Chapter 22(b)

لَمَّا نَزَلَتْ هَذِهِ الْآيَةُ- يا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا قُوا أَنْفُسَكُمْ وَ أَهْلِيكُمْ ناراً[2] جَلَسَ رَجُلٌ مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ يَبْكِي وَ قَالَ أَنَا عَجَزْتُ عَنْ نَفْسِي كُلِّفْتُ أَهْلِي فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص حَسْبُكَ أَنْ تَأْمُرَهُمْ بِمَا تَأْمُرُ بِهِ نَفْسَكَ وَ تَنْهَاهُمْ عَمَّا تَنْهَى عَنْهُ نَفْسَكَ.

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that when the following verse of the Holy Quran was revealed: ‘O believers save yourselves and your family from a fire. . . (66:6) one man from the Muslims sat straight and began to weep, saying, ‘I have failed in saving myself and now I am commanded to save my family also.’ The Messeng

كَيْفَ أَقِيهِمْ قَالَ تَأْمُرُهُمْ بِمَا أَمَرَ اللَّهُ وَ تَنْهَاهُمْ عَمَّا نَهَاهُمُ اللَّهُ فَإِنْ أَطَاعُوكَ كُنْتَ قَدْ وَقَيْتَهُمْ وَ إِنْ عَصَوْكَ كُنْتَ قَدْ قَضَيْتَ مَا عَلَيْكَ.

“About the words of Allah, the most Majestic, the most Glorious, ‘. . . Save yourselves and your family from a fire. . . .’ (66:6) I asked him (the Imam), ‘How can I save them?’ He (the Imam) replied, ‘You must order them to do what Allah has commanded to do and prohibit them from what Allah has prohibited them to do.

تَأْمُرُونَهُمْ وَ تَنْهَوْنَهُمْ.

“About the words of Allah, ‘. . . save yourselves and your family. . . .’ (66:6) I asked abu ‘Abd Allah, Alayhi al-Salam, ‘How can we save our families?’ He (the Imam) said, ‘Command them and prohibit them.’”