Table of Contents
Introductory Note 11
About The Author 12
Childhood and Early Education 12
The Years of Spiritual and Intellectual Formation in Qum, 1923 To 1962 15
The Years of Struggle and Exile, 1962-1978 19
The Islamic Revolution, 1978-79 25
1979-89: First Decade of the Islamic Republic, Last Decade of the Imam’s Life 30
Notes 37
Introduction 39
Purpose of Writing the Book 39
First Hadith: Jihad of The Self 40
Verbal Translation 40
Exposition 40
First Grade 40
Contemplation 41
Will and Resolution 42
Remembrance of God, Remembering The Graces Bestowed By Him 45
The Second Stage 46
How to Regulate Human Instincts 50
How to Bridle Fancy And Imagination 50
Estimation and Appraisal 51
How to Cure Moral Maladies 57
Conclusion 58
Second Hadith: Ostentation (Riya’) 60
Riya’ In Faith or Creed 61
Difference between Knowledge and Belief 62
Sincerity in Action 66
The Value Of Human Existence As A Trustee Of Divine Honor 70
Riya’ In Worship 71
Section I 71
Riya’ In Congregational Prayers 73
An Invitation to Sincerity 75
Variation in Grades and Degrees of Qualities among Different Individuals 80
Notes 81
Third Hadith: Self-Conceit (‘Ujb) 82
‘Ujb of The Faithful 83
The ‘Ujb of The Faithless 85
Snares and Wiles of the Devil 86
The Evil Effects of ‘Ujb 87
Contempt of Others 89
The Factor of Pride 89
Self-Love as the Source of ‘Ujb 91
Notes 96
Fourth Hadith: Pride (Kibr) 97
Kinds and Degrees of Kibr 97
The Causes of Kibr 99
Spiritual and Social Harms of Pride 103
Other Causes Of Pride 106
The Punishment in The Hereafter 112
To Cure Pride, One Should Act Against Its Dictates 113
A Reminiscence of a Teacher 114
Yaqzah (Awakening) is the First Step 115
The Vicious Subtleties of the Self 116
Notes 117
Fifth Hadith: Envy (Hasad) 118
Definition of Hasad 118
Kinds of Hasad 118
The Causes and Motives of Hasad 119
Some Evil Effects of Envy 120
The Punishment of the Grave 122
The Source of Moral Corruption 124
The Practical Remedy for Envy 125
The Tradition Regarding Remission of Envy 126
Notes 127
Sixth Hadith: Love of the World 128
Exposition of the Tradition 128
Mawlana Majlisi on the Reality of the World 128
The Author’s View 129
Factors That Promote Worldliness 130
Notes 138
Seventh Hadith: Anger (Ghadhab) 139
Exposition 139
Vice of Immoderation in Anger 141
Moral Hazards of Anger 143
Its Behavioral Hazards 143
Controlling Anger 144
How to Eradicate the Roots of Anger 146
Notes 148
Eighth Hadith: Prejudice (‘Asabiyyah) 149
Exposition 149
The Evils of ‘Asabiyyah 150
A Prophetic Tradition 151
The Otherworldly Form of ‘Asabiyyah 152
A Colloquy with the Self 153
On The ‘Asabiyyahs of the Intellectuals 154
Notes 156
Ninth Hadith: Hypocrisy (Nifaq) 157
Exposition 157
Degrees of Nifaq 157
Effects of Nifaq 158
Cure of the Disease of Nifaq 160
Some Forms of Nifaq 161
Notes 164
Tenth Hadith: Desire and Hope 166
Exposition 166
1. On the Evil of Following One’s Desires 166
(B) The Qur’an and Hadith on the Evil of Submission to Desire 168
(C) On Numerousness of Desires 171
2. On The Evil Of Endless Hopes 172
(A) On The Endlessness Of Hopes 172
(B) Provisions For The Long Journey Ahead 172
Notes 174
Eleventh Hadith: Man’s God-Seeking Nature 176
Exposition 176
The Meaning of Fitrah 176
Laws of Human Nature 177
Innateness of Religious Truths 178
1. Man’s Love of Perfection 178
2. The Innateness Of Divine Attributes 181
3. Innateness of the Belief in Resurrection 182
Notes 183
Twelfth Hadith: Contemplation (Tafakkur) 184
Exposition 184
Merits of Contemplation 185
The Desirable And The Forbidden Contemplation On The Divine Essence 186
Contemplation on Creation 190
The Earth and the Sun: Two Masterpieces of Creation 191
Contemplation on the States of the Soul 192
A Conclusive Proof 195
Virtues of the Midnight Prayer 196
What is Taqwa? 199
Taqwa for the Common People 200
Notes 204
Thirteenth Hadith: Trust In God (Tawakkul) 205
Exposition 205
Tawakkul And Its Degrees 205
Difference Between Tawakkul And Rida 208
Tafwid, Tawakkul And Thiqah 209
Notes 210
Fourteenth Hadith: Fear of God 211
Exposition 211
Between Hope And Fear 211
Stages And Degrees Of Fear 213
Hope And Prayer 215
Contemplation, Fear And Hope 216
The Difference Between Hope And Delusion 217
The Opinion Of Al-Majlisi 220
Notes 220
Fifteenth Hadith: The Believer’s Trials And Tribulations 221
Exposition 221
The Meaning Of Trial 222
The Prophets And Divine Trial 224
God’s Remembrance 226
The Prophets’ Suffering 227
The World Is Not A Place Of Reward Or Punishment 230
Notes 232
Sixteenth Hadith: Patience (Sabr) 233
Exposition 233
Desire, The Source Of All Bondage 234
Sabr, The Outcome Of Freedom From Lust 239
Results Of Sabr 240
The Degrees And Levels Of Sabr 243
Notes 246
Seventeenth Hadith: Repentance (Tawbah) 247
Exposition 247
Tawbah And Postponement 248
An Important Point 249
The Essentials Of Tawbah 250
The Conditions Of Tawbah 251
The Result Of Istighfar 255
On The Interpretation Of Tawbah Nasuh 256
All Beings Are Endowed With Life And Knowledge 256
Notes 257
Eighteenth Hadith: Remembrance Of God 258
Exposition 258
The Difference Between Tafakkur And Tadhakkur 261
The Complete Dhikr 262
Some Traditions Concerning Dhikr 264
Notes 266
Nineteenth Hadith: Backbiting (Ghibah) 267
Exposition 267
The Definition Of Ghibah 268
The Social Harms Of Ghibah 275
The Cure Of This Malady 277
The Priority Of Abstinence From Permissible Ghibah 279
On The Prohibition On Listening To Ghibah 281
Al-Shahid Al-Thani’s Discourse 282
Notes 284
Twentieth Hadith: Pure Intention (Ikhlas) 285
Exposition 285
The Meaning Of ‘Test’ In Relation To God 286
Fear, Sincere Intention And Rightness Of Action 288
The Definition Of Ikhlas 291
Ikhlas Is Subsequent To Action 292
Notes 296
Twenty-First Hadith: Thankfulness (Shukr) 297
Exposition 297
A Mystical Interpretation 301
The Reality Of Shukr 303
Ignorance And Ingratitude 305
The Different Levels Of Shukr 306
The Station Of Shukr In Hadith 307
Conclusion 309
Notes 312
Twenty-Second Hadith: The Aversion For Death 313
Exposition 314
The remedy lies in you and you perceive not 315
The Reality Of Heaven And Hell 317
Notes 319
Twenty-Third Hadith: The Seekers Of Knowledge 320
Exposition 321
Section 1 323
Section 2 326
Section 3 329
Section 4 331
Notes 332
Twenty Fourth Hadith: The Classification Of Sciences 333
Exposition 333
Section 1 334
Section 2 338
Section 3 339
Section 4 342
Section 5 343
Notes 344
Twenty-Fifth Hadith: Satanic Insinuation 345
Exposition 345
A Simpler Explanation Of The Character Of Waswas 347
The Remedy For Waswas 350
Notes 353
Twenty Sixth Hadith: The Pursuit Of Knowledge 354
Exposition 354
The Path Of Knowledge And The Way To Paradise 354
An Important Point 355
The Angels’ Spreading Their Wings For The Seekers Of Knowledge 356
The Inhabitants Of The Heaven And Earth Asking Forgiveness For The Seeker Of Knowledge 358
The ‘Alim’s Superiority Over The ‘Abid 360
The Ulama Being The Heirs Of The Prophets 363
Notes 363
Twenty-Seventh Hadith: Prayer And Concentration 365
Exposition 365
The Significance Of Prayer 366
The Various Levels Of Concentration 371
Attention To Worship 372
Attention To The Worshipped One 373
The Incarnation Of Works In The Hereafter 375
Worship And Freedom From Need 382
A Last Point 384
Notes 385
Twenty-Eighth Hadith: Meeting God 386
Exposition 386
Liqa’ Allah And Its Character 388
Death-The Moment Of Truth 393
The Significance Of ‘Love’ And ‘Hate’ When Ascribed To God 397
Notes 398
Twenty-Ninth Hadith: The Prophet’s Counsel To ‘Ali 400
Preface 402
The Evils of Lying 403
The Meaning of Wara’ and its Levels 405
The Evils Of Treachery And The Meaning Of Trustworthiness 407
Concerning Some Divine Trusts 411
And it is said in a well-known hadith qudsi 411
The Fear Of God Almighty 413
The Disparity of People in Observing The Divine Presence 414
And if you know that He indeed sees you 415
The Virtues Of Lamentation 415
Doubts Regarding Disproportionate Award 416
Concerning the Number of the Naw'afil 418
Concerning the Istihbab of Fasting on Three Days in Every Month 419
On the Merit of Sadaqah 420
Another Point 422
One of the Secrets of Sadaqah 423
A Complementary Note 423
Conclusion 424
On the Merit of the Nightly Prayer 424
Concerning al-Salat al-Wusta 425
On the Merits of Reciting the Qur'an 427
Concerning the Effect of Worship on Youth 429
On the Etiquette of Qira'ah 429
On Sincerity in Reading 431
Concerning the Meaning of Tartil 433
On Raising The Hands In Prayer And Turning Them 434
The Secret Behind The Raising Of The Hands 435
A Warning Concerning One Of The Satanic Ruses 437
The Merit Of Brushing The Teeth 437
Moral Virtues And Vices 438
Notes 442
Thirtieth Hadith: The Kinds of Hearts 446
Exposition 446
Reforming The Heart 447
The Basis for The Classification Of The Hearts 448
The Reason Why the Kinds of Hearts Are Confined To the Four 449
The States of The Hearts 450
The Luminosity of the Believer’s Heart 450
Explanation of the Believer’s Being on the Straight Path 450
Some Stratagems Of Satan 452
The Hypocrite’s Heart And The Difference Between It And The Believer’s Heart 453
Neglect Of The Truth Results In The Inversion Of The Heart 454
Notes 455
Thirty-First Hadith: The Indescribability of God, The Prophet, And The Imams 457
Exposition 457
The Indescribability Of God 458
Impossibility Of Knowing The Reality Of The Names And The Attributes 461
Knowledge Of The Spiritual Reality Of The Prophets And The Awliya’ Is Unattainable Through Rational Thought 461
The Waiting Of ‘The Seven Hijabs’ Mentioned In Relation To The Prophet 463
The Delegation (Tafwid) Of The Affair To The Messenger Of God (S), As Indicated By This And Many Other Traditions 465
Brief Allusion To The Meaning Of Tafwid 467
Reality Of ‘Ismah 469
The Indescribability of Faith 470
Notes 471
Thirty-Second Hadith: Conviction In Faith 473
Exposition 473
Section 1 473
Reconciling Traditions Concerning Livelihood Being Apportioned And Traditions Exhorting Effort 474
Section 2: The Signs Or Soundness Or Conviction 475
The Twofold Classes Of The People 476
Section 3: The Views Of The Mu’tazilah And The Asha’irah And The Correct Position 477
Last Section 478
Notes 479
Thirty-Third Hadith: Wilayah And Works 480
Exposition 480
Explanation Of Absence Of Contradiction Between Traditions That Exhort One To Perform 481
‘Ibadah And Abstain From Sins And Other Traditions Which Apparently Conflict With Them 481
Wilayah Of The Ahl Al-Bayt, The Condition For Acceptability Of Works 489
Notes 490
Thirty-Fourth Hadith: The Station of The Faithful Before God 492
Exposition 492
A Noteworthy Point 495
Interpretation Of The ‘Hesitation’ Ascribed To God 495
An ‘Irfani Explanation 496
Another Interpretation Of The Tradition Of Hesitation 498
God’s Reforming Of The State Of The Faithful Through Poverty And Wealth 499
The Nearness Relating To Obligatory And Supererogatory Acts And Their Result, In Accordance With The Approach Of The Wayfarers 500
The Secret Of The Variance Among The Prophets In Respect Of Prophethood 502
A Citation From The Most August Shaykh Baha’i 503
A Citation From Khwajah Tusi 504
Concluding Note 504
Notes 505
Thirty-Fifth Hadith: God And Man, Good And Evil 507
Exposition 507
Two Stations Of Divine Names 507
An Allusion To The Topic Of Jabr And Tafwid 509
God, the Exalted, is not Answerable Concerning what He does and other Existents are Answerable 511
Notes 513
Thirty-Sixth Hadith: The Attributes Of God 514
Exposition 514
The Identity of God’s Attributes with His Essence 515
The Statements Of The Philosophers On The Division Of Divine Attributes 516
The Identity Of The Attributes With The Sacred Essence 517
The Priority Of Knowledge To Creation 518
The Meaning Of Hearing And Sight In Relation To God 520
Character Of The Relation Of God’s Knowledge To The Knowables 523
The Criterion Relating To Positive And Negative Attributes 525
Notes 527
Thirty-Seventh Hadith: The Knowledge Of God 528
Exposition 528
Traditions Dealing With The Higher Teachings Should Not Be Interpreted In A Plebeian Sense 533
Notes 535
Thirty-Eighth Hadith: The Meaning Of God’s Creation Of Adam In His Image 536
Exposition 536
Adam Is The Complete Manifestation Of God And The Greatest Name Of God 539
Notes 542
Thirty-Ninth Hadith: Good And Evil 543
Exposition 543
The Reality Of Good And Evil 544
The Relation Of Good And Evil To Creation And The Occurrence Of Evil In The Divine Ordainments (Qada) 546
God’s Carrying Out Good And Evil Acts At The Hands Of The Servants 548
Notes 551
Fortieth Hadith: Exegesis of Surat Al-Tawhid and Some Verses of Surat Al-Hadid 552
Exposition 552
A Hint Concerning The Exegesis Of Surat Al-Tawhid 553
A Hint Concerning Bismillah 554
A Brief Hint Concerning the Exegesis of the Noble Verses of Surat Al-Hadid Until The Words ‘Alimun Bi Dhatis-Sudur 556
Conclusion 562
Notes 562
Prayer and Epilogue 564
Notes 564