S 2 A 174

بقرة آيه 174

قَالَ عَاصِمٌ:فَلِمَ اقْتَصَرْتَ-يَا أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ-عَلَى لُبْسِ الْخَشِنِ،وَ أَكْلِ الْجَشِبِ؟ قَالَ:«إِنَّ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى افْتَرَضَ عَلَى أَئِمَّةِ الْعَدْلِ أَنْ يُقَدِّرُوا لِأَنْفُسِهِمْ بِالْقِوَامِ [1] كَيْلاَ يَتَبَيَّغَ [2] بِالْفَقِيرِ فَقْرُهُ»فَمَا قَامَ عَلِيٌّ(عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ)حَتَّى نَزَعَ عَاصِمٌ الْعَبَاءَةَ وَ لَبِسَ مُلاَءَةً.

Translation: Asim said: Then why, O Commander of the Faithful, have you limited yourself to wearing coarse clothing and eating rough food? He said: Indeed Allah, the Exalted, has made it obligatory upon the leaders of justice to set for themselves a sufficiency [1] so that a poor man’s poverty does not boil over [2] against him. Ali (peace be upon him) had not even risen before Asim removed the rough cloak and put on a smooth garment.

قَوْلُهُ تَعَالَى:

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَكْتُمُونَ مٰا أَنْزَلَ اللّٰهُ مِنَ الْكِتٰابِ وَ يَشْتَرُونَ بِهِ ثَمَناً قَلِيلاً أُولٰئِكَ مٰا يَأْكُلُونَ فِي بُطُونِهِمْ إِلاَّ النّٰارَ وَ لاٰ يُكَلِّمُهُمُ اللّٰهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيٰامَةِ وَ لاٰ يُزَكِّيهِمْ وَ لَهُمْ عَذٰابٌ أَلِيمٌ[174]

Quran 2:174 (M. H. Shakir): Surely those who conceal the clear proofs and the guidance that We revealed after We made it clear in the Book for men, these it is whom Allah shall curse, and those who curse shall curse them (too). And this is because they take a small price for it, so they shall not eat aught but fire into their bellies, and Allah will not speak to them on the day of resurrection, nor will He purify them, and they shall have a painful chastisement.

99- _1- (تَفْسِيرُ الْمَنْسُوبِ إِلَى الْإِمَامِ الْعَسْكَرِيِّ(عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ):

99-/_1- Translation: Allah, Mighty and Majestic, said concerning those who conceal Our merit, the People of the House: Surely those who conceal what Allah has sent down of the Book, which contains mention of the superiority of Muhammad (may Allah bless him and his family) over all the prophets and the superiority of Ali (peace be upon him) over all the successors; and they purchase thereby—by concealing it—a small price; they conceal it so as to take in exchange for it a trifling portion of this world, and to attain by it, in this world and before the ignorant servants of Allah, leadership—Allah, the Exalted, said: They are those who shall eat nothing in their bellies on the Day of Resurrection except fire, in place of the little of this world they obtained by their concealment of the truth. And Allah will not speak to them on the Day of Resurrection with any goodly speech; rather, He will speak to them by cursing them and disgracing them and saying: Evil servants you are! You altered My order, you put back the one I put forward, and you put forward the one I put back; you showed loyalty to him whom I opposed, and you opposed him to whom I showed loyalty. And He will not purify them of their sins, for sins only melt away and vanish when they are accompanied by allegiance to Muhammad and Ali and their pure progeny (peace be upon them). But as for what is accompanied by turning away from allegiance to Muhammad and his Household (peace be upon them), those are sins that multiply, crimes that increase, and their punishments grow severe; and for them is a painful, grievous chastisement in the Fire.

99- _2- (دَعَائِمُ الْإِسْلاَمِ):

99-/_2- Translation: From Imam Ja‘far ibn Muhammad al-Sadiq (peace be upon him), that he said: Three there are whom Allah will not speak to on the Day of Resurrection, nor will He purify them, and for them is a painful chastisement: the fornicating old man; the dayyuth—the one who has no protective jealousy, such that people gather in his house for debauchery; and the woman who brings another to her husband’s bed.

_1) -التفسير المنسوب إلى الإمام العسكريّ(عليه السّلام):352/585.

_1) -al-tafsīr al-mansūb ilā al-imām al-‘askarī (alayhi al-salām): 352/585.

_2) -دعائم الإسلام 2:1570/448.

_2) -da‘ā’im al-islām 2:1570/448.

[1] القوام:ما يقيم الإنسان من القوت.

[1] al-qawām: mā yuqīmu al-insān min al-qūt.

[2] تبيّغ به الفقر:غلب عليه و تجاوز الحدّ.

[2] tabayyaġa bihi al-faqr: ghalaba ‘alayhi wa tajāwaza al-ḥadd.

قوله تعالى:

ذٰلِكَ بِأَنَّ اللّٰهَ نَزَّلَ الْكِتٰابَ بِالْحَقِّ وَ إِنَّ الَّذِينَ اخْتَلَفُوا فِي الْكِتٰابِ لَفِي شِقٰاقٍ بَعِيدٍ[176]

Quran 2:176 (M. H. Shakir): This is because Allah has revealed the Book with the truth; and surely those who disagree about the Book are in a great opposition.

99- _1- (التَّفْسِيرُ الْمَنْسُوبُ إِلَى الْإِمَامِ الْعَسْكَرِيِّ(عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ):

99-/_1- Translation: That—that is, that punishment which has become incumbent upon these people because of their sins and crimes, for their opposition to their Imam and their turning away from loyalty to the master of Allah’s creation after Muhammad His Prophet—his brother and chosen one—is because Allah sent down the Book with truth: He sent down the Book in which He threatened those who oppose the people of truth and shun the truthful, and who make obedience to the wicked a practice. He sent down the Book with the truth that what they are promised will befall them and will not miss them. And surely those who disagreed about the Book, not believing in it—some of them saying, “It is sorcery,” some of them, “It is poetry,” and some of them, “It is soothsaying”—are in far schism, a remoteness of opposition from the truth, as if the truth were in one side and they in another side opposing it. Ali ibn al-Husayn (peace be upon them) said: These are the states of those who concealed our virtues, denied our rights, usurped our names, assumed our titles, aided our wrongdoer against the usurpation of our rights, conspired with our enemies against us, whom no taqiyyah on your part unsettles, and whom opposition at the expense of his self, his wealth, and his state does not impel. So fear Allah, O company of our Shia: do not adopt laxity when no taqiyyah is upon you, and do not adopt estrangement when taqiyyah prevents you. I shall tell you in this regard what will restrain and admonish you: Two men from among his companions entered upon the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him). One of them stepped on a snake and it bit him; and a scorpion fell from a wall upon the other in his path and stung him; and they both fell down, as if, from what had struck them, they were imploring and weeping. It was said to the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him), and he said: Leave them, for their time has not come, and their trial has not been completed. They were carried to their homes and remained sick and in pain, in severe torment, for two months. Then the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) sent for them, and they were brought to him, while the people were saying: They will die in the hands of those carrying them. He said to them: How are you? They said: We are in great pain and in severe torment. He said to them: Seek Allah’s forgiveness for every sin that led you to this, and seek refuge in Allah from what nullifies your reward and magnifies your burden. They said: And how is that, O Commander of the Faithful? Ali (peace be upon him) said: Not one of you was afflicted except by his sin. As for you, O so-and-so—turning to one of them—do you remember the day so-and-so winked at Salman al-Farisi (may Allah have mercy on him) and disparaged him for his loyalty to us, and nothing prevented you from defending him and rejecting the belittlement—not fear for yourself, nor for your family, nor for your children and wealth—nothing more than that you felt embarrassed before him? For that you were struck. So if you wish that Allah remove what—

_1) -التفسير المنسوب إلى الإمام العسكريّ(عليه السّلام):352/586.

_1) -al-tafsīr al-mansūb ilā al-imām al-‘askarī (alayhi al-salām): 352/586.