Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

.040: The way to keep away from doubtful things and the lower desires of the Soul

Text of the Hadith:

قال رسول الله (صلي الله عليه و آله و سلم): إنما یؤتی الناس عن إحدی من ثلاث: إما من شبه فی الدین ارتکبوها، أو شهوه آتروها، أو عصبیه لحمه

English translation:

The Messenger of Allah (blessings of Allah be upon him and his family) has said, Surely when the Day of Judgment comes about, everyone will be grouped according to one of three deeds (and put into the hell fire): It may be due to the doubtful things of the faith which they performed; or it may be due to the desires of the lower self which had an effect or it may be due to the prejudice which had been acted upon1. So then if any confusions or doubts come to you in matters of your religion, then remove them through certainty (of faith) and if your lower desires come upon you then stand up to them through asceticism and if anger takes over you, then remove it through forgiveness. Surely the Caller will call out on the Day of Judgment that whoever has any rights upon Allah should stand up and take them back from Him. So then none except those who forgave others (in the world) will stand up have you not heard the words of Allah, the Most High, So then he who forgives and makes correct the relations, so then his reward is with Allah.(2)

Commentary of Hadith:

In this Hadith, the Noble Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his family) has explained to us the way to flee from the lower desires of the soul and doubtful things and has stated that the doubtful affairs are made clear through possessing certainty of the heart. In addition, the lower desires of the soul can be cut off through observing self-discipline. However as for the fire of discrimination any form of discrimination that it may be this must be cooled with the power of forgiveness and it is due to the deeds which have been mentioned in this Hadith that people will enter into the Hell Fire.

However, there are a group of people who are protected when in the presence of sins and are not dragged towards these sorts of deeds. For example, it is impossible to think that a true religious Scholar would may Allah protect us drink alcohol or gamble, however, that young individual who has been placed in a polluted environment in which these sins take place would very quickly be attracted to these things.

In addition, those who are knowledgeable of the religion would not be pulled very easily into doubtful issues whereas this does not hold true for the common people. Sometimes, when the person would want to justify something, he would search through the verses of the Quran and the ahadith and would try and find some ambiguous issue and then would hold firm onto that he would pre-judge something and would bring forth proofs which are weaker than the a spider’s web.

However, we must first see what Allah (Glory and Greatness be to Him) and the Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his family) have said and must consider ourselves as students of the Quran not teachers of the Quran!

Thus, it is for this reason that the Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his family) has said that the source of people going to the hell fire are three things: following doubts, discrimination and following the lower desires of the soul.

In continuation of the Hadith, the Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his family) has mentioned, On the Day of Resurrection, a caller will proclaim that anyone who has any reward to claim from Allah (Glory and Greatness be to Him) should stand up. At this point, only those people will stand up who during the time of anger had chosen the path of forgiveness and pardoned his brother in religion.

After this, the Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his family) himself answers the question which was posed that, Why do these people have a right on Allah ? The Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his family) states that, Have you not heard this verse of the Quran which states:

فمن عفا و أصلح فاأجره علی الله

So then he who forgives and makes correct the relations, so then his reward is with Allah.

Therefore, we too must strive to establish love between the Muslims.

O Allah! You have ordered us to forgive one anther, however You are much more worthy of forgiveness than we are we have committed oppression upon our own souls please forgive us!

1 The word تعصب and the word عصبيت comes from the root wordعصب in the meaning of tape or some connector which joins things which are separated together and then later on, the words Ta`asub and `Asabiyyah were used for any sort of interaction or relation between people, however this word is usually used in the meaning of excessiveness in relations and is not a good term or word to use.

In the Islamic narrations, Ta`asub has been introduced as a despicable ethical trait and has been severely discouraged to such a point that in a Hadith from the Noble Prophet of Islam (blessings of Allah be upon him and his family), we are told that:

من كان في قلبه حبه من خردل من عصبیه، بعثه الله یوم القیامه مع اعراب الجاهلیه

The person who has even the weight of a mustard-seed of nationalism in his heart, Allah will raise him up on the Day of Judgment with the pre-Islamic desert `Arabs.

In another Hadith, this time from Imam Ja`far ibn Muhammad as-Sadiq (peace be upon him) we read that:

من تعصب و تعصب له، فقد خلع ربقه الإیمان من عنقه

The person who shows discrimination or is discriminated against, surely has severed true faith from himself.

From the Islamic narrations, we can deduce that it was Iblis who was the first creation to show discrimination. In the Khutbah known as Al-Qasi`iah (Khutbah number 192), Amir al-Mominin `Ali ibn Abi Talib (prayers be upon him) has mentioned in detail and in complete clarity the issue of nationalism and discrimination of which we quote just an excerpt:

اما إبلیس، فتعصب علی آْدم لاصله و طعن علیه فی خلقته، فقال: أنا ناری و انت طینی

As for Iblis, so then he showed bigotry over Adam due to his origin and challenged him in relation to his creation and had said, I am of fire and you are of the Earth.

The Imam (peace be upon him) then continues and states:

فان كان لا بى من العصبيه، فلیکن تعصبکم لمکارم الخصال و محامد الأفعال و محاسن الأمور

So then if you are compelled to show discrimination, then let your discrimination be due to righteous etiquette, characteristics and beautified (good) deeds.

In addition, in this Hadith we can clearly see that firmly standing for that which is the truth is something very good, and not only is this act not considered as discrimination, rather, it is through this act that the soul of the person is actually emptied from all the incorrect actions of the ignorant and filled with true faith. And thus, we read in a Hadith from Imam `Ali ibn al-Husain (peace be upon him) that when this Imam was asked about bigotry, he replied:

العصبيه التي یأثم علیها صاحبها، أن یری الرجل شرار قومه خیرا من خیار قوم آخرین، و لیس من العصبیه أن یحب الرجل قومه، و لکن من العصبیه أن یعین قومه علی الظلم

That form of discrimination for which a person is considered as a sinner is when a person sees the worst of people of his nation as being better than the best people of another nation. And discrimination is not that a person loves those of his own nation, rather, discrimination is when he helps and assists his own people to commit oppression.

Notes

1- Tafsir-e-Namuna, Volume 15, Page 354

2 Bihar al-Anwar, Volume 74, Page 180

.041: Five life giving lessons and refraining from doubtful things

Text of the Hadith:

قال رسول الله(صلي الله عليه وآله):ايها الناس ‎‏! لا تعطوا الحكمة غير أهلها فتظلموها، و لا تمنعوها أهلها فتظلموهم، و لا تعاقبوا ظالما فيبطل فضلكم، ولا تراؤوا الناس فيحبط عملكم، ولا تمنعوا الموجود فيقل خيركم، ايها الناس! ان الاشياء ثلاثة:أمر استبان غيه فاجتنبوه،.أمر اختلف عليكم فردوه الي الله

English Translation:

O Mankind! Do not convey wisdom to those people who are not worthy (of receiving such teachings) as you would have done oppression to the wisdom and do not deprive those people who are worthy of receiving such teachings as then you would have done Oppression to them (those people), and do not seek revenge from the person who has oppressed (you) as if you do, you would make your own personal worth and value null and void and do not perform (good) acts for other people to see as through this you would eliminate (the good) of such acts and do not prevent from giving charity as you would reduce the good that is to come to you. O Mankind! Verily things are of three types: some of which whose correctness is apparent for you (to see) so then follow these (and perform them); (the second) are those actions whose incorrectness is apparent for you (to see) so then avoid performing these acts and (the third) are those actions whose performance is of question so then refer the ruling on these to Allah(1)

Commentary of Hadith:

This hadith is comprised of two sections. In the first section, the Prophet of Islam (blessings of Allah be upon him and his family) has given us five commandments:

1. We must not convey wisdom and knowledge to those people who are not worthy of such teachings as we would have done oppression to knowledge.

2. We must not deprive those people who are worthy of knowledge from our knowledge since if we did this, we would have done oppression to those people.

From the wordings of this part of the hadith, we can deduce that for the student of knowledge, there are specific conditions which must be met - of which the most important is that he must have the ability to accept such knowledge and if this is not within the person, then he is not worthy of acquiring knowledge that knowledge whose attainment has been promised a great reward.

The Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his family) has stated that, If there is a person who is not worthy of gaining a (particular) knowledge, then you must not teach him that knowledge since when it falls into his hands, he will use it in the wrong ways and will lead the world towards destruction. The person who is ignorant and lacks knowledge neither has the power to destroy a land nor to make it habitable.

In the present time, those people who are leading the world to corruption are the ones who are at the head of the governments and who are busy with colonization of the entire world namely their scholars and intellectuals.

When we look at the Quran, we see that it contains very many different expressions such as:

هدي للمتقين

A guidance for those who have consciousness (of Allah)((2))

ان في ذلك لايت لقوم يسمعون

Surely in that (the day and the night) are signs for a people who listen.(3)

And it is phrases such as these that clearly show us that knowledge without spiritual purification bears absolutely no (positive) results.

Thus, it is clear that true guidance is specifically for those people whose groundwork has been previously laid down (that of spiritual purification). It is based on this that we see that in the past, the true Scholars did not give permission to just any student to come and sit in on their classes rather, they tested them in relation to their ethical morals and through this, they wanted to see at what level of piety the students were at.

However, this does not mean that one has the right to hoard his knowledge - rather, one must only teach such knowledge to those who are worthy of receiving it and it is through the knowledge that one possesses that he must seek to cure the ailments of the people. It does not make a difference if the ailments of the people are in relation to their material life or their spiritual being although we do believe that the spiritual ailments and diseases are much worse than the material or physical sicknesses. We believe this since we accept as truth that Allah (Glory and Greatness be to Him) will hold a person responsible for his spiritual illnesses just as it has been mentioned in the ahadith that:

ما أخذ الله علي أهل الجهل أن يتعلموا، حتي أخذ علي أهل العلم ان يعلموا

Allah has not taken a covenant from the ignorant people to learn until he has taken a covenant from the Scholars to teach (the ignorant people)(4)

In the religion of Islam, learning as well as teaching are both obligatory (wajib) and these two obligatory acts are not separate from one another since they are the prerequisite and necessity of one another.

3. If a tyrant commits oppression upon you and you take revenge upon him, then your spiritual worth will be removed since you would end up being just like him. Of course this is only applicable in that instance when the oppressor does not take the wrong advantage by you forgiving him and his actions against you nor would it lead to leaving a bad impression on the community on a whole (that oppression should be tolerated).

4. You must perform all of your actions sincerely for Allah (Glory and Greatness be to Him) and must not entertain the slightest amount of showing off in any of them.

This is a very difficult task to accomplish since showing off in one’s actions is only one of the springs that one can corrupt his good deeds. There are many other things such as: pride, one’s own inner passions and desires, etc that may come into play in harming one’s good deeds, thus spoiling the good work one has performed. For example, sometimes we perform the Salat so that we ourselves become pleased with our own selves and we are not thinking about showing off to other people and this in itself is a form of corrupting our good deeds. Or for example we perform the Salat out of habit or we perform the Salaul Lail just so we can become (spiritually) better than other people or and it is these and other things that can lead to the corruption of our good deeds.

5. If a person wants something from you, then do not be stingy in relation to it since if you do not give it to the person (if you possess that thing), then Allah (Glory and Greatness be to Him) will cut off the bounties that would come to you since:

كمال الجود بذل الموجود

The perfection in a person is when he gives what he has.

If the host does not offer his guests whatever he has at home (when they come over to his house), then he has done oppression to them and in the same vein, if the guests ask the host for an excess of things (that he has), then they would be counted as oppressors!

The second part of this Hadith is divided up into three sections:

1. Those actions whose correctness is apparent for all to see.

2. Those actions in which the inappropriateness and incorrectness is apparent for all to see.

3. Those actions which are obscure from the point of view of:

a. The subject matter.

b. The Islamic ruling.

This Hadith is in relation to those actions in which the Islamic ruling is one of doubt or obscurity.

In some ahadith, in place of the phrase

ردوه الي الله

Return the (ruling of that particular act) back to Allah.

it has been stated that: In those types of actions where we have a doubt as to its ruling, we must exercise precaution since the questionable actions are the precursor to the forbidden acts.

However there are some people who are habituated in saying:

كل مكروه جايز

All the makruh (reprehensible) acts are permitted to be performed.

To the people who state this, we say to them that: Yes, it is true that we are permitted to act upon the apparent ruling on a particular issue, however when there is clearly a doubt on a particular ruling, and if a person pollutes himself with performing that doubtful action, then slowly the indecency of that particular act would become less in his estimation and thus, he would fall into performing the prohibited acts as well!

When Allah (Glory and Greatness be to Him) has told us to be careful of the evil footsteps of Shaitan [خطوات الشيطان ], one of the most clear examples of following the footsteps of the Shaitan is to perform the acts in which there is a doubt.

Shaitan (the Devil) misleads the holy salatul Lail performing people in his own special way. He does not come to them and tell them, Go out and drink alcohol. Rather, he starts out by saying, Salatul Lail is not one of the obligatory Balat, go ahead, stop performing it. once the person leaves this Salat, then slowly, Shaitan would approach him in relation to performing the obligatory Balat right when the time sets in and would say to him, It is not a condition of the Balat that you perform it right when the time sets in and he would continue in this way until the person becomes completely detached from Allah (Glory and Greatness be to Him).

If a person truly wishes to develop a deep spiritual insight and spiritual pleasure in acts of worship, then he must keep away from doubtful foods, gatherings, and speech and without doubt, in relation to all of the acts that he performs, he must exercise the utmost of precaution in all areas of his life.

Notes

1 Bihar al-Anwar, Volume 74, Page 179

2 Surah 2 (Al-Baqarah), Verse 2

3 Surah 10 (Yunus), Verse 67

4 Bihar al-Anwar, Volume 2, Page 80

DEATH: AN UNACCEPTABLE TRUTH

.042: Fleeing from death

Text of the Hadith:

قال رسول الله (صلي الله عليه و آله و سلم: من عد غداَ من اجله، فقد اساء صحبة الموت

English translation:

The Messenger of Allah (blessings of Allah be upon him and his family) has said, The person who considers tomorrow as being a part of his life shows that he is definitely not pleased with dying.(1)

Commentary of Hadith:

A person must not consider the next day (tomorrow) as being a part of his life and must not sit down and chart out a program (for his future), since this sort of a desire means that he is not pleased with dying and it is this act of not being pleased with death which results in the negligence in the life of this world.2

Of the very important issues which separates those who worship Allah (Glory and Greatness be to Him) from those who worship the material word is their understanding in relation to the issue of death.

Those who believe in the oneness of Allah (Glory and Greatness be to Him) recognize death as being a second birth and consider it as being the beginning of a new life and in their point of view, death is nothing but a transfer from one house to another house such that they are then freed from the impediments of this world and are brought into a wide, spacious next world.

However the materialists consider death as being the end of all things and it is because of this fact that they are not ready to sacrifice their lives for the greater worths and purposes or to offer a sacrifice except if it is done under duress and pressure.

However those who sincerely worship Allah (Glory and Greatness be to Him) have no problem with killing and being killed in the path of Allah (Glory and Greatness be to Him) as a sacrifice and are ready to offer their life and wealth and only fear Allah (Glory and Greatness be to Him).

It is from this point that we can understand that to what extent does faith in the Resurrection play a role in the perfection of mankind. After the belief in the Resurrection, there is no other belief and conviction other than the belief in Tawhid which can play a role in the building of the character of a person and we see that all of the Prophets were sent to invite people to these two issues and this constant reminder of the next life was done for a purpose.

Maybe you have heard this anecdote which people have narrated in relation to Ayatullah al-`Udhma Burujerdi (may Allah be pleased with him) where it has been stated that someone once said about him that, This man had firm belief in the Day of Resurrection. When you first hear these words, they may make you laugh as if it is possible that a Muslim such as Ayatullah al-`Udhma Burujerdi (may Allah be pleased with him) would not have faith in the Day of Resurrection!? However we must look deeper into this lofty statement since the meaning of firm belief is one which plays a role in the life of a person it is a firm belief whose beginnings launch a person to work and perform deeds only to attain the pleasure of Allah (Glory and Greatness be to Him) and is not the sort of belief that does not have any impact or effect on the soul and life of a person.

In relation to the Day of Resurrection, there are many very important issues and thus because of this, in lectures, writings and classes held in self-building, this issue of the Day of Resurrection must be emphasized. The Muslim who has a firm and deep faith in the faith considers the life of this world as simply being a bridge and introductory place to make his way to the Next Life will rely heavily on the topic of the Day of Resurrection in his own words and thoughts. It may be possible that one of the proofs why we recite the following line ten times per day (a minimum) is so that we do not forget this event.

مالك يوم الدين

Once we keep this event in mind and do not forget it, then our entire presence will becoming enlivened.

Thus, that which we wish to mention is that there are many people who in relation to their theological beliefs are believers in Tawhid and the oneness of Allah (Glory and Greatness be to Him), however in relation to the Next life, they are materialists.

In other words, they have firm belief in the beginning and end of all of creations however when it comes to their actions, we see that they are actually afraid of death. It can be said that they feel that death is actually the end of all things and that there is nothing after death. This variance between belief and actions is definitely a great calamity.

When we practically do not believe in the Day of Resurrection, we then do not practice self-sacrifice. It is through our deeds and actions that we show that we do not believe in the following verse of the Quran which states:

و لا تحسبن الذين قتلوا في سبيل الله أمواتا بل أحياء عند ربهم يرزقون

And do not consider those who have been slain in the way of Allah as being dead, nay, rather, they are alive in the presence of their Lord receiving sustenance.(3)

We are so attached to the life of this material world and are so fond of and attached to the lower desires and passions that we have become negligent of the Day of Resurrection. According to the Hadith we started with, that person who has firm belief in the Day of Resurrection is always ready (for death). He does not consider tomorrow as definitely being a part of his life, rather, it is the opposite of this, he supposes that tomorrow his death will come and thus, he makes sure that his accountability and deed of records is clean (of bad deeds) and is prepared and ready to meet death.(4)

In very many verses of the Quran it has been mentioned that on the Day of Resurrection or at the time of giving up one’s life, at this time will a person call out his last request:

حتي اذا جاء أحىهم الموت قال رب ارجعون لعلي أعمل صالحا فيما تركت انها كلمة هو قائها و من ورائهم برزخ إلي يوم يبعثون

Until that time when death comes to one of them the he says, O Lord return me back to the world so that I may work righteous deeds which I left behind in the world. But by no means! These are only words which they say and thus behind them is a partition (Barzakh) until the day when all are raised up.(5)

In all of these instances, the Quran either clearly and explicitly, or through the use of a metaphor or allegorically, answers these protests by one word:كلا which means But by no means.

The rule of perfection does not permit a person to return back to this world and just as the fetus which comes out of its mother, is it possible for it to return back into its mother’s womb!? From the point of view of this spiritual voyage of perfection which mankind is on, it is impossible to return back whether it leaves this world and is born into the next world perfect or with deficiencies.

When we see that this is how the issue is, then should we not pay extra careful attention to the life of this world?

While traversing this path, should we not be strict with ourselves and think more about this issue?

It is because of this that we must think much about the Day of Resurrection and we should not let even a single day pass us by that we do not ponder on death and the Resurrection and if we are able to correctly ponder on this issue and clothe our actions with these thoughts (of the next life), then we would see that our entire presence would be draped in the divine light and purity.

1 Tuhaf al-Uqul

2 Normally, most people are afraid of death and there is only a small group of individuals who laugh in the face of death and eagerly and earnestly welcome it with open arms they trade-in the coarse ornate garment of this life and in exchange, take the perpetual and ever lasting life of the next world. However we should look at why death, its manifestation and even the mention of this word immediately causes trouble to some people:

1. Lack of belief in the life after death: The principal proof which we mention is that these people do not have faith in the life after death - and if they have faith in this, then we see that their faith is not something firmly rooted deep within them and this belief has not taken charge of their thoughts and emotions.

The fear that man feels from destruction and non-existence is natural we see that people are afraid of the darkness at night why? This is so because darkness is the non-existence of light. Sometimes, they fear death why? Since they think that they are traversing the same path of non-existence and annihilation.

However if mankind was to have complete faith and conviction that this material world which we are living in is a prison for the true believer and a paradise for the disbeliever just as the Hadith tells us:

The world is a prison for the believer and a place of paradise for the disbeliever.

الدنيا سجن المومن و جنة الكافر

then he would not have this fear of death.

If mankind was to truly believe that this physical body is actually a receptacle for the soul and when this receptacle is broken, it is only then that the soul will be freed and at that time he will be able to fly and soar with his friends and acquaintances, and if he were to truly believe that The Hijab which covers over the life and realities of a person are due to the dust which makes up his body, the without doubt he would truly wish to be freed and released from this covering!

If one was truly to believe that death is a garden of the higher spiritual realms and is not one for the spiritual beings and that this vessel that he is currently contained within is only good for the proverbial two or three days - truly if the person was to believe these things about death, then he would never fear dying - rather, he would take this world as the path to travel towards perfection.

Thus, in the Hadith of Ashura we read that, As the circle of the enemies grew in force and their pressure intensified around Imam al-Husain (peace be upon him) and his companions, their faces grew more and more illuminated and brighter and even those old men who made up the companions of the Imam (peace be upon him) were seen smiling and laughing on the day of Ashura. When these people were asked why they are acting as they are, they replied,

We are in this mood as in a few hours we shall be blessed to drink from the cup of martyrdom and we will be taking the Hurul `Ain in our arms !

2. Love and attraction to this material world: Another reason why people fear death is that they have an unreasonable love for this material world. They fear that death will bring a separation between themselves and that which they truly love and would cause their hearts to be separated from the beloved and from all of those things which have made their material life easy and full of pleasures and luxuries - and this is something which they can not handle.

3. No good deeds: Since their tray of good deeds is empty and the tray of evil deeds is full, they fear death. We read in the Hadith that, A person once came into the presence of the Messenger of Allah (blessings of Allah be upon him and his family) and asked him, O Messenger of Allah (blessings of Allah be upon him and his family)!

Why do I not have love for death within me ? The Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his family) replied, Do you have any wealth ? The man replied, Yes I do. The Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his family) said to him, Have you sent any good for yourself? The man replied, No. The Prophet then said to him, It is because of this reason that you do not like death (since your book of good deeds is empty).

Another person went to see Abu Dharr and asked him the exact same question as the Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his family) was asked above that why does he feel hatred for death to which Abu Dharr replied, You have a hatred for death since you have made this life habitable and have destroyed your next life. It is natural that a person does not like that he should be transferred from a place which is habitable to a place which has been destroyed.

Notes

Tafsir-e-Namuna, Volume 24, Page 121

3 Surah Aale Imran (3), Verse 169

4 The following poem describes this:

مرگ اگر مرد است گو نزد من آی تا در آغوشش بگیرم تنگ تنگ

من از او جانی ستانم جاودان او ز من دلقی ستاند رنگ رنگ

.043: Paying attention to those who came before us

Text of the Hadith:

قال رسول الله (صلي الله عليه و آله وسلم):إنما أنتم خلف ماضيين ،و بقية متقدمين كانوا أكبر منكم بسطة ،و أعظم سطوة ،فازعجوا عنها أسكن ما كانوا إليها (و غدرت بهم) و أخرجوا منها أوثق ما كانوا بها ،فلم يمنعهم قوة عشيرة ،و لا قبل منهم بذل فدية ،فارحلوا أنفسكم بزاد مبلغ قبل أن تأخذوا علي فجأة و قد غفلتم عن لإستعداد

English translation:

The Messenger of Allah (blessings of Allah be upon him and his family) has said, Surely all of you are the remainders of those who have come before you and the remnants of those who have already passed. Surely those before you where much greater in power and superior in strength and greater in authority and thus even though they were at the pinnacle of luxury and comforts and even though they had complete reliance on this world, He (Allah) still took them to the next life (where as) the most powerful people of their group and their tribe were not able to prevent them from leaving (this world) and not even offering all the money that they had in ransom prevented them from being taken from this world. So then before you leave this world without any sort of preparation and while you are in a state of negligence, make sure that you prepare something in great amount (that you will be able to use in that world).(1)

Commentary of Hadith:

This hadith is in relation to paying attention to the history of those who have already passed away and this is also an issue which the Noble Quran has placed emphasis upon and has been alluded to in various verses of the Quran.

This hadith tells us that there were nations in the past who were much greater than us in relation to their wealth, children and power and although they had all of this, it still did not stop the Angel `Izrail (peace be upon him) the Angel of Death - from sparing them, or giving them any respite. Thus, you should fear that you too are not dragged into this same outcome that they were put into and you should fear that you too are not caused to spiritually fall!

History is one of the six sources of knowledge, since first off, we are not the first nation of human beings to inhabit this Earth and who have lived on this planet. Before us human beings were on this Earth in addition, there were other nations that lived here and their remains and effects have stayed behind for us to examine. These effects of theirs which have remained behind are of two types:

1. The physical remnants they left behind.

2. Their historical remains.

1. The physical remnants which they left behind include their historical narratives and works. When a person studies these effects of theirs and sees their eventual outcome, then he would very easily learn lessons from them.

2. Their historical remnants include things such as the cities which they lived in which were destroyed which the Quran has alluded to and in which we are told for example, On your journeys to Sham (present day Syria), you will find the remnants of the destroyed cities of the people of Lut, Ad, Thamud and others such as these nations.

Why is it that we do not hear the message that these destroyed nations are trying to convey to us? Why do we not learn lessons from them? When we walk by a cemetery, why is it that we do not pay attention to the screams and cries of the dead? Look at the palaces and castles that the kings and leaders had which are now ruins. Just look at the remnants that Firawn has left behind those pyramids which were built with millions of stones and which took ten to twenty years to build and in which thousands of workers had a hand in constructing. Till today, not a single person has been able to explain how these huge rocks were gathered and put into place to construct such buildings! In addition, it has been stated that in that part of the world where the pyramids were built there were no large mountains for thousands of kilometres such that it would be possible that they would have been able to procure rocks to make such monuments. And as it is known these huge buildings were built there to act as graves for the Firawn.

All of these things are a lesson for us. With all of the power, supremacy and magic that they possessed, where they able to keep alive for eternity and stand up in the face of death?

These examples are all lessons that we can learn from-and there are many. Even this evil Shah (that ruled Iran) Muhammad Rida it is narrated that upon the roof of his mansion, there were two machines installed that if at night, he wanted to see the sky, he would simply turn a key and the roof would open up (so that he could see the stars) and at that time, this was one of the newest pieces of technology that was available at that time. However in the end where did the Shah reach to with all of his pomp and fanfare? Is it not that at the end, he too was buried under the ground?

The Messengers and Intimate friends of Allah (Glory and Greatness be to Him) who were as a bouquet of beautiful flowers of creation where not attached to the material pleasures of this life thus, what can be said about others ?

It is for this reason that the Messenger of Allah (blessings of Allah be upon him and his family) has said, You should fear that you are travelling towards the next world where as you have not yet prepared yourselves for death.

The preparation for death is to turn back towards Allah (Glory and Greatness be to Him) Tawbah meaning that one must sincerely purify his heart and soul of his sins so that he may be ready to meet death.

Note

1 Bihar al-Anwar, Volume 74, Page 181

.012: Six things that lead to success

Text of the Hadith:

عن ابی الدرداء قال: خطبنا رسول الله (ص) یوم جمعه، فقال: ایها الناس، توبوا الی الله قبل أن تموتوا و بادروا بالاعمال الصالحه قبل أن تستعلوا و أصلحوا الذی بینکم و بین ربکم تسعدوا و أکثروا من الصدقه ترزقوا و أمروا بالمعروف تحصنوا و انتهوا عن المنکر تنصروا

TRANSLATION:

It has been narrated from Abil Darda that he said, The Messenger of Allah (blessings of Allah be upon him and his family) spoke to us the day of Jumuah and said to us, O, People! Turn back to Allah (in repentance) before you die; and before you get too busy (in your life), perform righteous deeds; correct the relationship between yourselves and your Lord so that you may gain felicity; and give much charity (Sadaqah) so that you are given (by Allah) sustenance; and enjoin goodness upon others so that you may be protected (from the hell of fire) and forbid others from evil so that you may be assisted (by Allah).(1)

Commentary of Hadith:

In this Hadith, the Noble Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his family) has given us six commandments to follow:

1) Tawbah: Turning back to Allah (Glory and Greatness be to Him)

Tawbah is one of the blessings of Allah the Most High to His servants. How beautifully has Imam Ali ibne al-Husain as-Sajad (peace be upon him) put it in his Munajat of the Taibin (Whispered Prayer of Those who Turn in Repentance to Allah) where he (peace be upon him) calls out:

إلهی، انت الذی فتحت لعبادک بابا إلی عفوک سمیته التوبه، فقلت: توبوا إلی الله توبه نصوحا فما عذر من أغفل دخول الباب بعد فتحه؟

Translation:

O, my Lord! You are the one who has opened up for Your servants the door towards Your forgiveness and You named it Tawbah when You said, Turn back in repentance towards Allah a sincere repentance so then what is the excuse for that person who is negligent in entering into the door after it has been opened?

The meaning of the sentence of the Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his family) in the Hadith under discussion where he satates, Ask repentance before you die is that immediately after we have committed a sin, we must turn back to Allah (Glory and Greatness be to Him) and this is because no one knows when he or she will die. In the Noble Quran, we read the following verse:

و ما تدری نفس ماذا تکسب غدا و ما تدری نفس بأی أرض تموت

And no soul know what it shall earn tomorrow and no soul knows in which land it shall die.

It has been narrated that the Prophet of Islam (blessings of Allah be upon him and his family) with all of the greatness and nobility of soul that he possessed would ask forgiveness seventy times per day! We claim to be followers of this great personality, so then how many times a day do we ask forgiveness and turn back to Allah (Glory and Greatness be to Him)?

At night, before we go to sleep, how many acts that we performed in the day and ask for forgiveness (for his evil deeds), then the spiritual darkness would be lifted from his heart and his soul would become illuminated with the Divine Light.

It is for this reason that the best of acts that one can do is asking for forgiveness the first thing before the break of dawn.4 Thus, a person should wake up in the middle of the night and in the calm of the night, should pray and ask his needs from Allah (Glory and Greatness be to Him) and pour out his heart to Him and in the words of the Quran he should be one of those who is:

مستغفرین بالاسحار

Those who seek forgiveness in the early hours.4

Almost all of our major scholar who have written treatise on the topic of Sair wa Suluk have stated that the first stage in this (spiritual) journey is Tawbah just as the Prophet of Allah (blessings of Allah be upon him and his family) has said:

توبوا إلی الله قبل أن تموتوا

2) Performing Goods Deeds

A person does not always think about his free time, ease and comfort and naturally feels that he will stay young for his entire life. The persons thoughts are not always free and thus many obstacles can be placed on his path.

If you pay close attention to those around you, then you will notice that there are some people who have everything (materialistically) given to them and these people have no shortages and are not lacking anything in their material life, however, they will say, The yearning to learn and study has not been taken away from me. Therefore, if you would like to increase your knowledge, then you must develop Taqwa within yourself and must work towards self building and purification of the soul since whatever we have is through our Taqwa (Allah consciousness) and we must perform good deeds before we get to a stage in our life where we are overcome by difficulties.

3) Reconciliation with Allah (Glory and Greatness be to Him)

We see that in relation to the events that are happening around them people are of three categories:

There is one group who only look at what the people are saying: there is another group who look partially at what others are saying and also partially at what Allah (Glory and Greatness be to Him) has commanded them to perform. However, the third group are those who only pay attention to what Allah (Glory and Greatness be to Him) has commanded them to do and ignore the other people.

Keeping in mind this brief introduction, we see that in any event which takes place, the person must see what it is that Allah ((Glory and Greatness be to Him) has ordered to be performed and to only do that.

By this, we mean that the first haqq or right that is upon us should be recognized (that of Allah (Glory and Greatness be to Him)) and then we should see what the people are saying since if a person is to first establish a firm relation with Allah (Glory and Greatness be to Him), then in return, Allah (Glory and Greatness be to Him) will correct that persons relations with the people. This fact can be seen in a hadith from Amir al-Momenin Ali ibn Abi Talib (prayers be upon him) in which he has said:

من اصلح بینه و بین الله، أصلح الله ما بینه و بین الناس

The person who corrects his relationship between himself and Allah, Allah will correct his affairs between himself and the people.6

Thus, the only way to the path of true happiness is that we establish a relationship with Allah (Glory and Greatness be to Him).

4) Giving great amounts of Sadaqah

Giving Sadaqah to others brings with it two important benefits:

1- ones sustenance is increased;

2- Maladies and difficulties are removed from the person.

In relation to an increase in sustenance, we see that this goes against the apparent aspect of this world meaning that if a person gives charity in the way of Allah (Glory and Greatness be to Him) then according to his bank account and the apparent outcome of this charity, his pocket should be empty. However, according to the Islamic narrations, this act actually increases a persons sustenance and wealth!

It is good to give Sadaqah in whatever amount possible so much so that the Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his family) has told us that we are even permitted to give away our old clothing as charity and in addition, this act of Sadaqah increases a persons life span.

When starting on a journey, these are some people who count the number of days that they will be away and actually put aside an amount of money to give in Sadaqah and this is an act that us those who are active in the propagation of the faith of Islam should be acting upon so that this act of charity acts as a barrier against anything that may come upon us.

5 and 6) Commanding to that which is Right and Forbidden that which is Evil (Amr bil Maruf and Nahi Anil Munkar)

These two programs have great benefit in them and in relation to these two important acts, Amir al-Momenin Ali ibn Abi Talib (prayers be upon him) has stated that:

و ما أعمال البر کلها و الجهاد فی سبیل الله، عند الأمر بالمعروف و النهی عن المنکر، إلا کنفثه فی بحر لجی

All of the righteous actions including Jihad in the way of Allah in relation to the act of Amr bil Maruf and Nahi Anil Munkar can be comparable to the water in the mouth and the water that is contained within the deep oceans.7

Not paying attention to the act that another person is doing and leaving him to do as he wished that we usually say What does it matter to me or due to some other reason as not wanting to trouble our friends and acquaintances or so as not to be a nuisance, we refrain from this act and just as the famous saying goes, What is the need to time a handkerchief around the head when it does not hurt. Acting in this way slowly gets us to the point that wicked acts take rule over a society and the righteous doers are then lesser in number and good acts in general and then forgotten within the society.

This is definitely an empty belief and a great mistake that people think that honor and dignity lies in the hands of other people and not in the hands of Allah (Glory and Greatness be to Him) whereas it clearly says in the Quran that:

تعز من تشاء و تذل من تشاء

He gives honor to whomsoever He pleases and He debases whomsoever He pleases. 8

And in another place in the Quran we read that:

من کان یدید العزه فلله العزه جمیعا

So then whosoever desires honor, so then with Allah alone is all the honor.9

and all praise belongs to Allah (Glory and Greatness be to Him), only the mistakes are mine

Question: Why is it that of all the time that exists in the night and dayt, only the time of late night (or the early hours of the morning before sunrise) has been mentioned (in this verse), whereas we know that it is permitted to ask for forgiveness and return back to Allah (Glory and Greatness be to Him) at all times?

Answer: Our reply to this question is that due to the stoppage of work of the material world and tranquility and pleasure that has been achieved through the rest and sleep of that evening, the person has a better opportunity to pay closer attention to Allah (Glory and Greatness be to Him) and this explanation can easily be seen through trial and experimentation.

In addition, we see that when it comes to solving difficult issues, many of the scholars would make use of the late night/early morning period since at this time, the light of thought and the soul of the person is brighter and clearer than at all other times. Since the essence of worship and asking forgiveness is paying attention and having presence of heart (at the time of asking forgiveness), thus, the worship and asking forgiveness at such a time of the night is much more worthy than at all other times. (Tafsir-e-Namuna, volume 2, page 344)

A few points must be mentioned here:

1- The word "معروف " comes from the root word "عرف " meaning something which is known as the word "منکر " comes from "انکار " or something which is unknown.

Good deeds and actions are things which are well known to everyone whereas the bad deeds and things that are not liked are the things that are unknown and thus, the pure natural disposition (Fitrah) of a person is well aware of the first category, however not acquainted with the second type of act.

2- Is the act of Amr bil Maruf and Nahi Anil Munkar a responsibility that can be deduced through our intellect or is it something that is simply a commandment from Allah (Glory and Greatness be to Him) to follows?

Some of the Islamic scholars are of the belief that the nature of these two acts (Amr bil Maruf and Nahi Anil Munkar) is that they are obligatory (and legislated by Allah) but can only be proven from the narrated sources (the Quran and ahadith) and the intelligence has no part to play in legislating this act that our intelligence can not tell us that if we see another person doing a bad or despicable act, then we are to stop him from doing it.

However, by keeping in mind the interrelation of the society to one another and that there is no bad act that takes place within the human society that is only limited to one particular part of that society rather, whatever happens can be compared to a fire and as such, it is possible that is will also spread to and affect other areas thus, our intelligence has commanded us to act according to these two commandments. In other words, within the society there is no issue referred to as individual dangers and as such, any loss or danger that reaches one person in the society has the possibility of turning into a societal danger and it is because of this reason that the mind and intelligence commands a person who is living within the society to keep his spiritual environment pure and clean and must not stop at any means to achieve this.

In a Hadith from the Noble Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his family) he has told us that, The sinning person who lives amongst other people is just as the person who has boarded a boat with other people. When they have reached to the middle of the ocean, the person takes an axe and begins to make a hole in the boat where he is sitting. The people around him begin to protest his act to which he replies that, I am doing what I want to do in my part of the boat! If the other people who are with him do not prevent him from this dangerous act of his, then it will not take long that water will fill their boat and they will all end up drowning in the ocean.

With this very thought provoking example, the Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his family) has shown us that the act of Amr bil Marul and Nahi Anil Munkar is something that is logical and rational and the permission of a person to look after and maintain the society is a natural right which goes back to and related to the eventual outcome of the entire society.

3- The importance of Amr bil Maruf and Nahi Anil Munkar

In addition to the numerous verses of the Noble Quran, there are also countless ahadith in the reliable Islamic sources that speak about the importance of these two great societal responsibilities in which the eventual outcome and punishment for leaving these two important acts within the society have been mentioned of which we mention the following:

It has been narrated that Imam Muhammad ibn Ali al-Baqir (peace be upon him) that he has said:

ان الامر بالمعروف و النهی عن المنکر، فریضه عظیمه. بها تقام الفرائض و تأمن المذاهب و تحل المکاسب و ترد المظالم و تعمر الأرض و ینتصف من الأعدء و یستقیم الأمر

Surely Amr bil Maruf and Nahi Anil Munkar are two great obligatory acts and trough these are (the other) obligatory acts protected and through these are the teachings protected and through these are trading and transactions made permissible and through these are oppression kept away and it is through these acts that the Earth is kept habitable and through which revenge is taken from the enemies and all other acts related back to these two duties.

The Noble Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his family) has stated:

من أمر بالمعروف و نهی عن المنکر فهو خلیفه الله فی ارضه و خلیفه رسول الله و خلیفه کتابه

The person who commands to that which is good and forbids others to that which is wrong is deemed as the Khalifah of Allah upon His Earth the Khalifah of the Messenger of Allah and the Khalifah of His book.

From these ahadith we can clearly deduce that this great obligatory act before all other things is a part of the overall plan of Allah (Glory and Greatness be to Him) and the appointment of the Prophets and the sending of the various Divine Books are also a part of this plan Allah (Glory and Greatness be to Him).

A person once came into the presence of the Messenger of Allah (blessings of Allah be upon him and his family) while he was sitting on the Mimbar and asked him:

من خير الناس

Who is the best person?

The Prophet (prayers of Allah be upon him and his family) replied to him:

أمرهم بالمعروف و أنهاهم عن المنکر و أتقاهم لله و أرضاهم

That person who enjoins goodness to others and prevents them from the evil and the one who is the most conscious of Allah and who tries to please Allah more than others.

In another Hadith from the Noble Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his family) it has been related that he said, You must command others to perform righteous deeds and must prevent them from the forbidden acts and if you do not do this then Allah will appoint oppressors to rule over you who will neither show respect to the elders nor will they show mercy to the young ones. The righteous and pious from amongst you will supplicate however their prayers will go unanswered. They will request help from Allah however Allah will not assist them and these people will even ask for repentance for their sins. However, Allah will not even forgive them their sins.

All of the emphasis that has been place on these two acts so that we can realize the importance of these two great obligatory acts which in reality are guarantors for the continuation of all of the other individual and societal responsibilities which rule over the soul and life of the other people and if these acts are not put into practice, then all of the practical laws and principles of ethical and morality would lose all of their worth and value. (Tafsir-e-Namuna, volume 3, page 37-40)

Notes

1 Bihar al-Anwar, volume 74, page 186

2 The word used in this verse "نصوح " comes from the root word "نصح " which means sincere advice which one gives to another person. Thus, in this verse, it refers to sincere repentance. The Noble Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his family) has said that, Sincere repentance means that a person does not return back to committing the sin (that he has asked forgiveness for) just as the milk of the mother can not return back into her breast.

Of course, sincere repentance can only be accomplished when a person has complete understanding and awareness of the sins and their punishments meaning that if we feel and know that committing sins will result in the punishment and the burning in the fire, then we will never even come close to sins.

3 Surah Luqman, verse 34

4 At the time when peace and tranquility have covered over everything and when all of the negligent people and those who are unaware (of the realities of life) are deep in sleep and the business and transactions of the material world have quieted down, those spiritual personalities and those whose hearts are spiritually alive rise up to remember Allah (Glory and Greatness be to Him). While in His grand presence, they seek forgiveness and ask for His pardon and drown themselves in the glory of the nur (divine light) and greatness of their Lord. With their entire presence, they cry out with the call of true monotheism and are of those people who have been mentioned in the Noble Quran:

مستغفرین بالاسحار

Those who seek forgiveness in the early hours.

5 Surah Aale Imran, verse 17

6 Nahjul Balagha, Short saying 89

7 Nahjul Balagha, Short saying 366. 8 Surah Aale Imran (3), verse 26

9 Sura Al-Fatir, verse 10

.013: Advice given to Abu Dharr – Sustenance

Text of the Hadith:

عن أبي ذر (رضي الله عنه)قال:قالرسول الله (صلي الله عليه و آله و سلم)لرجل و هو يوصيه:أقلل من الشهوات يسهل عليك الفقر،وأقلل من الذنوب يسهل عليك الموت،و قدم ما لك أمامك يسرك اللحاق به،واقنع بما أوتيته يخف عليك الحساب،و لا تتشاغل عما فرض عليك بما قد ضمن لك؛فانه ليس بفائتك ما قد قسم لك،و لست بلاحق ما قد زوي عنك.فلاتك جاهدا فيما أنصح نافدا،واسع لملك لازوال له،في منزل لاانتقال عنه

TRANSLATION:

It has been narrated from Abi Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said, The Messenger of Allah (blessings of Allah be upon him and his family) said to a person whom he was advising, Reduce the base desires (the desires of your soul) and poverty shall become easy upon you (to bear); and lessen the sins so that death shall become easy for you to endure; and send things from your own wealth ahead for yourself, so that by seeing this (on the Day of Judgment), you shall become happy; and be content with that which is given to you so that your accountability and reckoning is reduced; and do not busy yourself with the sustenance which is guaranteed to reach you (and do not develop greed to this part of the provision which is guaranteed to reach you) so that you do not disregard the obligatory acts which are upon you (to perform), since surely that which has been set aside for you will not leave your hand (it shall surely reach you), and that which has left your hand (that which you have lost from sustenance) will never come back again. So then do not struggle to attain those things which are not pure and which will be destroyed, and do not put forth struggle for those things which are temporal. Rather, struggle for those things which are perpetual and which will last forever (in the next life).(1)

Commentary of Hadith:

In this hadith, the Messenger of Allah (blessings of Allah be upon him and his family) has given us various pieces of advice, and at the end of his speech, has spoken about the issue of sustenance.

First Commandment: Reducing our Base Desires

If we are able to reduce our lower desires, then surely poverty will be something easy to bear!

All of the wealth which exists within the world can be spent in three areas: 1) the necessities of life; 2) the t things for ones own personal welfare; and 3) our lower desires.

The amount which is spent on the necessities of life is the smallest portion spent (out of all three areas), where as we see that the amount spent on satisfying our lower desires and passions is where the most amount of wealth goes to. It is because of this reason that the Noble Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his family) has told us that if we reduce our base and lower desires, then poverty would be easy upon us, since the majority of people who are poor are not deprived in relation to their primary needs and necessities (of life). The issue of being in a state of poverty is in relation to either our welfare (other necessities or needs we have) and well-being, or in areas of our base and lower desires (our greed).

For example, a person may believe that the house in which he is living in is too small for him and thus, he goes out to find a bigger house. There are also other issues such as this which are termed as unnecessary expenditures which are, many times, placed ahead (on our list of priorities) as being necessary and essential requirements for us. However, in reality we see that it is truly not like this!

There are many people who, in order to gain the material things of life which they truly do not need, who will go through great lengths and pains to gain those things. They have a house which is acceptable according to their status and needs and their loans are all paid up, however they stop and ponder for a while and think to themselves:

من سعادة الرجل سعة داره

Of the means of felicity for a person is to have a large house.

In addition to this they also think that, Tomorrow, my young children shall grow up, my relatives will come over to my house and In summary, slowly, slowly, he will make up excuses for himself and thus, in the end, he will end up selling his old house and through taking loans and mortgages, will purchase a new house!

Of the troubles with people is that they are not able to put up with the challenges of life there must be challenges and difficulties within your life! In summary, their apparent troubles are actually no troubles at all!

In reality, we see that this issue (which has just been mentioned) is a very dangerous issue for those people who are involved in the spreading of the religion (of Islam) [the Scholars] since actions which require thought such as `Ibadat (worship) also require presence of the heart, and if there is no presence of the heart, then a person is not able to study, teach, nor would he able to even write anything!

We do not say that if Allah (Glory and Greatness be to Him) gives a person something (materialistically speaking), that he must throw that thing away! Rather, our discussion is focusing on this issue which is that it is not correct to take these things as being the necessities of one’ life which one should spend his entire life running after. When a person does not have the base desires, then he is definitely not poor.

Of course, we must accept that even within the basic necessities of life, there are some people who are definitely poor and needy (their basic needs).

Second Commandment: Reducing our Sins

There is a relationship between reducing the number of sins which we perform and the ease at the time of our death which we will experience, and it is for this reason that the Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his family) has spoken these lofty words.

At this point, we must ask ourselves: Why does humanity fear death?

We see that people fear death since they feel it is complete annihilation and non-existence and since death brings about with it the end of all things, and because of the fact that these people do not see death as being a journey through the valley towards perpetual existence and a much more spacious world (compared to this world).

It is natural that a person fears darkness and annihilation - however, if that person was a true believer (Momin), then he would definitely not fear death, and this is one of the greatest services which the Prophets have assisted mankind with that they have taken away the fear and terror of death from them.

Of course, it is very well possible that a person is a true believer (Momin) and would have firm conviction in the next life, however since his book of deeds is dark and blackened over, he would be fearing death and for such a person, there is no other avenue open, except for repentance for his sins.

Death is as a coarse, but colorful woolen garment for the believer which he seeks to take off of his body, and from which he steps out of this cramped and dark world, into the presence of the close, intimate friends of Allah (Glory and Greatness be to Him):

الدنيا سجن المؤمن وجنة الكافر

The world is the prison for a believer and a paradise for the disbeliever.

And thus, if the door of the prison was to open, and it was said to the prisoner,

Go ahead, come out, you are free, would he be upset at this?

Thus, to be freed from this world has no grief or hurt associated with it!

Of course, this sentence also has another interpretation which is that it is through the continuous sins which result in the fact that which the time of death approaches, death becomes very difficult for the person to bear. By this we mean that since the person has such a close and strong affinity with this material world and the relationship is so intense, we see that at the time of his death and when the soul is coming out of him, death is extremely painful for him to bear. However, if he were not to commit sins, then it would be very easy for his soul to leave his body.

Third Commandment: Refraining from the Worship of this Material World

At this junction, we see that the Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his family) pays special attention to the next life and the fact that one must not strive for the affairs of this material world and in more correct terms, he has invited us to refrain from the worship of this material world.

In yet other terms, we see that this hadith tells us that, Allah will make your sustenance reach to you and He has guaranteed this to you and this amount will never slip from you, thus, you should not be busying yourself with showing greed in the seeking of wealth such that through this you end up not performing the obligatory acts which are incumbent upon you.

And just as is commonly said, Whatever is in your destiny will reach you.

In continuation, the Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his family) has then stated that, Do not think that by working with your hands and feet that that which has been specified for you to reach will not reach to you or that that which should not reach to you, will reach to you. Therefore, in the affairs of those things which are not permanent, do not put forth a great struggle. Rather, in order to secure the next life which is perpetual and ever lasting, struggle hard!

At this point, it is incumbent to mention the following issues:

1. In relation to ones sustenance, there are some very intricate and complex expressions and interpretations given in the verses of the Noble Quran and the ahadith and at first glance, it may seem that they go against one another.

From one point of view, we see that in the verses of the Quran and the ahadith, it has been frequently mentioned that the sustenance (which shall reach us) has already been apportioned (by Allah, Glory and Greatness be to Him).

For example, in one verse of the Quran we read that:

ما من دابة في الارض إلا علي الله رزقها

There is not a single creature upon the Earth, except that upon Allah is its sustenance.

Or for example, as it has been mentioned in the ahadith that so long as a person is alive, his sustenance will continue to reach him.

It was one asked from the Prophet of Allah (blessings of Allah be upon him and his family), If a person is locked inside a room and all of the ways to get out of that room are closed to him, then how would his sustenance reach to him? The Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his family) replied, His sustenance would reach to him from that same channel that death would reach to him and thus, his sustenance would reach to him.

Thus, according to these verses and the ahadith, the sustenance which we shall gain is something promised and guaranteed for us.

Opposite to this point of view, we see that we have ahadith which invite us to strive and struggle and tell us to wake up early in the morning from our sleep and to go after our earnings since the person who is idle and unemployed is cursed. Thus, through things such as farming, animal husbandry, etc we must seek to gain our livelihood.

In the beginning, it seems as if there is an dissimilarity between these two views, however, it may be possible to rationalize the contrasting views by stating that the sustenance which has been guaranteed to reach the person has - just as there are conditions for our prayers to be accepted also has conditions related to it.

Therefore, we see that one of the conditions for this sustenance is that we must put forth effort and struggle, and with this summary, the dissimilarity is removed.

2. Throughout the world, there are millions of people who die due to hunger, and if the sustenance was divided (by Allah, Glory and Greatness be to Him), then why is it that all of these people are dying?

If we see that people are dying of hunger, then this is a sign of the oppression and tyranny of humanity. For example, if we have an oppressor who is placing oppressed and subjugated people in prison and is not giving them food so that they die of hunger, we are not able to think that this is the fault of the Creator of the Universe!

The continent of Africa has the largest number of people who are sacrificed due to hunger and starvation, however at the same time, it is full of diamonds and other important, valuable minerals! There is a group of oppressors who are taking this wealth, and then on the other hand we see that excess food is thrown away in the garbage and thus because of this, we see that others die of hunger!

For example, in order for the price of wheat and other goods to not drop in the world markets, we see that some countries dump truckloads of grain into the oceans or they end up hoarding and storing it - even if this means paying the price through the sacrifice and deaths of millions of people! Thus, if there were no oppressive people on the Earth, then such trials and tribulations would definitely not occur.

Allah (Glory and Greatness be to Him) has given us all intelligence so that humanity would travel on the path using their human nature (Fitrah) which they were created with, and so that for the needs of their material life, they would strive and struggle and would work for more output and production, however all of this does not go against the fact that there are a group of people who seek to control and limit this production.

In the ahadith, there is also another division seen in which sustenance and provisions have been divided into the following two categories:

1. The sustenance which you want or desire.

2. The sustenance which desires or wants you

The sustenance too is just like other issues which are related to Qada and Qadr (fate and destiny).

The guaranteed and definite sustenance which will reach to a person is that which will whether we like it or not will come to us, while the other one is that which we must go and seek.

From this division of the sustenance which Amir al-Mominin `Ali ibn Abi Talib (prayers be upon him) has mentioned in Nahjul Balagha, it is clear that those ahadith which tell us that, The sustenance of a person will definitely reach him, even if he is in a prison is in reference to that sustenance which has been guaranteed and promised for that person.

.004: Misguidedness

Text of Hadith:

و قيل له (امام سجاد (ع) يوما:إن الحسن البصري قال: ليس العجب ممن هلك كيف هلك؟ و انما العجب ممن نجا كيف نجا.فقال(ع):انا اقول:ليس العجب ممن نجا كيف نجا واما العجب ممن هلك كيف هلك مع سعة رحمة الله

Translation:

It was said to Imam As-Sajjad (a.s.) one day: Surely al-Hasan al-Basri has said, It is not amazing (to me) how the person who is destroyed (by Allah) is destroyed rather what is truly amazing to me is that person who is saved (by Allah) and how he is saved! [I am not surprised how a person deviates from the straight path (as this is quite easy); rather, I am surprised how a person attains true guidance]. The Imam (a.s.) said to him, Rather, I say it is not amazing how the person who is saved (by Allah) is saved, rather that which is amazing for me is the person who is destroyed (by Allah) and how he is destroyed with the vast mercy of Allah!(1)

Explanation of the Hadith:

This hadith points to a very important topic there are some people who have developed the habit of pessimism and negativity in their lives and in today’s terminology, they see everything as being dark and gloomy. They state that, by keeping in mind the ever presence of Shaitan - the one who is seeking to misguide everyone and in addition, the lower desires and passions and the corruption of the time and place in which we are living in, it is amazing for humanity to be saved from all of these meaning that our original state is that of corruption and pollution by sins and that true guidance is that which goes against the natural state of life and it is something amazing if it is to develop!

In our opinion, those people who think in this form actually possess Satanic thoughts and thus, this person, Al-Hasan Al-Basri, is also one of those people who possesses Satanic thoughts in his mind!

The story of him and his encounters with Imam Ali (a s) are well know. on one occasion, Imam Ali (a s) had said to him: Why did you not take part in the Battle of Jamal? He replied, I went forth to take part in the Battle of the Camel however I saw a person yelling that both the killer and the one who is killed are both going to be in the hell fire. In reply, the Imam (a.s.) told him, Definitely it is your brother, Shaitan, who made this claim so as to misguide you.

One of those things which led to corruption during the time period of Imam `Ali (a s) was this person al-Hasan al-Basri who is considered as one of the Fuqaha and Commentators of the Quran in the view of the Ahlus Sunnah!

The intimate friends of Allah Q do not think in this way and the Islamic Scholars too must not think in this way rather, they must state that the truth of the matter is that all people must be the people of salvation since the grand and expansive Mercy of Allah is that which led to 124,000 Prophets being sent and all of this Divine Heavenly Books coming to us especially the Qur`an. In addition to this, Allah has granted humanity an intellect and aptitude and if they were to make use of this asset, then mankind would definitely take control over their soul. In addition, mankind has also been granted the pure nature (Fitrah) which is another thing which leads to guidance. He has also been granted a conscience which is a very good authority and judge over himself. Allah has also granted mankind lessons to learn through in his life which al people are able to see with their own eyes. The signs of Monotheism and the greatness of the Heavens and the Earth are full of His Signs after all of this, what else is needed for guidance?

If we were to put a single hair under the lens of a microscope and analyze it in this way, we would definitely see that this one strand of hair is enough to recognize Allah thus, what can be stated about the eye, heart and brain and the great way in which they have been designed; in addition, what about the plants and over 15,000 different types of animals which live in the water all of these things point to Allah and are a way for us to gain guidance.

Imam al-Kadhim (a s) has stated to Harun al-Rashid:

كل ما تراه فهو لك عظة

The Mercy of Allah Q dictates that in the world around us, the signs of guidance of all of humanity must be present. Therefore, it should not be a surprise that the person attains salvation, and thus we must state that our original state is that of salvation and not destruction.

One of the forms of the evil whispering of the Shaitan which affects both the elders and young people of he society and even affects some of the Religious Scholars is when a person says that this present time (which he is living in) has become corrupt and thus we have given up all hope and now we have no responsibility left. In reality, this is the act of removing one’s responsibility from his own shoulders and looking at the world in the eyes of Al-Hasan al-Basri by stating that it is not possible for mankind to attain salvation.

The true believer must be just like Imam al-Sajjad (a.s.) and must say that it should be of no surprise who are saved (from destruction) rather, that person who is misled is the one whom we should show surprise towards meaning that we should always be looking forward to salvation and work in these regards.

We should just think about the period of the Bani Umayyah the period of the Bani Umayyah was actually better than the period in which we are living today it was a time which was full of spiritual darkness however at the same time, the Imam (a.s.) has still stated that it should not be surprising if one attains salvation.

It is our prayer and desire that we are able to understand this lesson which we have learnt from the presence of Imam as-Sajjad (a.s.) and that we do not seek to remove ourselves from our the responsibility which Allah Q has placed over us.

Note

1 Biharul Anwar, Volume 75, Page 153