Discussion of the Narrations

1) The Abrahamic Tradition of Enjoining Islam

Ali, the Commander of the Faithful, said: “I enjoin you two, all my children, my family, and whoever my letter reaches…”(341), “My testament to you is that you do not associate anything with God…”(342).

Note: The Glorious God considered the Noble Prophet, the believers, and the followers of Abraham as having priority over him: “Indeed, the people most worthy of Abraham are those who followed him [in submission to God] and this prophet and those who believe [in his message]. And God is the ally of the believers”(343). Those who have priority over Abraham are those who revive his tradition and way. One of the most prominent methods of that venerable figure was enjoining his children to Islam. Those who in their wills only speak about their wealth and assets, and do not invite their survivors to Islam and religious teachings in writing or verbally, have not preserved and revived this method of Abraham.

The Commander of the Faithful, in accordance with the Abrahamic tradition of enjoining and inviting to Islam, in his testaments enjoined and invited everyone to the Book, the Sunnah, prayer, pilgrimage, and the like.

2) Birth, Death, and Resurrection with Peace

Abū al-Ḥasan al-Riḍā (a.s.) said: “Indeed, the most frightening situations for this creation are in three places: The day he is born and emerges from his mother’s womb to see the world, the day he dies and witnesses the hereafter and its people, and the day he is resurrected and sees judgments he did not see in the worldly abode. God, the Mighty and Majestic, has granted peace to Yaḥyā in these places and secured his fear, saying: ‘And peace be upon him the day he was born and the day he dies and the day he is raised alive’(344). And Jesus, son of Mary, granted peace upon himself in these three places, saying: ‘And peace is on me the day I was born and the day I will die and the day I am raised alive’(345).”

Note: Humans are travelers who have passed through stages and have stages ahead of them. The most important of these stages are three: birth, death, and resurrection on the Day of Judgment.

Jesus and Yaḥyā passed and will pass through these three stages in peace. The Glorious God introduced these two great figures as safe in those three stages, sending blessings upon Yaḥyā in these three stages(346) and recounting Christ’s peace upon himself in those stages(347).

In the birth of some individuals, Satan has a way, for Satan is a partner in the wealth and children of some humans: “And become a partner in their wealth and their children (348). Perhaps the precedence of “wealth” over “children” in this verse is an indication that from impure and unlawful wealth and food, a pure and righteous child is not born. So if Satan was a partner in someone’s wealth, he is a partner in the unrighteous child that came from this unlawful wealth and has a role in his birth.

At the stage of departure, the traveling human drinks death, which is the essence of his life; meaning he eliminates death, which is a transformation and transition to the realm of permanence, and causes it to die: “Every soul will taste death”(349). It is not that death destroys the human soul, for the soul is the taster, not the tasted.

Death is the essence of human life, therefore it is very bitter for the wicked and very sweet for the righteous. On this basis, for the wicked, no moment is more bitter and unpleasant than the moment of death, and no state is more pleasant and enjoyable for the believer than that moment. This is also the secret of why death has been described as the delight of the believer’s eye(350).

If someone’s life and death are traversed with peace, the stage after their death will also be peaceful. Therefore, if a person dies as a Muslim, they will be resurrected as a Muslim: “As you live, so shall you die; as you die, so shall you be resurrected; and as you are resurrected, so shall you be gathered”(351).

This point is the secret behind God’s greetings in those three critical junctures, as well as the reason for Abraham and Jacob’s recommendation to die as Muslims: “So do not die except while you are Muslims.”

3) Good Death and Bad Death

Abū Jaʿfar al-Bāqir (a.s.) said: “Whoever from this community wakes up without having a just Imam from God, wakes up lost and confused. If they die in that state, they die a death of disbelief and hypocrisy”(352).

The Messenger of God said: “Beware, whoever dies hating the family of Muhammad dies as a disbeliever. Beware, whoever dies loving the family of Muhammad dies in faith”(353).

The Messenger of God said to Ali: “O Ali! Do not be concerned about those who die hating you, for whoever dies hating you dies as a Jew or a Christian”(354).

Note:

a) Death, like life, is an existential matter, not a non-existential one, because death is a transition from this world and a migration to the hereafter, although in every migration and transition there is a relative non-existential aspect.

b) An existential matter can take on specific attributes, such as ignorance and intellect, savagery and civilization, disbelief and Islam. What is mentioned in the tradition: “Whoever dies without knowing the Imam of their time dies a death of ignorance”(355) is of this kind, where death takes on a specific attribute. Similarly, what is said about the knowledge and love of the Ahl al-Bayt: “Whoever among you dies in their bed while knowing the truth of their Lord, His Messenger, and his household, dies as a martyr”(356), as well as “Death in your life is being subjugated, and life in your death is being victorious”(357) are of the same nature. The verse under discussion and the traditions related to this topic all aim to describe the attributes of a good death, so that a bad death may be avoided.

4) The Path to Establishing Faith

Abū ʿAbdallāh said: “Indeed, a servant may wake up as a believer and go to sleep as a disbeliever, and wake up as a disbeliever and go to sleep as a believer. And there are people who are lent faith, then it is taken away from them, and they are called the borrowers”(358).

Abū l-Ḥasan said: “Indeed, God… lends faith to some people. If He wills, He completes it for them, and if He wills, He takes it away from them… And regarding them it was revealed: ‘Some are settled and some are temporary’(359)… And indeed, so-and-so’s faith was temporary, so when he lied about us, his faith was taken away”(360).

Abū ʿAbdallāh said: “Indeed, God… has molded some believers upon faith so they will never apostatize, and among them are those who are lent faith temporarily. If they call upon Him and persist in supplication, they die upon faith”(361).

Note: The most important factor that leads to the establishment of faith and prevents its decline is the continuity of righteous and sincere deeds based on sound knowledge and sincere affection. This is because the continuity of action provides the ground for it to become deeply rooted and ingrained, thus protecting it from the danger of decline.

(5)) Faith in Wilāya as an Element of the Chosen Religion

Abū Jaʿfar said regarding the words of the Almighty: “And Abraham enjoined upon his sons and so did Jacob, [saying], ‘O my sons, indeed God has chosen for you this religion, so do not die except while you are Muslims’”: “It refers to the wilāya (guardianship) of Ali”(362).

Note: The chosen religion that God has selected has pivotal elements, and one of them is the issue of wilāya, as is also understood from the verse of the perfection of religion and the completion of blessings. Therefore, mentioning wilāya is an application of a specific instance, not an interpretation of the concept.