Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

Table of Contents

Mission of the Prophets 13

Training and self-purification means knowledge and action 13

Knowledge sans actions or a fruitless Branch 13

Body and Soul 14

Sins related to the body and soul 14

Duty of the religious Scholars 15

Compilation of Greater Sins, an Important Step 15

Qalbe Saleem (Immaculate Conscience) and Gunahane Kabira (Greater Sins) 16

Responsibility of the Respected Readers 16

Introduction 17

Sin of the Heart 17

Quran and the sins of the heart 17

Sin of the Heart or inner disease 18

Paradise is the abode of only those who possess a perfect heart 18

Harmful effects of the diseases of the Heart 19

Physical sins are caused by diseases of the Heart 19

Depravity of the Society 20

Jealousy, an Example 21

A Healthy soul and a Healthy Body 22

Cleanliness of the Body from the food consumed 23

Spiritual Hygiene is also Important 23

Prescription 23

Materialist man has no spiritual cure 23

Quran, The Message that Bestows life 24

Refutation of a wrong notion 25

A Wrong Notion 25

To be cautious of Satanic whisperings is a sign of belief 26

There is no other way 26

An Astounding Fact 27

Prescription is not a cure 27

Disbelief is not the only Spiritual Disease 28

Lack of belief is real ignorance 28

A disbeliever is worse than animals 29

The Dead 29

Death of the Soul 30

Peaceful life and a comfortable Hereafter 30

Hope in Allah, the strongest support for a believer 31

The disbeliever’s heart is a Horrible Ruin 31

The Unbeliever’s dread will never end 32

Joy and Sorrow 32

Acquire as much belief as possible 32

Belief means Certainty 33

Conclusion of this Introduction 33

Notes 33

First Disease-Disbelief 35

Consequence of Disbelief 35

Two Types of Disbeliefs 36

Disbelief Despite Knowledge 36

Irreligious People 36

Infidels of Mecca and Jews of Medina 37

Worldly Punishment 37

Two Inner Eyes 38

An Objection and its Reply 38

Blindness and Deafness 39

Cure for the Denial of the Origin and Hereafter 40

Lack of knowledge is different from lack of realization that one lacks knowledge 40

In Doubt 40

If you cannot find proof you cannot say that there is no proof 40

Ray of Hope 40

Difference in the Understanding capacity of Human beings and Animals 41

Disbelievers are like Beasts 41

Quranic Cure of Disbelief 42

Precaution makes Sense 42

The style of Imam Ja’far as-Sadiq (a.s.) 43

A Good Tree 43

Leaves, Branches and Fruits of the Tree of Belief 43

Consequence of Disbelief 44

Belief and Disbelief 44

The Believer does no evil, the Infidel does no good 44

Denial of Prophethood 45

Benefit of a Guide 46

Intellect in isolation is subdued by desires 46

Denial of the Messengership of the Last Prophet 46

Denial of Wilayat and Imamat 47

Notes 48

Second Disease: Hypocrisy 50

Types of Hypocrisy 50

First Type: Hypocrisy against Allah regarding actual faith 50

Dissimulation and its Types 51

Difference between Dissimulation and Hypocrisy 51

Second Type: Hypocrisy with Allah Regarding the Necessities of faith 52

A Believer is not a Habitual sinner 52

Spending in Allah’s way is a sign of Hope in Allah 52

False claim of Piety and Religiousness 53

Hypocrisy with Allah regarding the worship acts 53

Sins that cause Hypocrisy 53

Third Type: Hypocrisy with people 54

The worst folks on Judgment Day 54

Difference between Dissimulation and False Praise 55

Double-Facedness 55

Punishment in proportion to Hypocrisy 55

Justice of Allah, Intercession and Repentance 56

Verbal Repentance 56

Heartfelt Regret 57

Divine Mercy 57

Cure of Hypocrisy with Allah 58

Deceiving Oneself 58

Respite 58

Loss in the world and the Hereafter 59

Deceit to Counter Deceit 59

Repentance from Hypocrisy 60

Conditions for leaving hypocrisy 60

First ConditionFirst Condition 60

Second ConditionSecond Condition 60

Third ConditionThird Condition 60

Fourth ConditionFourth Condition 60

Cure of Sins related to the Soul 61

Sincerity is the only way 61

Performing good deeds secretly 62

Cure for Hypocrisy with people 62

Hypocrisy of States 63

Hypocrisy is widespread 63

Worldly Harm of Hypocrisy 63

Result of Jealousy 64

Spiritual harm of Hypocrisy 65

All those you see are not humans 65

Animal Qualities 65

Men who are Satans 66

Humans have a higher status than Angels 66

Truth and Reality 67

Giving up Hypocrisy 67

Some customs that are against Reality 67

Notes 68

Third Disease: Polytheism 69

From the height of Monotheism to the depravity of Polytheism 69

The Demand of Humanity : Monotheism 69

Cannot ever create a Mosquito 70

Types of False Deities 70

Worship of the most lowly things 71

Excuses for Idol Worship 71

Worship of the Four Elements 71

Sun, Moon and the Stars 72

From the aspect of creation, Earth is like the Moon and Stars 72

False beliefs 72

Worship of Trees and Division of Good and Evil 72

The Nature of Man says that God is One 72

Polytheism in Actions 73

Idol-worship is open Polytheism 73

The Polytheism of Ahlul Kitab is Hidden Polytheism 73

Extremists and believers in ‘delegation’ (Tafweez) are also Polytheists 74

Obedience of the Lord 75

People who make legal things illegal and illegal things legal 75

Following the scholars of false religions is also Polytheism 76

Quality of the Shia Jurisprudents 76

Polytheism along with worship 76

Obedience in every moment of life 77

He should not serve anyone else 77

Worshipping the Desires 78

Slave of many masters and Slave of One Master 79

Steadfastness in Monotheism 79

An Example 80

Polytheism in seeking the help of causes 80

We should repose hope in the final cause 81

Obeying someone in sin is also Polytheism 81

Swearing by anyone else is not Prohibited 81

Practice for Monotheism 82

Do not Hide faith by oppression 82

Believers in Difficulties and Polytheists in Comfort 84

Forgetting the Favors 84

A Wrong Notion 84

All blessings are from Allah 84

When the fact will be known 84

They have come alone and would return alone 85

Imploring the Causes is Deviation 85

One who forgets Allah, gets himself forgotten 86

Monotheism of Actions 86

Strengthen your Faith 86

Verbal confession is not enough 87

Worship of carnal desires is contrary to the belief in Monotheism 87

Attention on belief in monotheism through words and deeds 88

Hope from Allah and fear of Sins 89

More subtle than the footfall of an Ant 89

Making someone a medium (Wasilah) for God is not polytheism 89

To augur evil is a kind of polytheism 89

Sneeze is a blessing 90

‘Inauspicious moment’ is also nonsense 90

Amirul Momineen (a.s.) marches to Naharwan 90

Marched at the same time and returned victorious 91

Crowing of the crow 91

To consider someone as auspicious or inauspicious is also nonsense 91

Misunderstanding 91

Inauspiciousness lies in wrong beliefs and disapproved qualities 91

Do not care for Bad Omen 92

Travel on Wednesday and its Supplication 92

We must always augur good 92

Auguring evil is related to polytheism 93

Conclusion 93

Making Imams as intermediaries is not polytheism 93

Visitation (Ziyarat) is not deification 93

Respecting the kings and rulers 94

Taking someone as intermediary is different from considering him a deity 94

After the demise of the Holy Prophet (S) 97

Prophet Yaqub (a.s.) interceded for his sons 97

Hidden Wisdoms of Intercession 98

Cure of the disease of polytheism 98

Cause and Effect 99

Effect of the causes 99

Man is helpless in creation 99

Will of Allah 100

One should say ‘If Allah wills’ (Insha Allah) 100

With the expectations being broken 100

Dua Faraj and release of Hasan Muthanna 100

Beyond the Will of Allah 101

Necessary to understand 101

He may forgive us 102

Dua Jaushan Kabir and Dua Arafah 102

Notes 102

Fourth Disease: Doubt 105

Doubt is a sign of the disease of heart 105

Doubt is a serious disease 105

Nothing but Allah 105

Loss in both the worlds 106

Do not doubt! You may become an infidel 106

One who doubts in Allah is an infidel 107

Good deeds in the state of doubt are useless 107

Destruction forever 108

This is not reasonable 108

Way to Paradise 108

Punishment of the Hereafter is not revenge 109

Another Misunderstanding 109

Allah is not hidden from any sensible being 109

The blind cannot see the sun 110

They do not want to recognize the truth 110

The book of nature should be read with attention 110

Knowledge of the Universe 110

Advancement of science 111

Courage is low and limited to material pleasures 111

An historic example of an elevated spirit 111

Wealth, Position and Lust 112

Spiritual Pleasures are many times tastier 112

Continued praying though hit with arrows 112

The brave ones of Karbala 113

Science supports belief of Monotheism 113

The Purpose of all creation is recognition of God 114

Worship and Knowledge of Allah 114

The Remedy of doubt and the position of certainty 114

Power of electricity 115

Purification of filth 115

Belief is a natural thing 115

One kind of Creation cannot be changed into another kind 115

Firmness on Monotheism is an excellence 116

If man seriously tries he can definitely gain Allah’s recognition 116

Awakening of conscience 117

1. Darwin 117

2. Raeng 117

3. Rumien 117

4. Faraday 117

Islam is a natural religion 118

When there is none to hear the plea 118

Divine help to seek knowledge 118

Do not deliberate on Allah’s Being 118

The Flight of thought is limited 119

Eyes only see material things 119

Three questions-a single reply 120

Some scientists 120

A Drop of Sea 121

The Ant and The Telephone Pole 121

Recognition of God and Science are related to each other 121

An Eternal and Everlasting power 122

The Universe and its Creator 122

Brief statements of other thinkers 122

Removal of Dirt 123

Cure of Self-worship 123

Self Recognition 124

Don’t consider yourself free 124

Beastly pleasures and desires 125

The Most dangerous pain of the heart 126

Allah is Manifest, but veils of desires intervene 126

Preoccupation makes one forget Allah 126

We have lost the way 126

A Miserable time 127

Social life must also not be forsaken 127

The Self of man, and Satan 127

Congregational prayer and Hajj 127

Islamic laws and acting on them 128

Five times purification every twenty-four hours 128

Every act has a particular effect 129

Remembering death purifies the heart 129

Everything should be within limits 129

Pleasure of Supplication 130

Worship slashes the veil 130

It is a difficult but important task 130

Assimilation 131

Contemplation 131

Material Progress 131

Another World 132

This world is for divine recognition (Ma’arifat) 132

Contemplation is the best worship act 132

Contemplation results in good deeds 133

Contemplation is the way of recognition 133

Hands of the clock 134

The Human Body 134

Habit or Warning 134

Study the Quran 135

The Infidel king and the Pious vizier 135

Discussion of Ali Bin Mitham 135

White and Yolk of an egg 136

Words of Allah 136

A Great Power 136

Shaddad could not see his self-made Paradise 137

Pharaoh was disappointed 137

Nimrod, Abraha and Prophet Sulaiman (a.s.) 137

Remembrance of Allah 137

Pride on ancestry 138

Remembrance and thanks all the time 138

One Breath 139

Man forgets himself 139

Man is not only a physical body 139

Concern for Obligatory and Unlawful Acts 140

The Best and the most Difficult work 140

Importance of Remembering Allah 141

This is watchfulness 141

Prophet Yusuf (a.s.) and Zulaikha 141

Allah is watching 141

What the shepherd said 142

A slave of Allah 142

Verbal remembrance 142

The Four Praises 142

The More the Better 143

Excellence of the Midnight Prayer 143

Emphasis on the Midnight Prayer 144

Those who wake up at dawn 144

Twenty-six Qualities of the Midnight Prayer 144

The Messenger of Allah (S) has said that the Midnight Prayer 144

Method of the Midnight Prayer 145

Stages of Faith 145

Three stages of Infidelity 149

A Condition of a True Believer 150

Obligatory and Recommended Deeds 150

Deviation of the Sufis 151

People of Perception 151

Fondness of Allah’s proximity 151

The Great Signs of Certainty 152

Certainty is Peace and Doubt is Perplexity 152

Everything belongs to Allah 153

People of certainty are satisfied in all conditions 153

Fear and Hope only from Allah 153

Importance of a Deed is based on certainty 154

It is Better to Sleep with certainty of Faith 154

Love of the world 154

Only Deeds Remain 154

Worship is an action devoid of the love of the world 155

For the eternal world 155

Love the Hereafter 155

Love the world for the Hereafter 156

Worldly bounties for the pleasure of Allah 156

It is better if it is for the Hereafter 156

Temporary love of the world is not Blameworthy 157

Signs of the love of the world for the sake of the Hereafter 157

Permanent Love of the world 158

Ranks of Worldly love 158

First LevelFirst Level 158

Loving the world too much 158

Second levelSecond level 158

A heart imbued with the love of Allah becomes empty of the love of the world 159

The Heart–moving words of Amirul Momineen(a.s.) 160

Removing the Love of the world from the Heart 161

Since the love of the world begets poverty and destitution it is not obligatory to forgo it 161

It is a Voluntary act to have more and more love for the Hereafter 161

The Universe would disintegrate if there is no love for the world 162

Love of the world is not absolutely unlawful 162

Piety means that the heart becomes devoid of the love of the world 162

Deeds Performed for Allah are more Beneficial 163

Love of the world is the source of all Evil 164

Love of the world be gets Evil 164

Conclusion of the above Discussion 164

Promise of Chastisement for the world-worshippers 165

Four Noteworthy points in this verse 165

Satisfied with the life of this world 166

Nostalgia of a traveler 166

Peace for the world-worshippers 166

Ignoring the Signs of Allah 166

Place of comfort for the world-worshippers 167

Ignoring the Remembrance of God 167

The Love of the world has sealed the Hearts 167

The Utmost limit of Deviation 168

They left behind the Difficult Day 168

On the crossroads of the world and the Hereafter 168

Three Groups 168

Love of the world is the source of all evil 169

Trouble from the moment of death 169

Prophet Isa (a.s.) and his companions 169

Love of the world disables reason 171

The world and the Hereafter are deadly foes of each other 172

The Second Level – Where the love of the world is preferable 172

Exposition of the Verse 173

Love for Allah necessitates love for His friends 173

Love for the faith is love for Allah 174

Take your Account 175

Ahlul Bayt consider him an Enemy 175

Love of Ahlul Bayt is obedience of Allah 175

All good deeds result from love of God 176

Twenty characteristics of the love for Ahlul Bayt 176

Intellect of man informs about his mistake 177

The criterion of the love of the Creator is divine recognition, not seeing Him with our physical eyes 177

Divine Recognition and love for the Hereafter 178

What Amirul Momineen (a.s.) says regarding Paradise and the Chosen People 178

Additional verse on the unlawfulness of the love of the world 178

Those who preferred the comforts of the world 179

Some notable verses 179

Allah does not like those who are proud and vain 181

Further Explanation 182

Signs of the Thankful and the Denier 183

Thankfulness for a Bounty is more valuable than the Bounty itself 183

Self-pride distances one from Allah 183

Unlawful despair in the world 184

Do not eye others’ property 184

Explanation of Muhaqqiq Ardebeli 185

Conclusion derived from the above verses 185

Desiring the world brings trouble 186

Love of the world causes fearlessness of and despair from Allah 186

Sorrows of the world and the Hereafter 186

Good Deeds, but Aimless 187

Those who sacrifice the Hereafter on the world 187

Good deeds without sincerity 188

One who loves the world is not eligible for salvation 188

That which Allah hates 188

Enmity of the world is the best deed 189

Sayings of the elders about the different kinds of deeds 189

More harmful than hungry wolves 189

World-worshipping scholars are robbers on the path of Allah 190

Followers of the world-worshipping scholar also become like him 190

Status-seekers are accursed 190

Musa advises his scholar friend 191

Beasts in Human Forms 192

Ali (a.s.) introduces the Animals 192

The Third Rank is Detestable 193

That which stalls perfection of faith and human upliftment 193

Love for anyone or anything other than God takes one away from God 193

Divine injunction about such degree of attachment 194

Let not the wealth and children make you negligent of remembering God 194

Those who cannot be stopped from remembering God 194

Worldly Beauties are Merely a Test 194

The Primary and Secondary Aims of Creation 195

How people are Tested through worldly Adornments 196

Paradise is a better place for the pious 197

A Wonderful narration regarding worldly love 197

Love for the world is universal 198

Three Groups of Theists 199

Unmindful Worshippers 199

All are equal in this matter 200

Self-Glorification of Jews and Christians 202

Evil of running away from Religious Scholars 204

When intelligence will become perfect 205

Our Responsibility in the present age 205

Crooked thinking of the unwise and its answer 205

An advice for the Faithful 206

Divine Messengers are more worthy of emulation 207

An example worth pondering over 207

The world tries to entice Ali (a.s.) 208

Love for the Hereafter and Negligence do not go together 212

Lessening the love of the world 213

Worldly love comes in the way of Gathering provision for the Hereafter 213

This Illness must be remedied 214

Danger upto the brink of grave 214

Excessiveness of lust and intensity of anxiety 214

Increase in Greed 214

Growing Anxieties 214

Envy, anger and Fearlessness 215

Annoyance 215

Fearlessness 215

The Difficulty of Death 215

Last moments of Abu Zakaria 216

Gold coins and a creditor 216

Flight from good advice 216

Ponder over the Holy Quran 217

(1) La’b (play) 218

(2) Lahv (vain pastimes) 219

(3) Beautification 219

(4)Self Glorification 220

(5) Abundance of wealth and children 220

Do not pass on cursorily, but ponder 221

Youth also was a spring season, which passed away 221

This world is a place of warning 222

Wise words of Amirul Momineen (a.s.) about instability of the world 222

Those who are blind in seeing the Hereafter and run after the world 223

Amirul Momineen (a.s.) forbids excess 224

Success in this world is failure in Hereafter 224

Light of wisdom, the result of worldly piety 224

Examples of worldly life 225

A beautiful but dreadful snake 225

A strange story about a snake 225

Luqman’s Admonition to his son 226

Notes 228

Intention 234

Intention for sinning and remaining pleased with it 234

Instances of sinful advances 234

Verses and Narrations 234

Deeds will be questioned about, be they open or hidden 235

Good intention too will be rewarded 235

Punishment for spreading scandals 235

Allah will hold you responsible on the basis of your intention 236

The killer and the killed, both in Hell 236

Those who have been cursed 237

Whoever threatens a believer will go to Hell 237

One who is pleased with an act is a partner in that act 237

Imam az-Zaman (a.s.) will take revenge 238

Reason supports such narrations 238

Statements of Shaykh Bahai 238

Intention of sin has been pardoned 240

Addition of a Good deed 241

A sin not actually done will not be recorded 241

Canceling of intention is the expiation for a sinful wish 241

Intention of sinning without preliminaries of the act 242

One should at least be cautious 242

Intention to obey God 242

For a poor person, intention to donate is charity 242

Reward of Night Prayer Recorded 243

A Believer and the Good Deeds He could not do 243

With the martyrs of Karbala 243

The wound of the battle of Siffin lasted for several years 244

Notes 244