S 45 Ayat 21 to 24

قوله تعالى:

أَمْ حَسِبَ الَّذينَ اجْتَرَحُوا السَّيِّئاتِ أَنْ نَجْعَلَهُمْ كَالَّذينَ آمَنُوا وَ عَمِلُوا الصَّالِحاتِ سَواءً مَحْياهُمْ وَ مَماتُهُمْ ساءَ ما يَحْكُمُونَ (21)

وَ خَلَقَ اللَّهُ السَّماواتِ وَ الْأَرْضَ بِالْحَقِّ وَ لِتُجْزى‏ كُلُّ نَفْسٍ بِما كَسَبَتْ وَ هُمْ لا يُظْلَمُونَ (22)

أَ فَرَأَيْتَ مَنِ اتَّخَذَ إِلهَهُ هَواهُ وَ أَضَلَّهُ اللَّهُ عَلى‏ عِلْمٍ وَ خَتَمَ عَلى‏ سَمْعِهِ وَ قَلْبِهِ وَ جَعَلَ عَلى‏ بَصَرِهِ غِشاوَةً فَمَنْ يَهْديهِ مِنْ بَعْدِ اللَّهِ أَ فَلا تَذَكَّرُونَ (23)

وَ قالُوا ما هِيَ إِلاَّ حَياتُنَا الدُّنْيا نَمُوتُ وَ نَحْيا وَ ما يُهْلِكُنا إِلاَّ الدَّهْرُ وَ ما لَهُمْ بِذلِكَ مِنْ عِلْمٍ إِنْ هُمْ إِلاَّ يَظُنُّونَ (24)

(Quran 45:21-24, M.H. Shakir Translation)

"What! do those who have wrought evil deeds think that We will make them like those who believe and do good-- that their life and their death shall be equal? Evil it is that they judge." (45:21)

"And Allah created the heavens and the earth with truth and that every soul may be rewarded for what it has earned and they shall not be wronged." (45:22)

"Have you then considered him who takes his low desire for his god, and Allah has made him err having knowledge, and has set a seal upon his hearing and his heart and put a covering upon his sight? Who can then guide him after Allah? Will you not then be mindful?" (45:23)

"And they say: There is nothing but our life in this world; we live and die and nothing destroys us but time, and they have no knowledge of that; they only conjecture." (45:24)

[21-24] /9742 _1-محمّد بن العبّاس،قال:حدّثنا عليّ بن عبيد،عن حسين بن حكم،عن حسن بن حسين،عن حيان بن علي،عن الكلبي،عن أبي صالح،عن ابن عبّاس،في قوله عزّ و جلّ: أَمْ حَسِبَ الَّذِينَ اجْتَرَحُوا السَّيِّئٰاتِ ،الآية،قال:الذين آمنوا و عملوا الصالحات:بنو هاشم و بنو عبد المطلب،و الذين اجترحوا السيئات:

بنو عبد شمس.

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Muhammad ibn al-Abbas said: Ali ibn Ubayd narrated to us, from Husayn ibn Hakam, from Hasan ibn Husayn, from Hayan ibn Ali, from al-Kalbi, from Abu Salih, from Ibn Abbas, regarding the words of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic:

"What! do those who have wrought evil deeds think that We will make them like those who believe and do good-- that their life and their death shall be equal? Evil it is that they judge." (Quran 45:21, M.H. Shakir)

He said: Those who believe and do righteous deeds are the Banu Hashim and the Banu Abdul Muttalib, while those who have wrought evil deeds are the Banu Abd Shams.

/9743 _2-و عنه،قال:حدّثنا عبد العزيز بن يحيى،عن محمّد بن زكريا،عن أيوب بن سليمان،عن محمّد ابن مروان،عن الكلبي،عن أبي صالح،عن ابن عبّاس،في قوله عزّ و جلّ: أَمْ حَسِبَ الَّذِينَ اجْتَرَحُوا السَّيِّئٰاتِ ،الآية،قال:إن هذه الآية نزلت في عليّ بن أبي طالب(عليه السلام)و حمزة بن عبد المطلب،و عبيدة بن الحارث،هم الذين آمنوا،و في ثلاثة من المشركين عتبة،و شيبة ابني ربيعة،و الوليد بن عتبة،و هم الذين اجترحوا السيئات.

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And from him, he said: Abdul Aziz ibn Yahya narrated to us, from Muhammad ibn Zakariya, from Ayyub ibn Sulayman, from Muhammad ibn Marwan, from al-Kalbi, from Abu Salih, from Ibn Abbas, regarding the words of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic:

He said: This verse was revealed concerning Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him), Hamza ibn Abdul Muttalib, and Ubaydah ibn al-Harith, who were the ones who believed; and concerning three of the polytheists—Utbah and Shaybah, the sons of Rabi'ah, and al-Walid ibn Utbah—who were the ones that wrought evil deeds.

/9744 _3-و من طريق المخالفين:عن ابن عبّاس،في قوله تعالى: أَمْ نَجْعَلُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَ عَمِلُوا الصّٰالِحٰاتِ ،علي و حمزة و عبيدة كَالْمُفْسِدِينَ فِي الْأَرْضِ ،عتبة و شيبة و الوليد بن عتبة: أَمْ نَجْعَلُ الْمُتَّقِينَ ،هؤلاء علي و أصحابه كَالْفُجّٰارِ [1]عتبة و أصحابه،و قوله تعالى: أَمْ حَسِبَ الَّذِينَ اجْتَرَحُوا السَّيِّئٰاتِ أَنْ نَجْعَلَهُمْ كَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَ عَمِلُوا الصّٰالِحٰاتِ ،فالذين آمنوا:بنو هاشم،و بنو عبد المطلب،و الذين اجترحوا السيئات:بنو عبد شمس.

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And from the path of the opponents: From Ibn Abbas, regarding the words of Allah, the Exalted:

"Or shall We make those who believe and do good like the mischief-makers in the earth, or shall We make those who guard (against evil) like the wicked?" (Quran 38:28, M.H. Shakir)

Ali, Hamza, and Ubaydah are the ones who believed and did good, while Utbah, Shaybah, and al-Walid ibn Utbah are the mischief-makers in the land.

And regarding the words of Allah, the Exalted:

The ones who believed are Banu Hashim and Banu Abdul Muttalib, while the ones who wrought evil deeds are Banu Abd Shams.

/9745 _4-علي بن إبراهيم:قوله تعالى: أَمْ حَسِبَ الَّذِينَ اجْتَرَحُوا السَّيِّئٰاتِ ،إلى قوله تعالى: سٰاءَ مٰا يَحْكُمُونَ* وَ خَلَقَ اللّٰهُ السَّمٰاوٰاتِ وَ الْأَرْضَ بِالْحَقِّ وَ لِتُجْزىٰ كُلُّ نَفْسٍ بِمٰا كَسَبَتْ وَ هُمْ لاٰ يُظْلَمُونَ ،فإنه محكم.

قال:قوله تعالى: أَ فَرَأَيْتَ مَنِ اتَّخَذَ إِلٰهَهُ هَوٰاهُ ،نزلت في قريش،كلما هووا شيئا عبدوه وَ أَضَلَّهُ اللّٰهُ عَلىٰ عِلْمٍ ،أي عذبه على علم منه فيما ارتكبوا من أمير المؤمنين(عليه السلام)،و جرى ذلك بعد رسول اللّه(صلّى اللّه عليه و آله)،فيما فعلوه بعده بأهوائهم و آرائهم،و أزالوا الخلافة و الإمامة عن أمير المؤمنين(عليه السلام)بعد أخذ الميثاق عليهم مرتين لأمير المؤمنين(عليه السلام).

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Ali ibn Ibrahim said regarding the words of Allah, the Exalted:

"What! do those who have wrought evil deeds think that We will make them like those who believe and do good-- that their life and their death shall be equal? Evil it is that they judge. And Allah created the heavens and the earth with truth, and that every soul may be rewarded for what it has earned and they shall not be wronged." (Quran 45:21-22, M.H. Shakir)

This verse is definitive in meaning.

He also said regarding the words of Allah, the Exalted:

"Have you then considered him who takes his low desire for his god, and Allah has made him err having knowledge, and has set a seal upon his hearing and his heart and put a covering upon his sight; who can then guide him after Allah? Will you not then be mindful?" (Quran 45:23, M.H. Shakir)

This verse was revealed about Quraysh, as whenever they desired something, they worshipped it.

As for "and Allah has made him err having knowledge," it means that He punished them knowingly for what they committed against the Commander of the Faithful (Ali, peace be upon him). This continued after the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), when they followed their desires and opinions, removing the caliphate and imamate from the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) despite the covenant that had been taken upon them twice regarding him.

_1) -تأويل الآيات 2:5/576.

_2) -تأويل الآيات 2:6/577.

_3) -تحفة الأبرار:115«مخطوط».

_4) -تفسير القمّيّ 2:294.

[1] سورة ص 38:28.

Page 29 in Arabic

/9746 _5-علي بن إبراهيم:قوله تعالى: أَ فَرَأَيْتَ مَنِ اتَّخَذَ إِلٰهَهُ هَوٰاهُ ،نزلت في قريش،و جرت بعد رسول اللّه(صلّى اللّه عليه و آله)في أصحابه [1]الذين غصبوا أمير المؤمنين(عليه السلام)،و اتخذوا إماما بأهوائهم،و الدليل على ذلك قوله تعالى: وَ مَنْ يَقُلْ مِنْهُمْ إِنِّي إِلٰهٌ مِنْ دُونِهِ [2]،قال:من زعم أنّه إمام و ليس هو بإمام،فمن اتخذ إماما ففضله على علي(عليه السلام)،ثمّ عطف على الدهرية الذين قالوا:لا نحيا بعد الموت،فقال: وَ قٰالُوا مٰا هِيَ إِلاّٰ حَيٰاتُنَا الدُّنْيٰا نَمُوتُ وَ نَحْيٰا وَ مٰا يُهْلِكُنٰا إِلاَّ الدَّهْرُ ،و هذا مقدم و مؤخر،لأن الدهرية لم يقروا بالبعث و النشور بعد الموت،و إنّما قالوا:نحيا و نموت و ما يهلكنا إلاّ الدهر؛إلى قوله تعالى: يَظُنُّونَ ،فهذا ظنّ شك،و نزلت هذه الآية في الدهرية و جرت في الذين فعلوا ما فعلوا بعد رسول اللّه(صلّى اللّه عليه و آله)بأمير المؤمنين و أهل بيته(عليهم السلام)، و إنّما كان أيمانهم إقرارا بلا تصديق فرقا [3]من السيف،و رغبة في المال.

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Ali ibn Ibrahim said regarding the words of Allah, the Exalted:

"Have you then considered him who takes his low desire for his god, and Allah has made him err having knowledge, and has set a seal upon his hearing and his heart and put a covering upon his sight; who can then guide him after Allah? Will you not then be mindful?" (Quran 45:23, M.H. Shakir)

This verse was revealed concerning Quraysh, and it continued to apply after the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) to his companions—those who usurped the right of the Commander of the Faithful (Ali, peace be upon him) and appointed an imam based on their desires.

The proof for this is in Allah's words:

"And whoever among them should say: Surely I am a god besides Him, him do We recompense with hell; thus do We recompense the unjust." (Quran 21:29, M.H. Shakir)

This refers to those who claimed to be imams while they were not. Whoever takes an imam and prefers him over Ali (peace be upon him) is among them.

Then, the verse shifts to the materialists (Dahriyyah) who said that there is no life after death:

"And they say: There is nothing but our life in this world; we die and we live and nothing destroys us but time, and they have no knowledge of that; they only conjecture." (Quran 45:24, M.H. Shakir)

This phrase is rearranged in meaning because the materialists did not believe in resurrection after death. They only said: "We live and we die, and nothing destroys us but time."

The statement "they only conjecture" refers to their uncertainty and doubt.

This verse was revealed about the materialists, but it also applies to those who acted as they did after the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) regarding the Commander of the Faithful (Ali) and his family (peace be upon them). Their faith was merely verbal acknowledgment without real belief—out of fear of the sword and desire for wealth.