سورة الليل

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) was passing by a man who was planting a tree in his garden. The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) stopped and said to him: "Shall I show you a tree whose roots are firmer, which ripens more quickly and gives purer and more lasting fruit?" He said: "O Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family), guide me!" He said: "Whenever you enter upon morning and evening, say: سُبْحَانَ اللهِ وَ الْحَمْدُ لِلهِ وَ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ وَ اللهُ أَکْبَرُ [Glory be to Allah, and Praise be to Allah, and there is no god but Allah, and Allah is the greatest], for if you say this, in return for every tasbih you will have ten trees of every kind of fruit in Paradise, and this saying is one of the instances of al-baqiyat al-salihat (the enduring good deeds)." The man said: "O Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family), I take you as my witness that I hand over this garden of mine to you so it may be a sadaqah (charity) for those Muslims who are the people of charity." Then Allah the Blessed and Exalted sent down verses of the Quran: فَأَمَّا مَنْ أَعْطی وَ اتَّقی وَ صَدَّقَ بِالْحُسْنی* فَسَنُیَسِّرُهُ لِلْیُسْری [As for him who gives and guards (against evil) and accepts the best, We will facilitate for him the easy way].

Ali ibn Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him): It was revealed concerning a man from the Ansar who had a date palm in another man's house, and he used to enter that house without permission. The owner of the house complained about him to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family). The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) said to the owner of the date palm: "Sell me this date palm of yours in exchange for a date palm in Paradise." He said: "I will not sell it." The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) said: "Will you sell it in exchange for a garden in Paradise?" He said: "I will not sell it," and he left. Abu Dahdah went to him and bought the date palm from him, and came to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) and said: "O Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family), take this date palm, and in exchange give me that same garden in Paradise that you offered him, but he did not accept." The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) said: "You shall have many gardens in Paradise." Then Allah sent down concerning this: فَأَمَّا مَن أَعْطَی وَاتَّقَی، وَصَدَّقَ بِالْحُسْنَی [As for him who gives and guards (against evil), and accepts the best], meaning Abu Dahdah.

Imam Sajjad (peace be upon him) — Tafsir Furat ibn Ibrahim: It is narrated in order from Ali ibn al-Husayn (peace be upon him) that he said: In the time of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), there was a believing man who had a garden by his house, and he had a neighbour who had children. Dates would fall from the palm tree, and the children would search for them and eat them. The wealthy man would come and take the dates out from inside the children's mouths. The man complained about this to the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family). He went alone to the man and said: "Sell me this garden of yours in exchange for a garden in Paradise." The wealthy man said to him: "I will not sell you what is in hand for what is deferred." The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) wept and returned toward the mosque. Amir al-Mu'minin Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him) saw him and said to him: "O Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family)! What has brought you to tears; may Allah not make your eyes weep?" He informed him of the matter of the weak man and the garden. Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) set out and drew him out from his house and said to him: "Sell me your house." The wealthy man said: "In exchange for your level orchard with the water pool." So he struck his hand [on the deal] and turned to the weak man and said to him: "Return to your house; the Lord of the worlds has made it your property." And Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) came, and Jibra'il descended upon the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) and said to him: "O Muhammad! Recite: وَ اللَّیْلِ إِذا یَغْشی* وَ النَّهارِ إِذا تَجَلَّی* وَ ما خَلَقَ الذَّکَرَ وَ الْأُنْثی [By the night when it covers, and the day when it shines, and Him who created the male and the female]..." Then the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) rose and kissed him between his eyes, then said: "May my father be sacrificed for you! Allah has revealed all of this Surah concerning you."

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): فَأَمَّا مَن أَعْطَی وَاتَّقَی وَصَدَّقَ بِالْحُسْنَی [Then as for him who gives and guards against evil and affirms the best] — meaning, Allah the Exalted gives, in return for one, ten up to one hundred thousand, and even more than that.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): مَنْ أَعْطی [he who gives] means khums (the fifth). وَ اتَّقی [and guards against evil] — that he keeps away from the rule and friendship of the taghuts (tyrants).

Imam Rida (peace be upon him): مَنْ أَعْطی [he who gives] means he gave away the date palm.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): فَأَمَّا مَن أَعْطَی وَاتَّقَی [Then as for him who gives and guards against evil] means he gave his own soul to the truth and kept away from falsehood.

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): Successful is the one who spends [in the way of Allah] and adopts piety.

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): فَأَمَّا مَنْ أَعْطی وَ اتَّقی وَ صَدَّقَ بِالْحُسْنی [As for the one who gives and guards against evil and accepts the best] — this refers to Imam Ali (peace be upon him), who gave his own food in charity and fasted until he fulfilled his vow, and gave his ring in charity while in ruku (bowing in prayer), and likewise preferred Miqdad over himself and gifted him the only dinar which he had borrowed to buy food.