In the Name of Allah, the most Compassionate, the most Merciful

And bless be upon Muhammad and his pure Household, and may Allah's curse be on his enemies from now until the Day of Resurrection! And there is no power or strength except for the Lofty Glorious Allah.

The Wise Allah has stated in His Glorious Book:

وَجَعَلْنَا مِنْهُمْ أَئِمَّةً يَهْدُونَ بِأَمْرِنَا لَمَّا صَبَرُوا وَكَانُوا بِآيَاتِنَا يُوقِنُونَ ^[1]

‘…and We appointed from among them some Leaders to guide (people) at Our command, because they acted patiently and convinced about Our signs,(Qur’an:32/24).’

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The meaning of the Imam in the blessed verses as: ‘…and when his Lord tested Abraham with [His] Words [of Command], and he fulfilled them; stated He: "I have appointed you as a spiritual leader for the people

In this Verse, we are going to discuss to see what the Imam means, and what the guidance by the command of Allah is; and also to explain the patience and the belief of the Imam in the Verses of Allah.                                        

To explain the Imam clearly we have to refer to this statement of Allah:

وَإِذِ ابْتَلَى إِبْرَاهِيمَ رَبُّهُ بِكَلِمَاتٍ فَأَتَمَّهُنَّ قَالَ إِنِّي جَاعِلُكَ لِلنَّاسِ إِمَامًا قَالَ وَمِن ذُرِّيَّتِي قَالَ لاَ يَنَالُ عَهْدِي الظَّالِمِينَ ^[2]

‘… and when his Lord tested Abraham with [His] Words [of Command], and he fulfilled them; stated He: "I have appointed in you as a spiritual leader for the people," he said, ‘and [what about] my offspring?’ Stated He: “never does My covenant reach the wrongdoers,(Qur’an:2/124).’

As you see, Abraham asked, ‘Do you also assign the Imamate in my off spring?’ To his question, stated Allah: “My covenant does not reach the wrongdoers.”

The Imamate that Allah gave Abraham was at the period of his old age, for according to this Verse, it was after his being tested. And the most remarkable test of Abraham was sacrificing his son, Ishmael; and Allah gave him Ishmael and Isaac when he was too old. As Allah states: 

الحَمْدُ لِلّهِ الَّذِي وَهَبَ لِي عَلَى الْكِبَرِ إِسْمَاعِيلَ وَإِسْحَاقَ إِنَّ رَبِّي لَسَمِيعُ الدُّعَاء ^[3]

‘… all praise belongs to Allah Who has bestowed Ishmael and Isaac to me in my old age. Indeed, my Lord is Hearer of appeals, (Qur’an:14/39).’

As when he was receiving the position of the Imamate he asked for off spring it becomes clear that he was given such a position at the old age of his; that is, before having off spring, though he was despaired, this question seems to be inappropriate.

It is ridiculous to one, who is hopeless of having children, to say: ‘Do you also give the Imamate to my children?’ He must give up this pray, or at least to say: ‘If You desire, due to my dismay, would You please give the position of the Imamate to my off spring, in case it You give any children to me?’

The reason of Abraham’s lacking of off spring is explained the Qur’an:

وَ نَبِّئْهُمْ عَنْ ضَيْفِ إِبْراهيمَ ﴿51﴾ إِذْ دَخَلُوا عَلَيْهِ فَقالُوا سَلاماً قالَ إِنَّا مِنْكُمْ وَجِلُونَ ﴿52﴾ قالُوا لا تَوْجَلْ إِنَّا نُبَشِّرُكَ بِغُلامٍ عَليمٍ ﴿53﴾ قالَ أَ بَشَّرْتُمُوني‏ عَلى‏ أَنْ مَسَّنِيَ الْكِبَرُ فَبِمَ تُبَشِّرُونَ ﴿54﴾ قالُوا بَشَّرْناكَ بِالْحَقِّ فَلا تَكُنْ مِنَ الْقانِطينَ  ^[4]

 ‘… now inform them of Abraham’s guests.  When they entered upon him, they greeted him by saying: ‘peace [be on you],’ but he said, ‘We feel afraid of you.’ They said, ‘Do not be afraid; we give you good news about a son of full knowledge.’ He said, ‘Have you brought me a word like this now that the old age has overtaken me? What sort of news is yours?’  They said, ‘We give you a word of the Truth, so do not be of these who despair.’  When they entered upon him, they greeted him by saying: ‘peace [be on you],’ but he said, ‘We feel afraid of you.’ They said, ‘Do not be afraid; we give you good news about a son of full knowledge.’  He said, ‘Have you brought me a word like this now that the old age has overtaken me? What sort of news is yours?’ They said, ‘We give you a word of the Truth, so do not be of these who despair, (Qur’an:15/51-52).’

Abraham’s wife, Sara, was also hopeless of having a child; as it is stated:

وَ امْرَأَتُهُ قائِمَةٌ فَضَحِكَتْ فَبَشَّرْناها بِإِسْحاقَ وَ مِنْ وَراءِ إِسْحاقَ يَعْقُوبَ ﴿71﴾ قالَتْ يا وَيْلَتى‏ أَ أَلِدُ وَ أَنَا عَجُوزٌ وَ هذا بَعْلي‏ شَيْخاً إِنَّ هذا لَشَيْ‏ءٌ عَجيبٌ ﴿72﴾ قالُوا أَ تَعْجَبينَ مِنْ أَمْرِ اللَّهِ رَحْمَتُ اللَّهِ وَ بَرَكاتُهُ عَلَيْكُمْ أَهْلَ الْبَيْتِ إِنَّهُ حَميدٌ مَجيدٌ ^[5]

 ‘… and his wife standing by laughed, as We informed her about Hood Isaac, and following Isaac, Jacob. She said, ‘O, my! Shall I bear a child while I am an aged woman and this husband of mine is an old man? That is an amazing thing!’ They said, ‘What? Are you amazed at Allah’s command?  The mercy and blessings of Allah are on all you people in the house – surely He is the Glorious Praiseworthy, (Qur’an:11/71-73).’

These Verses clearly show Abraham’s dismay of having children at the old age therefore, his request for the Imamate for his offspring, was at the time he himself was given the position of the Imamate. That is, it happened when Allah honoured him Ishmael and Isaac at the old age.

Therefore, it is concluded that Abraham’s Imamate was after his prophet-hood at the old age; it means that the Imamate is a thing other than prophet-hood, and its position is above the prophet-hood. Thus, this Verse: ‘I assign you an Imam for the people,’ means: ‘I am appointing you as a leader so that the people to follow you.’

So what is that Imam that people have to follow him and refer to him in their affairs, thoughts and beliefs? Some of the interpreters have made mistakes on this question and they have imagined that the meaning of the Imam in this Verse mean the very prophet; and as people follow the prophet and obey him in their affairs, they point to this Verse:

وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا مِن رَّسُولٍ إِلاَّ لِيُطَاعَ بِإِذْنِ اللّهِ ^[6]

‘… and We did not send any messenger(s) but to be obeyed with the permission of Allah, (Qur’an:4/64).’ as a proof.

This imagination is quite baseless because the meaning of the Imam in this phrase: ‘I assign you as an Imam for the people’ is the indirect object for ‘I assign you’, and as the doer is in nominative case it has no effect when it is in the past, and it does not take object – so it is absolutely at the present or the future.

It means ‘O Abraham, from now on, I assign you as the Imam’; as Abraham was in the position of a prophet when this revelation revealed to him, it is clearly understood that Imamate is quite different from the prophet-hoot.

Apart from that, this statement ‘I assign you as the Imam’ is the Divine Revelation and it does not take place without the prophet-hood, so the exalted Abraham had been a prophet before being assigned as the Imam – and here, the Imamate does not mean the prophet-hood.

And we said that the position of Imamate was given to Abraham at the old age, after he was tested, such as: sacrificing his son, Ishmael. So, prior to it, he had certainly been a prophet; because before having children, when the angels were passing his territory to kill the folk of Lot, they went to him as he was a prophet – so it is well understood that he had been a prophet then.

The only reason that these interpreters make mistakes is encountering the repetitive phrase of the Imam and stating it negligently in the improper places. Therefore, they have believed that they can call an ‘Imam’ anyone who has an important post or situation, and as a prophet has preference, he can also be taken as the Imam.

So, those who, in this Verse, have translated ‘the Imam’ as: the apostle, the messenger, the Guardian, the Leader and the Caliph are not correct, because more or less those titles are derived ‘Na‘ba’ which means ‘news’.

‘Na‘bi’, (the news carrier), is one that Allah informs him of his inside and this is other than Imam; and also he is one who has the responsibility of propaganda. People are not obliged to take him as a leader and obey him apparently and in secret, listening to him and acting upon what he says – so the meaning of the ‘Na‘bi’ is not that Imam. And ‘Mota’ (the obeyed one) means ‘one to be at a state that the people to obey him’, this is also something else and is not related to Imam.

And the Caliph and Guardian have the meaning of representatives, not Imamate, and the master is one who is in the authority and his orders must be taken, and neither of these means the Imam. Imam is derived from the word of origin [in Arabic] and as mentioned earlier, it means ‘to be followed’; and the absolute Imam is one who, in all aspects of life: immovability, motion, sleeping and wakefulness, in apparent and secret, in speaking and behavior, morale deeds and belief, must be followed by all people and obeyed in all aspects.

As we see in this blessed Verse the meaning of the Imam is quite praiseworthy when, (after Abraham attains the position of prophet-hood and propagates the revelations of Allah to the people), Allah says to him: ‘… now, I have made you an Imam and they have to obey you in all aspects of life.’

However, neither of those forgoing words can mean Imam, (after attaining the position of the Prophet-hood), it is not right to say: “I have appointed you as a prophet, a messenger, a caliph, a guardian or a master.

And it must be know that the word of ‘Imam’s disagreeing with those words is not verbally, but the main difference is in the sense of it; it is the meaning of the Imam which those are lacking of it.

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The commentary of the verse ‘…We appointed from among them some Leaders to guide (people) at Our command, because they acted patiently and convinced about Our signs

Now that this subject is quite clear, let’s take the exordium Verse again and examine it:

وَجَعَلْنَا مِنْهُمْ أَئِمَّةً يَهْدُونَ بِأَمْرِنَا لَمَّا صَبَرُوا وَكَانُوا بِآيَاتِنَا يُوقِنُونَ

‘…and We appointed from among them some Leaders to guide (people) at Our command, because they acted patiently and convinced about Our signs (Qur’an:32/24).’

Here, we see that the word ‘Leaders’ is accompanied with an adjectival attribute ‘to guide at Our command’; in another Verse, it is the same with the story of the Exalted Abraham:

وَ وَهَبْنا لَهُ إِسْحاقَ وَ يَعْقُوبَ نافِلَةً وَ كُلاًّ جَعَلْنا صالِحينَ ﴿72﴾ وَ جَعَلْناهُمْ أَئِمَّةً يَهْدُونَ بِأَمْرِنا وَ أَوْحَيْنا إِلَيْهِمْ فِعْلَ الْخَيْراتِ وَ إِقامَ الصَّلاةِ وَ إيتاءَ الزَّكاةِ وَ كانُوا لَنا عابِدين‏ ^[7]

‘… also We appointed them Leaders who guided [the people] by Our command, and We inspired them to perform good deeds, and to keep up prayer and pay the due welfare tax – and they kept worshipping Us, (Qur’an:21/72-73).’’

In this Verse too the word ‘Leaders’ is accompanied with the adjectival attribute ‘by Our command’; in other words, the clause ‘who guide by Our command’ is the explanation for the “Leaders’.

Therefore, first of all, the Imamate always carries the word ‘guidance’, and secondly, this guidance is with the command of Allah, that is, Imam is one who guides the people with the command of Allah. The main meaning of the clause ‘with the command of Allah’ is well explained in this Verse:

إِنَّما أَمْرُهُ إِذا أَرادَ شَيْئاً أَنْ يَقُولَ لَهُ كُنْ فَيَكُونُ ﴿82﴾ فَسُبْحانَ الَّذي بِيَدِهِ مَلَكُوتُ كُلِّ شَيْ‏ءٍ وَ إِلَيْهِ تُرْجَعُونَ ^[8]

‘… when His Will is on something, His command is just to say it: ‘Be’ and it is there at once; so glory be to Him in Whose hand is the sovereignty of everything, and to Him you will be returned, (Qur’an:36/82-83).‘

And so is in this Verse:

وَمَا أَمْرُنَا إِلَّا وَاحِدَةٌ كَلَمْحٍ بِالْبَصَرِ ^[9]

‘…then Our command is but a twinkling of an eye, (Qur’an:54/50).’

Firstly, these verses indicate that Allah’s command is not numerous, but one, and also it is not temporal or restricted; and secondly, His command is the very desire of Him that as soon as He desires for a ‘being’ it becomes to existing – so it is the nature of each creature. When Allah desires to create a thing with His command, which is the nature of that being, He brings it to existing; it is obvious that this command is the very constancy which stands against the changeable and perishable creation. As it is stated: 

أَلاَ لَهُ الْخَلْقُ وَالأَمْرُ تَبَارَكَ اللّهُ رَبُّ الْعَالَمِينَ ^[10]

’… be aware that [the whole] creation and authority belong to Him. Auspicious Allah is the Lord of the Worlds, (Qur’an:7/ 54).’

Therefore, the creatures have two sides: one is the creation side which constantly perishes, and another one is their stability and none perishable side. The nature aspect of each being is the fact and the reality of it, this aspect is real and sticks to it so that not any changes in a ‘being’ affect it.

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The Guidance of the Creatures is with the Imams

So, the Imams have authority to guide all beings with the command of Allah that is they have close contact with the nature of the creatures, and they guide every individual being to Allah and cause them to reach the perfection of Allah.

To authorize the creatures is with the Imam, as he has full knowledge of them, he directs them towards Allah.                                                            

Therefore, the Imam who guides people to Allah, he does so with the Divine Command which is always with him. In fact, this is done by the Divine-given power of the Imam and the nature of the guardianship that every individual possesses it – this is the meaning of the Imam.

However, the good reason of this gifted post is stated in this noble verse as:

 لَمَّا صَبَرُوا وَكَانُوا بِآيَاتِنَا يُوقِنُونَ ^[11]

‘… because they acted patiently and convinced about Our signs, (Qur’an:32/24).’

One is the patience for the cause of Allah; here the meaning of patience is the perseverance and resistance in all trials that one faces in the way reaching his goal, and also before this stage to reach the stage of certainty.

In some verses of the Qur’an we see that it states the sign of certainty as ‘unveiling the veil to Devine’; and the ‘veiled’ is one whose heart is covered and cannot see the Divine Light, as this verse:

وَكَذَلِكَ نُرِي إِبْرَاهِيمَ مَلَكُوتَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ وَلِيَكُونَ مِنَ الْمُوقِنِينَ ^[12]

‘… and thus We showed Abraham the dominion of the heavens and the earth so that he might feel reassured, (Qur’an:6/75).’

This verse demonstrates that ‘showing the Sovereignty of the Divine and the earth is the extra certainty to the heart of Abraham; thus, the certainty will not be separated from the Divine Light, as this verse:

كَلَّا لَوْ تَعْلَمُونَ عِلْمَ الْيَقِينِ- لَتَرَوُنَّ الْجَحِيمَ ^[13]

‘… no indeed, if you could realize it with absolute certainty, you would surely see Hell, (Qur’an:102/5-6).’

You would realize the ugliest things, the sins committed by the sinners in Hell.

And similarly this verse says:

كَلاَّ إِنَّ كِتابَ الْأَبْرارِ لَفي‏ عِلِّيِّينَ ﴿18﴾ وَ ما أَدْراكَ ما عِلِّيُّونَ ﴿19﴾ كِتابٌ مَرْقُومٌ ﴿20﴾ يَشْهَدُهُ الْمُقَرَّبُونَ ^[14]

 ‘… no indeed, the book of the pious is in ïllïj’jūn. But what could teach you what the ïllïj’jūn is!   [It is] an inscribed book that the Nearest Ones witness it.

The ‘Nearest ones’, in these verses, the very owners of the certainty, they are of those people who are connected to the kingdom and facts of the Heaven. Their hearts have exceeded their terrestrial sights, are not veiled to Allah, and their hearts are free from ignorance, sins, doubt and hypocrisy. They have attained the certainty and can see the facts of the Kingdom, the good and the pious; they will also see the wicked and the sinners who are occupied the Hell.

Therefore, the Imam who is guiding by the command of the Heaven, should certainly own the certainty; and the key to the kingdom must be in his reach – he must be well-informed of the names of the attributes of Allah.              

 As it was mentioned that the kingdom is the very aspect of the creatures, so this verse says:

وَجَعَلْنَاهُمْ أَئِمَّةً يَهْدُونَ بِأَمْرِنَا ^[15]

‘… also We appointed them Leaders who guided [the people] by Our command, (Qur’an:21/73).’

This verse clearly explains that whatever about the guidance is: pure hears and good deeds are with the Imam, their Divine aspect and command is with the Imam – they never leave him even for a single second.

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The reliability of the Commander of the believers to the state of Imamate and the Guardianship

The numerous titles which the Messenger of Allah has honoured to the Commander of the believers are enough to prove his position for the Guardianship. Ghandouzi has narrated that the Messenger of Allah said:

أنت تبرِء ذِمّتي و أنت خليفتي علي امّتي ^[16]

‘O Ali, it is you who should pay my due and to be the caliph of mine to my nation.’

It is obvious that the phrase ‘to pay my due’ does not mean that Ali, the Commander of the believers, owes some dirhams to the Messenger of Allah and he is asked to return it, but it means: to fulfill the covenant of messenger-hood I have pledged and announce it to the people, and guide them to Allah! O Ali, it is you who are going to fulfill it, and I know that you have a strong determination to do it. For you own the Holy Spirit, and you well know spirits of the children of Adam, you are acquainted with the language and the actions of the people.

And there are some similar narrations as: ‘O Ali, you are the one who is going to pay back my debts.’                                                                          

Ibn Jouzi, by his document narrates from Ahmad Hanbal, with the related chain document from Anas: ‘We said to Salman Farsi, ‘Do ask the Messenger of Allah who is going to be his inheritor?”’

فأسآل سلمان رسول اللّه صلّ اللّهِ عليهِ وآلهِ، فقال: من كان وصيّي موسي بن عِمران؟ فقال يوشع ذن نونٍ قال: إنّ وصيّي و وارثي و منجِز وعدي عليٌّ ذن أبيطالب عليهِ السّلام.

So Salman asked the Messenger of Allah Bless be to him and his Descendants   then to his question, he said: ‘Who was the guardian for Mosa ibn Imran?’ He was answered: Yousha ibn Noun.’ So he said, ‘My guardian, my inheritor and the payer of my debts is going to be Ali, the son of Abī Tālib upon him be peace. (Yanabi Al-Mawadda: page 348).’

Then he said: ‘If they say that this will is less important’, we answer: ‘That narration which they consider to be weak is in the document of Ismaeel Bin Zeiada, which Darghotni has said enough about it, and the discussion about it is that after him, and Monjiz Wa‘di has also said about it:

و هو خير من أترك بعدي

“Ali is the best man I am leaving with you. He is the best man after me, that is why they have considered this narration to be weak.”

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The story of Anas about the Guardianship of the Commander of the believers

However, the story that I told you from Ahmad Hanbal, let me make it clear that ibn Zeiada is not in his document, nor is it at the bottom of the page – this is a story and that one is another story: (It is recorded in Tazkerat-ul-Khawas).^[17]

It is narrated that the Messenger of Allah Bless be to him and his Descendants said:

قال رسول اللّه صلّ اللّهِ عليه: يا انس! اسكب لي وضوءاً، ثمّ قام و صلّي ركعتينِ،

ثمّ قال: أوّل من يدخل عليك مِن هذا البابِ، امير المؤمنين، و سيِّد المسلمون، و قاعد الغرّ المحجلين، و خاتم الوصِيين.

قال انس قلت: أللهمّ اجعله رجلاً مِن الانصارِ، و كتمته، اِذ جاء عليٌّ،

قال: من هذا انس؟

فقلت: عليٌّ، فقام مستبشِراً فأعتنقه، ثمّ جعل يمسح عرق وجههِ بوجههِ، و يمسح عرق عليٌّ بِوجههِ،

قال عليبٌ: يا رسول اللّهِ لقد رأيتك صنعت شياً ما صنعت بي مِن قبل.

قال: و لا يمنعني وأنت تؤدي عنّي، و تسمِعهم صوتي، و تبيّن لهم ما اختلفوا فيه بعدي. ^[18]

‘O Anas! Prepare for me some water [to perform ablution],’ Thenhe stood up to say two turns of prayers.                                                                                

Then, he said: ‘O Anas! The first man who is going to enter through this door, is the Commander and Leader of the believers, the Master and the Chief of the Muslims, he is the Head and noble with the illuminating face in Paradise who has a secured place by the Creator – and he is going to be my Guardian.’

I said: ‘O Lord! Assign him of the Supporters,’ while I kept secret my supplication; then all of a sudden, Ali entered and the Messenger asked me: ‘O Anas! ‘Who is he?’I answered, ‘He is Ali,’ then the Messenger cheerfully stood up and, hugged him while giving him kisses on the face – he wetted Ali’s face with the running sweat on his face and wet his own face with Ali’s.’

Ali said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, you did such a good deed to me that you had not done before.’

The Messenger said: ‘What is going to stop me doing this against you? It is you that going to replace me and reach my voice to the world; it is you that going to settle peace among the hostile parties.’                                          

Abu Naeem Hafiz, by his authentic document narrated of Abu Barza Aslami that the Messenger of Allah said:

إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَهِدَ إِلَيَّ عَهْداً فِي عَلِيٍّ فَقُلْتُ: يَا رَبِّ بَيِّنْهُ لِي.

 فَقَالَ اسْمَعْ فَقُلْتُ سَمِعْتُ فَقَالَ إِنَّ عَلِيّاً رَايَةُ الْهُدَى وَ إِمَامُ الْأَوْلِيَاءِ وَ نُورُ مَنْ أَطَاعَنِي وَ هُوَ الْكَلِمَةُ الَّتِي أَلْزَمْتُهَا الْمُتَّقِينَ مَنْ أَحَبَّهُ أَحَبَّنِي وَ مَنْ أَبْغَضَهُ أَبْغَضَنِي فَبَشِّرْهُ بِذَلِكَ فَجَاءَ عَلِيٌّ فَبَشَّرْتُهُ بِذالك،

فَقَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّه:ِ أَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ وَ فِي قَبْضَتِهِ فَإِنْ يُعَذِّبْنِي فَبِذُنُوبِي وَ إِنْ يُتِمَّ الَّذِي بَشَّرْتَنِي بِهِ فَاللَّهُ أَوْلَى بِي.

قَالَ فَقُلْتُ: اللَّهُمَّ اجْلُ قَلْبَهُ وَ اجْعَلْ رَبِيعَهُ الْإِيمَانَ،

فَقَالَ اللَّهُ تبارك و تعالي: قَدْ فَعَلْتُ بِهِ ذَلِكَ، ثُمَّ إِنَّهُ رَفَعَ إِلَيَّ أَنَّهُ سَيَخُصُّهُ بالْبَلَاءِ. فَقُلْتُ يَا رَبِّ! اِنّه أَخِي وَ صَاحِبِي،

فَقَالَ تعالي: إِنَّه شَيْ‏ءٌ قَدْ سَبَقَ أَنَّهُ مُبْتَلًى وَ مُبْتَلًى بِهِ ^[19]

‘Allah, Glory to Him, has made a covenant with me about Ali and I requested the Lord to explain it to me. Ali is the banner for the guidance, and he is the Imam of the saints, and the light for those who follow me. He is the Divine statement that I have accompanied him with the pious, ^[20] he who loves him he really loves me; whoever hates him he hates me.’               

O Messenger, you inform Ali of my good news.                                            

 Ali entered and I informed him of this good news.

He said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, I am the slave and the obedient worshipper of Allah, so if He chastise me it is because of the sins I have committed, and if He fulfills this covenant which has made with me, still He has authority upon me and so is He my Guardian.’

The Highness Messenger Bless be to him and his Descendants   said: ‘O Creator! Brighten his heart and assign him as the spring of the belief.’

Stated Allah the Blessed and Exalted: “I accepted your prayer and I did with him what you implored.”

Then, He stated: “I assigned the hardest calamity and the harshest tests for him!”

I said, ‘O my Creator! But he is my brother and the caliph,’ then, Allah the Lofty stated: “This is the decree which has already occurred, Ali will face with the severe calamities, and people too will be tested for such Imam of theirs.”

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The slyness of the Quraish with the Commander of the believers

Ghandouzi Hanafi has narrated from the book of ‘Managhib’ Mowaffagh bin Ahmad Kharazmi and Hamwini and by his document from Abi Othman Nahdi from the Commander of the believers, Ali ibn Abī Tālib:

 قال: كنت أمشي مع رسول اللَّهِ صلّي اللَّهُ عليهِ و آلِه و سلّم، فآتينا علي حديقةٍ فاعتنفني واجهش باكِياً فقلت: ما يبكيك يا رسول اللَّهِ؟

فقال: أبكي لِضغاءـن في صدورِ قومٍ لا يبدونها لك اِلّا بعدي!

فقلت في سلامةٍ مِن ديني؟

فقال: في سلامةٍ مِن دينك. ^[21]

The Commander of the believers, upon him be peace, said: ‘I was walking along with the Messenger of Allah until we entered a garden, there, the Messenger of Allah hugged me and started crying.’

I got surprised and asked him why he was crying, he said: ‘I remember the jealousy and the grudge of the people against you; they do not reveal it until I have passed away!’

I asked him, ‘O Messenger of Allah, then, my faith is untouched? (Shall I not involve in the carnal desires? Shall I not be desirous for the position against the will of Allah? Shall I remain in this situation as I am now?’

He said, ‘Yes, you shall have the safe and sound faith then.’

They have also narrated a composition of the Highness:                                  

 تِلْكُمْ قُرَيْشٌ تَمَنَّانِي لِتَقْتُلَنِي                فَلَا وَ رَبِّكَ مَا بَزُّوا وَ لَا ظَفِرُو

إِمَّا بَقِيتُ فَإِنِّي لَسْتُ مُتَّخِذاً                 أَهْلًا وَ لَا شِيعَةً فِي الدِّينِ إِذْ فَجَرُوا

قَدْ بَايَعُونِي وَ لَمْ يُوفُوا بِبَيْعَتِهِمْ            وَ مَاكَرُونِي فِي الْأَعْدَاءِ إِذْ مَكَرُوا ^[22]

‘It was this nation of the Quraish who wanted to kill me

By your Lord, they never overcame me nor did they have any victory.

If I have any chance to live, I am not such a man, as my companion,

to choose any of these people to be my followers.

They swore allegiance with me but remained not loyal to their pledge; when the enemies were playing tricks against me, they too cooperated and all of them practiced their ugliest tricks against me.’

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