To Renew / Remind a Covenant
الكافي بَعْضُ أَصْحَابِنَا رَفَعَهُ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ سِنَانٍ عَنْ دَاوُدَ بْنِ كَثِيرٍ الرَّقِّيِّ قَالَ: قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع مَا مَعْنَى السَّلَامِ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ فَقَالَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ تَبَارَكَ وَ تَعَالَى لَمَّا خَلَقَ نَبِيَّهُ وَ وَصِيَّهُ وَ ابْنَتَهُ وَ ابْنَيْهِ وَ جَمِيعَ الْأَئِمَّةِ وَ خَلَقَ شِيعَتَهُمْ أَخَذَ عَلَيْهِمُ الْمِيثَاقَ وَ أَنْ يَصْبِرُوا وَ يُصَابِرُوا وَ يُرَابِطُوا وَ أَنْ يَتَّقُوا اللَّهَ
(The book) ‘Al Kafi’ – One of our companions, raising it from Muhammad bin Sinan, from Dawood Bin Kaseer Al Raqqy who said,
‘I said to Abu Abdullah-asws, ‘What is the Meaning of the greetings upon Rasool-Allah-saww?’ He-asws said: ‘Allah-azwj Blessed and Exalted, when He-azwj Created His-azwj Prophet-saww and his-saww successor-asws and his-saww daughter, and his-saww two (grand) sons-asws, and the entirety of the Imams-asws, and Created their-asws Shias, Took the Covenant upon them that they would be patient, and (make others to) observe patience, and that they would fear Allah-azwj.
وَ وَعَدَهُمْ أَنْ يُسَلِّمَ لَهُمُ الْأَرْضَ الْمُبَارَكَةَ وَ الْحَرَمَ الْأَمْنَ وَ أَنْ يُنَزِّلَ لَهُمُ الْبَيْتَ الْمَعْمُورَ وَ يُظْهِرَ لَهُمُ السَّقْفَ الْمَرْفُوعَ وَ يُرِيحَهُمْ مِنْ عَدُوِّهِمْ وَ الْأَرْضَ الَّتِي يُبَدِّلُهَا اللَّهُ مِنَ السَّلَامِ وَ يُسَلِّمُ مَا فِيهَا لَهُمْ لا شِيَةَ فِيها
And He-azwj Promised them that He-azwj would Submit the Blessed earth to them, and the safe Sanctuary, and that He-azwj would Bring down the Oft-Frequented House (Bayt Al-Mamour) to them, and He-azwj would Manifest the Raised Ceiling to them, and Given them rest/respite from their enemies, and the earth which Allah-azwj would Change for them from the peace and safety for whatever it therein for them there being no blemish in it’.
قَالَ لَا خُصُومَةَ فِيهَا لِعَدُوِّهِمْ وَ أَنْ يَكُونَ لَهُمْ فِيهَا مَا يُحِبُّونَ وَ أَخَذَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص عَلَى جَمِيعِ الْأَئِمَّةِ وَ شِيعَتِهِمُ الْمِيثَاقَ بِذَلِكَ
He-asws said: ‘There will be no disputes therein of their enemies, and there would happen to be for them in it what they would be loving. And Rasool-Allah-saww took the Covenant upon the entirety of the Imams-asws and their-asws Shias with that.
وَ إِنَّمَا السَّلَامُ عَلَيْهِ تَذْكِرَةُ نَفْسِ الْمِيثَاقِ وَ تَجْدِيدٌ لَهُ عَلَى اللَّهِ لَعَلَّهُ أَنْ يُعَجِّلَهُ جَلَّ وَ عَزَّ وَ يُعَجِّلَ السَّلَامَ لَكُمْ بِجَمِيعِ مَا فِيهِ.
And rather, the greetings upon him-saww is a ‘تَجْدِيدٌ’ reminder to the self of the Covenant and the renewal of it upon Allah-azwj, perhaps He-azwj the Majestic and Mighty would Hasten the peace for you all with the entirety of whatever is in it’’.[1]
[1] Bihar Al Anwaar – V 52 The book of History – Imam Al-Mahdi-ajfj, Ch 27 H 190