul] is that you alone free a slave, and فَکُّ رَقَبَةٍ [freeing a neck] is that you assist in his price (that you give part of the price of the slave and free him jointly with others)."

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): فَکُّ رَقَبَةٍ [freeing a neck] — all people are slaves of the Fire except us and our Shia, whose necks Allah frees from the Fire.