Verse No. 9

Earth has never been unless there has been an Imam on it who would prohibit corruption on it.

قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى:

﴿فَلَوْلَا كَانَ مِنَ الْقُرُونِ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ أُولُو بَقِيَّةٍ يَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْفَسَادِ فِي الْأَرْضِ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا مِمَّنْ أَنْجَيْنَا مِنْهُمْ﴾[1]

Translation:

Allah Almighty has said:

“So why were there no remaining ones from the generations before you who would prohibit corruption on Earth, except for a few of those whom We saved among them?!”

Consideration

أَخْبَرَنَا يُونُسُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الْخَتْلَانِيُّ، قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ الْمَنْصُورَ يَقُولُ: مَا كَانَتِ الْأَرْضُ إِلَّا وَفِيهَا أُولُو بَقِيَّةٍ يَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْفَسَادِ فِيهَا، قُلْتُ: تَعْنِي الْمُؤْمِنِينَ؟ قَالَ: كَانُوا قَلِيلًا مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ، أَلَمْ تَسْمَعْ قَوْلَ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى: ﴿فَلَوْلَا كَانَ مِنَ الْقُرُونِ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ أُولُو بَقِيَّةٍ يَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْفَسَادِ فِي الْأَرْضِ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا مِمَّنْ أَنْجَيْنَا مِنْهُمْ﴾؟ إِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا أَئِمَّةَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ، وَإِنَّمَا أُنْجِيَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ بِاتِّبَاعِهِمْ.

Translation:

Yunus ibn Abdullah al-Khatlani informed us, he said: I heard Mansoor say: “Earth has never been unless there have been remaining ones on it who would prohibit corruption on it.” I said: “Do you mean the believers?” He said: “They were a few of the believers. Have you not heard the statement of Allah Almighty, where He has said: ‘So why were there no remaining ones from the generations before you who would prohibit corruption on Earth, except for a few of those whom We saved among them?!’ They were the Imams of the believers, and the believers were saved by following them.”