[Chapter: The Twenty-First Proof—Sūrah “Has There Come”—and the Response to It]

Chapter

The Rāfidī said (1): “The twenty-first proof is Sūrah ‘Has There Come.’ Al-Thaʿlabī reports in his Tafsīr through various chains of transmission: ‘Al-Hasan and al-Husayn (2) fell ill. Their grandfather, the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—and the Arabs at large visited them. They said (3), “O Abū al-Hasan, you should make a vow concerning your two sons.” Ali therefore vowed to fast for three days. Their mother Fātimah and their servant girl Fiddah made the same vow (4). The two recovered, but the household of Muhammad possessed nothing whatsoever (5). Ali therefore borrowed three sāʿs (6) of barley. Fātimah took one sāʿ, ground it, and baked (7) five loaves from it, one loaf for each of them (8). Ali prayed the sunset prayer with the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—and then returned home. The food was placed before him, when a poor man came to them (9) and said (10), “Peace be upon you, O household of Muhammad—may