Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

Youth and Morals

Author(s):Sayyid Mujtaba Musavi Lari

www.alhassanain.org/english

In this book, the author introduces some of the main issues affectingman’s social life and how Islam deals with them . He explains how a society wherein the individual and social tiesare built on Islamic values enjoys tranquility, comfort, and trust in all its aspects.

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Table of Contents

About the Author 6

Foreword 8

Introduction 10

Ill-Nature 13

The Value of Friendship 13

Ill-Natured Individuals are Resentful 14

The Prophet of Islam, the Perfect Exemplar 16

Notes 18

Optimism 19

Trust and Peace of Mind 19

The Effects of Optimism 20

Islam Calls for Optimism and Trust 21

How to Win Friends 22

Notes 24

Pessimism 25

The Bright and Dark Points of Life 25

The Negative Effects of Pessimism 26

Islam Verses On Pessimism 27

Notes 30

Lying 31

The Position of Manners in Society 31

The Disadvantages of Lying 32

Abu Hamid al-Ghazali. Kimiyaye Sa’adat 34

Lying is Prohibited by Religion 34

Hypocrisy 36

Endeavor to Cherish Your Personality 36

Hypocrisy: The Ugliest Trait 37

Burn Down the Dwellings of Hypocrisy 38

Rushd Shakhsiyyat 40

Notes 41

Slander 42

A Society Polluted with Sins 42

The Disadvantages of Slander 43

What Causes Slander to Spread 43

Religion Verses ill Manners 45

Notes 46

Fault-Finding 47

Ignorance of One’s Own Faults 47

The Sarcastic and the Insulters 48

Religious Teachings Verses Sarcasm 49

Notes 51

Envy 52

The Envious Burn in the Fire of Failure and Deprivation 53

Religion Versus Envy 54

Conceit 56

The Light of Love in the Horizon of Life 56

Conceit Leads to People’s Resentment 57

Our Leaders and Modesty 59

Notes 61

Oppression 62

The Role of Justice in Society 62

The Destructive Flames of Oppression 63

The Role of Religion in Fighting Oppression and the Oppressors 63

Notes 65

Enmity and Hatred 66

Why Should We Not Forgive? 66

Setbacks Caused by Enmity 67

Imam Sajjad’s Reaction to Those Who Mistreated Him 68

Notes 70

Anger 71

Advantages of Self-Control 71

The Diverse Consequences of Anger 72

Guidance from the Leaders of Religion 73

Notes 75

Breach of Promise 76

Various Responsibilities 76

The Importance of Vows and Disadvantages of Violating Them 77

Islam Prohibits Breach of Promises 78

Notes 80

Treachery 81

Mutual Trust and Performing Duties 81

Treachery and its Faults 82

Religion Condemns Treason 82

Notes 85

Miserliness 86

Cooperation and Assistance 86

Miserliness Annihilates Affections 86

A Glance at Leaders’ Views on Miserliness 88

Notes 89

Greed 90

On the Necessities of Life 90

A Greedy Person is Never Satisfied 91

Fair Distribution in Islam 92

Notes 94

Disputing 95

Radical Self-Love 95

What Do We Achieve from Arguments 95

A Glance at the Words of Leaders 96

Notes 98

About the Author

Sayyid Mujtaba Musavi Lari is the son of the lateAyatullah Sayyid ‘AliAsghar Lari , one of the great religious scholars and social personalities of Iran. His grandfather was the lateAyatullah HajjSayyid Abd ul-Husayn Lari , who fought for freedom in the Constitutional Revolution. In the course of his lengthy struggles against the tyrannical government of thetime he attempted to establish an Islamic government and succeeded in doing so for a short time inLarestan .

Sayyid Mujtaba Musavi Lari was born in 1314/1925 in the city ofLar where he completed his primary education and his preliminary Islamic studies. In 1332/1953 he departed for Qum to continue his study of the Islamic sciences studying under the professors and teachers of the religious institution including the main authorities in jurisprudence (maraji ').

In 1341/1962, he became a collaborator ofMaktab-i-lslam , a religious and scientific journal, writing a series of articles on Islamic ethics. These articleswere later collected into a book published under the title Ethical and Psychological Problems. Nine editions of the Persian original of this book have been published, and ithas also been translated into Arabic and most recently English.

In 1342/1963 he travelled to Germany for medical treatment, and returning to Iran after a stay of several months, he wrote a book called The Face of Western Civilization. The book includes a comparative discussion of Western and Islamic civilization, and in it, the author seeks to prove, by way of a comprehensive, reasoned, and exact comparison, the superiority of the comprehensive and multidimensional civilization of Islam to that of the West. This bookhas recently been reprinted for the seventh time.

In 1349/1970 itwas translated into English by a BritishOrientalist , F. G.Goulding and it aroused much attention in Europe. Articles concerning the book appeared in several Western periodicals and the BBC arranged an interview with the translator in which the reasons for translating the book and the reception accorded it in Englandwere discussed . The English version of the bookhas up to now been printed three times in England, five times in Iran and twice in America.

About three years after the publication of the English translation, RudolfSingler , a German university professor translated it into German and the version he produced proved influential in Germany. One of the leaders of the Social Democratic Party informed the translator in a letter that the book had left a profound impression uponhim causing him to change his views of Islam and that he would recommend the book to his friends . The German translationhas now been reprinted three times.

TheEnglish and German versions of the book were reprinted by the Ministry of Islamic Guidance for wide distribution abroad through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Islamic Students' Associations abroad .

At the same time that the first printing of the German translation waspublished an Indian Muslim scholar by the name ofMaulana Raushan Ali translated it into Urdu for distribution in India and Pakistan. This Urdu translationhas now been reprinted five times.

Sayyid Mujtaba Musavi Lari has also written a pamphlet ontawhid (divine unity) whichwas translated in England and published several times in America .

In1343/1964 he established a charitable organization inLar with the purposes of propagating Islam, teaching Islam to rural youth and helping the needy. This organization remained active until 1346/1967. Its main accomplishments were the dispatch of students of the religious sciences to the countryside to teach Islam to children and young people; providing thousands of school children with clothing, books and writing equipment; building a number of mosques, schools, and clinics in towns and villages; and the provision of miscellaneous services.

Sayyid Mujtaba Musavi Lari pursued his interest in Islamic ethics and writing new articles on the subject. In1353/1974 a collection of these articles, revised and supplemented, appeared in book form under the title“The Function of Ethics in Human Development” . This bookhas now been reprinted six times.

In1357/1978 he travelled to America at the invitation of an Islamic organization in that country. He then went to England and France and after returning to Iran began writing a series of articles on Islamic ideology for the magazineSoroush . These articles were later collected in afour volume book on the fundamental beliefs of Islam (tawhid , divine justice,prophethood , imamate, and resurrection) under the title“The Foundations of Islamic Doctrine” .

Thisfour volume work has been translated into Arabic, some parts of it having already been printed three times. The English translation of the first volume of this work forms the presentbook, the remaining volumes will also be translated and published. Urdu, Hindi and French translations are also underway; two volumes of the French translation have already appeared.

In 1359/1980,Sayyid Mujtaba Musavi Lari established an organization in Qum called Office for the Diffusion of Islamic Culture Abroad. It dispatches free copies of his translated works to interested persons throughout the world. It has also undertaken the printing of a Quranfor free distribution among Muslim individuals, institutions and religious schools in Africa.

Foreword

We have seen many a nation and person who apparently lived under certain conditions, yet we witnessed how selected individuals or groups among them excelled and took the lead in the field of civilization.

Among these groups are those who abandoned thinking and adopted the habit of blaming every event in their lives on“luck”. When these groups face any situation which requires them to reflect, they simply say:“It is our luck” ,“Amazing how’ coincidences occur” ,“Strange is this life, no one can violate its rules” !!

Yet if we take some time to reflect on this issue, we discover that neither luck nor coincidences are factors in causing failure; the most vita/factor which mainly causes failure is“ill manners” .

Germany, for example, after WWII was nothing more than a handful of ashes and debris. Today Germany is one of the leading industrial nations. Experts credit this unprecedented advancement to the sense of responsibility andcontrol which the Germans felt thereafter; not that they have better minds or are more creative than other nations.

Thus, it is most accurate to say that the advancement of any nations, including material advancement, is reliant upon its good conduct and morality. This facthas been established throughout history, removing any doubt that social conduct is a factor in the future of civilizations.

* * *

On the otherhand we notice that the nature of a man depends on his characteristics and values. Therefore, man deserves the title of“humanitarian” for possessing such characteristics, without which he does not differ from animals.

The search for the highest human valuesshould be done in the field of individual conduct. It is worthy to point out that achieving the highest human valuescan be done through educating the soul and training it to accept the assigned psychological and behavioral methods.

Hence, we find that sociologists and psychologists have made many detailed scientific studies on how to counter or prevent corruption and achieve good morals.

The scholars who are most knowledgeable and the best educators in this field are our Holy Imams. The Imams have set guidelines for us through their words, and their lives are examples for us to follow so that we may achieve moral excellence. These guidelines and examples give us the opportunity to live as happy humans beingswho may enjoy excellent morals.

* * *

This topic especially concerns the young, for they are more sensitive about these issues of life. Nevertheless, the There are many people who suffer from their ill natures, and can find no means to rid themselves of this quality.

The books that have been written in this field, as ideological and practical guides for the young are scarce’ and do not have the advantage of modern language skills. It is for this reason that we choose to produce a book for today’s youth.

Fortunately, we have found the book at hard and have decided to publish it; this book, Youth and Morals: A StepTowards Eradicating Corruption deals with the analysis of various behavioral issues in a new’ style, relying on Divine verses, prophetic narrations and tradition, from the Holy Imams (a.s .).

We urge you to thoroughly read this book and use it to counter and prevent social corruption.

The Organization for the Protection of Youth

Qum, Iran

TheWinter of 1387 A.H.

Introduction

Every individual in this world endeavors to achieve“happiness” and “tranquility and struggles day and night to reach this dream in the fields of’ life which appear like war arenas. He fights in this field willingly in most cases to sacrifice everything in order to witness the bird of happiness fly over his head so he may live beneath its shadow the rest of his life.

It is unfortunate to see many individuals possessing varioustalents which qualify them to lead a life of happiness and satisfaction subjected to different factors which make their souls a toy for discomfort and insecurity.

As a result, these individuals fall victim to the untrue dream that living happily is nothing but mere fiction, and that man’s inevitable conclusion is to become a strawbeing tossed around by the fictitious waves of pain ending up on the bottom of the grave of disillusion and poverty.

These pains and sufferings are not but the result of choosing false images over facts and realities.They have not followed that light of righteousness, nor have they resorted to a reliable segment on the path of life Surely the reflections of the images which are drawn in the minds of men in the sea of waves of anxieties and their lonely goals and unrealistic hopes are the factors to blame for bringing mankind out of light into darkness and making them subject to confusing hardships.

Man, who is the highest creature, is made of two distinguished powers, the spiritualpower and the mechanical power. In addition to the material characteristics which he shares with animals, man has many spiritual needs, which If fulfilled give him a very great chance of reaching perfection. Whenever one of these two sides of man becomes more powerful than theother the late becomes weaker and hence is defeated.

In light of the just mentioned fact, it is worthy to notice that industry has truly changed the features of life. The industrial advancement, together with the puzzling changes in the various aspects of life have explained many ambiguous uncertainties, and solved countless difficult questions.

Thus, many parts of the universe from the depth of the seas to the darkness of space became fields for man’s journeys and discoveries. On the other hand, the spiritual needs of man became weakened; corruption appeared on the land and seasas a result of the crimes he committed in the numerous corners of life. The number of disasters and inhuman crimes has reachedunbelielevels .

The factors of salvation have become weak in front of the phenomenon of corruption and social disorder. The remains of spirituality are burning in the midst of the fires of lust,loneliness and filth

Today we clearly observe that material gains have taken priority over virtue.

Man has equipped himself with the tools of industry and experimental sciences and has abandoned the goodmerits which are expected and needed to guard his soul from being destroyed under the feet of the evilness of lust and uncontrolled wants. Even human emotions are in a state of struggle between life and death.

Lying, stinginess, hypocrisy, oppression, selfishness and other lowly characteristics, all resembling an invincible dam blocking the stream of human happiness and perfection, have chained the hands of man and thrown him in the merciless waves of the ocean of relentless filth.

The triumph of the knights, loneliness, individual pains, socialdisasters and various miseries in general, are the result of the fall of human virtues. Both Sociologists and psychologists attest to the fact that without excellent virtues and spiritual guidance man would wander from the path ofjustice which leads him to peak of greatness and perfection.

Individuals who excel in society and whose namesare recorded in bold letters by history all enjoy some sort of pure and appreciated virtues. Societies which are not armed with the weapon of good manners are not ruled by worthy rules and do not, in fact, deserve to live as a human body.

It is for this reason that the destruction of previous great civilizations did not take place because of political or economical crisis but from a bankruptcy of good manners.

Man-made legislation and systems are unable to penetrate the human soul nor can they guarantee constructive relationships between the different societies and nations the same way spiritual manners do. Manmade laws, which are manifestations of human ideas, are not qualified to bring authentic happiness tomankind, this is because men have a limited thinking capacity.

Thus, they cannot conceive all of the phenomena surrounding their lives. Moreover, even if man knows the depth of the phenomenon surrounding him he is always subjected to outsideinfluences which prevent him from accepting the truth. In light of the above, we observe thatman-made laws, change with time and their surrounding conditions. In fact, the appearance of corruption and miseries are not but the result of the shortcomings of such laws.

On the other hand, we have the sacred school of theprophets which is inspired by the magnificent springs of the lights of revelation and depends on unlimited Divine knowledge. Thus, these laws are not vulnerable to the tides of time, change, or transformation.

Because of its comprehension of the realities of life and existence, the prophetic school offers humanity the most accurate system for reaching perfection and moral excellence, and calls man to direct his soul to greatness.

The positive and appreciated effects of faithfulness on man are undisputable, for it is clear that if man did not possess an internal motive to prevent him from making himself a victim of his lusts and unlimited wants, then any step he took towards, righteousness would mean certain failure. Hence, it is impossible to establish a safe and perfect human society, without equipping the human members with morality and spirituality.

The basics on which the eternal Islamic faithwas built by the greatest personality of all times, Prophet Muhammad (S), and which rely from the very first day on piety are those means of happiness that can bring comfort in this world and the hereafter.

In fact, the Islamic call was built on thebases which requires man to evaluate his spiritual value to the highest point by elevating the level of his beliefs to a chain of pure and praiseworthy values. Islam strictly prohibits man from sacrificing his excellent morals for the sake of his lusts and cravings. Islam stands in the face of those who dishonor humanity and fights them fiercely.

So a society where in the individual and social ties are built on Islamic values enjoys tranquility, comfort and trust in all aspects. All its members enjoy equal rights, and observe the interpersonal relations set by the faith. Thus, giving other societies the opportunity to achieve the same, which is a perfect step towards a great civil revolution bymankind.

* * *

In this book, we introduce some of the vital issues affectingman’s social life and how Islam deals with them .

It is incumbent on me to mention here that a section of this book was previously published in the magazine The Islamic Ideologywhich is published in Persian in the holy city of Qum. I leave it to our honorable readers to judge the value of thisbook which has been praised by many scholars.

I hope that we all advance in promoting ourselves on the path of the Islamic scholars, and by rescuing our souls from drowning in the filth of unguided lusts.

Sayyid Mujtaba Musavi Lari

Rabi’ul Aww’al , 1387 (1967)