Quran and Exegesis

Verses 7 and 8 of Surah al-Zalzalah state that whoever has done even an atom’s weight of good will see it, and whoever has done even an atom’s weight of evil will see it. The response explains that a disbeliever sees the good deeds he did in this world but receives no reward for them in the Hereafter, while he faces the full consequences of his evil deeds. A believer, too, receives the reward for their good deeds in the Hereafter and suffers for their wrongs before being forgiven—although the consequences of some grave sins may continue to be felt through the trials of the Day of Judgment.

Verse 79 of Sūrat al-Wāqiʿa, «لا یمسه إلا المطهرون», says that none but the pure may touch the Qur’an. These pure ones include the angels, the Ahl al-Bayt (AS), and believers according to their degree of purity. Understanding the Qur’an’s inner realities requires absolute purity and those whom God has affirmed as purified through the Verse of Purification.

The shadow of anything is its image cast in the presence of light; it appears and disappears as the light rises and sets. The form and reality of created things are subject to, and overcome by, the reality that encompasses them. Through their acts of worship, creatures display the Creator’s beauty; in their inner reality and in the order of creation, they bow down to God—even when they rebel, for nothing in the external world comes to pass except by the will of the Real.

The Paradise and Hell mentioned in verse 107 of Sūrat Hūd refer to the realms of Paradise and Hell in the barzakh—the intermediate state before the Great Resurrection. Thus, before the Great Resurrection, believers and unbelievers will remain in barzakh Paradise or Hell as long as the heavens and the earth remain in their present state. Verse 48 of Sūrat Ibrāhīm points to the beginning of the Great Resurrection, when the earth and the heavens will be transformed.

Recommended sources for studying the Qur’anic text include Tafsīr Nūr al-Thaqalayn, al-Burhān fī Tafsīr al-Qur’ān, Majmaʿ al-Bayān, Uṣūl al-Kāfī (the Book of the Merit of the Qur’an), Biḥār al-Anwār, Fiqh al-Qur’ān, Mutashābih al-Qur’ān wa Mukhtalifuhu, Wasāʾil al-Shīʿa, al-Tibyān fī Tafsīr al-Qur’ān, Zubdat al-Bayān fī Aḥkām al-Qur’ān, and al-Ṣaḥīfa al-Sajjādiyya (Supplication 42).

The Quran frequently uses “indeed” to draw attention to matters of importance, affirm certainty, offer hope, warn, dispel doubt, establish laws, recount significant historical events, portray the details of the Hereafter, state truths, explain, stimulate reflection, and lead people to certainty.

The verse “أن الأرض یرثها عبادی الصالحون” says that God’s righteous servants will inherit the earth. Unlike inheriting Paradise, which is everlasting, however, this inheritance lasts only as long as the earth endures. The permanence of anything is subject to God’s will.

God’s blessings upon the Prophet and the Imams are a unique and special mercy, unlike His universal mercy and compassion. When God sends blessings, it means mercy; when the angels do so, it means purification; and when people do so, it means prayer. “Submission” means accepting God’s commands.

We are constantly subject to God’s tests, and there is no escaping them. Verse 109 of Sūrat al-Anʿām does not mean that we should avoid putting ourselves to the test. Rather, we should ask God to grant us success in meeting His tests.

The Qur’an and transmitted supplications such as al-Ṣaḥīfa al-Sajjādiyya contain profound inner meanings, allusions, subtleties, and truths that no translation can fully convey. To rely on a translation alone is to settle for only a small share of this great treasury; it does not carry the virtue of reciting the Arabic text.

In the company of Khidr, the Prophet Moses learned unfamiliar forms of knowledge as a pupil. His impatience limited what he was able to learn; it did not diminish his rank as a prophet. Those who understand that every event conceals an interpretation and a wisdom beyond what is immediately apparent practise patience—and through that patience, their knowledge grows.

The Most Beautiful Names of God have distinct ranks and stations, and some are regarded as the source and root of others. Yet they all refer to one and the same Reality, and God may be invoked by any of them. Thus, although the Names differ in rank, they all lead back to the one divine Essence and may each serve as a means of calling upon Him.

The shākilah is the central core of a person’s intention, shaped by their innate disposition and intention, from which actions arise. Its relationship to one’s innate nature and to creation from sweet and salty water calls for further examination. Although one’s innate nature may form the basis of the shākilah, the shākilah itself is a person’s intention and inner orientation.

“Abundant water” in verse 16 of Sūrat al-Jinn refers to steadfastness in worshipping and serving God, holding fast to the Two Weighty Things, and remaining firm on the path of the wilāya of the Infallible Imams, peace be upon them. This perseverance leads to being quenched by divine mercy.

Simply entering Hell does not mean that they are being punished. The idols worshipped by the polytheists fall into two categories: first, those that were content to be worshipped, such as stone idols or people like Pharaoh; and second, those that were not content to be worshipped. The first category will be punished alongside their worshippers, while the second will not be punished.

In Quran 2:38, the phrase “اهبطوا منها جمیعا” may refer to Adam, Eve, Iblis and his followers, or the descendants within Adam’s loins who took part in eating from the tree. The verse speaks of a collective descent from Paradise, while the nature of Adam’s existence was different from that of the others.

In Quran 2:28, “كُنتُمْ أَمْوَاتًا” refers to the absence of worldly life. Human beings were as though dead while in their fathers’ loins; before they were created, however, they cannot be described as dead. The verse points to the different stages of human life and death, including life in the loins, death in this world, life in the grave, and life at the Resurrection.

In verse 24 of Sūrat al-Baqarah, “stones” refers to idols that were worshipped—not to stones that disobeyed God. The verse does not show that inanimate things such as stones are punished or held accountable; rather, it refers to the idols that will be in Hell alongside the polytheists.

God created all beings from a single source, in accordance with His divine wisdom. The creation of humanity began with clay; then, endowed with free will, creation unfolded in its diversity. Verses 45 of Sura al-Nur and 7 of Sura al-Sajda refer to the creation of living beings from water and the beginning of humanity’s creation from clay.