Anecdotes of Reflection Volume 1

Anecdotes of Reflection0%

Anecdotes of Reflection Author:
Publisher: The Islamic Education Board of the World Federation of Khoja Shia Ithna-Asheri Muslim Communities
Category: Various Books

Anecdotes of Reflection

This book is corrected and edited by Al-Hassanain (p) Institue for Islamic Heritage and Thought

Author: Sayyid Ali Akber Sadaaqat
Publisher: The Islamic Education Board of the World Federation of Khoja Shia Ithna-Asheri Muslim Communities
Category: visits: 9539
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Anecdotes of Reflection

Anecdotes of Reflection Volume 1

Author:
Publisher: The Islamic Education Board of the World Federation of Khoja Shia Ithna-Asheri Muslim Communities
English

This book is corrected and edited by Al-Hassanain (p) Institue for Islamic Heritage and Thought

16. Stinginess

Allah, the Wise, has said:

الَّذِينَ يَبْخَلُونَ وَ يَأْمُرُونَ النَّاسَ بِالْبُخْلِ وَ يَكْتُمُونَ ما آتاهُمُ اللَّهُ مِنْ فَضْلِهِ وَ أَعْتَدْناَ لِلکاَفِرِينَ عَذاَباً مُهِيناً

(Those who are niggardly and bid people to be niggardly and hide what Allahhas given them out of His grace; and We have prepared for the unbelievers a disgraceful chastisement.)1

The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) said:

جَاهِلٌ سَخِيٌّ اَحَبُّ اِلىَ اللهِ مِنْ عاِبِدٍ بَخِيلٍ

(An ignorant but generous person is more beloved to Allah than one, who is devout but parsimonious.)2

Short Explanation

Stinginess, or refraining from giving things to others and collecting wealth and riches for oneself, is one of the signs of love for the world. It impedes one from adorning oneself with several praiseworthy virtues like charity, munificence, self-sacrifice and helping others. It is for this reason that the holy Prophet (s.a.w.) has said: No miser shall enter Paradise.

Stinginess is such a repugnant vice that if a person gets afflicted with it, he keeps his family in poverty, detests guests coming to his house, abstains from visiting others in order that none visit him, withholds himself from associating with generous persons and feels uneasy about other people’s generosity. The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) always sought refuge in God from this deadly vice.3

1) The Miser’s Sin

Once, the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) was engaged in circling the Ka’bah seven times when he witnessed a man holding the curtain of the Ka’bah and imploring: O’ God! By the sanctity of this House, forgive me!

Approaching him, the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.)asked him about his sin.

The man replied, “My sin is too enormous for me to describe to you.”

“Woebe unto you! Is your sin greater or the earth?” asked the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.).

“My sin.”

“Is your sin greater or the mountains?”

“My sin.”

“Is your sin greater or the Throne of God?”

“My sin.”

The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) then asked, “Is your sin greater or God?”

To this the man replied, “God is the Greatest, Loftiest and the Most Glorious.”

The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) exclaimed, “Woe be unto you! Inform me of you sin”.

The man explained, “O’ Prophet of God! I am a wealthy person, but whenever a poor man approaches me for help, I feel as if a bolt of fire has approached me.”

On hearing this, the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) warned:

“Stay away from me and do not burn me in your fire! By He, Who has sent me with Guidance and Honour, if you were to offer prayers between al-Rukn and al-Maqaam (around the Ka’bah) for two thousand years and weep in such a measure that your tears flow as rivers and quench the trees, and after all this, if you were to die while still possessing the vice of stinginess, God would hurl you into Hell. Woebe unto you! But do you not know that Allah has said:

And whoever is niggardly is niggardly against his own soul4 and He has also said: And whoever is preserved from the niggardliness of hissoul, is among the successful ones.”5

2) Mansur Dawaaniqi and his Stinginess

Mansur Dawaaniqi, the second Abbasid Caliph, was well known for his stinginess and parsimony. For instance, as a result of his reluctance to part with his money, he would give the poets who came before him the following warning:

If someone, other than you, also happens to know the poetry that you are about to recite or if it is established that it belongs to someone else, you should not expect any prize or reward. And if the poet happened to recite one which was his own, Mansur would give him money according to the weight of the scroll upon which the poetry was written! Furthermore, he possessed a sharp memory and also had a servant and a slave-girl, who were extraordinarily quick at memorizing things.

When a poet recited his poetry, Mansur would say to him: “This, which you have recited for me, is not something new. Not onlyI, but even this slave of mine and the slave-girl, behind the curtains, know it.”

Then, upon his orders, the slave would recite the poem after which, the slave-girl, having heard its recitation three times - once by the poet, once by Mansur and once by the slave - would also recite it. The astounded poet would then be sent off empty handed and without any reward!

Asmae’e, the renowned poet, became annoyed with the miserliness of Mansur and decided to compose a poem using difficult words and write it on a broken stone pillar. When this was done, he dressed himself up as a tribesman and covered his entire face except his eyes. He then presented himself before Mansur and with a disguised accent, informed him that he had composed some verses and sought his permission to recite them before him.

As usual, Mansur informed Asmae’e of the conditions, which he accepted. Then Asmae’e began reciting the poetry, which comprised of difficult and uncommon words and intricate and complex sentences.6 Mansur with all his acumen, and the slave and the slave-girl with all their sharpness of mind, were unable to memorize it and for the first time appeared bewildered and taken aback.

With no alternative left, Mansur said to him, “O’ Brother! It appears that the poetry is your own work. Bring me your scroll so that I can reward you according to its weight.”

Asmae’e said, “I could not find any paper and so I have written my poem on a stone pillar, which presently lies on my camel.” He brought the stone pillar and placed it before Mansur, who was totally baffled. He realized that even if he were to place his entire treasury on one side of the scale, it would not match up to the weight of the stone pillar.

Turning to the poet and he inquired, “O’ Arab! Are you not Asmae’e?”

Asmae’e took off the covering from his face and everyone observed that the poet was indeed Asmae’e.7

3) The Four Arab Misers

It has been said that there were four Arab misers.

The first of them was Hatiah. It has been narrated that one day, Hatian was standing at his doorstep with his staff in his hand when a person, passing by, said to him:

“O’ Hatiah! I am your guest today.”

Pointing to his staff, Hatiah tersely answered, “I use this staff to welcome and entertain my guests!”

The second of the misers was Hameed Arqat. In connection with him, it has been reported that once, he invited a few people to be his guests and offered them dates to eat. The guests, while eating the dates, also consumed the seeds whereupon Hameed created uproar by rebuking them for eating his seeds as well.

The third of the misers was a person by the name of Abul Aswad Duali. It has been related that one day, he gave one date to a pauper, who said:

“ May God give you one date in Paradise.”

Hearing this, Abul Aswad Duali commented, “If we give our things to the miserable ones, we shall become more miserable than them!”

The fourth of the misers was Khaalid Ibn Safwaan, about whom it has been reported that whenever a dirham would come into his hands, he would say to it:

“O’ Money! How much you have wandered and travelled before coming into my hands. But (now that you have reached me,) I shall drop you into my safe and your captivity shall be a long and protracted one”.

Saying this, he would drop the money into his chest and lock it.

The people said to him, “Since you possess so much wealth and riches, why don’t you give some of it as alms?”

He replied: “I have a much longer life ahead of me.”8

4) Zakaat from Tha’labah Ansaari notAccepted

Once, Tha’labah Ibn Haatib Ansaari approached the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) and beseeched:

“O’ Prophet of God! Pray to God that He grants me wealth and riches.”

“Little wealth for which you are able to offer thanksgiving, is better than immense riches for which you are unable to offer thanksgiving,” the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) advised him.

Tha’labah went away but approached the Holy Prophet for the second time, repeating his request.

The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) said, “You shall not obey me. By God! If I wished that the mountains would turn into gold for me, they would do so.”

For the second time, Tha’labah went away, but returned a third time and again placed his request before the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) and implored, “Do pray for me. I avow that if God grants me wealth, whoever possesses a right in it, I shall give it to him.”

The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) prayed for him and God answered his prayers. Tha’labah initially purchased some sheep, which slowly grew in number till they became plentiful.

Earlier, he used to offer all his prayers behind the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) but after his wealth and riches began to increase, he would only be present for the Dhuhr and the A’sr prayers, and spent the rest of his time looking after his sheep.

As time passed, his work increased to such an extent that he could only manage to come to Madinah for the Friday prayers and eventually even this became a thing of the past. He would only come up to the road leading towards Madinah and seek news of the city from the passers-by.

One day, the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) inquired about him, whereupon he was informed that Tha’labah’s sheep had increased manifold and he had settled outside Madinah. Hearing this, the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) cried out three times: “Woebe unto Tha’labah!”

After a period of time, the verse pertaining to zakaat was revealed. The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) selected two people, one from Bani Sulaim and the other from Juhniyah, and gave them written authority, empowering them to collect the zakaat.

Approaching Tha’labah, they read out the order for the collection of zakaat. After some thought, Tha’labah said:

“This isJizyah( poll-tax)or something akin to it. Go and collect it from others and come back to me later.”

They proceeded to a person from the tribe of Bani Sulaim and read out the Holy Prophet’s (s.a.w.) orders at which he handed over the best of his camels to them as his zakaat. The collectors explained to him that they had not asked him to give the best of his camels, but he insisted by saying that he was giving the camel through his own choice.

The collectors collected the zakaat from the others and on the way back, again approached Tha’labah and sought his zakaat.

He said, “Let me have a look at that decree.”

After reading it, he once again repeated, “This appears to be Jizyah or something similar to it. Go away and let me ponder over it.”

The collectors returned to the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.), but before they could speak he exclaimed: “Woe unto Tha’labah!” and then prayed for the generous person from Bani Sulaim. The collectors explicitly narrated to him their encounter with Tha’labah whereupon the following verses were revealed:

And there are those of them who made a covenant with Allah: If He gives us out of His grace, we will certainly give alms and we will certainly be of the righteous ones. But when He gave them out of His grace, they became niggardly of it and they turned back and they withdrew. So in consequence Heeffected hypocrisy e into their hearts till the day when they shall meet Him because they failed to fulfil towards Allah what they had promised with Him and because they told lies.9

One of Tha’labah’s relatives, who had been present during the revelation of the above verses, informed him of the incident. On hearing about it, he hastened to the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) and entreated him to accept his zakaat, but he refused saying:

“God has ordered me not to accept your zakaat.”

Tha’labah was devastated to hear this.

“This is a consequence of your own deeds. I had ordered you but you refused to comply with my orders,” the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) said.

After the demise of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.), Tha’labah approached Abu Bakr, who refused to accept his zakaat. During U'mar’s caliphate, Thalabah approached him, but he too refused and U'thman too followed suit, till death finally overtook Tha’labah.10

5) Sa’eed Ibn Haroon, the Miser

Sa’eed Ibn Haroon, the scribe from Baghdad and a contemporary of Mamun, the Abbasid Caliph, was notorious for his miserliness.

Abu Ali Di’bil Khazaai, the renowned poet (d. 245 A.H.) says:

Accompanied by some other poets, I had gone to Sa’eed’s house and we were with him from morning till afternoon. When the afternoon was approaching, we began to feel hungry and became restless and disturbed as a result.

Sa’eed had an old slave, to whom he said, “If there is something to eat, bring it before us.” The slave departed and returned a short while later bringing with him a dirty dinner-cloth. He spread this out before us and laid just one piece of dry bread on it. He then brought an old bowl, broken at the rim and filled with hot water, and which contained an old, raw and headless cock!

As the slave placed the bowl on the dinner-cloth, Sa’eed’s eyes fell upon it and noticing the headless cock, he reflected for a moment and then said, “O’ Slave! Where is the head of this cock?”

The slave replied, “I have thrown it away.”

Hearing this, Sa’eed screamed, “I do not approve of one who throws away the legs of a cock, never mind one who throws away its head. This act (of yours) augurs ill (for me) for the head of a cock possesses many benefits:

Firstly, from its head emanates a sound, which informs God’s servants of the time for prayers; by means of it, the sleeping ones awaken and those, who worship in the nights, ready themselves for the night prayers.

Secondly, the crown that lies on its head resembles the crown of the kings and so, it possesses a distinction in comparison to the other birds.

Thirdly, it witnesses the angels by means of the two eyes, which are located in its skull. In addition, poets liken coloured wine to its eyes because when they desire to describe red wine, they say: ‘This wine is like the two eyes of the cock.’

Fourthly, the brain in its head is a cure for kidney problems. Besides, no bone is tastier than the bone of its head. If you have thrown it away under the impression that I would not eat it, you have erred greatly. And supposing that I do not eat it, my family would eat it and if they do not eat it, these guests of mine, who have not eaten anything since morning, would eat it.”

He continued angrily, “Go and locate it and should you fail to do so, I shall punish you.”

The slave pleaded “By God! I do not know where I have thrown it.”

Sa’eed retorted, “By God! I know where you have dropped it; you have dropped it in that ominous looking stomach of yours!”

“By God! I have not eaten it,” bemoaned the slave. You are the one who is lying.”

Infuriated, Sa’eed stood up and seized the slave by the collar in an attempt to hurl him onto the floor, but in the process his foot struck the bowl tipping it over and spilling its contents. A cat, which sat nearby, made the most of the opportunity and picking up the headless cock, darted away with it. We too came out of the house, leaving Sa’eed and his slave to themselves, as they grappled with each other.11

Notes

1. Holy Qur'an, ch. Al-Nisaa (4), vs. 37.

2. Jaame’ al-Sa’adaat, vol. 2, pg. 110.

3. Ihyaa al-Quloob, pg. 96.

4. Holy Qur'an, ch. Muhammad (47), vs. 38. (وَ مَنْ يَبْخَلْ فَإِنَّما يَبْخَلُ عَنْ نَفْسِهِ ) Ibid, ch. Al-Hashr (59), vs. 9((وَ مَنْ يُوقَ شُحَّ نَفْسِهِ فَأُولئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ

5. Jaame’ al-Sa’adaat, vol. 2, pg. 110; I’lm-e-Akhlaaq-e-Islami, vol. 2, pg. 154.

6. و العود قدد نددنلي، و الطبل طبطبطبلي و الرقص قد طبطبلي، و السقف قد سقسقسقلي

7. Daastaan-ha-e-Maa, vol. 2, pg. 102; I’laam al-Naas, pg. 54.

8. Namunah-e-Ma'arif, vol. 2, pg. 493; Mustatraf, vol. 1, pg. 171.

9. Holy Qur'an, ch. Al-Taubah (9), vs. 75-77.

وَ مِنْهُمْ مَنْ عاهَدَ اللَّهَ لَئِنْ آتانا مِنْ فَضْلِهِ لَنَصَّدَّقَنَّ وَ لَنَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ فَلَمَّا آتاهُمْ مِنْ فَضْلِهِ بَخِلُوا بِهِ وَ تَوَلَّوْا وَ هُمْ مُعْرِضُون فَأَعْقَبَهُمْ نِفاقاً فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ إِلى‏ يَوْم يَلْقَوْنَهُ بِما أَخْلَفُوا اللَّهَ ما وَعَدُوهُ وَ بِما كانُوا يَكْذِبُون

10. Pand-e-Taareekh, vol. 1, pg. 73; Asad al-Ghaabbah, vol. 1, pg. 237.

11. Lataaif al-Tawaaif, pg. 341.

17. Evilness

Allah, the Wise, says:

عَسى‏َ أَنْ تُحِبُّوا شَيْئاً وَ هُوَ شَرٌّ لَكُمْ

(It may be that you love a thing while it is evil for you)1

Imam Sadiq (a.s .) has said:

وَ إِنَّ الْعَمَلَ السَّيِّئَ أَسْرَعُ فِي صَاحِبِهِ مِنَ السِّكِّينِ فِي اللَّحْمِ

(Surely, the effect of an evil deed upon the doer is faster than that of a knife upon a piece of meat.)2

Short Explanation

The worst of people is one, who sells his hereafter in exchange for his worldly life, but worse still is one, who sells his hereafter for the worldly lives of the others.

Evilness manifests itself in numerous forms, all of which could be summarized as disobedience to God.

Since deeds are subordinate to intentions, evil thoughts generate evil deeds. When a person does not have God within his sights, he considers himself to be strong and powerful. He indulges in various acts of evil, without his heart experiencing the slightest fear of Hell.

For each limb and organ of the body there are evil actions which are associated with and specific to them; the ears to backbiting, the eyes to seeing prohibited things, the tongue to lying and the hands to hurting the orphans. It is therefore essential to preserve all of them from evil.

1) Misfortune of Jaludi

After the martyrdom of Imam Kadhim (a.s .), Haroon Al-Rashid, the Abbasid Caliph dispatched one of his commanders, a person by the name of Jaludi, to Madinah and instructed him: “Attack the houses of the progeny of Abu Talib, loot the womenfolk and leave behind nothing, except one apparel for each of them!”

Once in Madinah, Jaludi started to execute Haroon’s orders. As he neared the house of Imam Ridha (a.s .), the Imam (a.s.) gathered all the ladies of the house into one room and stood at the door, preventing Jaludi from entering.

Jaludi insisted that he must enter the house and loot the ladies and take away their apparels. The Imam (a.s .) promised that he himself would collect their clothes and ornaments and hand them over to Jaludi, on the condition that he should abstain from entering the room.

Jaludi eventually acquiesced to the Imam’s request, whereupon he entered the room, gathered the ornaments and clothes of the ladies and, together with the other things of the house, placed them at Jaludi’s disposal, which he promptly dispatched to Haroon.

After Haroon, it was his son Mamun, who took over the reins of the Caliphate. It so happened that one day he became angry with Jaludi and sought to punish him with death. Imam Ridha (a.s .) had been present in that assembly and requested Mamun to forgive him.

Jaludi, recollecting his previous wickedness with respect to the Imam, thought that he (a.s .) would complain about it to Mamun and so, turning to Mamun, he said:

“I place you under the oath of God! Do not accept his words in connection with me.”

Mamun said: “By God! I shall not accept his words.” Saying this, he then ordered Jaludi to be beheaded.3

2) Deceit by A’mr Ibn A’as

After the incident of arbitration, in which A’mr Ibn A'as tricked Abu Musa Asha’ri and deposed Ali (a.s .) from the caliphate, the Imam (a.s.) used to curse him, Mua'wiyah and Abu Musa after the morning and Maghrib prayers.

A’mr Ibn A'as was also part of the group that was involved in the incident of the night of A’qabah4 and had subsequently been cursed by the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) too.

When the dispute between Imam Ali (a.s .) and Mua'wiyah intensified, it was decided that the issue should be resolved by means of arbitration. Unfortunately, the people of Iraq selected Abu Musa Asha’ri to represent the Imam (although, the Imam himself was not happy at this selection), whereas Mua'wiyah decided on A’mr Ibn A'as as his representative.

Abu Musa, who was in one of the villages of Shaam, was asked to present himself in Siffeen and four hundred people, amongst them Shuraih Ibn Haani and Ibn A'bbas, accompanied him to Daumah al-Jundal. A’mr Ibn A'as also arrived there with four hundred of his companions.

All the counselling and recommendations provided to Abu Musa proved futile since A’mr Ibn A'as, with the evilness of intention and wickedness of character that hepossessed, was far more powerful than him in shrewdness and deception.

One of A’mr Ibn A'as’s techniques was to exhibit exaggerated deference towards Abu Musa. He sat him in the front of gatherings and insisted that he lead the prayers, while Amr himself prayed behind him, and all the while addressing him as O’ Companion of the Prophet of God! He used to say to him: “You have hada precedence over me with regards to the companionship of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) and are elder to me and thus, it is unbecoming of me to speak on something before you have done so”.

He presented such an elaborate display of respect that the simple-minded Abu Musa was convinced of his uprightness and became certain that his only intention was to set aright the existing state of affairs. As part of his cunning plan, A’mr Ibn A'as initially took Abu Musa to a secluded place and spoke to him in solitude so as to prevent others from influencing Abu Musa in making a decision.

A’mr Ibn A'as asked him, “Abu Musa, what is your opinion regarding Ali (a.s .) and Mua'wiyah?”

“Let us depose Ali (a.s .) and Mua'wiyah from the caliphate and allow the issue of caliphate to be managed by a Counsel,” responded Abu Musa.

Hearing this A’mr Ibn A'as said, “By God! Your opinion is absolutely correct and we must put it into execution.”

After agreeing to this course of action, they came out in public.

Abu Musa rose up first and began to speak when Ibn A'bbas cried out, “Be wary, for I fear A’mr Ibn A'as has tricked you. Allow him to speak before you.”

But Abu Musa paid no heed and said, “O’ People! A’mr Ibn A'as and I remove Ali and Mua'wiyah from the caliphate and shall (only) approve of a caliph selected by means of a Counsel. I hereby remove Ali (a.s.) from the caliphate.”

Then, the wicked A’mr Ibn A'as stood up and said, “I too remove Ali from the caliphate but appoint Mua'wiyah in his place; Mua’wiyah seeks to avenge U'thman’s death and is therefore most deserving of this rank.”

“You are like a dog,” Abu Musa shrieked out, “that attacks if one approaches it and does the same if one turns away from it.”

A’mr Ibn A'as retaliated, “And you are like a donkey, which carries a hoard of books (but does not benefit from them in the least).”

In short, A’mr Ibn A'as, supported by his evilness, emerged the victor in the issue of arbitration! Later, Ibn A'bbas used to say: “May God disgrace Abu Musa! I had warned him of the guiles and the evil intentions of A’mr Ibn A'as and advised him rightly, but he turned a deaf ear and refused to take heed.”5

3) Cruelty of Hajjaj ibn Yusuf Thaqafi

It is not just evil deeds which merit chastisement but evil intentions too tend to have an impact. In fact it is due to their evil intentions that the disbelievers and the enemies (of Islam) shall reside in Hell eternally.

Hajjaaj Ibn Yusuf Thaqafi used to exhibit great cruelty and evil by imprisoning and killing the saadaat (descendants of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.)).

Once, while coming out of the mosque and hearing the wailing and crying of a great number of people, he asked, “Who are these who wail?”

Those around him said, “These are the wailings of the captives, who are tormented due to the intense heat of the sun.”

He said,“ Tell themاِخسئُوا (scram away),”which, in the Arabic language, is also employed for driving away a dog.6

His prison contained 120,000 males and 20,000 females (4,000 of the females being single) and was one large area, walled but roofless. Each time the prisoners tried to shelter themselves from the scorching sun, either with their hands or some other means, the guards overlooking them would strike them with stones.

Their food was bread, made of barley and mixed with sand, while their drink was bitter water. At times the blood of the saadaat and the righteous ones would be utilized for preparing Hajjaaj’s bread, which he would eat with great relish!

This wicked person always regretted not having been in Kerbala and used to say, “O’ How I wish I had been in Kerbala so that I could have had a hand in killing Imam Husain (a.s .) and his companions!”7

4) Justifying Evil Acts

Imam Sadiq (a.s .) had heard that an old man had become famous for his piety. One day, he saw him surrounded by a large crowd. A little later, the man came out of the crowd and distancing himself from them, proceeded alone, whereupon the Imam (a.s .) began to follow him. After a short time, the Imam (a.s .) observed that he had stopped near a bakery from where he stealthily picked up two loaves of bread. After a short distance, he stopped at a fruit store, picking up two pomegranates in the same manner and once again continued on his way.

As he walked further, the old man approached a sick person, handed over the loaves and fruits to him and was about to move on when Imam Sadiq (a.s.) came up to him and said, “I have witnessed something greatly astonishing from you”, and then proceeded to narrate the acts, which he had witnessed.

The old man said, “I suppose you are Imam Sadiq (a.s.).”

The Imam (a.s .) replied in the affirmative.

The man continued, “It is really unfortunate that in spite of being of the progeny of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) you do not seem to know anything.”

The Imam (a.s .) asked, “What act of ignorance have you noticed from me?”

The man said, “But do you not know that God has said in the Qur'an “Whoever brings a good deed, he shall have ten like it and whoever brings an evil deed, he shall be recompensed only with the like of it”.8

On this basis, since I have stolen two fruits and two loaves of bread, I have four sins in my account, but on the other hand, since I have given it in the way of God, I have earned forty good deeds. Reducing four from forty, I still have thirty-six good deeds in my account; a pity that you possess no knowledge of such computations!”

The Imam (a.s.) explained to him, “But have you not heard this verse of the Qur'an, which says: “Allah only accepts from those who guard (against evil)”.9 You have earned four sins by stealing those four items and four more sins for giving them tosomeone else without the permission of the owners, so you have collected eight sins but not a single good deed.”

Later, the Imam (a.s .) said to his companions, “With such interpretations and justifications, not only do they mislead themselves, but others as well.”10

5) The Consequence of Evil Deeds in Barzakh

A distinguished scholar, renowned for his piety, narrates:

One of my relatives had purchased a property during the last years of his life, utilizing the abundant income derived from it, for fulfilling his needs.

After he died, I witnessed him in the purgatory, in a state of blindness. When I asked him reason for it, he replied:

“I had purchased a piece of land, in the centre of which existed a well, whose water was utilized by the inhabitants of a nearby village for themselves and their animals. But their passage through my land used to damage a portion of my crops and so, in order to protect my income and to prevent them from coming in, I filled up the well by means of sand and stones, and covered it up. As a result, the hapless inhabitants were forced to travel a great distance to procure their water, and this blindness is an outcome of that act of mine.”

I asked him, “Is there any solution to this problem of yours?”

He replied, “If my heirs were to exhibit mercy upon me and uncover the well so that the others benefit from its water again, I shall come out of this predicament of mine.”

Approaching his heirs, I informed them of the incident. They agreed to do the needful and very soon, the well was opened up and the people began to make use of it, as before.

After a period, I again witnessed the deceased, but this time noticed that his sight had been restored and he was thankful to me for helping him come out of his misery.11

Notes

1. Holy Qur'an, ch. Al-Baqarah (2), vs. 216.

2. Jaame’ al-Sa’adaat, vol. 3, pg. 48.

3. Raahnama-e-Sa’adat, vol. 1, pg. 177; Aa’yaan al-Shia’h, vol. 1, pg. 60.

4. After the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) had proclaimed Ali (peace be upon him) his successor at Ghadeer Khum, some individuals gathered together and conspired to conceal themselves near a mountain path and startle the camel of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) in order that he is hurled to the ground and killed, and in this manner sought to prevent the caliphate of Ali (peace be upon him) from being established in Madinah, and this is the night, which is referred to as the ‘night of ‘Aqabah’

5. Paighambar Wa Yaaraan , vol. 1, pg. 139 – 153; Bihaar al-Anwaar, vol. 8, pg. 544.

6. Holy Qur'an, ch. Al-Mu’minun (23), vs. 108: (اخْسَؤُا فِيها وَ لا تُكَلِّمُونِ ) - an address to the inmates of Hell

7. Pand-e-Taareekh, vol. 3, pg. 163; Raudhaat al-Jannaat, pg. 133.

8. Holy Qur'an, ch. Al-An’Am (6), vs. 160: (مَنْ جاءَ بِالْحَسَنَةِ فَلَهُ عَشْرُ أَمْثالِها وَ مَنْ جاءَ بِالسَّيِّئَةِ فَلا يُجْزى‏ إِلاَّ مِثْلَها )

9. Ibid, ch. Al-Maidah (5), vs. 27: (إِنَّما يَتَقَبَّلُ اللَّهُ مِنَ الْمُتَّقِينَ )

10. Namunah-e-Ma’arif, vol. 4, pg. 275; Wasaail al-Shia'h, vol. 2, pg. 57.

11. Daastaan-ha-e-Shigift, pg. 292.

18. Misfortunes

Allah, the Wise, has said:

فَاَمَّا الْاِنْساَن اِذاَ ماَ ابْتَلاَهُ رَبُّهُ فَاَكْرَمَهُ وَ نَعَّمَهُ فَيَقُولُ رَبِّي اَكرَمَنِ

(And as for man, when his Lord tries him, then treats him with honor and makes him lead an easy life, he says: My Lord has honoured me.)1

The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) has said:

اِنَّ الْبَلاَءَ لِلظَّالِم اَدَبٌ وَ لِلْمُؤمِنِ اِمْتِحاَن

(Surely, misfortune for an oppressor is a (corrective) chastisement and for a Mu'min, a trial)2

Short Explanation

For someone possessing intellect, misfortunes are a means of ornamentation and esteem. Exercising forbearance when faced with misfortune and being steadfast duringtrials, strengthens one’s faith.

One who bears hardship with patience, shall acquire the Grace of God and, as dictated by the Divine Wisdom, shall attain salvation and comfort, either in this world or in the hereafter.

From within the flames of misfortune and calamity, emerge the esoteric lights. A person who regards misfortune and calamity as a trial, and combats it successfully, will become that much wiser as a result of the extra knowledge and perception acquired. It is not good practice to constantly complain of worldly misfortunes like poverty, illness, family problems, and so on.

1) In the Company of Angels

One of the patient Muslims, uncomplaining in the face of misfortunes, was a person by the name of I’mraan. He had come to suffer from dropsy3 and no amount of treatment proved productive.

For thirty years he lay upon his stomach, unable to rise, sit or stand and so, a pit had been dug near his place of rest for his urine and excrement.

Once, his brotherA’laa, paid him a visit and observing his pitiful state, burst out in tears. I’mraan asked, “Why do you weep?”

His brother replied, “It is because I see that for years you have been suffering in this pathetic condition.”

I'mraan said, “Weep not and do not be disturbed because this state, which God has ordained for me, is dearer to me than anything else; I desire to remain in this condition, which God desires for me, for as long as I am alive. I shall now inform you of a secret, which you must not divulge to anyone for as long as I am alive: I am in the company of the angels; they greet me and I reply to their greetings, and enjoy a great intimacy with them.”4

2) Ali A’abid in Prison

Ali A’bid (Ali Ibn Hasan Al-Muthallath) was one of the children of Imam Hasan (a.s .) who had been imprisoned by Mansur Dawaaniqi and had died while still in prison. Ali A’bid was unsurpassed in his patience, worship and remembrance of God.

When Mansur arrested the descendants of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) and the children of Imam Hasan (a.s .), he placed them in a prison that was so dark that day could not be differentiated from night, except by means of the recitations and acts of worship of Ali A’abid. These acts were disciplined, orderly and continuous, and therefore made the others aware of the time for prayers.

One day, due to the hardships of captivity and the weight of his fetters, A'bdullah Ibn Hasan Al-Muthanna lost patience and in a state of great agitation, said to Ali A’abid:

“Do you not witness our misfortunes and adversities? Do you not pray to God to grant us relief from this suffering of ours?”

Ali A’abid remained silent for a while after which he said, “O’ Uncle! There exists for us a (lofty) rank in Paradise, which we can never achieve except by exhibiting patience over theseor even more severe adversities, and there exists for Mansur a dreadful place within Hell, which he shall never reach except by subjecting us to such persecution. If we are patient, we shall soon find ourselves in ease and comfort, for death is not very far from us. But if you desire, I shall pray for our deliverance, but in that case, Mansur shall not reach that stage of wretchedness, which has been ordained for him, within Hell.”

Hearing this, A'bdullah immediately said, “We shall be patient.”

Hardly three days had passed when, Ali A’abid passed away while in a state of prostration. A'bdullah thought him to be asleep and said, “Wake up my nephew.”

As they attempted to move him, they found that he would not wake up and it was then they realized that he had died.5

3) An Enemy Ordained for a Mu’min

ProphetHud (a.s.) used to farm. Once, a group of people came to his house to meet him. His wife came to the door and asked:

“Who is it?”

They replied, “We have come from such and such city, which has been afflicted with famine and we are on the verge of destruction. We have come to Prophet Hud (a.s.) to request him to pray for the rains.”

The wife ofHud (a.s.) remarked, “If his prayers had been answered, he would have prayed for himself; his own crops are withering away due to lack of water.”

They persisted, “Where is he at present?”

She informed them of his whereabouts whereupon the group approached him and placed their request before him. Prophet Hud (a.s.) offered prayers and then supplicated, after which he turned to them and said,“ You may return for it has rained over your city.”

But as they sought to take his leave, they asked him, “When we approached your house we had come across a lady, who said: ‘If the prayers of Hud were to have been answered, would he not have prayed for himself?’

ProphetHud (a.s.) said, “That woman is my wife and I pray to God to grant her a long life.” “Why do you pray so?” asked the people.

He replied, “God has not created a Mu'min except that He has also ordained an enemy for him to trouble him. This woman is my enemy and an enemy of whom I am the master, is better than an enemy, who happens to be my master.”6

4) Muhammad Ibn Abi U’mair Served Three Imams

Muhammad Ibn Abi U'mair had the opportunity of serving Imam Kadhim, Imam Ridha and Imam Jawad (a.s .) and both, the Sunnites and the Shiites, have attested to his trustworthiness and uprightness.

He was a cloth-merchant by profession and financially very well off. He wrote ninety-four books on traditions and jurisprudence. Due to his stateliness, and his knowledge of the names of the Shiites, he used to be greatly troubled during the period of Haroon Al-Rashid and Mamun; he would be abused, imprisoned and his property would be seized. He was asked to become a judge, but he declined the offer; since he was familiar with the Shiites of Iraq, he was asked to reveal their names, but he refused to comply so they flung him into prison and, on numerous occasions, he was whipped so severely that he was barely left alive. Once, upon the orders of Haroon Al-Rashid, Sindi Ibn Shaahak subjected him to a hundred and twenty lashes and he had to purchase his freedom by paying one thousand dirhams. Financially, he suffered a loss of a hundred thousand dirhams and his captivity extended for a period of four years.

His sister (Sa’eedah or Minnah) gathered all his books and concealed them, but it so happened that one day it rained and all his books were ruined. Later, the traditions that he used to narrate were either from the sharp memory, which he possessed, or from copies, which others had transcribed from his original books before their destruction.7

5) A Long Life is Associated with Misfortunes

It has been reported that once Jibraeel (peace be upon him) approached Prophet Sulaiman (a.s .), bringing with him a bowl containing the Water of Life and said to him: Your Lord has given you the choice that if you so choose, you can drink this water and remain alive till the Day of Judgment.

Sulaiman (a.s .) placing this issue before a group of men, jinn and animals, consulted them and all of them recommended him to consume the water so that he could become eternal.

Sulaiman, after some reflection realized that he had not conferred with the porcupine and so sent a horse to call him, but the porcupine did not arrive. He then sent a dog after him, whereupon he arrived immediately!

Sulaiman (a.s.) said to him, “Before I confer with you about my issue, I would like to know why, when I sent the horse, the most honorable of all animals after man, you did not arrive, but when I sent the dog, the most vile of all the animals, you presented yourself immediately?”

The porcupine replied, “The horse, in spite of being an honorable animal, does not possess loyalty, whereas the dog, despite being the most despicable, possesses it; if it receives a loaf of bread from someone, it would remain loyal to him all throughout its life.”

Sulaiman (a.s .) then said, “A bowl containing the Water of Life has been sent to me and I have been given the choice of either accepting it or refusing it. All the others have advised me to drink it in order that I become eternal.”

Theporcupine said, “Is this Water of Life only for you or are your children, family and friends permitted to consume it too?”

He said, “No! It is solely for me.”

The porcupine then advised, “It is advisable that you do not accept it, for when you acquire a long life, all your children, relatives and friends shall depart before you, every passing day bringing you face to face with misfortune and sorrow thereby making your life miserable for you.Sulaiman (a.s.) approved of this advice and heeding it, returned the Water of Life.8

Notes

1. Holy Qur'an, ch. Al-Fajr (89), vs. 15.

2. Jaame’ al-Akhbaar, pg. 113.

3. A sickness, in which a person suffers swelling of the stomach, consumes an inordinate quantity of water and experiences extraordinary thirst.(Farhang-e-A’meed).

4. Daastaan-ha Wa Pand-ha, vol. 7, pg. 148; La-aali al-Akhbaar, vol. 1, pg. 346.

5. Pand-e-Taareekh, vol. 2, pg. 172; Maqtal-e-Khwaarzami, vol. 2, pg. 108.

6. Namunah-e-Ma’arif, vol. 2, pg. 612.

7. Muntahal Aa’maal, vol. 2, pg. 358.

8. Jawaame’ al-Hikaayaat, pg. 95.