يُوفُونَ بِالنَّذْرِ وَيَخَافُونَ يَوْمًا كَانَ شَرُّهُ مُسْتَطِيرًا
They fulfill their vows and fear a day whose ill will be widespread.
Agha Ali Puya Commentary
Commentary on Quran 76:7
[Pooya/Ali Commentary 76:7] Almost all the well known Muslim scholars agree that these verses were revealed when the following events took place: One morning Fatimah Zahra found out that both her sons were ill. Then the Holy Prophet came to see them and advised Ali and Fatimah to make a promise to Allah that they would observe fasts for three consecutive days if their sons got well. Soon they returned to normal health. So Ali, Fatimah, Hasan, Husayn and Fizza fasted three successive days. Each day a different person came at the time of breaking the fast and knocked at the door. The man who came on the first day said: "O Ahl ul Bayt of the messenger of Allah, I am a poor man. l am hungry Give me something to eat." All that was there to eat was given away to him. All of them used water to break their fasts and went to sleep without food. The man who came on the second day said: "O Ahl ul Bayt of the messenger of Allah, my parents are dead. I am a destitute. Will you satisfy my hunger?" All that was there to eat was given away to him. All of them used water to break their fasts and went to sleep without food. The man who came the third day said: "O Ahl ul Bayt of the messenger of Allah, I am a just-now-freed slave. Give me some food." All that was there to eat was given away to him. All of them used water to break their fasts and went to sleep without food. After completion of three fasts when Hasan and Husayn became well again, Fatimah offered prayers of thankfulness to Allah; and then the Holy Prophet informed her that Jibrail had brought these verses in their praise. Aqa Mahdi Puya says: If in hubbihi (for the love of Him) in verse 8 the pronoun "Him" refers to Allah the phrase would be adverbial modifying yatimuna; and if it refers to ta-am (food) then the phrase would be adjectival qualifying food, meaning: inspite of the food being wanted for themselves-in view of verse 92 of Ali Imran this interpretation is preferable. However both the interpretations are valid and convey the same significance.. Verses 9 and 10 express the true motives of pious and unpretentious charity spoken by the Ahl ul Bayt to guide mankind that service in the way of Allah should be selfless and without the expectation of reward or thankfulness. Light of beauty and bliss is reserved for the Ahl ul Bayt. Those who love them (Shura: 23) and follow their teachings will also earn the bliss according to the degree of their submission, obedience and love. They shall be kept safe from the evil of the day of judgement. Refer to the commentary of Hajj: 22.