“Al-Insan” is a Surah that contains the mysteries of creation, guidance and the destiny of man, and depicts indescribable rewards for the righteous. Its eighth verse, known as the Verse of Feeding, is the brightest testimony to the sublime station of Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him), Lady Fatimah al-Zahra (peace be upon her) and their noble children – verses that speak of their boundless self sacrifice and love. The glad tiding that at the beginning of this Surah, with the words “Has there come upon man a period of time…” was chosen by the Creator for man, promised an eternal glory of Paradise only to Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him) and praised him among all creation with this sublime speech.
The Occasion of Revelation of Surah Al-Insan
The narration of Imam al-Baqir (peace be upon him) concerning the time and occasion of revelation of Surah “Al-Insan” is clear evidence of the peak of self sacrifice and rare generosity of the Ahl al Bayt (peace be upon them) – a family who, in the most difficult conditions, preferred others to themselves and, through their sincere giving, left an eternal model of humanity and servitude to God.
Imam al-Sadiq (peace be upon him) narrated from Imam al-Baqir (peace be upon him) that he said:
“Imam al-Hasan and Imam al-Hussain (peace be upon them) fell ill as children. The Prophet of God (peace be upon him and his family) came to their house to visit them, accompanied by two men. One of the two said: ‘O Aba al-Hasan! If you were to make a vow for your two sons, God would grant them healing through its blessing.’
Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him) said: ‘I will fast three days in thanksgiving to God.’ Lady Fatimah (peace be upon her) also made such a vow. Imam al-Hasan and Imam al-Hussain (peace be upon them) also said: ‘We too will fast three days.’ And Fiddah, their servant, also made the same vow, so that God might clothe them in the garment of health.
The next morning, they had intended to fast but there was no food in the house. The Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) went to his Jewish neighbor, Sham‘un, who was a wool seller, and said: ‘Will you give me some wool so that the daughter of Muhammad may spin it for you, and in return you give me three sa‘s of barley(approximately 7.5–9 kilos)?’
“Sham‘un accepted and gave him some wool along with the barley. Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him) informed Lady Fatimah (peace be upon her), and she accepted and set to work. She spun one third of the wool, ground one sa‘ of barley, kneaded it and baked five loaves of bread – one loaf for each of the five persons.
Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him) performed the evening prayer with the Prophet of God (peace be upon him and his family) and then came home. They spread the cloth and all sat down to break their fast. But when the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) took the first morsel, a poor man came to the door and said: ‘Peace be upon you, O Ahl al-Bayt of Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family)! I am a poor Muslim man. Give me some of what you are eating; may God provide you with the food of Paradise.’
Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him) put down the morsel, and everything on the cloth was taken and given to that poor man. They went to sleep hungry, having tasted nothing but water.
The next day, Lady Fatimah (peace be upon her) spun the second third of the wool, ground another sa‘ of barley, kneaded it and again baked five loaves of bread – one for each person.
The Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) performed the evening prayer with the Prophet of God (peace be upon him and his family) and came home. They spread the cloth and all sat down. When the Imam took the first morsel, a Muslim orphan came to the door and said: ‘Peace be upon you, O household of Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family)! I am a Muslim orphan. Give me some of what you are eating; may God provide you with the food of Paradise.’
The Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) put down the morsel and gave everything on the cloth to that orphan.
On the third day, Lady Fatimah (peace be upon her) spun the remaining third of the wool, ground the last sa‘ of barley, kneaded it and baked another five loaves of bread. Again Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him) performed the evening prayer with the Prophet of God (peace be upon him and his family) and came home. They spread the cloth and sat down. But once more, when the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) took the first morsel, a captive from among the polytheists came to the door and said: ‘O household of Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family)! You take us captive and imprison us, yet you do not feed us?
Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him) put down the morsel and gave everything on the cloth to that captive. They gave, and all went to sleep hungry, and in the morning they were not fasting because they had nothing to eat.
The next morning, the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) brought al-Hasan and al-Hussain (peace be upon them) to the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family). The two children were trembling from severe hunger like chicks. When the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) saw them in that state, he said: ‘O Aba al Hasan! Your condition grieves me greatly. Get up, let us go to Fatimah.’
So they all went to Lady Fatimah (peace be upon her). She was in her place of worship, her stomach so sunken from hunger that it clung to her back, and her eyes were hollow. When the Prophet of God (peace be upon him and his family) saw her, he embraced her and said: ‘I seek God’s aid, for you have been in this state for three days.’
At that moment, Gabriel descended and said: ‘O Muhammad! Receive what God has prepared for your household.’
He asked: ‘What shall I receive?’
He replied:– Has there come upon man a period of time when he was nothing worth mentioning?’” [1]
Self Sacrifice in the Mirror of the Quran
‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas, known as Ibn ‘Abbas, the cousin of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) and of the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him), was a Companion of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) and a companion of the Imams.
Concerning the occasion of revelation of the Verse of Feeding, he said:
“The verse ‘And they give food, despite their love for it, to the poor, the orphan and the captive’ was revealed about the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) and Lady Fatimah (peace be upon her). They had three loaves of bread and gave them to the poor, the orphan and the captive, while they themselves went to sleep hungry, so this verse was revealed in their honor.” [2]
The Unmatched Station of Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him)
The Final Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) at Ghadir declared the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) to be the foremost of believers and the axis of the divine verses of praise – a truth crystallized in the verse “Hal Atā”.
In his sermon at Ghadir Khumm, the Prophet of God (peace be upon him and his family) introduced Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him) to the world as follows:
“O people! Ali among you is the highest in supporting me, the most worthy, the closest relative and the dearest person to me. Know that Almighty God and I are both pleased with him.
All the verses in the Quran that indicate divine pleasure were revealed in his honor, and wherever God addresses ‘O you who have believed’, Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him) is the foremost among those addressed. No verse has come in praise of God’s servants except that he is the most complete and perfect instance of it; and ‘Hal atā ‘alā al insān’, which promises God’s eternal Paradise, was revealed solely in his right, and the Lord has praised only him with this Surah.” [3]
Praise of Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him) in the Words of the Eleventh Imam
Imam al-Hasan al-Askari (peace be upon him), in the Ziyarah of Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him) , referred to the Verse of Feeding and said:
“Peace be upon you, O Commander of the Faithful, master of the successors of the prophets, the first of worshippers and the most ascetic of ascetics – may God’s mercy, blessings, salutations and greetings be upon you. You are the one who fed others with your own food, despite your need for it, for the love of God, to the ‘poor’, the ‘orphan’ and the ‘captive’, expecting no reward or thanks from them.” [4]
[1] Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 35, p. 240; Amali al Saduq, p. 260; Kashf al Ghummah, vol. 1, p. 303; Tafsir Nur al-Thaqalayn; Tafsir al-Burhan; Ta’wil al Ayat al-Zahirah, p. 725
[2] Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 35, p. 254; Tafsir Furat al-Kufi, p. 528; Shawahid al-Tanzil, vol. 2, p. 403
[3] ‘Awalam al-‘Ulum, vol. 15, p. 178; Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 37, p. 210
[4] Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 97, p. 364
