At that moment came this Verse: أَمْ يَقُولُونَ افْتَرَى عَلَى اللَّهِ كَذِبًا فَإِنْ يَشَأْ اللَّهُ يَخْتِمْ عَلَى قَلْبِكَ وَيَمْحُ اللَّهُ الْبَاطِلَ وَيُحِقُّ الْحَقَّ بِكَلِمَاتِهِ إِنَّهُ عَلِيمٌ بِذَاتِ الصُّدُورِ. Or do they say: He has forged a lie against Allah? But if Allah pleased, He would seal your heart; and Allah will blot out the falsehood and confirm the truth with His words; surely He is Cognizant of what is in the breasts.
(Sura Shuraa 42:24) The Holy Prophet (S) called those hypocrites and recited this verse before them. They started weeping as they considered it too difficult to act upon this or to obey this command. So came the Verse: وَهُوَ الَّذِي يَقْبَلُ التَّوْبَةَ عَنْ عِبَادِهِ وَيَعْفُو عَنْ السَّيِّئَاتِ وَيَعْلَمُ مَا تَفْعَلُونَ. And He it is Who accepts repentance from His servants and pardons the evil deeds and He knows what you do.
(Sura Shuraa 42:25) So the Holy Prophet (S) conveyed this verse also to them and gave them good tidings then he said that this means those people who were ready to respond to the command of Allah beforehand. وَيَسْتَجِيبُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ وَيَزِيدُهُمْ مِنْ فَضْلِهِ وَالْكَافِرُونَ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ شَدِيدٌ. And He answers those who believe and do good deeds, and gives them more out of His grace.
(Sura Shuraa 42:26) Abu Hamza Thumali has narrated from Saddi that: those who believe and do good deeds means the friendship of and affection for Aale Muhammad (a.s.). Imam Hasan Mujtaba (a.s.) is quoted in a correct Tradition saying in a sermon which he gave to people that: I am from those Ahlul Bayt whose Mawaddat has been must by Allah for every Muslim.
He said: Say: I do not ask of you any reward for it but love for my near relatives… And added good deeds is the love of (for ) us (we) Ahlul Bayt. Imam Sadiq (a.s.) has also been quoted saying that: This verse has been revealed in praise of us (Ahlul Bayt) as we are Ashabe Aba (those whom the Holy Prophet (S) had covered in his coat) here end the words of Tabarsi (r.a.).
Allamah Hilli (a.s.) has written in Kashful Haqaiq that it is written in Ahle Sunnat books like Sahih Bukhari and Muslim and in the Musnad of Ahmad bin Hanbal and in the Tafsir of Thalabi that when this verse was revealed the inquired: O Messenger of Allah! Who are your near ones, the love for whom has been made obligators by Allah for us? The Holy Prophet (S) replied: They are Ali, Fatima and their two sons.