Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

Chapter 6: What Path Should God’s Servants Take to Reach Their Lord

Be informed that anything big dwarves when compared to something bigger. Anything hard dwarves when compared with something harder. It diminishes and disappears, becoming nothing. One who is pricked by a thorn then bitten by a scorpion sees the thorn as nothing compared with the sting of the scorpion, something not worth mentioning at all. The Creator, Praise and Exaltation belong to Him, has subdued everything by creating something else higher than it.

Take a look at the greatness of the Commander of the Faithful (‘a), his might and prowess, his attainment of the extreme limit of perfection, and how he humbles himself when the name of Muhammad (‘s) is mentioned, admitting that he is his slave. Says the Imam (‘a),

‘I am one of the slaves of Muhammad (‘s)’ (Al-Kafi, Vol. 1, p. 89).

Such is the tangible principle about everything possible or in existence. So, if you want to think less of the life of this world and its hardships, take a look at what is harder. Imagine if you add to your hardship another hardship much harder for you; what would you then do? It is then that everything becomes easy when compared to what is harder. And it is then that you will count your blessings and say, ‘Praise be to Allah Who did not expose me to a hardship! Had He so willed, He would have done just that.’

Likewise, if you wish to appreciate a good deed which you have done so as to rid yourself of the elation, which is the substance of conceit and bragging, compare this good deed with others undertaken by those who are higher in status, those who are better than you. Or suppose you are elevated in your status; you will then see such a good deed as wrong and as indicative of your shortcoming, so you need to apologize for it. You will feel ashamed of being associated with it, let alone being proud of and elated about it.

If you become accustomed to such a habit, by the will of Allah, the most Gracious, the most Exalted One, you should incessantly keep seeking Allah, for there is no goal nor an end greater than loving Him: Whenever you ascend the ladder of being sincere in serving Him, you will see a higher, a more magnificent, a more bright and a more sublime station1 . So, if you wish to reach the end, there is none to reach, none to stop at.

But if you want to stop without any obstacle in your way to continue your ascendance, this is something which does not suit you. It is so because the most Glorious One, Praise is all due to Him, invites you with His munificence and generosity to get even closer to Him. Who else would you prefer over Him?! For what gain would you turn away from Him?! Lord! Whoever seeks anyone but You shall meet disappointment, and whoever wants to turn away from You shall be a loser!

Since it has become rationally accurate that there is no alternative for seeking a path to Allah through incessant obedience to Him, be then informed that you can achieve this by seeking another facet of obedience to Him if you stop observing another facet: Allah, the Praised One, loves to be asked for permission just as He loves those who uphold His commandments. One who seeks to win the love of Allah, the most Praised

and Exalted One, Allah shall open this gate for him and make its undertaking sound and hopeful adoration as means to attain His love, the most Exalted and the most Great that He is, for it is just so.

Also, the same takes place if he abandons them at a station where he fears lest boredom and lack of attachment should hinder him from such an obedience, as is the human nature. He will then be excused by Allah Who loves to be sought to grant permission. His abandonment of such a station will then earn him the love of the most Exalted and the most Great One even if one does not thus expect. A servant of Allah will then be subject to His love, the most Exalted and the most Great that He is, in whatever he does or does not do. Such is the great success, and for this should the doers of good strive.

A testimonial to such a meaning is a narrative variably reported from the Commander of the Faithful (‘a) and from our master, al- Hasan son of Ali (‘a). The Commander of the Faithful (‘a) is quoted as having said,

‘When two options, both pleasing Allah, are offered to a person, he [the good believer] should opt to undertake the one which is harder for him.’

Imam al- Hasan (‘a), however, says that such a believer will opt for the one easier to undertake.

The second view is interpreted by arguing that Allah loves to be sought for permission just as He loves His servants to observe His commandments, and He loves moderation in one’s form of adoration. It also falls under the category of those who say that

‘The creed is strong; so, you should delve into it gently, and do not force Allah’s servants to obey Allah’ (Al-Kafi, Vol. 2, p. 70)

and under the category of self- deception by attracting the soul to obey Allah. The first, too, gives the impression that it falls under the category of resisting one’s temptation which is the key to all blessings2 . Both admonish the servants of Allah and guide His creation. Hence, their status in the hearts cannot be realized by the minds or by the dreams, and they know it best.

Also, one must take the time to contemplate upon his actions so that he may perform them in the best way. This will be prompted by sincerity. This often requires some time, although anything you postpone is subject to Satan’s coveting, and postponement incorporates detriments including missing an opportunity.

So, if you see both these issues as contradicting each other, since through postponement you are apprehensive of missing the opportunity, while with haste you are apprehensive of spoiling the task which needs taking the time to contemplate on and to perform. Add to this the deception of Satan the Accused who tries to present it to you as an act of obedience while it is in reality for the satisfaction of one’s own desire, and to please Satan, so it will be a form of transgression.

The way to get rid of such a contradiction is that you ought to know whether the postponement will be an opportunity for Satan. If so, such a postponement is indicative of one’s ineffectiveness and laziness. It is out of love for wealth. It should remain in your hand: you will not spend it, for then it will get out of your hand. Such a postponement is the one that is

detrimental to the scholar, and there is no doubt about its ugliness. The self (nafs) must be fought and outsmarted so that the soul may save itself.

As regarding postponing the doing of something for the sake of taking the time to achieve its perfection, it is desired, liked and mandated by the Lord of Dignity. It is not to be followed by regret, nor does it cause missing an opportunity to do something good because you are thus a man of righteousness when you assess the issues properly:‘There can be no grounds (for complaint) against those who do what is right... ’(Qur’an, 9:91). 3

Nevertheless, if you wish to do something with precision and perfection, accompany your postponement of doing it with reliance on Allah, praying He will enable you to accomplish doing it when you actually undertake it. When you are dragged by laziness and the desire to postpone doing it, make advancing it accompanied by reliance on Allah to assist you to be sincere in such an undertaking and to accomplish it in a way that pleases Him and earns His Pleasure.

If you accompany the matter with reliance on Allah whether you postpone or advance its doing, exerting an effort to identify the motive in each case, if your concern is prompted by a selfish reason or by laziness, desiring to keep what is already in your hand, you will not be deputed [by the Almighty] for such a bad undertaking.

But if the motive for either advancement or postponement is a sound one which it requires, you will be doing what is right whether you advanced or postponed doing it, and you are not to blame; you will earn the love of Allah in either advancement or postponement case, just as we have already told you that you will earn the love of Allah if you did or did not do it. If a servant of Allah earns the love of Allah when he does or does not do something, or when he advances or postpones doing it, he will have accomplished his march towards Allah by continuously treading the path of obeying Him. Far, far away it is from Him to shun one who seeks Him and who knocks at His door.4

Do not ever be misled into thinking that the hearts’ path to Allah is confined to prayers, fasting, the recitation of the Qur’an, learning, educating, the recitation of supplications, the performing of ziyaras, and the like, so much so that they consider anything other than such pronouncements as ‘idle talk’ and ‘a waste of time’ as thought by our ‘righteous’ brothers. This is nothing but short- sightedness and some people being confused.5

Be informed that the essential requirement of the legislator with regard to mature people is to be strong in foresight so that they may obey their Lord with their full foresight and ample knowledge. Anything that has anything to do with strengthening foresight and increasing awareness is included in the legislator’s objective and is expected of him. Actually, he more than anyone else seeks and underscores this.

Anyone who restricts himself to the rituals mentioned above, eying them in such a limited way, stagnation will make the most of him. His awareness of the subjects of theShari`ah , of the Qiblah, of time, etc., will decrease. Anyone who wishes to deceive him with regard to his creed, be he a human

or ajinn , can do so. This is the opposite of what is sought by the person responsible for theShari`ah , and it runs contrarily to his goal.

This is the opposite of one who buys and sells, learns ethics, debates, the commendable manners relevant to making a question or answering one, in addition to his own manifestations of adoration, supplications, knowledge and teaching..., such a man is truly a man, a very good man; one’s conscience is the best testimony for all of that.

Just as you carefully looked into learning some tangible crafts, Allah opened gates for you on the knowledge of what makes sense. The essence in this is that Allah, the Praised One, connected what is tangible to what is rational, the matters of the Hereafter with those of this life.

So, one who seeks what is in the Hereafter without employing what is available in the life of this world will never achieve his objective: Allah has made the Hereafter issues attainable only with what is available in this life, making the life that is intended to attain the Hereafter as part of the Hereafter, something which is not to be condemned among the things relevant to this life. One hadith states the following:

‘Condemned is one who abandons his Hereafter for the sake of his life in this world, and condemned is one who abandons his life in this world for the sake of the Hereafter.’

The life the abandonment of which for the sake of the Hreafter is condemned is actually the one that leads one to the good things in the Hereafter, and it is the one that does not stand in the way of anything good. The first type of ‘dunya’ cannot be avoided to reach the goal, and it is mandatory. Discussing it, therefore, is considered useful for one’s awareness. Such a discussion strengthens one’s understanding and foresight, a meaning embedded in the traditions relevant to trade. (Most references state that it contributes to reason as stated onp. 148, Vol. 5, of Al-Kafi.)

It has also been reported in hadith that adoration is comprised of ten parts: nine about trade and one about all acts of obedience (to Allah). What supports this argument is the fact that the Prophet (‘s), prior to the inception of his mission, took to trade, and so did other prophets and messengers6 . The divine wisdom decreed that such perfections be scattered worldwide and that many of them are currently being discussed by people so that everyone may get his share thereof. This is why He has commanded that the wise word must be accepted no matter who articulates it, so much so that Ahl al- Bayt (‘a) have said,

‘Take wisdom even from the people of hypocrisy’

according toBihar al-Anwar, Vol. 2, p. 99. They (‘a) have also said,

‘Learn from the mouths of men’

as we read onp. 105, Vol. 2, ofBihar al-Anwar . When the Wise Legislator wanted His servant to earn an ample share of pieces of wisdom and branches of knowledge, He disseminated them throughout the world so that they could be accessible to them, ordering them to accept such pieces of wisdom from whoever brought them. Ahl al- Bayt (‘a) required their  Shi`ah to get to know people through their righteousness rather than righteousness through people. Their Imams (‘a) have said,

‘Look into what one says, and do not look into who said what’ (Bihar al-Anwar, Vol. 1, p. 355).

They (‘a) have also said,

‘Two things are unusual: a word of wisdom coming from a shallow- minded person, a word which you have to accept, and shallow- mindedness from a wise person which you have to forgive’

according toBihar al-Anwar, Vol. 2, p. 44.

Perfection, then, all perfection, is absorbing statements and actions, or they may be dealings, experiences, etc. Ahl al- Bayt (‘a) are cited as having said,

‘Reason is the storehouse of experiences, and the best experience is that which teaches you a lesson’

according toBihar al-Anwar, Vol. 74, p. 208 , and that an experience is knowledge earned, according toGhurar al-Hikam . Anything sparked inside a number of brethren, so they restricted themselves to following the well known rituals, limiting their outlook only to them, is something which we have put to the test. We looked into the past conditions of previous generations, those whose tales reached us, and we found the above to be an indication of a limited mentality, a lack in awareness, something which does not elevate anyone, nor does it help one reach lofty stations.

We, therefore, would like to attract one’s attention to the fact that it is one of the deceptions of Satan the Accursed which the latter uses to confine one from moving to lofty stations and coveted plateaus. What makes a thing easier compared with something else is to look at life in this world and at its affairs to see how insignificant these are compared with the matters of the Hereafter, circumstances and development stages.

One who seeks Allah has to get the worries relevant to this life out of his mind, so he is not excited about anything which he achieves, nor is he grieved by anything which he loses. He simply contemplates on these issues, looking into how fast they will disappear, how swiftly they will alter, how they will never remain the same. A wise person ought not be too concerned about something which is so unstable, something which in fact is... nothing!

Secondly, if we look at life in this world as ‘something’ this is what Satan the Accursed insinuates, Satan who has deceived this creation, making people believe that life by itself is something good. But there is no doubt, and by way of necessity, it cannot be compared with the pleasures of the Hereafter which are much better than its pleasures and which Allah has in store for His obedient servants, selecting them from among all others.

If we suppose that life has something good, this ‘something good’ diminishes when compared to the good things of the Hereafter. If you prolong your look and carefully contemplate, it will become quite clear to you that one who pays his full attention to the issues of this life as it is, not in order to thereby reach the good things of the Hereafter, will be paying attention to mere nothingness, to a vanishing falsehood7 .

So, our dear Brother! Be informed that the way of Ahl al- Bayt (‘a) is not ‘a thing’ by itself. If you look at it as a ‘thing’, wishing to leave it for something better, you are not guided at all to the way of Ahl al- Bayt (‘a)...,

period. Gather your thoughts, then, and supplicate to your Lord to help you get to know what life is according to Ahl al- Bayt (‘a) so that you may be among those who follow in their footsteps and adhere to their method; otherwise, we will be in a valley while our critics will be in another.

If some sound vision, a fixed and commendable way of thinking that life is not to be sought for what it is, nor should it be one’s ultimate objective..., becomes available to you, you will then have no choice except to confine your objective and inclination to what is rendered to Allah, to what Allah is sought for.

If it so happens that you will after that do something not for the sake of Allah, praise to Him, but to go along with your own nature, out of your own inclination, or because of the deception of Satan the Accursed, this is something which you did not intend to do in the first place, nor does it fall under your own will and determination. Rather, it is much like an unintentional slip of the tongue. You will still, despite this, have the right to state the following in the‘inclusive ziyarah’ :

‘... obedient to you [to Ahl al- Bayt (‘a)].’

This is so because in the case of intention to do or not to do something, you obey none but them (‘a). You see none others from among their foes as being worthy of your obedience except when you are deceived, or when you flee away or become unmindful. You will only then make a mistake and do something unintentionally, something contrary to your objective. You will then sincerely repent, truly seek forgiveness, for you always are determined not to fall into sinning again but to continue on your course of obedience8 . Do not include yourself among those to whom the following tradition hints:

‘One who keeps committing the same sin while still seeking forgiveness is like one who ridicules his Lord’ (Bihar al-Anwar, Vol. 90, p. 281).

You will then be excluded from those thus labelled. It is as though this same meaning was hinted at by the Master of Martyrs (‘a) in his `Arafa supplication thus:

‘Lord! You know that although my obedience to You has not been continuously positive, yet it has continued in the form of love for You and determination to seek You’ (Iqbal al-A`mal, p. 348).

All of this hinges on the love for the life in this world exiting from one’s heart even in the meaning which we have just stated, that is, your decision and determination are bound on not doing any worldly deed in order to thereby seek this dunya as your ultimate goal. Such is not sought by any wise person, so much so that if you do so, you will look at yourself as having joined the company of the unwise and left the wise behind you.

If you master this to the extent that you start with it whenever you contemplate upon doing something, yours will be the objective which we have stated as well as others similar to its gist; so, take advantage of it, and do not be among the unmindful.

Footnotes

1. Feeling aware of the Divine manifestations, which are the most significant boons in existence, boons which help one along his march, a servant increases in his passion to what is greater and more beautiful whenever the veil is removed from his eyes, for there is no repetition in such a process of manifestation. Eeach manifestation from the One Who knows the unknown has its specific magnificence and attraction which make it different from its precedent. This is why the friends of Allah who enjoy the pleasure of manifestations can hardly encounter any hardship in life despite its bitterness: the pleasure of reaching their station makes them forget the pain of any separation even when all the people of the earth consider such separation as something quite grave.

2. The compiler’s expression ‘going against one’s inclinations is the key to all blessings’ is not exaggerated. One of the principles of the path to Allah Almighty, a principle which never falters, is the impossibility of undertaking such a journey without self- control, for how can anyone other than the animal’s owner control the animal’s path? The first step in the movement, therefore, is to accustom one’s human existence, in all its parts and senses, to one’s will. It is well known that this stage can be regarded as crossing half the distance: Inclination, desire and fantasy are all among the doors which drag a servant of Allah to the bottomless pit no matter how serious such a servant is in making the entire distance. The matter is not accomplished through belief, conviction in addition to hopes. Imam al- Kazim (‘a), hence, says the following:

‘I have come to know that the best of provisions of one who seeks You is a determined will whereby he prefers You; it is through the strength of will that my heart has addressed You.’ (Al- Iqbal, Vol. 3, p. 277).

3. Getting to know the right timing for proceeding to do something or withholding doing it needs, in reality, a foresight and assistance from Allah Almighty. Quite often, we lose the opportunity to earn great benefits because we do not watch for the opportunity which passes away like a summer cloud. Harvesting fruits on time is the concern of anyone who treads the path. What a loss it is when the farmer wakes up after the harvest season or when what is to be harvested has already withered?!

4. This statement, though brief, is very precise. He combines earning the love of Allah, the basis of the divine attraction to the servant of Allah, with the practical conduct while doing what is obligatory and avoiding what is prohibitive. Some people erroneously think that demonstrating such love without actions earns a servant of Allah degrees of nearness to Allah. So you find them aimlessly soaring spiritually, employing poetry once and once prose just to return from their soaring to their living reality which contains what brings about the wrath of the Lord on account of their individual, social or family dealings.

5. This is one gate that opens many gates of knowledge and insight in seeking a way to please Allah Almighty. We find some people summarizing such a path in a number of thikrs and certain sections of the Qur’an (wirds), forgetting that a creed is not merely talk. A creed, rather, is based on knowledge and treatment which prompt the saying of what agrees with theShari`ah . Quite often, being occupied with wirds (in a way not followed by Ahl al- Bayt [‘a]) causes the intoxication of one’s subconsciousness, so he thinks he is doing great while he is not doing anything. Add to this the fact that the reality of a supplication is the movement which stems from the heart and which is prompted by the meanings of what is articulated. The articulated supplication is nothing but the manifestation of its hidden meanings. If a pronouncement is empty of prompting the meanings suitable for them, what is revealed ought not be revealed... And what is the value of a structure which has no content?

6. Such is the condition of incorporating all fields in the requirements of worship. Inclusion of acting upon theShari`ah is one of the characteristics of one who truly seeks a path to his Lord, unlike one who wishes to fly with one wing, let alone one who wishes to fly with one single feather! What is tested by reason is that the defect caused by falling short of one’s effort to secure livelihood is the result of one’s distraction to many things rather than the concentration on one. A path seeker, more than anyone else, needs to shun such a distraction and any multitude of burdens in his life. Anything vacant is like a rope heavily tying a servant of Allah down to earth. All this excludes what such a servant may have to undergo of pure fate and destiny. He will be rewarded for it, even if it forces him to

be distracted. Allah, the most Exalted, the most Great One, helps His servant achieve that from which he is distracted and compensates him [for his loss] with what such a servant can never imagine.

7. Paying attention to the fact that life is temporal and will terminate is one of the important reasons why one should not set his heart on it. What is contemptible is loving its pleasures; otherwise, life itself cannot be described as beautiful or ugly. Since Allah Almighty is the One Who beautifies it, nobody has the right to speak ill of it. How can one do so since Allah Almighty rebukes anyone who prohibits the enjoyment of its good things? But if the one who beautifies it is Satan, mankind then ought to be cautious in its regard just as he may be of a snake: It is soft when touched, while inside her is the deadly venom. It is necessary to overcome one’s deception in this regard. Nurture your soul with the hope for a much greater reward and a much lasting one so that you may not be distracted by what is little and vanishing. Imam Ali (‘a) is quoted as having said,

‘Had life in this world been filled with gold while the Hereafter is filled with baked clay, I would have opted for the baked clay of the Hereafter in preference over the gold of this life because such a clay lasts forever, whereas life’s gold is temporal.’ So, what if the gold of the Hereafter is everlasting while the clay of this life vanishes? (Shajarat Tuba, Vol. 2, p. 422).

8. This is one of the realistic portraits painted by the author as he outlines his ethical path. A slippage resulting from unmindfulness or unawareness ought not instill despondency in the heart of one who seeks Allah. By nature, one’s heart quite often fluctuates, and Allah Almighty loves those who often return to Him just as He loves those who seek to purify themselves. Some traditions have made a similitude between a believer (mu’min) and an ear of grain which keeps falling then straightening itself. People of knowledge are fully aware of the fact that the complementing movement of a servant of Allah, following each time he returns to Allah and repents, may intensify in order to make a reason for being compensated for the stages during which he lost on account of unmindfulness or submission to desire.

Footnotes

1. Paying attention to the brevity of one’s life- span prompts him to remain vigilant and to motivate him as he moves to do anything at all. Man naturally loves for himself what is good and desires goodness and eternity even as he confuses himself while identifying the sources of what is good and what is not, as is obvious. Thereupon, to absorb the notion that life is very brief and that the happiness or the misery of such eternity is defined by this limited life- span makes every temporary moment equivalent to perpetuity. It is well known that such a rational comparison, to which he is invited by both theShari`ah and by transmitted incidents, changes one to a being who is very careful about each and every moment of his life. He is also concerned about doing what is best to fill this short period which will determine one’s eternal faith: either perpetual damnation in hell, or a perpetual bliss in heaven.

2. Some references states hat one hour’s contemplation is better than a year’s adoration. As for sixty years, rewards, it is reported about one who falls sick while performing the pilgrimage in Mecca (Al- Mustadrak, Vol. 9, p. 364) and for one who learns two ahadith or who teaches them to others, thus reaping their benefits (Bihar al- Anwar, Vol. 2, p. 152), for one who implements justice even for one hour (Jami` al- Akhbar, p. 119), and for one who falls sick and accepts such sickness wholeheartedly. About the latter, the Imam (‘a) has said,

‘He does not complain about what afflicted him to anyone.’ (Mishkat al- Anwar, p. 281).

3. Most books do not lack this piece of advice. One who is busy committing a sin, though minor, is not prepared to take this journey which requires the traveller to be accepted by his Master. Success in undertaking such a path depends on the Divine blessings which guide the servant of Allah. These cannot be earned by a servant who exposes himself to the Wrath of his Master, the One Who grants such blessings. It is well known that a sin, though minor except if we commit it against someone great, thus making such a sin quite serious, causes one to feel ashamed and frightened once he looks deeply into it. This is why it is customary for all those who tread this path to keep seeking Allah’s forgiveness in order to renew their covenant with the Lord Whom we have never come to know as He ought to be known nor worshipped as He ought to be worshipped. As for the prophets and wasis, peace be upon them, who do seek Allah’s forgiveness, they seek it in order to express their humility to Him, deeming Him Great. In addition to that, their conditions sometimes change from the highest to the high, and such a change obligates them to always seek forgiveness.

Chapter 4: Some Venues Leading to Allah Almighty

Be informed that there are venues which lead to Allah and which number as many as the beings themselves1. For each of Allah’s creation there are as many paths leading to Him as many as there are beings. A wretch is one who sees the mercy of Allah as straitened though it encompasses everything.

Be informed that there is no way bringing success than thinking well of Allah, for He is according to what His believing servant thinks of Him: good for good and vice versa. People are accustomed, by their evil- insinuating souls, and because of Satan, to think ill of their Lord.

They are swift to have presentiments, to feel despondent at the mere witnessing of the signs of affliction. They are frightened because of the severity of the affliction, feeling certain it is befalling them, so they fall into that from which they try to flee, and whatever affliction they were afraid of will come to pass; we seek refuge with Allah from any kind of such ill thinking.

You have already come to know that such ill thinking qualifies a servant to be dealt with accordingly because of such ill thoughts except if Allah, the Praised One, forgives him. The Prophet (‘s) used to always love to be optimistic and to hate pessimism(Bihar al-Anwar, Vol. 92, p. 2).

Pessimism is according to what a pessimist envisions: If he sees it as severe, so will it be, and if he sees it as light, so will it be, too. And if he does not pay any attention to it, it will be as though it was never there(Rawdat Al-Kafi, p. 197).

A believer who tries to follow in the footsteps of Ahl al- Bayt (‘a) must accustom himself to thinking well of his Lord, expecting Allah to reward him with plenty for the little that he does. He, Praise to Him, is the only One Who gives plenty for little. Whatever good things you expect of Him, and whatever you think of the norms of His generosity, He is more than what you think: Your mental scope is limited while His generosity, Praise to Him, has no limit.

He, Glory to Him, has already informed you that He is according to your good thoughts of Him. Our master, the Commander of the Faithful (‘a), has said, ‘Whoever thinks well of you, you should prove him right’(Bihar al-Anwar, Vol. 74, p. 212) . Actually, some incidents and legacies tell us that one who thinks well of something, Allah will prove him right and facilitate for him according to his good expectation, as if this is linked to thinking well of Allah. This is so because the meaning of thinking well of someone is rendered to thinking well of Allah Who instilled in him such hidden yet known goodness, that is, the source of everything good is Allah; Allah, therefore, actualizes such a notion, proving its accuracy.

One particular hadith clearly states that if anyone thinks well even of a stone, Allah will place a lot of goodness in it. The person who transmitted this tradition, thereupon, asked the Imam (‘a), ‘... a stone?!’ The Imam (‘a) said,

‘Don’t you see the Black Stone?!’ 2

One deducts from the above that Allah, Praise and Exaltation are His, proves the good intentions of those who believe in Him with regard to each other, letting such intentions materialize.

Another example is the testimony of those who testify for a deceased person, saying that they did not know anything about him but good things, drawing on thinking well of others, actually on their lack of knowledge of anything bad about him. The hadith states that Allah sanctions their testimony, forgives them and forgives him whatever He knows which they do not know. The requirement of good intention is that Allah permits it to materialize with regard to the person who thus thinks as well as the subject of the thought except when there is a strong obstacle hindering its application to one who thus thinks of him or of it.

In this case, Allah helps its materialization to the other party. Other legacies indicate that a man may be generous to another man based on his assumption that he is good, so Allah permits him, on its account, to enter Paradise even when Allah knows that the person to whom this man was generous is one of the inmates of the Fire. This is a case when there is a strong obstacle in the way of realizing the good thought about the man who receives such generosity, so the reward is the lot of the other person because of his good intention.

The outcome of all of this is that anyone who acts upon what he is commanded, that is, to think well of his believing brethren, will never be disappointed. His good intention may prove to be accurate, or the matter will be turned according to his own good intention through the mercy of Allah, or He may help such a good intention materialize. If nothing good reaches the person of whom he thinks well, this will not harm him in the least.

This is a great lesson in thinking well of the believers. Perhaps it is based on this concept that the congregational prayer is accepted, for those who follow the Imam think well of him, so they pray behind him, advancing him as intermediary between them and Allah in the acceptance of their prayers.

Allah, therefore, grants them their wish, accepting the prayers of everyone because they thought well of Him. There are other examples of such good intentions such as one who drinks from the remnant of a believer’s ablution water seeking blessings, and it is like drinking the water of Zamzam. Both Martyrs have said, ‘A group of highly distinguished men drank of the water of Zamzam seeking the realization of religious and secular objectives, earning them all’(Sharh al-Lam`a al-Dimashqiyya, Vol. 2, p. 329).

Some supplications contain admonishment that the best of the means of earning sustenance is supplication. One states the following:

‘Lord! Grant me conviction and to think well of You’ (Bihar al-Anwar, Vol. 95, p. 95).

The ahadith contain something even more impressive, that is, Allah grants the realization of a good intention even if it is false. Imam Al- Sadiq (‘a) is quoted as having said,

‘On the Day of Judgment, a servant is brought, and he is ordered to be hurled into the Fire. The servant turns back, whereupon Allah, Glory and

Exaltation are His, says, ‘Bring him back.’ When he is brought back, Allah asks him, ‘O My servant! Why did you turn back to Me?’ He answers saying, ‘Lord! I did not think of You to be like that!’ Allah, the most Great One, asks him, ‘What did you think of Me, then?’ The man would say, ‘I thought that You would forgive me and permit me to reside, through Your mercy, in Your Paradise.’ Allah, the most Exalted One, would say, ‘O My angels! I swear by My Dignity and Greatness, by my Loftiness of Station, that this man never thought of Me well even for one moment. Had he thought well of Me even for a moment, I would not have terrified him with the Fire. Sanction his life and lodge him in Paradise.’ (Al-Jawahir al-Saniyyah, p. 270). 3

Look into this incident and you will see what cannot be described. It is through a tradition such as this and through observing its likes of the Divine boons that our good intentions are strengthened and our hopes for an inclination by the Lord of Greatness be included under thinking well of Allah. If they are not from it, they are no less than pretensions.

You have already come to know how He sanctions them and treats them as though they were real. His judgment in both places is one and the same:‘... you will see no want of proportion in the creation of (Allah) the Most Gracious One.’ (Qur’an, 67:3).

Be informed that merely thinking well of Allah does not mean that one should remain inactive, leaving aside the doing of good deeds with the excuse that He thinks well of Allah, for this is one of the tricks of Satan the Accursed, may Allah grant us refuge from his mischief together with all those who believe in Muhammad (‘s) and his purified Progeny (‘a).

Rather, it obligates one to be attracted to what Allah has in store with Him and to strongly desire what Allah grants. If one loves what Allah has to offer, he will be attracted to His grants, considering any hardship as easy. If one knows what he seeks, it will be easy for him to undertake the effort.

Our master, al- Ridha’ (‘a), is quoted as having said, ‘Allah revealed to [Prophet] David (‘a) saying,

‘A servant of Mine may come to Me with one good deed whereby I grant him Paradise. He was asked, ‘Lord! What is this good deed?’ He said, ‘He removes the worry of a believer even with half a date.’ David (‘a) said, ‘Anyone who truly gets to know You can never lose hope [of receiving Your mercy]’ (Al-Jawahir al-Saniyyah, p. 79.).

So, if the most Exalted One and the most Great grants this great Paradise, the width of which is like that of the heavens and the earth, in exchange for half a date [given by way of charity], I plead to you in the Name of Allah to answer me: How can anyone stop dealing with such a Generous One and become indifferent to such dealing even for a twinkling of an eye?!

What would be one’s alternative? If one lost a moment wherein he did not pay his full attention to Allah, what can his compensation for his loss be? Never! He has surely missed something for which there is no compensation and has cheated himself irreparably.

It is for such a conclusion, and due to the intensity of Allah’s compassion towards His believing servants, that the gloriousShari`ah came to arrange the great rewards for the believers when they move or when they do not, so

much so that Imam Ali son of Imam al- Husain (‘a) taught his followers to recite the following supplication: ALord!

Let our heartbeats, the movements of our parts, the twinkling of our eyes and whatever we utter be worthy of receiving Your rewards’. (Al-Sahifah al-Sajjadiyyah, p. 60). He (‘a) has also said the following in some of his supplications:

‘... and I seek Your forgiveness on account of every pleasure attained without remembering You’ (the 15th munajat).

Allah Almighty wants His servants not to lose a loss for which there is no compensation by being too indifferent to deal with Him, thus missing His rewards for even the twinkling of an eye. This is why He has made the venues leading to Him count as many as His beings, so much so that one who drinks water and remembers the thirst of al- Husain (‘a) and his Ahl al- Bayt (‘a), so he condemns his killer, Allah writes down for him a hundred thousand good deeds, wipes from him a hundred thousand sins, raises his status a hundred thousand degrees, regards him as though he set free a hundred thousand slaves and resurrects him on the Day of Judgment with a cool heart(Al-Kafi, Vol. 6, p. 193).

Can you imagine that the One Who thus grants, who prepares such rewards, agrees to let His servant, who needs Him, the Absolute Rich One that He is, waste even one breath which he draws? Never! Far away it is from Him! Rather, He wants this poor servant to willingly seek his Lord, for there is no good except that it is with Him, nor is there any honor except in seeking Him. Once he seeks Allah, He, too, will seek him.

Once he seeks Him, He will treat him with His kindness and generosity and be his guide whenever he contemplates, moves, settles, sleeps, remains awake, with the Pleasure of His Lord according to His generosity, open- handedness and blessings.

Imam al- Baqir (‘a) has said, ‘Allah revealed to David (‘a) to

‘Inform your people that no servant among them whom I command, so he gives Me, except that it becomes incumbent upon Me to listen to his wish, to assist him in obeying Me. When he asks me, I grant him; when he calls upon Me, I answer him; when he seeks refuge with Me, I grant him refuge; when he pleads to Me to give him sufficiently, I grant him till he is satisfied; when he relies on Me, I protect him from wherever he is vulnerable even if all My beings conspire against him.’ (Al-Jawahir al-Saniyyah, p. 74).

Such is the sign of His extreme compassion and spacious mercy: He goes to extremes in warning His poor servant against going where he has no business, let alone where he is harmed. The following is excerpted from one of the Qudsi addresses cited from p. 66 of Al- Jawahir al- Saniyyah:

‘O son of Adam! If you find cruelty in your heart, an ailment in your body, a decrease in your wealth, a deprivation in your sustenance, you should then know that you spoke about what does not concern you.’

This is a reference to unnecessary talk, let alone prohibitive one, for the latter is more dangerous than poison, for poison affects one’s body, while unnecessary talk causes one’s heart to be hard, decreases one’s wealth, deprives him of his sustenance in addition to harming his body. How, then,

can the Compassionate God accept that one should thus expose himself to such great perdition? Rather, it is narrated that Allah, Glory belongs to Him, holds His servant accountable for looking at what does not concern him just as He holds him accountable for talking about what is none of his business.4

Because He does not want to let His poor and miserable servant waste one of the looks which he casts, He made looking at the face of a scholar a norm of adoration, looking at the Ka`bah as a form of adoration, and looking at what Allah has created in order to gain admonishment as a form of adoration, for an hour of such contemplation is equivalent [with Allah] to sixty years of adoration:

‘Wherever you turn, God’s presence is there. God is all - Pervading, all - Knowing.’ (Qur’an, 2:115).

Imam al- Sadiq (‘a), Ja`far ibn Muhammad ibn Ali (‘a), quotes his forefathers citing the Prophet (‘s) saying,

‘Allah revealed to Prophet David saying: ‘O David! Just like the sun which can shade quite many, My mercy is never too straitened for anyone who seeks it. And just like pessimism does not harm anyone who is not a pessimist, those who are pessimist cannot save themselves from dissension.’ (Al-Jawahir al-Saniyyah, p. 77).

This divine Qudsi address is one of the greatest testimonies to our argument that a pessimist who thinks ill of his Lord cannot save himself from dissension, so he falls into perdition. And anyone who is not a pessimist, on account of thinking well of his Lord, cannot be harmed by the things held with pessimism; their evil is warded off through his own good thoughts of Allah.

Anyone who seeks the mercy of Allah by studying the path of Ahl al- Bayt (‘a)5 , and who follows in their footsteps, can never see their paths as too narrow. Rather, they are still expanding. The gates, one of each opens to a thousand other gates, keep opening for him till he reaches the station which brings him happiness through the noor of learning and knowledge, something with which Allah praised His Prophet (‘s) when He said,

‘Have We not expanded your breast for you?’ (Qur’an, 94:1).

If Allah blesses him with reaching such a station, he will be one of those who will not be harmed by this life’s afflictions, nor by the afflictions of the Hereafter. In other words, if any kind of affliction befalls him, he does not regard it as an affliction, as people do; rather, he considers it as one of the means which enable him to attain the Pleasure of Allah.

According to the lofty stations with Allah Almighty which he seeks, he enjoys the greatest refuge and the most pleasing of rewards. This is why some of the attributes of al- Husain (‘a), which were shared by his fellows at the [battle of] Taff, is that whenever affliction intensified, the glow of their faces increased in intensity, and they became more optimistic. May Allah grant us and yourself such stations. How can the kings’ sons ever enjoy such pleasures?! Suffices us Allah, and how Great His help is and His support!

Footnotes

1. This is a fact which increases the insight of the servant of Allah as he treads towards Allah Almighty. There is no fixed equation about the particularities of seeking Him. Every period of time, place, individual and circumstance has its own requirements and obstacles. This is why the venues have been so numerous though the path is one and the same. Allah, hence, made the first plural and the second singular as we see in the Qur’an. Here, one should not be too much concerned about the particularities of an individual treading the path, though he may get there, because each individual has his own circumstances and obligations. Getting to know the most suitable path is the concern of all those who tread this path. There is no problem with the obligatory injunction from theShari`ah to get to know this fact from what is narrated in the fiqh. Rather, the problem is inherent in the personal events an individual undergoes wherein there is no role for fiqh to play such as the issue of so many more, or most, important things there are. For this, one who treads the path needs a keen insight to know the most straight venue compared with other straight ones. These may be achieved either by getting a sense of apprehension or of conviction of it, or by being coerced to take the right course even if one is not aware of being coerced. Or it may be done through the recommendations of those endowed with knowledge for whom the gates are opened, hence Allah inspires their intellects and addresses their power of reasoning. Thus, they dawned fully awake in their hearing, vision and comprehension (Nahjul- Balagha, Vol. 2, p. 211). The Prophet (‘s) has said,

‘Beware of the believer’s ferocity, for he sees through the noor of Allah.’ (Bas’air al- Darajat, p. 375).

2. I have not come across this tradition in the references at my disposal, yet the narrative, if we suppose there is one as such, wants to point to the elements of this existence as being capable of receiving blessings from the Lord. Although all things in existence are equal in standing before Him, their Originator, yet, because of matters with which only He is familiar, some of them are chosen by Him to receive His kindness, such as certain sacred places and blessed times. They, therefore, are transformed, after receiving such honoring, to serve one of His affairs. Thus, their characteristics and effects become distinguished from those of their peers in existence. Here is Joseph’s coat: upon being put on his father’s face, vision is restored to his father. And here is the Arch of Covenant wherein there is tranquility for them from their Lord. And here is a handful from the footprints of the Messenger which performs miraculous things. And here is the Black Stone, according to the afore- mentioned tradition, which has been made like His right hand on earth. All of these things are intangible; so, what would happen if the matter applies to the world of articulate beings, the souls which submitted to their Lord willingly such as the souls of the Infallible ones (‘a)?!

3. This is a narrative that instills hope in the hearts of many people. Look at such mercy which encompasses even those who are the least qualified [on account of being liars] to pretend to think well of Allah; so, what would you say about one who sincerely anticipates His mercy?! What about one who implements such anticipation in his life?! Yet we again wonder: How many are those who are aware of the weight of such a statement articulated by such a servant on the Day of Judgment? Had all the people gathered together on the Day of Gathering applied it, they would all have attained salvation! But the Almighty is the One Who instructs His servant as to how he argues with Him on the Day when He meets Him because of what He saw him doing in the life of this world and whereby he deserves such munificence on such a terrifying Day.

4. Such is the requirement of precise surveillance of one’s conduct in its highest degrees, for what the eyes see is regarded by most people as something which does not require accountability, since the eye sees so long as it is not shut, whether one wants it or not. But one who watches himself turns this involuntary operation into a voluntary one. He, therefore, will not look at what he is not supposed to, let alone what he is prohibited from looking at. Through this hadith and its likes, it becomes quite clear that the path to Allah, Al- Sirat al- Mustaqim, is sharper than the sword’s edge. This is why it is hard to reach the destination except if Allah grants His favor and mercy.

5. The expression of the compiler here is quite magnificent. On one hand, he has made the study of their path rewardable with the Divine mercy. The very inclination to know

about them and to feel comfortable with the signs of their competition with each other in doing good is an indication of one’s readiness to receive blessings from them. Otherwise, souls that are strange to each other do not feel comfortable with statements such as these about those who communicated with the world of ghayb. On the other hand, he stressed the necessity to stay in touch with them, for how can anyone be guided to the greatest of Allah’s Paths unless he absorbs the truth about the Divine wilaya represented in the Prophet (‘s) and his wasis (‘a)?! How can such souls, which never comprehended even the most obvious facts in the world of knowledge, for nothing has received more attention than the wilaya (Al- Kafi, Vol. 2, p. 18), comprehend the particularities of treading the path leading to the Lord of lords?!

Chapter 5: Man is Weak

O Brother who is too indifferent to reform himself, ignorant of his own reality! You, poor soul, have two facets and considerations:

One of them concerns your own self, you as you are. To this facet have both your vision and observation been absent. From this facet, you are a diminishing and perishing person of no value or worth; nobody is concerned about you; you are nothing!

As for your other facet, you are tied to the Divine might; you are the manifestation of the Greatness of the Lord; you are a creature made by this Great Creator, the most Exalted One, the most Great. From this facet, you are tied to all the world starting from the `Arsh and ending with the earth, from the seventh high heavens to the seventh lowest earth, in addition to what is between the east and the west and all parts of the earth.

So, if you are good to your own soul, you do well to the whole world and vice versa1 . If this confuses you, there is a likeness for you under the `Arsh which does similarly to what you do. If you do something ugly, Allah puts a shield on your likeness lest you should be scandalized by those around the `Arsh. And if you do something good, Allah manifests it for them. This is the meaning of this statement:

‘O One Who manifests what is beautiful and covers what is ugly’ reported by our mentor, al - Bahai, in his Muftah where he quotes Imam al - Sadiq (‘a) saying, ‘Each and every believer has a likeness in the `Arsh. If he is busy bowing, prostrating and the like, his likeness does the same. It is then that the angels see him, pray and seek forgiveness for him. And if the servant is busy committing an act of disobedience, Allah lowers down a curtain on his likeness so that the angels may not see it. ’ (Muftih al-Falah, p. 156).

Also, there is no doubt that your daily deeds, every morning and evening, are displayed before the Prophet (‘s) and before the Imams (‘a), especially the Imam of the Time (‘a), may Allah hasten his reappearance, who is Waliyy al - Amr. Anything good in these deeds pleases them, so much so that one of them has said, ‘By Allah! The Messenger of Allah (‘a) is more pleased when a believer does his brother a favor than the one in need of the favor’ (Al-Kafi, Vol. 2, p. 156).

There is no doubt that the Prophet (‘s) and his Ahl al- Bayt (‘a) are the pillars and the corners of the world while the whole world, including the angels and others, are their subjects. Whoever pleases the sultan of the world pleases all the subjects on account of pleasing the sultan and the sultanate, so the whole world supplicates to such a benevolent servant saying,‘May Allah please you just as you pleased us!’

And if he commits a wrongdoing, he displeases the Prophet (‘s) and his Ahl al- Bayt (‘a); therefore, the trees will dry, the fruits will spoil, the rain will stop falling and prices will keep rising.

So, O wretch! The impact of your act of obedience or disobedience on the whole world has become clear to you, in addition particularly to the angels assigned for you. Add to this what we have already pointed out above regarding the effect of obedience and disobedience on one’s offspring and on the offspring of the offspring, and so on.

Contrariwise, the benefit encompasses all the bygone believers as well as those still living who recite this supplication: ‘Lord! Forgive the believing men and women,’ so much so that it has been reported that all the believing men and women intercede for the person who thus supplicates and say, ‘This is the one who used to seek forgiveness for us!’(Al-Wasa’il, Vol. 4, p. 151).

It is reported that everyone in the heavens and on earth seeks forgiveness for the scholar, including the fish in the ocean (Al- Kafi, Vol. 1, p. 34). The most Praised One has said,

‘Those who bear the throne (of Allah) and those near to Him glorify and praise their Lord. They believe in Him and implore His forgiveness for those who believe’ (Qur’an, 40:7).

It is well known that if one is a famous mujtahid, those in the east and in the west benefit from emulating him, finding his books and compilations useful, and so are his means of guiding them when alive and even after his demise.

Thus, it becomes clear to you how you can bear an impact on the whole world from the second facet in you, from your being tied to the Holy One, the manifestation of His Greatness; so, how do you justify, O wretch, your indifference and lack of concern when you turn to the other facet whereby you are nothing at all?!

Surely our master, the Commander of the Faithful (‘a), has said the truth when he said (the following verses of poetry):

Your remedy is within you, though you do not see it;

And your ailment is from you, though you do not feel it:

Do you think you are but a small heavenly body,

While in you the Greatest World unfolds?!

And you are the clear book which,

Through its signs, what is hidden is revealed. (Diwan Amir al- Mu’minin [‘a], p. 175)

If you neglect yourself, your Lord does not neglect you; Allah Almighty has said,

‘Does man think that he will be left uncontrolled (without a purpose)? (Qur’an, 75:36).

Wake up, then, from your indifference, and pay attention to the second facet whereby you become a human being; thus did your Lord call upon you to do. If you regard yourself among the wretched folks, being distant from any chance for happiness, be informed, poor soul, that Allah effaces whatever He pleases and so does He fix, and with Him is the Mother Book.

Beware lest you should be a devil in a human form. Be informed that if you choose this for yourself, you will have lost the opportunity of earning the Divine Care, corrupted the whole world on account of your own corruption, cast grief in the hearts of the prophets and the messengers, the angels near to Allah and all those in the heavens and on earth. The earth complains from your walking on its surface, and the heavens complains from shading you.

It has been reported that the earth complains to Allah for forty mornings about one who is not circumcised and who urinates on it(Bihar al-Anwar,

Vol. 101, p. 110) , one of the deeds held in contempt; so, what is wrong with you?!

As a whole, you, O wretch, become an enemy of Allah. All those who live in the domain of Allah are your foes2 . They seek permission to have their revenge against you. So, how can you have the might that can withstand them all, the insignificant weakling that you are? Who will shelter you if you duel with Him and fight Him?! Surely there is no escape route for you except one leading to Him:

‘Then hasten (at once) to Allah: I am a plain warner to you from Him!’ (Qur’an, 51:50).

  Anyone who is afraid of anyone flees away from the latter except one who is afraid of Allah: he flees to Him. If you flee to Him, the most Exalted and Great that He is, listen to what Imam al- Sadiq (‘a) has narrated from his grandfather, the Messenger of Allah (‘a) who quotes Allah Almighty saying,

‘Whenever I look at the heart of one of My servants and come to see how he loves to be sincere in his obedience to Me, seeking My Pleasure, I undertake to reform him and to guide him.’ (Al-Jawahir al-Saniyyah, p. 133).

The Prophet (‘s) has quoted Allah Almighty as saying,

‘Once I come to know that My servant is concerned about Me, I direct his desire to ask Me and to plead to Me. If My servant is as such, and if he inclines to be off - guard, I stop him from losing his guard. Such are My true servants. Such are the true heroes, those who, if I want to penalize all the residents of the earth, I spare them all the penalty for the sake of such heroes.’ (Bihar al-Anwar, Vol. 90, p. 162).

Look carefully into this tradition and see how it concludes with Allah sparing  all the people of the earth from the penalty and the perdition only because of the presence of such servants of His. Their mere presence is a blessing to the whole world. It safeguards everyone from annihilation.

As a whole, everything in this world is interconnected with each other, and it is like the one individual: If pain afflicts one of his parts, all other parts will feel the pain as well. If the same pain is removed from that single part, the pain will be removed from all the others.

One hadith states that if a servant praises Allah, he will be included in the supplication of all other participants in the congregational prayer service because the latter say,

‘Allah listens to those who praise Him.’ (Al-Wasa’il, Vol. 4, p. 2).

So look and see how such a servant is connected to all others in the world who pray: Their supplication includes him in theirs by virtue of one single statement... Likewise, if one does something good, and if he does it well, he will be included in the supplication of the Prophet (‘s) who has said,

‘May Allah have mercy on one who does something and does it well.’ (Kanz al-`Ummal, p. 9128).

There is no doubt that the supplication of the Prophet (‘s) is answered, and one who is included in the mercy of Allah (‘a) is saved from perdition.

There are some in our time who wish they had lived during the time of the Prophet (‘s) so that, perhaps, they could have been included in one of his

supplications, imagining that such an opportunity had passed and cannot be compensated.

This assumption is wrong. Their being included in the supplication of the Prophet (‘s), and such a supplication reaching them in our time, is quite easy: Just as we said, if one does something well, he will be included in the Prophet’s supplication for mercy. And if one fasts one day during the month of Sha`ban, for example, he, too, becomes included in the supplication of the Prophet (‘s) wherein he says,

‘Sha`ban is my month; may Allah have mercy on anyone who assists me to undertake my month.’ (Al-Wasa’il, Vol. 10, p. 492).

The Prophet (‘s) is far from depriving the people of this time of the blessings of his honorable supplication. Rather, he has made many honorable supplications for many different occasions. Whoever wishes to include himself in any of such supplications, he will then be included in such a supplication which is sure to be answered [upon his recitation thereof].

Look at yourself, Brother, and see how he has touched you with his mercy by including you under such honorable supplications which paved for you the path to be included in them. When you are indifferent and absent- minded, you wish to include yourself under foul titles; the whole world will then supplicate against you. Anyone who causes a believer to grieve actually grieves the Messenger of Allah (‘a), then Ali, (‘a) then al- Hasan (‘a), then al- Husain (‘a), then the rest of the Imams (‘a), then the whole world, causing the world to shout against him in one voice:

‘May Allah cause you to grieve just as you grieved us!’ (Al-Kafi, Vol. 1, p. 90).

So, Brother, you are very important, very significant, and you are between two of your facets in all your conditions and circumstances: You may either seek Allah or turn away from Him3 . If you turn to Him, He will turn to you, too. And if you turn away from Him, He, too, will turn away from you. As a result, everything else will turn away from you as well. You are helplessly positioned between this and that.

O One Who turns to those who turn to Him, granting them His kindness out of His favor! We plead to You to grant us success to acquire what obligates Your continuous turning to us! Do cultivate our conduct, O most Merciful One of all those who are merciful! And Allah surely blesses Muhammad (‘s), the best of His creation, and blesses his righteous and purified Progeny (‘a).

Footnotes

1. This statement, despite its brevity, reveals the secret of the truth about the impact of some righteous servants of Allah on certain matters and with the permission of Allah Almighty. This cannot be denied due to its quite frequent occurrence and to the transmitted incidents in the past and in the present in its regard. If a servant of Allah is loved by his Master, all the affairs of such a servant will be dear to Him, including his wishes and pleas. Allah Almighty, because of the intensity of His love for him, makes His Divine will in agreement with the will of such a servant of His which necessitates a positive response, barring obstacles. It is from here that Allah Almighty has permitted the bringing of the dead to life, a most unusual thing, attributed to Christ with His own permission. This is the equation which removes the amazement about super- natural events in all accurately reported incidents.

2. This, indeed, is a frightening fact and is not the childbirth of one’s imagination. Everything in existence, with the exception of mankind, is by nature subservient to Allah. It is well known that one who becomes the exception from the movement of obedience is an enemy of the Lord of the Worlds Whose army is made up of the hosts of the heavens and of the earth. Are not the hosts there to do anything but follow the orders of their Commander?! Thereupon, if the disobedient ones remain in safety and security, it is so due to the interference of the Compassionate Lord Who stops His hosts from seeking revenge against His foes. The fire of Hell and how it encircles the unbelievers is nothing but a manifestation of the Lord’s hosts, for He has permitted this fire to seek revenge, hence it inquires: ‘Are there any more (to torment)?’

3. This meaning is one of those, if absorbed by a servant as it should be, which can cause a radical change in one’s life. The soul may entice one to procrastinate because the Divine torment in the Hereafter is put off, but how can one ignore it when the Almighty turns away from him at the time when he commits an act of disobedience? Our Imam, al- Sajjsd (‘a), said the following to his wife when her son fell into a well while the Imam (‘a) was absorbed in his prayers, ‘If I turn away from Him, He will turn away from me; so, who do you think has more mercy on His slave than Him?.’ (Dal’ail al- Imamah, p. 198).

This is an obvious fact for particular people, that is, a servant suffers a pain greater than anything physical when his Lord turns away from him.