Appearance
Endnotes
1. Biḥār al-Anwār, 82/54.
2. Nūr al-Thaqalayn, 1/6.
3. Majmaʿ al-Bayān, 1/87.
4. Tafsīr al-Burhān, 1/41; Nūr al-Thaqalayn, 1/6.
5. Tafsīr al-Burhān, 1/42.
6. Jāmiʿ Aḥādīth al-Shīʿa, 15/89.
7. Jāmiʿ al-Akhbār, chapter 22, p. 43; Majmaʿ al-Bayān, 1/88.
8. Awālī al-Laʾālī, 1/196.
9. Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-Karīm, 1/163-164.
10. Al-Zamakhsharī says: Most exegetes hold the view that Sūrah al-Fātiḥa was the first chapter revealed to the Prophet (s.a.w.) (Al-Kashshāf, 4/775). Al-Ṭabrisī also narrates a tradition from the Commander of the Faithful (a.s.) that explicitly states this: “The first thing revealed to him in Mecca was Sūrah al-Fātiḥa, then Sūrah al-ʿAlaq, then Sūrah al-Qalam” (Majmaʿ al-Bayān, 9-10/613, Tafsīr Sūrah al-Insān). Qurʾānic scholars have also considered it as one of the opinions in the discussion of the first and last chapters revealed (Al-Burhān by Al-Zarkashī, 1/207; Al-Itqān by Al-Suyūṭī, 1/32). It can also be inferred from the noble verse “Have you seen the one who forbids a servant when he prays?” (Qurʾān, 96:9-10) that the Prophet (s.a.w.) used to pray before the revelation of the Qurʾān, and what was legislated on the night of his ascension were the five daily prayers with their specific characteristics and form, not the origin of prayer itself (Al-Mīzān, 20/325). On the other hand, it is mentioned in the narrations of both sects that the essence of prayer lies in Sūrah al-Fātiḥa, and prayer without al-Fātiḥa is unknown in Islam. Therefore, the view that Sūrah al-Fātiḥa was the first complete chapter revealed to the Prophet (s.a.w.) is not far-fetched.
11. Awālī al-Laʾālī, 1/196.
12. Wasāʾil al-Shīʿa, 6/37; Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, 1/192.
13. Tafsīr al-Burhān, 2/353; also see Biḥār al-Anwār, 89/235-236 and Nūr al-Thaqalayn, 3/27.
14. Qurʾān, 39:23; see Al-Mīzān, 12/191-192.
15. Nahj al-Balāgha, sermon 133, section 8.
16. Majmaʿ al-Bayān, v. 1, p. 87.
17. Nūr al-Thaqalayn, v. 1, p. 4.
18. Majmaʿ al-Bayān, v. 1, p. 87.
19. Tafsīr Abū al-Futūḥ, v. 1, p. 13.
20. Majmaʿ al-Bayān, v. 1, p. 87.
21. Tafsīr Abū al-Futūḥ, v. 1, p. 13.
22. Rūḥ al-Maʿānī, v. 1, p. 67.
23. Rūḥ al-Maʿānī, v. 1, p. 67.
24. Nūr al-Thaqalayn, v. 1, p. 4.
25. Ibid., p. 6.
26. Durr al-Manthūr, v. 1, p. 10.
27. The chapters that begin with the root of praise (ḥamd) are: Sūrah al-Fātiḥa, al-Anʿām, al-Kahf, Sabaʾ, and Fāṭir.
28. Durr al-Manthūr, v. 1, p. 10.
29. Majmaʿ al-Bayān, v. 1, p. 17.
30. Kashshāf, v. 1, p. 1; al-Kāshif, v. 1, p. 31.
31. Biḥār, v. 89, p. 235; Tafsīr al-Burhān, v. 1, p. 41; Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, v. 2, p. 9; Mustadrak al-Ḥākim, v. 1, p. 238.
32. Awālī al-Laʾālī, v. 1, p. 196.
33. al-Mīzān, v. 20, p. 325.
34. Durr al-Manthūr, v. 1, p. 10; al-Itqān, v. 1, p. 12.
35. Majmaʿ al-Bayān, v. 10, p. 405.
36. Biḥār, v. 82, p. 52.
37. al-Itqān, v. 1, p. 25; Tārīkh al-Yaʿqūbī, v. 2, p. 26.
38. Mafātīḥ al-Asrār of Shahristānī, v. 1, p. 223.
39. Nūr al-Thaqalayn, v. 1, p. 9.
40. Tafsīr al-Burhān, v. 1, p. 41.
41. Biḥār, v. 18, p. 335; Tafsīr al-ʿAyyāshī, v. 1, p. 19; Tafsīr al-Burhān, v. 1, p. 42.
42. Biḥār, 89/238; Tafsīr ʿAyyāshī, 1/21.
43. Nūr al-Thaqalayn, 1/8.
44. Tafsīr ʿAyyāshī, 1/19.
45. Miftāḥ al-Falāḥ, p. 762, with adaptation.
46. Biḥār, 67/236.
47. Nahj al-Balāgha, Wisdom 237.
48. Nūr al-Thaqalayn, 1/4.
49. Nahj al-Balāgha, Sermon 99, part 1.
50. Ibid., Sermon 2, part 1.
51. Ibid., Sermon 114, part 1.
52. Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-Karīm, 1/178, with adaptation.
53. Majmaʿ al-Bayān, 1/110, with adaptation.
54. Nūr al-Thaqalayn, 1/6.
55. Ibid., 1/4.
56. Majmaʿ al-Bayān, 1/88.
57. Mufradāt Rāghib; Tafsīr Kabīr; al-Jāmiʿ li-Aḥkām al-Qurʾān; Manhaj al-Ṣādiqīn.
58. Nahj al-Balāgha, Sermon 179, part 3.
59. Mufradāt Rāghib, under “raḥima”.
60. al-Taḥqīq, 4/91; Mufradāt Rāghib, under “raḥima”; al-Mīzān, 1/18.
61. Qushayrī has said: One group is reminded of God’s benevolence (birr) and goodness to His friends by the letter “bāʾ”, of His secrets with the divine chosen ones by the letter “sīn”, and of God’s favor upon the people of His wilāyah by the letter “mīm”. Another group is reminded of God’s disassociation from every evil by “bāʾ”, of God’s flawlessness by “sīn”, and of the glory of God the Glorified by “mīm”... And another group is reminded of His splendor (bahāʾ) by “bāʾ”, of His radiance (sanāʾ) by “sīn”, and of His dominion (mulk) by “mīm”. (Laṭāʾif al-Ishārāt, 1/56).
62. Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-Karīm, 1/29-30.
63. al-Mīzān, 1/15.
64. Wasāʾil al-Shīʿa, 16/327.
65. Tafsīr al-Ṭabarī, 1/78.
66. Laṭāʾif al-Ishārāt, 1/56.
67. Tafsīr al-Ṭabarī, 1/81-82, with adaptation.
68. Ījāz al-Bayān fī al-Tarjama ʿan al-Qurʾān, printed in the margin of Tafsīr wa Ishārāt Ibn ʿArabī, 1/21.
69. Taʾwīlāt al-Kāshānī, 1/7.
70. Nūr al-Thaqalayn, 1/11.
71. Bayān al-Saʿāda, 1/25.
72. Biḥār al-Anwār, 8/133.
73. Niẓāmī Ganjavī in the beginning of Makhzan al-Asrār says:
Bismillāh al-Raḥmān al-Raḥīm is the key to the treasure of the Wise and in the introduction of Laylā wa Majnūn he sings:
O your name is the best beginning
Without your name, how can I open the letter?
And in the beginning of Haft Paykar he sings:
O world, your existence is from You
There was no existence before You
In the beginning of all beginnings
In the end of all ends
In the introduction of Iskandar-nāma he says:
O God, the kingdom of the world is Yours
Service comes from us, divinity is Yours
You are the refuge of the high and low
All are nothing, You are what exists
And in the beginning of Iqbāl-nāma, similar to the introduction of Makhzan al-Asrār, he has composed:
Wherever intellect brings forth a treasure
It makes God’s name the key to it
God, the Giver of intellect, the Cherisher of intellect
The same Remedy-maker for the unwise
Of course, the monotheistic vision of all the poets who nurture literature is not the same.
Therefore, what Ḥakīm Abū al-Qāsim Firdawsī has said:
In the name of the Lord of soul and intellect
Beyond this, thought does not pass
Is not equivalent to what Shaykh Maḥmūd Shabistarī has said:
In the name of the One who taught the soul thought
Lit the lamp of the heart with the light of the soul
Because although Firdawsī called God the Creator of the soul and the Creator of the intellect, the third matter, which is regulating the relationship between the thinking soul and thought, was not addressed in his poetry; but the mystic Shabistarī, apart from implicitly referring to God’s creativity in relation to the first and second matters, namely the creation of the soul and the creation of thought and reflection, paid attention to the third matter, which is God’s lordship in teaching man and creating the light of thought in the thinking soul, so that no one would think that although God created the essence of the soul and the essence of knowledge, the acquisition of knowledge is done by the human soul itself and the scholar in acquiring knowledge does not need the bestowal of knowledge from God.
In summary, Firdawsī (may God have mercy on him) referred to two simple creations and Shabistarī (may God have mercy on him) referred to two simple creations and one compositional one. In any case, the mystical teachings of Gulshan-i Rāz are evident to the people of heart, just as the epic of Shāhnāma is known to the people of reasoning, and both, in the realm of divine monotheism, engage in orderly poetry; although the distinction between insight and reason should not be overlooked, and the superiority of insight over reason should be considered a requirement of insight. It is appropriate that the reins of speech do not deviate from the evident path and do not enter the hidden passage, for the successful ones are few among the travelers of the path of knowledge and a few of the wayfarers of the path of gratitude worship and the distance of love. Yes, freedom from other than the Eternal will not be the share of hollow servants, and the witnessing of the Absolute Witness is not the lot of every blind, one-eyed, cross-eyed, and sightless person.
74. Nūr al-Thaqalayn, 1/6.
75. The intended meaning of homonymy (ishtirāk lafẓī) here is the technical homonymy that is discussed by philosophers, not litterateurs. The term “homonymy” itself is homonymous between the philosopher and the litterateur, because for the litterateur, homonymy depends on convention. If a word is used in various cases, it is semantically homonymous if it has a single convention, otherwise it is lexically homonymous. Therefore, if a word is conventionally used for an abstract mental universal (not an external reality), the litterateur considers it semantically homonymous due to the unity of its convention.
However, for philosophers, homonymy depends on demonstration and external reality, not the conventions of those who coin terms. If something lacks a shared external universal, and what exists externally are various types that are merely called by one name, the philosopher considers it lexically homonymous. For example, the word “soul” (nafs) which is applied to the vegetative, animal, and human souls—the litterateur considers it semantically homonymous (ishtirāk ma’nawī) while the philosopher considers it lexically homonymous (ishtirāk lafẓī). This is because the litterateur looks at the unified convention of this word, while the philosopher, not finding for it a shared external universal, even if it has an abstract conceptual and mental universal, considers it lexically homonymous. Therefore, he discusses the vegetative, animal, and human souls in separate chapters.
The noble verse “In the Name of Allah, the All-beneficent, the All-merciful” contains the Divine Names of Allah, al-Raḥmān and al-Raḥīm. Since the Glorified God has various manifestations and appearances in the world of existence through the names Allah and a_l-Raḥmān_—“Praise be to Allah who manifests Himself to His creation through His creation” (Nahj al-Balāgha, Sermon 108)—sometimes in the visage of the Dominant Avenger He punishes the criminals: “Indeed We shall wreak vengeance upon the guilty” (32:22), and sometimes in the visage of the Subtle and Merciful, He leads the God-wary to Paradise: “This is the paradise which We shall let those of Our servants who were Godwary to inherit” (19:63)—and the codified names of the Glorified God express His various existential manifestations—these words do not have the same meaning everywhere. For example, the basmalah in Sūrah al-Ḥamd differs in meaning and interpretation from the basmalah in Sūrah al-Masad, and, therefore, is lexically homonymous, but not semantically.
76. This point will be explained in the section on subtleties and allusions of this same verse on p. 307.
77. Therefore, the absence of bismillāh at the beginning of Sūrah al-Tawba is not because its content is incompatible and inconsistent with bismillāh; because based on this justification, the noble verse (bismillāh...) would also be incompatible with Sūrah al-Masad. Rather, it is likely because Sūrah al-Tawba is a continuation of Sūrah al-Anfāl, and if it were an independent chapter, it would not be incompatible with the noble verse (bismillāh al-raḥmān al-raḥīm). In the noble Qurʾān, some verses begin with severity (qahr) and end with kindness (mihr), such as: “So the people that committed wrong were eliminated. And praise to Allah, Lord of the worlds.” (Qurʾān, 6:45) And this severity and kindness are harmonious, because severity against the oppressor is the same as kindness to the oppressed, and this severity is among the instances and manifestations of the absolute mercy of God the Glorified.
78. Mafātīḥ al-Jinān, Duʿāʾ Kumayl.
79. The same, Duʿāʾ Jawshan Kabīr.
80. What is meant by limitation (tanāhī) is limitation in relation to the absolute mercy, otherwise the special mercy is also infinite in terms of perpetuity and continuity.
81. Since the success of aiding the religion is one of the best manifestations of God’s special mercy, and a group are deprived of it due to unworthiness, God Almighty addresses them with a reproachful address, saying: “Sit.” “But Allah disliked their being sent, so He kept them back, and they were told, ‘Remain with those who remain.’” (Qurʾān, 9:46).
82. It is also possible that this verse refers to special mercy and its meaning is that the divine mercies are abundant, and in the face of the deniers of religion, one must rely on God’s special mercies.
83. In Qurʾān, 7:156, the pronouns in “I will decree it “, which indicate special mercy, refer, by way of istikhdam, to the same absolute mercy that is mentioned in the word “My mercy “. Therefore, what is meant by the feminine pronoun “it “ in “I will decree it “ is a special kind of mercy.
84. Tafsīr Ibn ʿArabī, 1/26-27.
85. Biḥār al-Anwār, 73/305. Also see al-Durr al-Manthūr, 1/26, with slight differences.
86. Nūr al-Thaqalayn, 1/6.
87. It is appropriate that in official government correspondence, the mention of the origin and destination (from... to...) should also come after the noble verse bismillāh.
88. The word “perishing” (hālik) is a derivative (mushtaqq), and the use of a derivative for the future is, by consensus, metaphorical and requires a contextual indication (qarīna). However, the disagreement amongst scholars lies in the question of whether a derivative is literal or metaphorical in meaning when used for the past (that from which the association has ended).
89. The subtle expression in this verse is “he does not find it to be anything”, not “he finds it to be nothing”, because nothingness cannot be found or attained.
90. Wasāʾil al-Shīʿa, 6/328.
91. Tafsīr al-Ṣāfī, 5/117. The exegete Fayḍ Kāshānī also cites the recitation of “Dhū l-Jalāl”. In this case, “Dhū l-Jalāl” would be a detached adjective for “ism” (name), meaning that God’s name possesses majesty and honor.
92. Placing “In the Name of Allah” (bismillāh) before “its sailing” (majrīhā) and “its anchoring” (mursīhā) is similar to placing “You alone” (iyyāka) before “we worship” (naʿbudu) and “we seek help” (nastaʿīn), which conveys exclusivity. Prophet Noah (a.s.) did not say “its sailing and its anchoring, in the Name of Allah”, but rather put “In the Name of Allah” first to convey exclusivity.
93. Nūr al-Thaqalayn, 1/8.
94. Mathnawī, Book Two, verse 147.
95. Dīwān-i Ḥāfiẓ.
96. Rawḍat al-Kāfī, p. 170, hadith 251.
97. Biḥār al-Anwār, 88/187.
98. Ibid., 55/36.
99. Tawḥīd al-Ṣadūq, p. 219.
100. Nūr al-Thaqalayn, p. 219.
101. Tafsīr al-ʿAyyāshī, 1/22.
102. This point will be explained in the next subtle point.
103. Mafātīḥ al-Jinān, Ziyārat Amīn Allāh.
104. Biḥār al-Anwār, 4/83.
105. Shaykh al-Kulaynī states this precise criterion for distinguishing between the attributes of the Essence and the attributes of action under the heading “The Conclusive Statement on the Attributes of the Essence and the Attributes of Action” as follows: “Any two things by which Allah is described, and both exist, then that is an attribute of action.” (Uṣūl al-Kāfī, 1, Chapter on the Origination of the Names) A detailed discussion on the criterion for distinguishing between the attributes of the Essence and the attributes of action will come in Sūrah al-Ḥashr.
106. Manhaj al-Ṣādiqīn, 1/95.
107. Nūr al-Thaqalayn, 1/11.
108. Tafsīr al-ʿAyyāshī, 1/22.
109. Nūr al-Thaqalayn, 1/11.
110. Nūr al-Thaqalayn, 1/13.
111. Nūr al-Thaqalayn, 1/9.
112. Tafsīr al-Ṣāfī, 1/70.
113. Durr al-Manthūr, 1/20.
114. Nūr al-Thaqalayn, 1/12.
115. Ibid., 1/14.
116. Majmaʿ al-Bayān, 1-2/93.
117. Nūr al-Thaqalayn, 1/14.
118. Tafsīr al-Ṣāfī, 1/69.
119. Biḥār al-Anwār, 89/248.
120. Ibid., 10/61.
121. Nūr al-Thaqalayn, 1/13.
122. Biḥār al-Anwār, 89/242.
123. Nūr al-Thaqalayn, 1/6.
124. Ibid., 1/8.
125. Tafsīr al-Ṣāfī, 1/70.
126. Biḥār al-Anwār, 89/242.
127. Manhaj al-Ṣādiqīn, 1/100-101.
128. Nūr al-Thaqalayn, 1/11.
129. Ibid., 1/8.
130. Biḥār al-Anwār, 10/60.
131. Nūr al-Thaqalayn, 1/12.
132. Mafātīḥ al-Jinān_, Duʿāʾ Jawshan Kabīr_.
133. Uṣūl al-Kāfī, 1/118.
134. Nahj al-Balāgha, Sermon 179, Section 3.
135. Nūr al-Thaqalayn, 1/14.
136. Nūr al-Thaqalayn, 1/24.
137. Mashāriq Anwār al-Yaqīn, p. 21; Manhaj al-Ṣādiqīn, 1/90; Rūḥ al-Bayān, 1/7; Asfār, 7/34.
138. Yanābīʿ al-Mawadda, 1/68.
139. Bayān al-Saʿāda, 1/29; also see Tafsīr Sūrah al-Ḥamd by Imām Khomeini (q.s.), p. 203.
140. Al-Manār, 1/35.
141. Al-Kāshif, 1/26.
142. Nahj al-Balāgha, Sermon 157, Section 2.
143. Biḥār al-Anwār, 4/143.
144. Ibid.; Nūr al-Thaqalayn, 1/38.
145. What is meant by volitional perfection is a perfection that the agent has acquired by his own choice, such as knowledge, not what he has acquired by necessity, such as a perfection that has been transferred to him through inheritance.
146. Al-Kashshāf, 1/8.
147. Al-Mīzān, 1/19.
148. Tafsīr Kabīr, 1/223.
149. Al-Manār, 1/50.
150. Ṣaḥīfah al-Sajjādiyyah, first supplication.
151. Al-Furūq al-Lughawiyya, p. 202. The differences in the meanings of words (furūq lughawī), although mentioned in books such as Al-Furūq al-Lughawiyya by Abū Hilāl al-ʿAskarī and Mughnī by Ibn Hishām, a large part of it can only be explained through the Qurʾān, narrations, and supplications of the infallibles (a.s.), otherwise many instances of the usage of words in the Qurʾān and narrations would have to be considered metaphorical.
152. Biḥār al-Anwār, 70/294.
153. Nahj al-Balāgha, Sermon 225, Section 2.
154. Ibid., Sermon 79, Section 2.
155. Mafātīḥ al-Jinān, ʿArafah Supplication.
156. Rūḥ al-Bayān, 1/10.
157. Because Allāh is not the name of a purely unseen essence. That pure essence, in which, according to some mystics, even the prophets and saints of God are perplexed: “The prophets and saints are perplexed in it”, and its product is the First Emanation, meaning the Perfect Man: “It is He who sent among the unlettered a Messenger” (62:2), has no name at all. Therefore, Allāh refers to the Holy Essence that is the all-inclusive and all-encompassing of all existential perfections.
158. Although at the beginning of Sūrah al-Jāthiya there is no mention of praising God, in verse 36 the praise of God is mentioned in a more comprehensive and powerful expression than in Sūrah al-Ḥamd: “So to God belongs all praise, Lord of the heavens and Lord of the earth, Lord of the worlds.” The reason for the stronger expression in the noble verse compared to the noble verse “All praise belongs to God, Lord of the worlds” is two things: a) Placing “God” before “praise” (So to God belongs all praise) which clearly indicates exclusivity, while the indication of “All praise belongs to God” on the exclusivity of praise to God Almighty requires a special approximation (which was mentioned in the exegetical discussion). b) Repetition of the cause. The explanation is that the word “Lord of the worlds” at the end of the second verse of Sūrah al-Ḥamd indicates the reason for the exclusivity of praise to God Almighty; similarly, “Lord of the heavens and Lord of the earth, Lord of the worlds” in the verse of Sūrah al-Jāthiya, with the difference that in the verse of Sūrah al-Jāthiya the reasoning at the end of the verse is repeated; once in detail (Lord of the heavens and Lord of the earth) and again in summary (Lord of the worlds); because from the fact that “Lord of the earth” is conjoined with “and” and at the same time the conjunctive “and” is not repeated in “Lord of the worlds”, it is understood that what is meant by the heavens and earth is the same as the worlds, meaning all that is other than God.
159. Ṣaḥīfah al-Sajjādiyyah, Supplication 11.
160. Biḥār al-Anwār, v. 94, p. 146; Mafātīḥ al-Jinān, Munājāt al-Shākirīn.
161. Mafātīḥ al-Jinān, Duʿāʾ ʿArafa.
162. Biḥār al-Anwār, v. 90, p. 219.
163. See Biḥār al-Anwār, 68/44; Uṣūl al-Kāfī, 2/99. The meaning of these traditions, such as “Whoever does not thank the benefactor from among the created beings has not thanked Allāh, the Mighty and Glorious” and “The most thankful of you to Allāh is the most thankful of you to the people,” is not that if someone does not appreciate people, he has not appreciated God. Because in this case, there is no correlation between the antecedent (“Whoever does not thank the benefactor...”) and the consequent (“has not thanked Allāh”). The correlation is preserved if we say that the benefactor, in that he is God’s creature, carries the message of the Creator, similar to what Imām ʿAlī (a.s.) says: “Verily the poor person is the messenger of Allāh” (Nahj al-Balāgha, wisdom 304).
In a case where a person feeds another, it should also be said: “The one who feeds is the messenger of Allāh,” whether the one who feeds knows that he is a divine messenger or not, whether he is a Muslim or a disbeliever. There is no doubt that what is meant by messengership here is existential (takwīnī) messengership, not legislative (tashrīʿī). In existential messengership, no being is independent and does not act without being God’s messenger. Therefore, God considers the movement of the pollinating wind as His own message: “And We send the fertilizing winds” (Qurʾān, 15:22), and He introduces the sky as His messenger in the rainfall: “He will send down upon you the sky, pouring down abundance” (Qurʾān, 71:11). On this basis, He has counted the devils as His messengers, saying: “Have you not considered that We have sent the devils...” (Qurʾān, 19:83). Finally, in the system of creation, every particle that travels from one point to another is God’s messenger, whether it is in accordance with the system of legislation or not. In other words, faith, disbelief, obedience, disobedience, reward and punishment are only raised in the system of legislation, otherwise there is no way for disobedience in the system of creation.
It should also be added that just as the poor person is the messenger of the Truth, and God sends the needy to the wealthy person to test him, the one who spends is also the messenger of God, because God has guided him and compelled him to meet the needs of the deprived. With this explanation, someone who receives a blessing from God’s creature should know that the benefactor is God’s messenger, and he should appreciate him as being God’s creature and messenger, not as a specific person. As a result, the meaning of the hadith is: “Whoever does not thank the creature as being a creature, has not thanked the Creator.” Because thanking the creature is actually thanking the Creator. The result is that the aforementioned narration not only does not contradict the exclusivity of all praises to God Almighty, but confirms it. On the other hand, in the aforementioned correlation, it can be assumed that if someone does not appreciate the creature, whose blessing is tangible, it becomes clear that he does not have a spirit of gratitude in the face of benevolence, unless he is one of the unique individuals who knows all blessings are from God and does not see anyone other than Him at all, in which case it will be outside the discussion.
164. Just as it is said in a comprehensive manner in the Ziyārat Āl Yāsīn: “Peace be upon you in the hours of your night and the ends of your day,” at the same time, each of the states, moments, and affairs of Imām al-Ḥujjat (may Allah hasten his noble relief) are also mentioned: “Peace be upon you when you stand, peace be upon you when you sit, peace be upon you when you recite and explain, peace be upon you when you pray and supplicate, peace be upon you when you bow and prostrate, peace be upon you when you exalt and magnify, peace be upon you when you praise and seek forgiveness, peace be upon you when you enter the morning and evening...” (Mafātīḥ al-Jinān, Ziyārat of Ḥaḍrat Ṣāḥib al-Amr (a.s.)). It becomes known that each of these states is guiding and illuminating. This attention to detail is abundant in the realm of our narrations, and it appears from the narrations of the book Maʿānī al-Akhbār how the Imāms (a.s.) have shown us the way and divided a verse into several sentences and each sentence into several words, making each word a focal point of reasoning.
165. The people of Paradise attain the blessings of Paradise by virtue of the legislative verses. Therefore, in Paradise, according to this very verse, they praise Allah.
166. Mafātīḥ al-Jinān, Supplication of Saḥar in the month of Ramaḍān.
167. Since the discussion is about the attributes of Allah’s actions, not His essential attributes, attributing the action of any agent to Allah does not contradict the essential oneness (tawḥīd) of the Truth.
168. 8:17. The expression in this noble verse is not the same regarding the Prophet of God and the combatant forces; regarding the combatants, only negation is mentioned: “You did not kill them,” but regarding the Noble Prophet (s.a.w.), it combines negation and affirmation, saying: “You did not throw when you threw,” and this indicates a kind of unique greatness and personality for the great Prophet of Islam.
169. Nahj al-Balāgha, Sermon 183, Section 22.
170. Nahj al-Balāgha, Sermon 192, Section 104. The reason for this difference, if the result of the final examination and complete investigation of the transmitted evidence is the prohibition of praising other than God, is that some expressions may have necessary or tangential implications that adhering to them would be improper; similar to when God said to the believers: “O you who have believed, say not, ‘Rāʿinā’ but say, ‘Unẓurnā’” (Qurʾān, 2:104). In response to the words of some outsiders who said: “...Rāʿinā, twisting their tongues” (Qurʾān, 4:46).
171. Nahj al-Balāgha, Sermon 222, Section 14. Praise and gratitude, although they do not have a fundamental difference and are in fact close to each other, in religious culture there is an order to thank other than God: “Be grateful to Me and to your parents” (31:14), but praising others is not only not commanded, but also forbidden: “And none is praised except his Lord” (Nahj al-Balāgha, Sermon 16, Section 10).
172. Qurʾān, 7:43. The content of the sentence “And we would not have been guided...” is different from “We were guided” and the like; because the negated kāna (we were not) indicates the continuity of the negation; just as the content of mā kunta taʿlam (you were not one to know) is different from mā ʿalimta (you did not know). The people of Paradise say: If it were not for divine revelation and guidance, we would never have had the ability to attain this station; because reason is a lamp, not a path, and man never reaches the destination with only a lamp, without a straight path. Reason is an illuminator that identifies the straight path of revelation and recommends movement on it to man. Now, if there is no revelation, which is the straight path, reason without revelation is like an illuminator that shows the top of the mountain and the obstacles to reaching it; but since there is no way to reach the top, the lamp of reason is also of no use.
173. Al-Nafaḥāt al-Ilāhiyya, Qūnawī, p. 101, with slight adaptation.
174. See Qurʾān, 31:25; 39:38 and 10:31.
175. See the verses 29:61; 31:25; 39:38; 43:9 and 87.
176. Biḥār, v. 90, p. 215.
177. Biḥār, v. 90, p. 216.
178. Biḥār, v. 90, p. 216.
179. Nūr al-Thaqalayn, v. 1, p. 15.
180. Biḥār, v. 90, p. 216.
181. Tafsīr al-Ṣāfī, v. 1, p. 71.
182. Nūr al-Thaqalayn, v. 1, p. 15.
183. Biḥār, v. 90, p. 214.
184. Nūr al-Thaqalayn, v. 1, p. 17.
185. Ṣaḥīfah al-Sajjādiyyah, Supplication 37.
186. Nahj al-Balāgha, Sermon 1.
187. Ibid, Sermon 114, section 1.
188. Nahj al-Balāgha, Sermon 32, section 1.
189. Mafātīḥ al-Jinān, Wednesday Supplication.
190. Ṣaḥīfah al-Sajjādiyyah, Supplication 45.
191. Biḥār, v. 84, p. 258, Supplication at the end of night prayer.
192. Ibid, p. 221.
193. Biḥār, v. 87, p. 129, Friday Supplication.
194. Iqbāl al-Aʿmāl, v. 1, p. 157.
195. Mafātīḥ al-Jinān, Friday practices, Supplication of Imām al-Ṣādiq (a.s.) after Jaʿfar prayer.
196. Biḥār, v. 96, p. 57.
197. Biḥār, v. 90, p. 166 (Qurʾān, 10:10).
198. Nūr al-Thaqalayn, v. 1, p. 15.
199. Tafsīr al-Qummī, v. 1, p. 28.
200. Ṣaḥīfah al-Sajjādiyyah, Supplication 1.
201. The renowned commentator of Ṣaḥīfah al-Sajjādiyyah, Sayyid ʿAlī Khān Ḥusaynī (may God’s mercy be upon him) states: The secret behind why the word “limit” (ḥadd) is used in plural form (ḥudūd) for humans and in singular form for animals is that humans have numerous and diverse perfections, while animals have only one limit, which is lack of intellect. (Riyāḍ al-Sālikīn, 1/308).
202. The secret behind naming the animal as “bahīma” is that its speech is ambiguous to others, its actions are unclear, and it lacks clear standards and specific order. For example, it eats whatever suits its taste without observing what is lawful (ḥalāl) and unlawful (ḥarām).
203. The world of barzakh in the terminology of narrations is the same as the world of the grave, and the grave is not a world separate from barzakh. Therefore, the worlds of existence are three: the world, barzakh or the grave, and the Hereafter. Imām al-Ṣādiq (a.s.) was asked, “What is barzakh?” He replied, “The grave, from the moment of death until the Day of Resurrection.” (Nūr al-Thaqalayn, 3/554).
204. The barzakhī eye of some people at the time of death throes, in barzakh, and on the Day of Resurrection is blind and without light in relation to seeing the Names of God’s Beauty. However, the praise of those who praise is a means of sight and illumination for their eyes. Qurra is the cool tear. Tears of sorrow and grief are warm tears, while tears of joy and delight are cool. Hence, the source of joy and delight is called qurrat al-ʿayn (the coolness of the eye).
205. God, the Glorified, based on His concealment, does not reveal the inner secrets of people in this world except in a few cases; but on the Day of Judgment, which is the day of the manifestation of truth, the effects of sin and obedience, which are the blackness and whiteness of faces, will become apparent. Just as in this world, shame is a attribute of the soul that reddens the face, and fear causes the face to pale and turn yellow, on the Day of Judgment, a person’s thoughts and inner attributes will also affect their face.
206. The term “nuzāḥim” (compete) appears in the text of the supplication. What is meant by competition (tazāḥum) in this statement is the rivalry and racing that we have been commanded to engage in when it comes to good deeds: “So race to good.” (Qurʾān, 2:148). This is because there is no competition in the path of goodness. A person who has risen above the stage of illusion and imagination is neither hindered by anyone nor does he hinder anyone.
207. Praise is for God who chose good morals for us, granted us pure sustenance, and gave us dominion and authority over all creation (existential guardianship), such that all creatures of God the Exalted are obedient and submissive to us by His power. And praise and thanks are for God who made us needless of other than Him and only in need of Him (for He knows our needs, is capable of fulfilling them, and has allowed us to present our needs before Him, thus completely closing the path of turning to other than Him—those who neither know what we want, nor can they fulfill our needs, nor do they always accept us).
208. The praise of God is above all praise, just as God Himself is above all His creation. Just as God’s existence is independent and essential (bi-l-dhāt), while others are consequential (bi-l-tabaʿ), accidental (bi-l-ʿaraḍ), and through another (bi-l-ghayr), praise is also essentially for God the Exalted, and consequentially and accidentally for other than God, and the praise of other than God returns to the praise of God.
209. The reality of man is endless, so he must seek endless perfection. In the sanctuary of man, there is no place for “to”, “until”, or “when”. Therefore, he must have an imperishable thought and his provisions must be eternal. An eternal human cannot secure an eternal life with temporary deeds.
210. Imām Sajjad’s (a.s.) longing for martyrdom (which here means martyrdom on the battlefield) is because God Almighty has entrusted His religion to human beings and has asked them to help His religion. It is the divine tradition to preserve and revive His religion. On this basis, everyone should strive for God’s religion to be revived by him and for this great honor and happiness to be his share: “Say, ‘If you had remained in your homes, those for whom death was decreed would have gone forth to the places where they were to lie.’” (Qurʾān, 3:154) If a group does not rise to help the religion of truth, God Almighty does not stop helping His religion, but eagerly sends another group to the fronts and on the one hand grants them the desire for jihad and martyrdom, and on the other hand grants their families the success of patience and endurance, which amazes others.
211. The phrase “Indeed, He is the Praiseworthy Guardian” is an argument for the contents of the supplication, because man, who is under the guardianship of God Almighty, asks Him, who is the Absolute Praiseworthy and the Pure Praised One and in whose hands are all affairs, to bring him to the station of praise.
212. Nahj al-Balāgha, Wisdom 211.
213. Biḥār, v. 37, p. 146.
214. Maʿānī al-Akhbār, chapter on the meaning of death, hadiths 4 and 5.
215. Ṣaḥīfah al-Sajjādiyyah, Supplication 51.
216. Nūr al-Thaqalayn, 1/17.
217. Ibid., 1/16.
218. The phrase “Your Lord is not tyrannical (ẓullām) to the servants” does not mean that God is only slightly unjust; because negating great injustice (‘tyranny’) does not contradict affirming slight injustice, while even slight injustice from God the Exalted is impossible, just like great injustice is. The reason for the use of hyperbole in “tyrannical” is that a slight injustice from the manager and nurturer of the entire universe is, in fact, equivalent to a great one; because if He oppresses even an atom from the atoms of the world (by moving it from its proper place), the harmony of the entire cosmic order will be disrupted, since the parts of the created universe are arranged like the links of a chain and the levels of numbers; such that if one link of this chain is displaced, disorder will encompass the entire universe.
219. Mafātīḥ al-Jinān, The Greater Jawshan Supplication, p. 308.
220. Mafātīḥ al-Jinān, Jawshan Kabīr.
221. Iqbāl al-Aʿmāl, p. 399; Ṣaḥīfah al-Sajjādiyyah, Supplication 16.
222. Nūr al-Thaqalayn, 1/19.
223. Mufradāt of Rāghib, p. 472, mulk.
224. Human purity from sin and adornment with obedience and worship is either due to fear of Hell, desire for Paradise, or a higher factor which is fear of separation and longing for meeting God. Paradise also has levels: one level is “gardens beneath which rivers flow” (Qurʾān, 2:25), and another level is “the garden of meeting the Lord”. The average believers only attain the gardens of Paradise and the flowing streams beneath its trees; but the unique believers, in addition to this, also reach the station of being with God: “Indeed, the righteous will be in gardens and rivers, in a seat of honor near a Sovereign, Perfect in Ability.” (Qurʾān, 54:54-55).
225. The origin of this difference is that the possessive construct (iḍāfah) of the active participle is not a real iḍāfah that imparts definiteness. Since “Master” is an adjective of Allah, and an adjective must match the thing it describes in being definite or indefinite.
226. Al-Kashshāf, 1/12; Tafsīr al-Nasafī, 1/9.
227. See: Al-Tafsīr al-Kabīr, 1/245; Al-Jāmiʿ li-Aḥkām al-Qurʾān, 1/139; Rūḥ al-Maʿānī, 1/141.
228. The indication of time is derived from the iḍāfa of “Master” to “Day of Judgment”, not from the word “day”.
229. 70:4. However, for the believers it will not last longer than the duration of a single obligatory prayer. The Prophet (s.a.w.) was asked by a man: “O Messenger of Allah, how long is this day!” He replied: “By the One in whose hand is the soul of Muhammad, it will be lightened for the believer until it will be lighter for him than an obligatory prayer he performs in the world.” Biḥār al-Anwār, 7/123.
230. 57:4; 41:9, 11-12; 21:104; 14:48. God Almighty states regarding the creation of the universe: “We created the entire existing system in six days.” He created the earth in two days, the seven heavens also in two days, and what is between the heavens and the earth in two days as well. However, the transformation of the worldly system in the first blast and the creation of a new system in the second blast will occur in one day. “The day when We will fold the heaven like the folding of a sheet for the records.” Elsewhere, He also states: “The earth entirely will be His grip on the Day of Resurrection, and the heavens will be folded in His right hand.” The day when the heaven and earth of this world will be transformed into another heaven and earth. All these scenes will occur in one day, and what is meant by day is the manifestation.
231. 82:14-16. In the Noble Qurʾān, the burning of the wicked in the fire of Hell is sometimes expressed with the phrase “yaṣlawn” and sometimes with the phrase “taṣliya”. There is a difference between these two expressions; the first means superficial and external burning, while the second means internal melting and burning.
232. Nahj al-Balāgha, Letter 27, Section 10.
233. In this noble verse, hope is attributed to the Lord, but fear is attributed to the end of affairs, because God is the source of mercy and attributing wrath to Him is accidental, not essential. Qurʾān, 39:9.
234. In narrations, this short time is referred to as fawāq nāqa, meaning the short interval between opening and closing the hand when milking a camel.
235. The aforementioned verse pertains to the principle of warning and is not specific to the Hereafter.
236. Nahj al-Balāgha, Wisdom 404. The same applies to the common polytheistic expression: “First Allah, then you,” because Allah is the First and there can be no second to Him. “He is the First and the Last, the Ascendant and the Intimate” (Qurʾān, 57:3). Therefore, based on the guidance of the infallible Imāms (a.s.), in response to the favors of others, one should say: “Praise be to Allah who blessed me through this means,” although He could have bestowed the same blessing through another means.
According to tawḥīd, every blessing should be attributed to Allah: “And whatever blessing you have, it is from Allah” (Qurʾān, 16:53). With this perspective, one can neither boast in self-reliance nor exalt others on the pretext of thanking the creation.
The meaning of the well-known ḥadīth “Whoever does not thank the benefactor from among the creatures has not thanked Allah, the Mighty and Sublime” (Biḥār, v. 68, p. 44) is also as mentioned earlier: the benefactors are manifestations of divine favor, and if the recipient does not appreciate the manifestation of the Benefactor’s favor, he has not appreciated the Benefactor Himself. Therefore, gratitude to the creation qua creation is praiseworthy, but without considering the aspect of their being created, it is blameworthy. It is worth noting that the polytheists (mushrikūn) mentioned in the verse “And most of them...” are different from “those who associate others” (alladhīna ashrakū), because the latter are mentioned in contrast to the believers and refer to the idol-worshippers and other pagans.
237. Imām al-Ṣādiq (a.s.) said regarding the verse “And most of them do not believe in Allah except while they associate others with Him” (Qurʾān, 12:106): “It is the man who says: ‘If it were not for so-and-so, I would have perished. If it were not for so-and-so, such-and-such would not have happened to me. If it were not for so-and-so, my family would be lost.’ Do you not see that he has made a partner for Allah in His dominion, who provides for him and protects him?” The narrator then asked the Imām (a.s.): “What if he says: ‘If Allah had not blessed me through so-and-so, I would have perished’?” The Imām replied: “There is no problem with this.” (Nūr al-Thaqalayn, v. 2, p. 476).
238. Belief in the divine unity of God’s actions (tawḥīd afʿālī) is different from the doctrine of predestination (jabr); God has created the human being as a two-dimensional being and placed him between two paths of good and evil: “And We have guided him to the two paths” (Qurʾān, 90:10). Each of these two paths has a specific end. He has also made intellect and revelation the guide to the straight path. If a person chooses the path of good with his free will, this good deed, being an existential matter and perfection and blessing, is related to God; but if he takes the path of evil and disobeys, since sin and disobedience are nothing but lack and deficiency, they have no connection to the higher origins. So good deeds, which are existential perfection, return to divine lordship, while evil and deficiency do not have an origin in essence. God willing, this discussion will come under verse 79 of Sūrah al-Nisāʾ.
239. Biḥār, v. 49, p. 117.
240. Qurʾān, 24:55. The word “partner” (sharīk) in the phrase “He has no partner in sovereignty” and “anything” (shayʾan) in “they do not associate anything with Me”, being indefinite in the context of negation, imply generality and negate any partner in God’s sovereignty.
241. As for the words of Moses (a.s.), “My Lord, I have no control over anyone except myself and my brother” (Qurʾān, 5:25), this does not contradict the previous verses, because it is related to the realm of legislation, not creation. The meaning is not that I own myself and my brother owns himself, but rather, “O God! We conveyed Your guidance and message to the people. I only had control over my own faith and I became a believer. My brother Aaron also only had control over his own faith and he believed. But I do not hold sway over the faith of others.” Therefore, besides God the Exalted, no one has any inherent creative ownership over anything in this world or the Hereafter.
242. Biḥār al-Anwār, v. 40, p. 153.
243. Just as Divine Unity (tawḥīd) is the most sublime branch of knowledge about God, it is also the most difficult to understand. The Prophet (s.a.w.) said, “Neither I nor the prophets before me have brought forth a word as great as lā ilāha illā Allāh” (Tawḥīd al-Ṣadūq, chapter on the rewards of the monotheists and gnostics, ḥadīth 1). When Imām ʿAlī (a.s.) was asked about the distance between where he was standing and the Divine Throne, he first said, “Ask in pursuit of knowledge and understanding, not for other matters.” Then he said, “From here to God’s Throne is the distance of sincerely saying lā ilāha illā Allāh” (Biḥār al-Anwār, v. 10, p. 122). It becomes clear that Divine Unity is a knowledge and belief that elevates a person from the earth to the Throne.
244. Biḥār al-Anwār, 4/4.
245. Uṣūl al-Kāfī, 2/53.
246. In this noble ḥadīth, the expression “as if” (kaʾanna) is used in relation to perception (seeing), not the perceived object. If “as if” was said about the perceived object, it could also apply to non-existent things. However, when it is related to perception, the perceived object is assumed and taken for granted. Therefore, this simile is about knowledge, not the known.
247. Biḥār al-Anwār, 46/80.
248. Biḥār al-Anwār, 72/256/ Regarding the severance of principles, the Holy Qurʾān states: “Their ties will be cut off from them” (2:166). In this world, based on the system of cause and effect, the hungry and thirsty satisfy themselves with food and water. But these causes and means will be cut off on the Day of Judgment. Therefore, there will be no way to alleviate hunger and thirst. Regarding the severance of relationships, it states that after the blowing of the trumpet, lineages will vanish: “There will be no kinship among them that Day” (23:101). Everyone will rise from the dust and relations and ties will be abolished. Unlike this world where a brother would solve the problems of his brother or a father would solve the problems of his family, the ties of relationships will be severed on the Day of Judgment: “There will be no trade nor friendship” (2:254). There will be no transactions nor making friends and companions. On that day, no one will own anything and all affairs will be in the hands of Allah.
Of course, intercession is a fixed and true matter, but its groundwork is laid in this world. Those who have paved the way for the bliss of the Hereafter in this world will benefit from the fruits of their labor on the Day of Judgment. But if they had no connection with the intercessors of the Day of Judgment in this world, they will not be able to receive their aid on that day.
249. Qurʾān, 82:14-19. In this world, people act either based on relationships or principles. But on the Day of Judgment, both the way of principles (one’s own deeds) and relationships (others’ deeds for a person) will be closed.
250. Tawḥīd al-Ṣadūq, bāb mā jāʾa fī al-ruʾya, ḥ. 20.
251. Nūr al-Thaqalayn, 1/19.
252. Man Lā Yaḥḍuruhu al-Faqīh, 1/269.
253. Nūr al-Thaqalayn, 1/19.
254. Biḥār al-Anwār, 82/23.
255. Ibid., 82/22.
256. Ibid., 82/66.
257. Nūr al-Thaqalayn, 1/19; Biḥār al-Anwār, 82/22.
258. Tafsīr al-ʿAyyāshī, 1/22; Biḥār al-Anwār, 82/22.
259. Al-Jawharī in al-Ṣiḥāḥ, under “ʿabd”.
260. In the exegetical discussion of the verse “All praise belongs to Allah, Lord of the worlds” it was mentioned that Allah is not the name of the Absolutely Hidden Essence, because that Absolute Essence has no name at all. Allah is the name of the Divine Essence that encompasses and combines all the attributes of perfection. (p. 334).
261. Nahj al-Balāgha, Wisdom 82, Section 3.
262. Refer to the biography of Uways al-Qaranī.
263. Biḥār, vol. 79, p. 193.
264. Biḥār, vol. 79, p. 193.
265. Worshipping to attain Paradise or escape Hell, although correct from the perspective of jurisprudence (fiqh), relates to a person who, due to lack of aspiration, seeks salvation from the Fire or entry into Paradise from God, not His encounter. If the main goal and true object of worship for the worshipper was salvation from Hell or entry into Paradise, and he made God a means to reach such an object of worship, not the essential purpose and goal, then his worship is invalid. This is what some intend when they consider worship for the sake of reaching Paradise or avoiding Hell to be invalid, because in this case, if attaining Paradise was possible without worshipping God, he would not worship Him (refer to Ṣahbā-yi Ḥajj, p. 363).
Of course, although the essential object of worship for most people is God, and thus their worship is correct, they do not know that seeking other than Him from Him is a lack of aspiration: “...We do not desire anything other than You from You, and we do not worship You in exchange or substitution, as the ignorant and heedless of You worship You.” (Tafsīr al-Ṣāfī, vol. 1, p. 72).
266. In the Holy Qurʾān, there are two expressions in this regard: In the first, which is from the Beloved of God, the Noble Prophet (s.a.w.), the name of God comes first, and then His sign, the Prophet of Islam (s.a.w.), is mentioned: “Indeed, Allah is with us” (Qurʾān, 9:40). And in the second expression, which is from the Interlocutor of God, Prophet Moses (a.s.), the sign and symbol of God is mentioned first, and then the name of God: “Indeed, with me is my Lord” (Qurʾān, 26:62). From these two expressions, it appears that the Beloved of God first sees God and then himself in His light; but the Interlocutor of God starts from himself as a sign and symbol of God and makes himself a prelude to witnessing the Truth. The expression “Indeed, with me is my Lord” is a moderate expression for the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.) who has reached an exalted station.
267. Nahj al-Balāgha, Sermon 186, Section 17.
268. Biḥār, vol. 3, p. 327.
269. Ṣaḥīfa Sajjādiyyah, Supplication 45.
270. Ibid., Supplication 12.
271. Qurʾān, 107:4-6. Although muṣallīn is in the form of an active participle, it conveys the meaning of an assimilated adjective (ṣifah mushabbahah) and indicates constancy and permanence. It refers to a worshipper who is consistent in prayer and not only does not abandon prayer but may even be committed to praying at the beginning of the prescribed time. However, because he is a person of ostentation and heedlessness, he neither knows what he is doing nor enjoys being seen and heard by others.
272. Qurʾān, 15:99. Some exegetes, citing the verse “Until there came to Us the certainty “ (Qurʾān, 74:47), have interpreted “certainty” in the verse “And worship your Lord until there comes to you the certainty” to mean death, and have interpreted the verse as follows: Worship until the arrival of death. However, certainty does not mean death, although death is one of the certain and inevitable matters, and after it, certainty is attained for a person. Therefore, it is possible to apply certainty to death.
273. Except for a few people, everyone is afflicted with vying for increase (takāthur): “The entire people are distracted by vying for increase” (Biḥār, vol. 75, p. 152). Some are afflicted with vying for increase in wealth, some in children and tribe, and a group that is engaged in scholarly and cultural work, vying for increase in listeners, students, readers, followers, etc. It is not the case that Satan has only spread the trap of vying for increase for the miserly and those who love wealth, and that there is no mention of vying for increase in the realm of scholarly and cultural work. It will become clear on the Day of Judgment what punishment awaits giving importance to the acceptance and rejection of students, followers, and the like.
274. This is because “There is no god but Allah” is not two negative and affirmative propositions, where one negates false deities and idols and the other affirms God the Exalted. Rather, it is altogether one sentence with one content and message. This is because illā means “other than”, and the meaning of lā ilāha illā Allāh is that there is no god other than Allah, who is truly and innately accepted and established, not that others are negated and God the Exalted is affirmed, such that proving God would require evidence.
275. Biḥār al-Anwār, 10/227.
276. Biḥār al-Anwār, 67/64.
277. Biḥār al-Anwār, 89/97.
278. Biḥār al-Anwār, 66/317 (explanation).
279. Al-Mīzān, 1/27.
280. Mafātīḥ al-Jinān, supplication for the 28th day of Ramadan.
281. Ḍarīʿ is a desert thorn. Those who are like cattle today, their food tomorrow will be desert thorns.
282. Biḥār al-Anwār, 73/202.
283. Ibid., 73/204.
284. Sharḥ Manẓūma, section on wisdom, Farīda fī al-Ṣidq, p. 354.
285. Biḥār al-Anwār, 74/286.
286. Ibid., 72/308.
287. Tuḥaf al-ʿUqūl, p. 164.
288. The intended meaning here is the lower levels of seeking assistance, otherwise the higher levels of it, as discussed previously, are the same as dominance, meaning accepting divine guardianship.
289. Nahj al-Balāgha, Wisdom 237.
290. Uṣūl al-Kāfī, v. 2, p. 84.
291. Biḥār al-Anwār, v. 67, p. 205.
292. Ibid., v. 8, p. 200.
293. Tafsīr al-Ṣāfī, v. 1, p. 72.
294. Biḥār al-Anwār, v. 67, p. 210.
295. Qurʾān, 9:28. If there is disagreement in deducing their apparent and jurisprudential impurity from the mentioned verse, there is no doubt about their inner and theological impurity.
296. Tuḥaf al-ʿUqūl, p. 326.
297. Nūr al-Thaqalayn, v. 1, p. 20 (Qurʾān, 2:258).
298. Nahj al-Balāgha, Letter 34, part 5.
299. Ibid., Sermon 151, part 1.
300. Ibid., Sermon 190, part 1.
301. Ibid., Sermon 100, part 1.
302. Biḥār al-Anwār, v. 92, p. 195.
303. Mufradāt of Rāghib, saraṭa.
304. Al-Taḥqīq, v. 6, p. 264.
305. The detailed discussion of existential and legislative guidance is found in the book Guidance in the Qurʾān.
306. The exegetes who have interpreted guidance in this noble verse as perseverance on traversing the straight path or steadfastness on the way have considered it existential guidance.
307. Nahj al-Balāgha, Sermon 16, part 7.
308. Biḥār al-Anwār, v. 87, p. 175.
309. Ibid., v. 99, p. 267.
310. Qurʾān, 15:79 meaning the two cities that were destroyed in the event of the destruction of Antioch, were on the highway from Mecca to Syria.
311. Qurʾān, 41:30; Qurʾān, 46:13.
312. Refer to the beginning of the exegetical discussion of the verse “You alone do we worship”, p. 416.
313. The blessing of prophethood and guidance is referred to as a great and heavy blessing in the Qurʾān, the bearing of which is difficult. The Qurʾān does not refer to the creation of the entire system of the heavens and earth as a blessing, but it does refer to the blessing of prophethood and guidance as such: “Certainly Allah conferred a great favor upon the believers when He raised among them a Messenger” (Qurʾān, 3:164), “Rather it is Allah who has conferred favor upon you that He has guided you to the faith” (Qurʾān, 49:17).
314. Nahj al-Balāgha, Wisdom 147.
315. The details of this discussion were covered on pages 435 and 442.
316. Qurʾān, 10:35. In Qurʾānic verses, guidance is sometimes mentioned without a preposition, such as: “Guide us to the straight path” (Qurʾān, 1:6). Sometimes it is mentioned with the preposition “to” (ilā), such as: “and guides to the path of the Almighty, the Praiseworthy” (Qurʾān, 34:6). And in some cases, it is mentioned with the preposition “for” (li), such as “Indeed this Qurʾān guides to what is most upright” (Qurʾān, 17:9) and “Say, ‘Allah guides to the truth’” (Qurʾān, 10:35).
317. The word aḥaqq in this noble verse is the elative form denoting specification, not comparison. What is intended by it is definitive priority, like the priority mentioned in the noble verse “But the blood relatives are nearer to one another” (Qurʾān, 8:75), not preferential priority.
318. The expression “He guides by it” in this noble verse indicates that the guidance of the Qurʾān is in fact the guidance of God, and the Qurʾān is only the means of guidance; just as when it is said about a pen that it writes, the attribution of writing is actually to the writer, and the pen is nothing more than a tool. Attributing guidance to the Qurʾān and the like is also a type of attributing an action to its means.
319. Biḥār al-Anwār, v. 38, p. 188.
320. Qurʾān, 27:90. Since the expression in the noble verse is "what you used to do" (mā kuntum taʿmalūn), it should be "according to what you used to do" (bimā kuntum taʿmalūn) so that the meaning is that this recompense is for your deeds.
321. Nahj al-Balāgha, Sermon 224, Section 8.
322. Biḥār al-Anwār, v. 6, p. 239.
323. A detailed discussion about the unity and multiplicity of the path (ṣirāṭ) will come under verse 153 of Sūrah al-Anʿām.
324. Nahj al-Balāgha, Sermon 29, Section 1.
325. The meaning of the prohibition of Prophet Shuʿayb (a.s.), considering Satan's statement to God Almighty that "I will surely sit in ambush for them on Your straight path" (Qurʾān, 7:16), is that you should not be among the devils. If someone prevents a good deed, correct understanding, or adorning oneself with good character, he is also a devil in human form who lies in wait for the travellers of the straight path.
326. Qurʾān, 6:153. The Prophet (s.a.w.) drew a straight line to explain this noble verse, and other lines around it. He then said: "This straight line is the path of growth, and these other lines are paths at the head of each of which is a devil inviting towards it." He then recited this verse. (Jawāmiʿ al-Jāmiʿ, 1/427; Durr al-Manthūr, 3/385).
327. Qurʾān, 32:12. The sinners being resurrected with their heads bowed on Judgment Day, which has also been mentioned in narrations, does not only mean lowering the head out of shame. Rather, as a result of his worldly thinking, he will be resurrected with a specific form (head inverted). This reflects his very thoughts and worldly conduct, which were directed towards decline, not elevation.
328. Biḥār al-Anwār, 20/215.
329. Nūr al-Thaqalayn, v. 5, p. 495.
330. Although man is devoid of acquired knowledge at birth, he is innately endowed with intuitive knowledge on the straight path of creation and has an inclination towards it.
331. Nūr al-Thaqalayn, v. 1, p. 22.
332. Ibid., p. 22.
333. Ibid., p. 21.
334. Ilm al-Yaqīn, v. 2, p. 601; Biḥār, v. 68, p. 226.
335. Ṣaḥīfah al-Sajjādiyyah, Supplication 42.
336. In the perception of any external thing, six elements are realized, four of which have no place in the discussion of the unity of the knower and the known. For example, when a perceiver correctly perceives the reality of a tree, the tree that exists outside his mind in the objective world has an existence and an essence. The perceiver also has an existence and an essence, and the mental form present in the soul of the perceiver also has an existence and an essence.
In summary, each of the perceiver, the perceived, and the perceptual form has an existence and an essence. Therefore, in perception, six elements are realized. Of these six elements, the existence and essence of the perceived (the tree existing in the external world), which is outside the soul of the perceiver, are both outside the scope of the discussion of the unity of the knower with the known. Similarly, the essence of the perceiver and the essence of his perceptual form are outside the discussion, because essence is of the nature of concept, and an external thing does not have unity with a concept. So what remains of the six elements is the existence of the knower with the existence of knowledge, which unite with each other, and the meaning of man being thought—"O brother, you are but that thought"—is also this; that is, you are that understanding (not that concept). Whatever man understood, he becomes the very understanding of it, not the very concept of it. So if a perceiver correctly understood a tree, he does not unite with the essence of the tree, but rather unites with the knowledge of the tree.
337. Biḥār al-Anwār, 67/209. Some people will be resurrected in the form of animals on the Day of Judgment. Their resurrection in this form does not mean that their inner nature is human while their outward appearance is animal. Rather, they have truly transformed into animals. This is because the specific manner of walking for animals and humans (moving on four or two legs) is not an essential attribute for them, but rather an outward and accidental matter. If a human walked on their hands and feet like a horse, they would still be human, and if a horse walked on two legs, it would still be an animal.
The humanity of a human is due to their rational soul. The comparison of disbelievers to livestock in the Noble Qurʾān—"They are like livestock, rather they are more astray" (Qurʾān, 7:179)—is not metaphorical or intended to insult and degrade them. Firstly, the Qurʾān in its entirety is polite and gentle. Not only does it not use foul language itself, but it also prohibits others from insulting even the idols of the polytheists, "Do not insult those they invoke besides Allah, lest they insult Allah in enmity without knowledge" (Qurʾān, 6:108). Rather, the disbelievers are truly like livestock or even lower, because their intellect is captive to their desires and anger. Secondly, animals are not evil for the Noble Qurʾān to compare the disbelievers to livestock as an insult. The Glorified God has guided all animals to the straight path through innate guidance, "There is no creature but that He holds its forelock. Indeed, my Lord is on a straight path" (Qurʾān, 11:56). He has also praised them beautifully and introduced them as manifestations of beauty, "And for you in them is beauty when you bring them in for the evening and when you send them out to pasture" (Qurʾān, 16:6).
Therefore, this comparison is to clarify a reality that is hidden from the sight of some people. A person whose conduct is based on their stomach and desires, and who uses their knowledge and will in the path of their stomach, is like an animal that walks on its belly in terms of both appearance and inner nature, "Allah created every creature from water. And of them are those that move on their bellies" (Qurʾān, 24:45). Thus, the resurrection of humans in the form of animals, based on Qurʾānic and rational principles, is a real matter, not a metaphorical or poetic statement.
338. The late Shaykh Bahāʾī states: That mental matter which we consider to be the intention of worship is, in the primary sense, intention, and in the common sense, heedlessness. That is, its name and title is intention, but its spirit and reality is an instance of heedlessness. For if this were intention, our thoughts would not be so scattered and distracted during prayer.
True intention is the soaring of the spirit and the relinquishment of attachment. If the worshipper can detach from the natural world during prayer, then true intention is realized, otherwise one who remains in his previous state during worship and has not migrated has no proximity. Proximity, which is attained by soaring from the natural world, is a difficult task, and for this reason it has been called the most virtuous of deeds. (Arbaʿīn of Shaykh Bahāʾī, discussion on intention).
339. Biḥār al-Anwār, v. 67, p. 190-191
340. Ibid., p. 210.
341. Ibid.
342. Nahj al-Balāgha, Wisdom 45.
343. Al-Jāmiʿ li-Aḥkām al-Qurʾān, v. 1, p. 145.
344. Biḥār al-Anwār, v. 82, p. 22.
345. Refer to Majmaʿ al-Bayān; Al-Jāmiʿ li-Aḥkām al-Qurʾān; Manhaj al-Ṣādiqīn.
346. Biḥār al-Anwār, v. 10, p. 61.
347. Nūr al-Thaqalayn, v. 1, p. 21.
348. Biḥār al-Anwār, v. 36, p. 128.
349. Maʿānī al-Akhbār, p. 33.
350. Nūr al-Thaqalayn, v. 1, p. 20.
351. Biḥār al-Anwār, v. 89, p. 254.
352. Biḥār al-Anwār, v. 89, p. 254.
353. Nūr al-Thaqalayn, v. 1, p. 21.
354. Nūr al-Thaqalayn, v. 1, p. 21.
355. Ibid., p. 22.
356. Maʿānī al-Akhbār, p. 32.
357. Biḥār al-Anwār, v. 37, p. 212.
358. Tafsīr al-Ṣāfī, v. 1, p. 73.
359. Nahj al-Balāgha, Sermon 87, section 12.
360. Nūr al-Thaqalayn, v. 1, p. 21.
361. Biḥār al-Anwār, v. 8, p. 249.
362. The expression "it was incumbent upon your Lord" (kāna ʿalā rabbika) means that God has made one of His actions govern another of His actions, similar to "Your Lord has decreed upon Himself mercy" (Qurʾān, 6:54), where divine wisdom governs and rules over His mercy. Otherwise, nothing has authority over God, the Glorified, and He is not under the jurisdiction of any creature's decree or ruling. What exists are the actions of God, the Glorified, some of which are under the jurisdiction of others. In such cases, the attributes of action can be attributed to the doer.
363. Some narrations have clearly interpreted "entering" as "having intercourse". See Majmaʿ al-Bayān, vol. 5, p. 525; Durr al-Manthūr, vol. 4, pp. 280-281; Kashshāf, vol. 2, p. 520.
364. Biḥār, vol. 8, p. 250.
365. Nahj al-Balāgha, Letter 68.
366. Tafsīr al-Qummī, vol. 1, p. 29.
367. Ilm al-Yaqīn, p. 969.
368. Nahj al-Balāgha, Sermon 83, section 36.
369. Biḥār, vol. 65, p. 180.
370. al-Taḥqīq, vol. 12, p. 178; al-Mīzān, vol. 11, p. 81.
371. Biḥār, vol. 70, p. 278.
372. The prophets are the chosen ones of God Almighty who are responsible for teaching and training mankind through divine revelation, and any movement outside their path is a movement towards misguidance, although the travelers of the straight path cannot attain the station of their prophethood.
The truthful (ṣiddīqūn) are those who are truthful in their beliefs, morals, and actions, and truthfulness in belief, morals, and actions leads a person to their station.
The witnesses (shuhadāʾ) in the culture of the Qurʾān are the witnesses of deeds, not those killed on the battlefields. The station of witnessing is a lofty station, because the testimony of witnesses on the Day of Judgment requires observing and enduring the scene of action in the world. So they are in a state of witnessing, whether awake or asleep, because the Day of Judgment, which is the vessel of giving testimony, must be preceded by enduring it.
The righteous (ṣāliḥīn) in the language of the Qurʾān are superior to "those who do righteous deeds" (alladhīna ʿamilū al-ṣāli__ḥāt), because the righteousness of the righteous is a continuous attribute related to their station and essence, unlike "those who do righteous deeds" who have practical righteousness, and righteousness in action is lower than righteousness in essence. That is why the Noble Qurʾān says about some of the prophets: "In the Hereafter, they will be among the righteous" (Qurʾān, 2:130). Therefore, just as some people are among the witnesses but not among the prophets, some prophets may not have attained the ultimate degree of righteousness.
Note: The title of the righteous (ṣāliḥān) has degrees, some of which are achieved in this world for all the prophets (a.s.), as mentioned in verse 85 of Sūrah al-Anʿām: "...all of them were among the righteous." However, the ultimate degree of it is not achieved for everyone in this world. That is why the aforementioned verse states: "In the Hereafter, he will be among the righteous." The Prophet Muḥammad (s.a.w.), who has the ultimate degree of righteousness, says in introducing himself: "Indeed, my protector is Allah who has sent down the Book, and He is the protector of the righteous" (Qurʾān, 7:196).
373. Nahj al-Balāgha, Sermon 1, Section 1.
374. Qurʾān, 24:41. The expression "Have you not seen" (a lam tara) in such verses indicates that if a person lifts the veil slightly, they will clearly observe the realities.
375. Tafsīr Ibn ʿArabī, vol. 1, p. 31.
376. Mafātīḥ al-Jinān, Ziyarat of Imām Ḥusayn (a.s.) ???.
377. Nahj al-Balāgha, Sermon 168, Section 17.
378. Nūr al-Thaqalayn, vol. 5, p. 665.
379. Tafsīr al-Ṣāfī, vol. 5, p. 371.
380. Qurʾān, 48:29. Sīmā means a sign or mark, not face, and it is derived from the root wasm meaning sign. The word mawsūm, which is also derived from wasm, means marked, and since a mark is often on the face, sīmā is used to mean face.
381. Speed is a desirable attribute and a description of movement, while haste is an undesirable attribute and a description of the one moving.
382. Biḥār, v. 22, p. 374.
383. Majmaʿ al-Bayān, v. 9-10, p. 611.
384. Qurʾān, 58:11. In the first part of this verse which speaks of the believer, the word daraja which is the object or tamyīz has been omitted, but in the second part which mentions the knowledgeable believer it has been mentioned, and the full verse is as follows: "Allah will raise those who have believed among you and those who were given knowledge by degrees.".
385. Nahj al-Balāgha, Sermon 201, part 1.
386. Ibid., Wisdom 147.
387. Tafsīr al-Ṣāfī, v. 1, p. 74 (Qurʾān 4:69).
388. Biḥār, v. 10, p. 61.
389. Biḥār, v. 24, p. 13.
390. Nūr al-Thaqalayn, v. 1, p. 23.
391. Biḥār, v. 25, p. 213.
392. Nūr al-Thaqalayn, v. 1, p. 24.
393. Tafsīr al-Ṣāfī, v. 1, p. 74.
394. Biḥār, v. 25, p. 274.
395. Nūr al-Thaqalayn, 1/25.
396. Tafsīr ʿAyyāshī, 1/24.
397. Nūr al-Thaqalayn, 1/24.
398. Biḥār, 8/150.
399. Biḥ__ār, 8/150.
400. Nahj al-Balāgha, Sermon 64, Section 8.
401. Ibid., Sermon 151, Section 4.
402. Ibid., Sermon 187, Section 3.
403. Ibid., Wisdom 358.
404. Ibid., Sermon 224, Section 12.
405. Ibid., Wisdom 387.