Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

74. The Day of Judgment

Allah, the Wise, has said:

إِنَّما تُوَفَّوْنَ أُجُورَكُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيامَةِ

“And you shall only be paid fully your reward on the resurrection day”1

Imam Ali (peacebe upon him) said:

إِنَّ الْخَلْقَ لَا مَقْصَرَ لَهُمْ عَنِ الْقِيَامَةِ

“For the people, there is no escape from Qiyaamah”2

Short Explanation

After the Purgatory (Barzakh), all the people shall gather together on a Day in which they would either be rewarded or punished and it would be God, Who would be the Judge over them.

Those who had rejected and denied the truth would be led by the angels towards torture and chastisement, while those who had endured hardships in the way of religion and refrained themselves from sins would be heralded towards Paradise.

That day is the Qiyaamah in which none shall be able to object or protest; this is because in that angelic realm, all the deeds committed in the world would be found recorded in a manner such that not a single deed would be concealed or hidden for anyone to register a protest.

1) The Plaintiff of the Day of Judgment

Ja’far Tayyaar, the brother of Amirul Mu'mineen (peace be upon him), together with eighty two other Muslims, emigrated to Ethiopia in the fifth year after the proclamation of the Prophethood by the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) so that not only would they remain safe from the persecutions of the polytheists, but they would also be able to propagate Islam there.

These emigrants stayed there for around twelve years, returning to Medinah in the year 7 A.H., that is, around the time when the Muslims had emerged victorious in the battle of Khaibar.

It has been reported that the Holy Prophet (peacebe upon him and his holy progeny) asked Ja'far: During your stay in Ethiopia, what strange thing did you witness there?

He replied: I witnessed a black Ethiopian woman passing by, carrying a large basket on her head. An eve-teaser elbowed her causing her to fall down, as a result of which the basket on her head fell to the ground as well. The woman turned to the person and said: “Woe unto you from the Judge of the Day of Judgment, Who shall grant justice to the oppressed from the oppressor.”

The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) hearing this, was also overcome with great astonishment over this startling speech of the woman.3

2)The Most Wicked of the People on the Day of Judgment

Abdullah Ibn Ubayy Salool (one of the most obstinate hypocrites of early Islam and a staunch enemy of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) sought permission to arrive in his (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) presence.

When the Holy Prophet (peacebe upon him and his holy progeny) came to realize who had come, he expressed his displeasure at the thought of having to meet him; however, he ordered: Allow him to enter.

When he had entered, the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) seated him and spoke to him in a warm and friendly manner. When Abdullah had departed, A’aishah queried: O’ Prophet of God! You had not spoken well of him before his entry, however, after he had entered, you spoke to him in a very cordial manner.

The Holy Prophet (peacebe upon him and his holy progeny) stated: O’ A’aishah! The most iniquitous of all people on the Day of Judgment shall be one, whom the people respect in order that they may remain safe from his evils.4

3) Fear of the Day of Judgment

Whenever the Holy Prophet (peacebe upon him and his holy progeny) would leave for a battle, he would make it a point to establish a bond of brotherhood between two of his companions; he did so between Sa’eed Ibn A'bd al-Rahmaan and Tha’labah Ansaari before he left for the battle of Tabuk.

Sa’eed accompanied the Holy Prophet (peacebe upon him and his holy progeny) for jihad while Tha’labah stayed back and was responsible for looking after his family.

One day when Tha'labah went to Sa’eed’s house for arranging food provisions for his family, the Satan tempted him to look at Sa’eed’s wife, and before long, he was soon overcome with lust. Approaching near, he placed his hand upon her, at which point she cried out: Is it appropriate that while your brother has gone on jihad, you intend to violate the chastity of his wife?

These words affected him so drastically that he set out into the wilderness and upon reaching the base of a mountain, fell onto the ground and began weeping day and night - remorseful of his evil action.

When the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) and his companions returned from battle, all the people from the city thronged to welcome their brothers, except Tha'labah. Sa’eed went to his house and questioned his wife about Tha'labah, whereupon she informed him of what had transpired.

Sa’eed came out of his house and began to search for Tha'labah till he eventually found him seated near a stone and repentantly slapping his head and wailing out loudly: Woe from the shame and humiliation of the Day of Judgment.

Sa’eed took him in his arms, consoled him and sought to take him to the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) to find out a way for his forgiveness, but Tha'labah said: Tie my hands and place a rope around my neck in an appearance similar to that of slaves who have attempted to run away.

When Sa'eed brought him before the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his holy progeny), he (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) said to him: You have indeed committed a grave offence. Go away from me, seek forgiveness from God and await His orders.

After a period of time, when the verse of Forgiveness and Repentance5 was revealed at the time of the A'sr prayers, the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) sent Ali (peace be upon him) and Salman to bring Tha'labah.

They set out into the desert in search of him, eventually finding him conversing with his Lord and seeking His forgiveness. Witnessing his state, Amirul Mu'mineen’s (peace be upon him) eyes filled up with tears and he (peace be upon him) gave him the good news that God had forgiven him!

It was night when they brought him to Medinah; the Holy Prophet (peacebe upon him and his holy progeny) was reciting the chapter al-Takaathur in the Maghribain prayers. No sooner did Tha'labah hear the first verse6 , he gave out a cry; hearing the second verse7 , he shrieked loudly and when he heard the third verse8 , he fell down unconscious; after the prayers, people found that he had died.

The Holy Prophet (peacebe upon him and his holy progeny) and the companions began to weep. He (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) instructed that Tha'labah be given the ablutions and prayers offered over him. As he (peacebe upon him and his holy progeny) accompanied Tha’labah’s funeral procession, he was seen to be walking on the tips of his toes. When the people sought to know the reason for it, he (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) said: The angels who had come to participate in his prayers and join his funeral procession were so great in number that I had to walk upon my toes!9

4) Imam al-Mujtaba

When Imam Hasan (peacebe upon him) was about to die, those around him observed that he (peace be upon him) was weeping and so they asked: O’ Son of the Prophet of God! Despite your relationship with the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) and the rank and status that the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) has mentioned about you do you still weep? Twenty times you have performed Hajj on foot; on three occasions you have given one half of all your wealth in the way of God, and yet you weep?

The Imam (peacebe upon him) said: I weep due to fear of Qiyaamah and separation from my friends.10

5) Taubah Ibn Summah

There lived a person by the name of Taubah Ibn Summah, who spent most of the time of his day and night in vigilance and self-examination of his soul.

One day he sat to count the number of days he had lived and calculated the figure to be 21,500. When the enormity of the figure struck him, he said: Woe unto me! Would I be meeting the Exalted God on the Day of Judgment with this figure? If I were to have committed even one sin per day, I would have 21,500 sins; what then would be my state? Having said this, he fell down unconscious.

When the people approached him, they found that he had died in that state of unconsciousness; it was only the thought and fear of the reckoning of the Day of Judgment that brought about his death.11

Notes

1. Holy Qur'an, ch. Aale I’mraan (3), vs. 185.

2. Nahjul Balaghah (Faidh), pg. 488.

3. Hikaayat-ha-e-Shanidani, vol. 2, pg. 12; Aa’laam al-Waraa, pg. 21.

4. Baa MardumIn Guneh Barkhord Koneem, pg. 129; Mustadrak al-Wasaail, vol. 2, pg. 92.

5. Holy Qur'an, ch. Aale I’mraan (3), vs.135.

6. أَلْهاكُمُ التَّكاثُرُ

7. حَتَّى زُرْتُمُ الْمَقابِرَ

8. كَلاَّ سَوْفَ تَعْلَمُونَ

9. Khazinah al-Jawaahir, pg. 315; Raudhah al-Anwaar of Sabzwaari.

10. Pand-e-Taareekh, vol. 4, pg. 208.

11. Sarmaayeh-e-Sa’adat, pg. 39.

75. Working

Allah, the Wise, has said:

وَ أَنْ لَيْسَ لِلْإِنْسانِ إِلاَّ ما سَعى‏

“And that man shall have nothing but what he strives for”1

The Holy Prophet (peacebe upon him and his holy progeny) said:

الْمُؤْمِنَ إِذَا لَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ حِرْفَةٌ يَعِيشُ بِدِينِهِ

“If a Mu'min does not possess a profession, he shall endeavour to earn his livelihood by using his religion (which is immensely reprehensible)”2

Short Explanation

The best food for oneself and one’s family is that which has been procured by one’s own effort, legitimately.

Lawful food is a consequence of lawful work and earnings, and one who works in this manner and strives for the sake of himself and his family is akin to a soldier striving in the way of God.

Those who have habituated themselves to laziness and lethargy, face great difficulties with respect to their livelihoods such that they are unable to procure earnings sufficient to fulfill even their basic necessities. They thus, pollute themselves by engaging in illegal and unlawful professions.

One who is incapable in earning his basic needs of this world, would also be impotent in earning for his hereafter.

1) The Endowment Letter

During his caliphate Amirul Mu'mineen (peacebe upon him) once said: All throughout Iraq my subjects are in ease and comfort – they drink sweet water and eat bread made of wheat.

The Imam (peace be upon him) had freed one of his slaves, by the name of Abu Naizar, upon the condition that he should work for him (peace be upon him) in his plantation for five years. Later on, the Imam (peacebe upon him) granted him the task of supervising his fields and springs, one of which came to be popularly known as ‘river of Abu Naizar’.

He relates:

One day the Imam (peacebe upon him) came to inspect his field and dismounting from his horse inquired: Do you have some food with you?

I replied: Yes, although I fear it does not match up to your standards – I have gourd with some fat oil.

The Imam (peacebe upon him) said: Bring it.

When I had brought the food, he washed his hands and then proceeded to eat it. After he had finished, he washed his hands again, drank some water and then said: Bring me the pickaxe.

When I brought it, he took it from me, entered into a dry well and began to dig so hard that he was eventually overcome with exhaustion and fatigue.

To do away his exhaustion he came out of the well; perspiration dripping from his holy forehead which he would clear by means of his fingers.

A little later he once again entered the well, raising a din as he worked hard in it. While he (peace be upon him) was digging, all of a sudden, a fountain of water gushed out like the neck of a camel. The Imam (peacebe upon him) immediately emerged from within the well and still perspiring, kept saying: This is charity! This is charity. Bring me some ink and paper.

I hurriedly brought some ink and paper for the Imam (peace be upon him), who wrote the following bequest: This is an endowment from the servant of God, Amirul Mu'mineen (peace be upon him) given to the needy ones of Medinah as charity – a charity that cannot be sold, gifted or transferred till for so long as God is the owner of the heavens and the earth, except if Hasan and Husain (peace be upon them) fall in need of it for then this well would become their property.3

2) U'mar Ibn Muslim

One day Imam Sadiq (peacebe upon him) inquired about one of his companions by the name of U'mar Ibn Muslim, whereupon a person informed him: He has confined himself to acts of worship and has totally abandoned his trade.

Hearing this, the Imam (peacebe upon him) said: Woe unto him! Does he not know that the prayers of one, who abandons his work andprofession are not answered?

Continuing, the Imam (peacebe upon him) related:

When the second and third verses of the chapter al-Talaaq were revealed, stating: “And whoever is careful of (his duty to) Allah, He will make for him an outlet, And give him sustenance from whence he thinks not; and whoever trusts in Allah, He is sufficient for him”4 , some of the companions of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) enclosed themselves in their houses, abandoned their work and confined themselves in acts of worship, saying: God is sufficient for us to provide us sustenance.

When the Holy Prophet (peacebe upon him and his holy progeny) was informed of this, he asked them: What has caused you to adopt this attitude?

They replied: According to the second and third verses of the chapter al-Talaaq, God has taken upon Himself to provide us our sustenance and hence we have restricted our activities to acts of His worship!

The Holy Prophet (peacebe upon him and his holy progeny) rebuked them saying: The prayers of one, who abandons his work and busies himself in worship, are not answered. It is incumbent upon you to work and earn your sustenance.5

3) To Work isBetter than Consuming Charity

Once the Holy Prophet (peacebe upon him and his holy progeny) was informed that a person from Madinah had become afflicted with abject poverty. He (peacebe upon him and his holy progeny) said: Bring him to me!

When some people brought the person before him, he (peacebe upon him and his holy progeny) said to him: Bring whatever you possess in your house; do not regard anything as insignificant.

The person went home and returned with a bowl and sackcloth. The Holy Prophet (peacebe upon him and his holy progeny) placed them for auction, and they were eventually purchased by a person for two dirhams.

Handing over the money to the poor Muslim, the Holy Prophet (peacebe upon him and his holy progeny) advised: Utilize one dirham to buy some food for your family and use the other dirham to purchase an axe for yourself.

The man did as instructed; purchasing an axe he approached the Holy Prophet (peacebe upon him and his holy progeny), who then said to him: Go into the desert and collect firewood; collect every piece of wood that you find and do not consider anything to be trivial and insignificant, and then proceed to sell them.

He went away and begun to act as per the instructions of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his holy progeny). Fifteen days later his financial state had improved; he came to the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) who said to him: It is better for you that you work and earn your wage rather than take charity and enter the plains of Qiyaamah on the Day of Judgment with the ugly sign of charity manifesting upon your face.6

4) Putting the Soul to Labour

Fadhl Ibn Abi Qarrah relates:

Once when we approached Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him), we found him hard at work in his field. Observing this, we said to him (peace be upon him): May we be made your ransom! Either permit us to do the work or let your servants do it.

The Imam (peacebe upon him) said: No. Let me work. I desire that I meet God after having exerted myself and worked by my own hands in seeking lawful sustenance.

He (peace be upon him) then added: Even Ali (peace be upon him) used to inconvenience himself for the purpose of procuring lawful income.7

5) Ya’qub Ibn Laith Saffaar

All the rulers of the Saffaar dynasty had been Shiites and their rule had extended for a period of fifty six years. They were seven in number, the first of them being Ya'qub Ibn Laith Saffaar (d. 265 A.H.).

Ya'qub originally was a coppersmith by profession and it is for this reason that he came to be known as Saffaar. Slowly, he set about gathering an army for himself and began killing the anti-religious Khawaarij. His activities witnessed an upturn till he eventually occupied Khorasan, Seestaan and several other cities.

It has been recorded that he was an extremely gifted administrator such that few have been known to possess the management and systematization skills that he possessed. The obedience of his soldiers to his orders was unparalled.

When Ya'qub would order his army to proceed for battle, the soldiers would ready themselves in such a manner that they would collect their mounts while they were grazing, mount them and set out towards their target.

It was observed that once, a person’s horse was chewing some hay; the person pulled it out of the animal’s mouth in order that there be no delay, even in the measure of chewing of the grass by the animal, in obeying the orders of the Ya’qub. Addressing the horse, he said: King Ya'qub has prohibited the animals from eating their food!

Another person was observed to be naked under his battle-dress. When questioned, he replied: I was engaged in performing the ablution of janaabat when the king’s announcer announced: “Get ready for battle”. Not wanting to delay myself in complying with the king’s order, I did not wear my clothes and satisfied myself with wearing only the battle-dress!8

Notes

1. Holy Qur'an, ch. Al-Najm (53), vs. 39.

2. Bihaar al-Anwaar, vol. 103, pg. 9.

3. IslamWa Kaar Wa Kushish, pg. 24.

4. َ مَنْ يَتَّقِ اللَّهَ يَجْعَلْ لَهُ مَخْرَجاً وَ يَرْزُقْهُ مِنْ حَيْثُ لا يَحْتَسِبُ وَ مَنْ يَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى اللَّهِ فَهُوَ حَسْبُهُ‏

5. Daastaan-ha Wa Pand-ha, vol. 9, pg. 73.

6. Hikaayat-ha-e-Shanidani, vol. 3, pg. 57; Bihaar al-Anwaar, vol. 103, pg. 10.

7. Shanidani-ha-e-Taareekh, pg. 47; Mahajjah al-Baidhaa, vol. 3, pg. 147.

8. Tatimmah al-Muntaha, pg. 262.

76. Begging

Allah, the Wise, has said:

وَ أَمَّا السَّائِلَ فَلا تَنْهَرْ

“And as for him, whoasks, do not chide (him)”1

The Holy Prophet (peacebe upon him and his holy progeny) said:

لو لا ان السائل يكذب ما قدس من رده

“If it were not for the telling of lies by the beggars, one who rebuffedthem, would not be consecrated”2

Short Explanation

Some people have transformed themselves into beggars, adopting begging as their profession; despite possessing the means, they extend their hands before others, requesting help and assistance. These are those who, on the Day of Judgment, shall meet God in a state that their faces shall be devoid of flesh.

A Mu'min is one, who does not bark like a dog, does not possess avarice, and whose self-esteem prevents him from stretching out his hands before every Tom, Dick and Harry. How then is it possible for the face, which falls into prostration for God and the hands that rise up towards the heavens in the qunoot, to humiliate and debase themselves before others?

Of course, the Mu'mins ought to identify those that are needy and while preserving their respect and esteem, assist them in order that they do not stretch out their hands for begging.

1) Imam Sadiq and the Beggar

Masma’ Ibn A'bd al-Malik relates:

We were in the company of Imam Sadiq (peacebe upon him) at Mina (where the Pilgrims halt during Hajj) and engaged in eating grapes that lay before us in a vessel when a beggar approached us and asked the Imam (peace be upon him) for some help.

The Imam (peace be upon him) ordered a bunch of grapes to be given to him. When the grapes were offered to him, the beggar refused saying: I am not in need of this. I require dirhams.

The Imam (peacebe upon him) said: May God increase your sustenance. The beggar departed but returned shortly and said: Give me that bunch of grapes. The Imam (peacebe upon him) said: May God increase your livelihood, but this time did not give him any grapes.

Not very long afterwards, another beggar arrived and asked him for something to be given to him. The Imam (peace be upon him) picked up three grapes with his own hands and handed them to him. The beggar took the grapes and said: Praisebe to the God of the Worlds, Who provided me these grapes.

Hearing this, the Imam (peacebe upon him) said to him: Wait.

Then filling his two palms with grapes, he handed them to the beggar. The beggar took the grapes and again praised God.

When the Imam (peacebe upon him) heard this, he turned to his slave and inquired: How much money do you have with you? The slave replied: Twenty dirhams. The Imam (peace be upon him) handed them over to the beggar. The beggar once again praised God, saying: O’ Lord! Praise is forYou , this money is from You and You do not have any partner.

For the third time, the Imam (peace be upon him) asked him to wait and this time, removing his garment, handed it to him. The beggar took the garment and, wearing it, said: Praisebe to the God, who has dressed and covered me. Then, addressing the Imam (peacebe upon him), he said: O’ Aba A’bdillah! May God grant you a goodly recompense!

Having prayed for him (peace be upon him) the beggar began to move away; however, this time the Imam (peace be upon him) did not stop him.

We figured that had the person not prayed for the Imam (peace be upon him) and had continued to only praise God, the Imam (peace be upon him) would have continued to bestow him with gifts.3

2) Abbas Dous

Once A'bbas Daus was in the public bath when a person approached him and said: I intend to start begging and hence I desire to remain with you in order to acquire its skills from you!

A'bbas said: It is not necessary for you remain with me. Just keep in mind that the art of begging has three principles and if you utilize these three principles, you would be a perfect beggar: Firstly, you must beg, irrespective of the place; secondly, you must beg, irrespective of the person; and thirdly, you must accept irrespective of whatever is given to you. The person kissed the hand of A'bbas and left.

One day coincidentally, A’bbas had gone to the public bath in order to cleanse himself and rid his body of its excess hair. There he was approached by that person, who said to him: Give me something. A'bbas said: Are you begging in the public bath? The person said: (I beg) irrespective the place. A'bbas said: (You beg) even from A'bbas? The person said: (I beg), irrespective of the person. Finally A'bbas said: Even if it be the excess hair of the body? The person replied: (I take) irrespective of whatever is given.

Hearing this, A'bbas exclaimed: Bravo! You have learnt the principles of begging excellently.4

3) The Limits of the Impoverished Ones

Abu Baseer states: I informed Imam Sadiq (peacebe upon him): One of your Shiites, a pious person by the name of U'mar, due to his destitution, approached Isa Ibn Aa’yan and sought some help from him. However, Isa said: ‘I have some zakaat in my possession but I shall not give it to you for I have observed that you have purchased meat and dates, which indicates that you are not indigent.

U’mar said: In one business transaction my share of profit turned out to be one dirham; I spent one-third of it to purchase some meat, spent another one-third for purchasing some dates and utilized the remaining in fulfilling other requirements of the house.

The Imam (peace be upon him) was visibly disturbed upon hearing this and placing his hand upon his forehead (as a sign of distress and disconcertedness) said: God has stipulated for the impoverished, a share in the wealth of the affluent ones in a measure that would enable them to lead their lives in a good manner; had that measure not been sufficient, He would have stipulated an even greater share.

Therefore, the poor ones ought to be given in the measure such that they are able to provide for themselves with respect to food, clothing, marriage, charity and Hajj; strictness and stringency ought not to be exhibited with respect to them, especially for the likes of U'mar, who is of the pious ones.5

4) The Respectable Destitute

Once Amirul Mu'mineen (peace be upon him) sent nine hundred kilograms of dates from his own farm situated in Yanba’ (in the outskirts of Medinah) for one person. This person was of those who, though in need of financial help never permitted himself to ask for it, neither from him (peace be upon him) nor from others.

A person commented to the Imam (peacebe upon him): By God! That person had never sought any help from you that you gave him this gift. It would have been quite sufficient had you given him just one kilogram!

The Imam (peacebe upon him) said: May God never increase the likes of you among the people! I exhibit munificence while you exhibit parsimony? If I do not give him that which he expects from me except after he has asked me for it, I would not have been doing him any favour. This is because I would then have compelled the face, which prostrates on the ground before God and worships Him, to plead before me.

And one who acts thus with his brother Muslim, despite knowing that he is deserving of help, has not spoken the truth to God. This is because when he prays for his brother Muslim saying:

اللهم اغفر للمؤمنين و المؤمنات

“O’ Lord! Forgive the male and female believers!” he seeks forgiveness for his brotherMuslim, he is effectively seeking Paradise for him. But at the same time when it comes to giving to him the temporal provisions of this world he exhibits stinginess!

Thus it is inappropriate for him to speak out something which he does not practice.6

5 ) The Young Beggar

Once a young man and his wife were having their meals which consisted of roasted chicken, when a beggar came up to the door and asked for some help. The young man came out and with great harshness, drove him away from his house. The needy one having faced theoutburst, turned and walked away.

It so happened that after a period of time this young man lost all his wealth and became a pauper. He also divorced his wife, who subsequently got married to another person.

As fate would have it, one day this lady and her second husband were having their food – roasted chicken – when suddenly a beggar came up to the door and sought help. The man said to his wife: Arise and hand this chicken to the beggar. The lady picked up the food and approached the beggar, but when her eyes fell upon him, she recognized him to be her erstwhile husband. Handing him the chicken, she returned; her eyes swimming in tears.

When the husband noticed this, he asked her the reason for her weeping. She replied: This beggar was my former husband. She then went on to narrate the entire incident of her former husband and the beggar, and how he had scolded him and driven him away.

When the lady completed her narrative, her second husband said: O’ Wife! By God! I was that beggar!7

Notes

1. Holy Qur'an, ch. Al-Dhuha (93), vs. 10.

2. Jaame' al-Sa'adaat, vol. 2, pg. 98

3. Baa MardumIn Guneh Barkhord Koneem, pg. 123; Bihaar al-Anwaar, vol. 47, pg. 42.

4. Daus is a tribe from Yemen and this A'bbas Daus was proverbial and beguiling in the art of begging.

5. Pand-e-Taareekh, vol. 1, pg. 142; Sharh Man Laa Yahdhuruhu al-Faqeeh, the Book of Zakaat, pg. 36.

6. Islam Wa Mustamandaan , pg. 251; Furu’ al-Kafi, (Old Publication), pg. 167.

7. Dunyaa-e-Jawaan, pg. 331; Aathaar al-Saadiqeen, vol. 8, pg. 139.

77. Helping Others

Allah, the Wise, has said:

فَوَجَدَا فِيهَا جِدَارًا يُرِيدُ أَن يَنقَضَّ فَأَقَامَهُ قَالَ لَوْ شِئْتَ لَتَّخَذْتَ عَلَيْهِ أَجْرًا

“Then they found in it a wall which was on the point of falling, so he put it into a right state”1

The Holy Prophet (peacebe upon him and his holy progeny) said:

مَن قَضَى لِاَ خِيْهِ الْمُوْمِن حاَجَةً فَكَانَّما عَبدَ اللهَ دَهْرَةً

“One who fulfils the desire of his brother Mu’min, would be as if he has worshipped God for his entire life”2

Short Explanation

God has created the people in a manner that they remain associated and connected to one another so that, by this way, they strive to fulfill each other’s needs and requirements.

At times a Mu'min falls in need of money for his house rent or treatment of disease or requires a recommendation in order to attain someone’s assistance but some people, despite possessing the means and the ability, due to some imaginary or apparent benefits, hesitate to offer their help. In such cases, God gets them entangled with their enemies (in this world) while, on the Day of Judgment, they shall be made to suffer punishment and chastisement.

The recommendations and rewards related to fulfilling the needs of the people have been emphasized in such great measure that one is left amazed that despite this great path available for procuring the success in the hereafter, how very few are those who make the best of it.

Imam Sadiq (peacebe upon him) has stated: Fulfilling a need of a Mu'min brother is better than liberating a thousand slaves and giving a thousand horses (for jihad) in the path of God.

Despite all the emphasis, it is the whisperings (of the Shaitaan) and attachment to the world, which prevent man from helping out the others.3

1) Nine Thousand Years

Maimoon Ibn Mahraan narrated:

I was sitting beside Imam Hasan (peacebe upon him) when a man came up to him and said: O’ Son of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his holy progeny)! I owe a person a debt but do not possess any money to repay it and so he intends to hurl me into prison.

The Imam (peacebe upon him) said: Presently I do not possess any money by which I can pay off your debt. The man pleaded: Then do something so that he does not put me into prison.

The Imam (peace be upon him) had been in a state of itekaaf, but he put on his shoes and intended to move out of the mosque whereupon I said to him: O’ Son of the Prophet of God! Have you forgotten that you are in a state of itekaaf (and you must not go out of the mosque)?

The Imam (peacebe upon him) said: No! I have not forgotten. However I have heard from my father that the Holy Prophet (peacebe upon him and his holy progeny) used to say: “One, who strives to fulfill a desire of his Muslim brother is like one who has spent nine thousand years, fasting during the days and worshipping during the nights.4

2) Breaking the Circumambulation

Aabaan Ibn Taghlib narrates:

I was engaged in the circumambulation of the Ka’bah in the company of Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) when one of my friends asked me to move to a side and listen to his request. Not wanting to leave the company of the Imam (peace be upon him), I ignored him and disregarded his request.

In the next round around the Ka’bah that person signaled me to come towards him; this time however the Imam (peace be upon him) happened to see him and so asked me: O’ Aabaan! Does he have some work with you? I replied in the affirmative, whereupon the Imam (peacebe upon him) inquired: Who is he? I said: One of my friends. The Imam (peacebe upon him) further inquired: Is he also a Mu'min and a Shiite? I replied: Yes. Hearing this, the Imam (peacebe upon him) instructed: Go to him and fulfill his desire.

Should I discontinue my circumambulation? I queried. He (peacebe upon him) replied: Yes. I asked: Is it permissible to discontinue even the obligatory circumambulations and leave them midway if it is for the purpose of fulfilling the needs of a Mu'min? He (peacebe upon him) replied: Yes.

I halted my circumambulation and proceeded towards the man. After assisting the person, I returned to the Imam (peace be upon him) and requested him to inform me of the rights of a Mu'min upon another Mu'min…5

3) Concern towards the Needy

Waqidi relates:

It so happened that once I was faced with abject poverty and was compelled to seek a loan from an A’lawi6 friend of mine, especially since the month of Ramadhan was near at hand. I wrote him a letter and he reciprocated by sending me a sac containing one thousand dirhams.

Soon after, I received a letter from another friend requesting me to assist him with a loan. I sent the sac containing the thousand dirhams, which I had taken as loan, to him so that so that he could be relieved of his problem.

It was not long before both, the A’lawi friend as well as one to whom I had sent the money, arrived at my place. The A’lawi enquired: What did you do with the money that I sent to you? I said: I have utilized it in a good deed. Hearing this he laughed and, placing that sac of money before me, said: Having sent you the money,I had no more money left. With the month of Ramadhan approaching, I decided to seek some money from this friend, only to receive the sac with my own seal upon it, which I had sent for you.

As all of us are in need, we have come here so that we distribute the money amongst ourselves till such time that God provides an opening for us.

We divided the money amongst ourselves and parted from each other.

However within the first few days of the month of Ramadhan all the money was exhausted. One day Yahya Ibn Khaalid summoned me; when I presented myself before him, he said: I have dreamt that you are faced with poverty. Tell me the truth.

When I narrated to him the past incidents, he was greatly astonished, and subsequently ordered thirty thousand dirhams to be given to me and ten thousand dirhams to be given to each of the other two friends.

It was because of our concern and care towards fulfilling the needs of our brethren that this windfallcame our way.7

4) Extinguishing the Lamp

Haarith says:

One night I was engaged in conversation with Amirul Mu'mineen (peacebe upon him). As we talked, I said to him (peacebe upon him): I am in need of something.

The Imam (peacebe upon him) said: O’ Haarith! Do you regard me worthy of informing me of your need?

Of course O’ Ali: I said

When he heard this, the Imam (peacebe upon him) suddenly rose from his place and extinguished the lamp; then, with great affection and compassion he sat down beside me and said: Do you know why I have extinguished the lamp? I have done this so that you can speak out all that is there in your heart without any kind of formality, and that I do not see the embarrassment upon your face.

Now speak out all that you desire to state for I have heard the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) say: “When the needs of a person are placed in the heart of another, they becomes a divine trust, which must be concealed from others; the one who conceals them, shall be given the rewards of worship.

But if they happen to be divulged, it befits all those who become aware of them to endeavour to fulfill them for the needy one.”8

5) Lettuce

One of the scholars of Najaf relates:

One day, at a greengrocer’s shop, I witnessed the late Ayatullah Sayyid Ali Aaqa Qaadhi9 (d. 1366 A.H.) busy selecting lettuces. However, contrary to the normal practice, I observed him selecting those that had become withered and those that possessed large and coarse leaves.

He selected the lettuces and handed them to the owner of the shop, who weighed it for him after which, tucking them under his cloak, he moved out of the shop. I hastened after him and enquired: Sir, why did you select the lettuces that were inferior and undesirable?

He replied: This greengrocer is a poor person and I occasionally help him; however, I do not wish to give him something gratuitously so that firstly, his esteem and honour does not erode and secondly, he does not, God forbid, habituate himself to taking things free of charge and thus become lax in his work.

I am aware that no one shall purchase these lettuces from him and he shall have to dump them outside when he closes his shop and so, in order to prevent him from suffering losses, I purchased them from him.

As for me, it does not make a difference if I eat lettuces that delicate and tender or those that are large and coarse!10

Notes

1. Holy Qur'an, ch. Al-Kahf (18), vs. 77.

2. Jaame' al-Sa'adaat, vol. 2, pg. 230.

3. Ihyaa al-Quloob, pg. 121.

4. Riwaayat-ha Wa Hikaayat-ha, pg. 122; Daastaan-ha-e-Paraakandeh, vol. 2, pg. 152.

5. Shanidani-ha-e-Taareekh, pg. 69; Mahajjah al-Baidhaa, vol. 3, pg. 356.

6. One, who is from the descendants of Imam A'li (peace be upon him) (Translator’s comments)

7. Namunah-e-Ma’arif, vol. 2, pg. 438; Farajun Ba’d al-Shiddah, pg. 186.

8. Baa MardumIn Guneh Barkhord Koneem, pg. 95; Wafi, vol. 6, pg. 59.

9. He was the teacher of irfaan (mysticism) for Allamah Tabatabai, Ayatullah Behjat, Ayatullah Sayyid A'bd al-Kareem Kashmiri and numerous others, and truly, the like of him has rarely been seen in the past sixty years.

10. Seema-e-Farzaanegaan, pg. 349; Mehr-e-Taabaan, pg. 20.