Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

THE CULTURAL PLANNING IN THE PROGRAMS OF THE ISLAMIC EDUCATION

Islam has acceded to science and its creative capability of developing, maturing, and achieving the social prosperity. It has also believed that any society that rejects science is reactionary and its mental powers and conceptual ties are weak. Such societies, according to the Islamic viewpoint, must leave the caravans of life and illumination.

The Prophet (s) said, “My nation’s expiry occurs when they disdain knowledge.”

Since its earliest stages, Islam declared war against ignorance and indolence. It has adopted positively the advocacy to knowledge and the florescence of the conceptual horizons. It has considered it as an essential element of forming the social, as well as the individual, lives and the motive behind the cultural, economical, and social renaissance of the nation. Finally, Islam has regarded the seeking of knowledge as one of the precepts and the most significant elements of constructing the society and designing the civilization.

The West claimed that Islam combats conceptions and eradicates the freedom of opinions and interdicts the seeking of knowledge. Pierre Lute refutes this opinion. He says, “We, the European, look at Islam as the religion of the conceptual gloom that prevents from enlightenment. We also suppose that Islam calls to extremity and poses many obstacles in the path of progression. First, this proves the Western people’s ultimate ignorance of the Prophet’s instructions. It is also regarded as an ignorance of the historical witnesses. Since its early centuries, Islam went on developing and proceeding in variant fields. We can realize the prompt elevation that the first caliphs did to Islam.”[1]

We have not seen any accusal weaker and cheaper than the previous. A look to the factuality of this great religion will easily prove the falsity of such an accusal. Islam has cited the seeking of knowledge on the top of its precepts and projects. It has also alluded at the big differences between the educated and the ignorant and established amounts of professions and knowledge as the criteria of people’s variance and preference. Imam Ali (a), the pioneer of wisdom and objectivity on this earth, says, “People are evaluated according to what they master.”

MERITS OF KNOWLEDGE

Islam has paid a considerable attention to knowledge. It has acclaimed its elevation and considered it as an essential matter of the conceptual renaissance.

Knowledge in the Quran:

The Quran praises the merits of knowledge and the exaltation of the scholars’ statuses in more than one Verse. God says:

Allah will exalt those of you who believe, and those who are given knowledge in high degrees.

Say: Are those who know and those who do not know alike?

Ask the followers of the Reminder if you do not know.

Nay! These are clear communications in the breast of those who are granted knowledge.

Those of his servants only who are possessed of knowledge fear Allah.

Besides, many Quranic texts indicate the great significance of knowledge and the virtues of the scholars who are the source of illumination and the root of conception on this earth.

Knowledge in Hadith:

The Prophet (s) said: “Seeking studies is a precept that is imposed upon every Muslim. God likes the seekers of knowledge.” “God prefers a single errand for seeking knowledge to the participation in one hundred battles.” “People of knowledge and jihad are the closest to the degree of prophecy.” “I advise the seekers of the worldly affairs to adhere to knowledge, and advise the seekers of the Hereafter to adhere to knowledge, and advise the seekers of both to adhere to knowledge.” “You should learn. Learning for God’s sake is a grace. Its study is a divine praise, and seeking for it is as same as struggling for God’s sake, and its pursue is worship, and its teaching is alms, and its publicity is offering to God.” “Seek knowledge even in China.[*] ”

The reference books of hadith include many other sayings that expose the merits and status of knowledge. Those sayings incite people to proceed in the scientific fields and dismiss the ghosts of ignorance out of their society since it is the source of retardation and disintegration.

Imam Ali (a) says, “O people! You should realize that the perfection of the religion is seeking and applying knowledge. Seeking studies is more necessary than seeking livelihood. The Just, who will surely fulfill the promise, divides and secures the livelihood. Knowledge is stored at its people and you have been ordered of seeking it from its people. You should carry out.”[2]

As he speaks with Kumeil bin Ziad, his student, about the merits of knowledge, Imam Ali (a) says, “O Kumeil! Knowledge is preferable to wealth, for it guards you while you guard wealth, which is reduced by expenditure and knowledge betters the almsgiving. The made of wealth vanishes with the vanishing of wealth. O Kumeil! The cognition of knowledge is an adopted creed with which God grants obedience in this life and remembrance after death. Knowledge is ruling while wealth is ruled. O Kumeil! The collectors of wealth are dead in their lives, and the scholars are as same as time in its persistence. Their essences are missed, but their exemplars are existing in hearts.”[3]

Imam as-Sadiq (a) said, “Seek knowledge and attach tolerance and veneration to it.”[4]

The Prophet’s progeny called and urged on seeking knowledge, educating, crystallizing the concepts, and adorning with awareness and ethics. This is quite evident through the numerous uninterrupted reports.

TRANSMITTED SAYINGS

Masters of the Islamic conceptual movements could not hide the encouragement on seeking knowledge.

Abul-Aswed ad-Dueli said: Nothing is more powerful than knowledge. Kings are people’s rulers, and knowledge is the kings’ ruler.[5]

Mussab bin az-Zubeir instructed his son: Seek knowledge. It is the beatitude of those lacking beatitude and the wealth of those lacking wealth.

Al-Ghezali said: Without scholars, people would have been like animals. Knowledge transfers them from savagery to humanity.

Al-Jahiz said: I do not seek knowledge for achieving a definite purpose and attaining a certain purport. I seek it for getting a thing the ignorance of which is unallowable, and the sane should never disdain.

Ibn abdil-Berr said: Seek knowledge, because it distinguishes the kings and enlivens the publics.

THE GRAND GOALS

The purpose beyond seeking knowledge, from the Islamic viewpoint, is not attaining narrow material objectives or gaining personal earnings that are unrelated to the factuality of spirits and disciplining. Actually, the goals, we will refer to some hereinafter, are nobler and more elevated.

Activities of the seekers of knowledge should be purely intended for God’s sake, away from any material benefit. The oppressive efforts-- including the turmoil and the hard striving of continuous nights- that the students encounter for receiving knowledge should never be exerted for a worldly affair, which leads to nonsense. Such efforts must achieve a great triumph the resources of which should spread over the society as a whole. Nothing is more beneficial and widespread than working for God’s sake and satisfaction. The sect of Ikhwanus-safa has dedicated the goals of learning to the work for God’s sake. They said, “O brethren! You should realize that every item of knowledge or art that does not lead to the Hereafter will be a loss and an argument on the Resurrection Day.”[6] Al-Ghezali also dedicated the processes of learning to this aspect. He said, “O youngster! Many are the nights that you have passed with seeking knowledge and scanning books, and you have abstained from sleep. I do not know your intendment. If it has been obtaining the concerns of this world, collecting its wreckages, and holding its positions and ostentation before the others, then woe is you! If your intendment is enlivening the Prophet’s practices, refining your ethics, and violating the bad-tending soul, then you will get many happy returns!”[7]

The Prophet (s) repudiated all of the material intendments that are pursued by those faithless ones. He said, “He should find himself a place in the hell-fire that whoever seeks knowledge for disputing with the ill-minded and showing off before the scholars and attracting people’s attentions.” On this bright rule, Islam has encouraged people, by all means, on committing to knowledge. An Islamic educationist says, “The seekers of knowledge ought to dedicate their acts to God and the Hereafter. They ought to intend to eradicate ignorance of people, as well as themselves, enliven the religion, and perpetuate Islam. Knowledge is surely the only means of perpetuating Islam.”

The incentive of seeking studies should be spreading knowledge and God-fearing among people. Islam has urged groups on having religious erudition and rulings, and disposing them among people. God says:

Why should not then a company from every party from among them go forth that they may apply themselves to obtain understanding in religion?

The seeking of knowledge in Islam is significant only when it aims for disciplining people and raising their levels to take them away from the total sorts of irregularity and deviation. Such seekers of knowledge are definitely the prophets’ heirs and the masters of the pious and the virtuous.

In any event, the propagation of the Islamic doctrine, the introduction of the conventional rulings to people, habituating them to the noble morals, and taking them away from ill manners and vile moralities; these are the most important incentives of the religious teaching.

We may mention the creation of the social conscience and leading people to cooperation, heart purity, and spiritual fineness with the goals with which Islam has concerned. The development of the feeling of responsibility, the encouragement on the conceptual and scientific maturity, and the improvement of the general life for avoiding poverty, ailment, and ignorance; all these are included with the goals involved. The Islamic teaching has not been mere religious nor mere material. It has accommodated between the religious and the worldly affairs since it has prepared people to act positively in this world and the Hereafter. The holy Quran refers to this point. God says:

And seek by means of what Allah has given you the future abode and do not neglect your portion of this world.

The Prophet (s) stated, “The best of you are not those who neglected the worldly affairs for the Hereafter or the affairs of the Hereafter for the worldly. It is surely they who take from both.”

The propagation of the political conscience, the compaction of the social conceptions, and the expansion of the general mentalities before the public interests along with the supervision of the political affairs are in reach of the goals of the Islamic teachings. These are the very objects that are intended by the prophetic saying, “You all are wardens, and you all are responsible for your wards.”

Such a sort of conscience can be consummated in the Islamic society only when the conceptual and scientific life is affluent. The prevalence of ignorance induces a total destruction of such conscience. The menacing crises affecting the Islamic world in most of the life stages have been the direct results of the conceptual and social disintegration.

Knowledge achieves the nation’s attachment and unification, and eradicates dissidence and corruption. Muslims as a whole are one body gathered by the ties of faith that are more inherent than the ties of lineage. Virtuous spirits can be attainable through the publicity of the Islamic sciences and Muslims’ realizing the factuality of their great religion. The goals of the Islamic teaching are not devoted to religious affairs. They are comprehensive and comprising all of the sciences through which social and economic, as well as other, aspects develop. An educationist says, “Teaching -for Muslims- achieves four purposes- religious, social, material, and rational.”[8]

THE OBLIGATION OF TEACHING

The distinctive feature of Islam is the collective obligation of obtaining knowledge that systematizes the life. Obtaining the religious knowledge is an individual obligation upon Muslims by either extraction or pursuance. The excuses of the uneducated are inadmissible. The Prophet (s) said, “On the Resurrection day, the servants, who will excuse of ignorance, will be told that they should have learned.”

Al-Ghezali divided knowledge into two parts; one is collective and the other is individual. He said, “People has different opinions regarding knowledge that is imposed on Muslims. They were of twenty sects- each explained the obligation of knowledge according to its own opinions. Theologians estimated theology with which monotheism is realized. Jurists referred to jurisprudence with which people can recognize the precepts including the legal and illegal matters. Exegesists -of the holy Quran- and hadithists suppose that the knowledge of the Quranic and prophetic texts are obligatorily learned. Others suppose other opinions.”[9]

Al-Qabisi assumes that it is obligatory upon boys to learn. He refers to the obligation of learning as his proof. The Quranic knowledge is also obligatory since it is necessary for performing the prayers correctly. Fathers are assigned to teach their sons the knowledge of the Quran and prayers. They may send them to the tutorials and pay for teachers. In case fathers are too poor to meet the costs of teaching, their relatives should pay them. Finally, teachers may teach the boys freely for God’s sake or receive their stipends from the public treasury. This hypothesis was highly considerable for jurists that issued the verdicts of the obligation of receiving knowledge on all of the Muslims.[10]

As Ibn Wahab was attending the classes of Malik, the time of a prayer commenced. He prepared himself for performing it. “The lessons you have attended are not less obligatory than the prayer you are preparing for,” said Malik.

In any case, Islam has incited to obtain religious, and other, knowledges for achieving development and avoiding ignorance, which is the one and only source of retardation.

Compulsory Teaching:

According to the Islamic legislation, governments are responsible for playing a positive role in breaking the bonds of illiteracy and sparing no efforts for spreading science and knowledge among people.

Omar bin al-Khattab, once, asked a Bedouin whether he could recite the Quran. “Yes, I do,” said the man. “Well,” expressed Omar, “Recite the mother of the Book.” The Bedouin worded, “I do not know the daughter. How can I then recite the mother?”

Omar whipped and sent him to the tutorials. He could no longer tolerate; hence, he escaped.

Teaching is one of the life necessities. It is a significant element in the social progress and development. Therefore, Islam had made it a basic rule for the social structure and paid special attention to obtaining religious knowledge. Imam as-Sadiq said, “I wish I could lash our acquaintances on the heads for the sake of receiving knowledge.” He also said, “I do not want the youth to be in other than two states- either teaching or receiving knowledge. Otherwise, they will neglect. The negligent always misspend and then sin. I swear by Him who sent Mohammed with the right, the sinners’ fate will be the hell-fire.”

The period of youth represents power, determination, diligence, and hard working. It is the phase in which powers are perfect and tendencies are ready; therefore, all of the abilities should be spent on knowledge, personal disciplining, and excellence.

Stipend of Teaching:

Jurists had various opinions regarding the permissibility of the teachers’ receiving stipends. Some disallowed while others legalized. Each had their own arguments recorded in the books of jurisprudence. The unanimous fact is that the virtuous and the religious teachers refused to receive wages for teaching. They offered their efforts to God’s sake and the Hereafter. They understood that the process of teaching is God’s guidance; therefore, it is unfit to take wages for it since the prophets did not ask for wages. Ad-Dehak bin Muzahim and Abdullah bin al-Harith, for instance, refused to receive wages for the teaching they had provided for children. Moreover, they forbore from accepting the presents offered by their pupils’ fathers.[11] Once, Abdurrahman as-Salami, who was teaching in Kufa Mosque, refused a present offered by one of his pupils’ father, and wrote to him, “We do not teach the Quran for wages.”[12]

Hajji Khalifa says, “The purpose beyond the publicity of knowledge is not securing the life affairs. It is purposed for showing facts and disciplining moralities. Those who receive knowledge for obtaining a profession are not scholars. They are semi-scholars. The Eastern master scholars referred to this point. When they are informed of the establishment of schools in Baghdad, they held consolation ceremonies for the knowledge. They said, “The masters of elevated concerns and dignified personalities were engaged in knowledge intending to attain honor and perfection. They become the scholars of useful knowledge and personalities. The lowly and the lazy come to knowledge when stipends began to be received for teaching.”[13]

People spent big riches for obtaining knowledge for purposes other than improving their livelihood. Abu Bakr an-Nisapuri said, “I spend one hundred thousand dirhams for obtaining the knowledge of hadith by which I benefited no single dirham.” With the development of the Islamic state and the scientific movement during the Abbasid reign, knowledge became a path taken for reaching the ruling regimes and securing a good livelihood. Since then, stipends were received for teaching. Ibn Khuldoun said, “Knowledge became one of the professions. The extremists took it as a way of gaining leading positions; therefore, individuals other than its real people took this position to change it into a profession. The wealthy and the officials disdained knowledge.”[14]

The grand religious universities of Najaf and Qum are still practicing the free education since all of the knowledges given there are free and offered to God’s sake exclusively.

Age of Teaching:

Islam has noticed all of the aspects originating the prosperity of education and teaching. One of these aspects was the age of teaching that is defined according to children’s mental maturity. It is the seventh year of age. Imam as-Sadiq, the pioneer of the Islamic mental and scientific movement, is reported to say, “A child should play for seven years, and learn at schools for other seven years, and acquire legal and illegal questions for other seven years.” He also said, “Let your son play for seven years and be disciplined for other seven years. He will then thrive lest he will be valueless.”[15]

Islam had declared this fact before the modern studies of psychology of teaching that decided the seventh year as the age of acquiring teachings. UNESCO also affirmed this matter within the educational regulations. Children who join school before this age may undergo lethargy, suffering, and cessation of the mental maturity. Unfortunately, numerous fathers send their sons to schools before attaining this age. An educationist says, “One of the painful states in this age is the drastic competition for acquiring knowledge to the degree that parents often forget that their sons, who have limited mental and physical potentials and specific tendencies and desires, should enjoy their childhood. They hurried in taking their sons to schools before attaining the five or six-year-old, and deem excessive six years of primary school. They try to reduce the period by fatiguing their sons in special tutorials that exhaust their powers and incapacitate their mental maturity.”[16]

Al-Abdari says, “The virtuous ancestors used to send their seven-year-old sons to the tutorials since they are asked to teach their sons the ritual prayers and good manners and traits in this age. Now, children are joining schools in an early age. Teachers should beware of teaching such children the principals of reading lest they are exhausted physically and mentally. As a matter of fact, fathers are sending their sons to school in an early age for getting rid of their home troubles, not teaching them.”[17]

Laziness, sloth, and cessation of mental maturity are within the disadvantages of sending the early children to schools.

Islam has referred to another nonesuch matter that is the necessity of feeding the children with religious spirits so that the atheistic ideologies will not affect. Imam Ali said, “Teach your sons useful knowledge so that the atheists will not overcome them.”[18]

The children’s minds are the most fertile for receiving the religious advocacy and embracing the virtues and guidance of Islam. The children’s religious advocacy purifies their souls against deviation and aberrance, and guides to a brighter future.

Children are the recipients of every idea. Imam Ali says, “The like of the juveniles’ minds is the vacant land that receives whatever is seeded.” This fact should be utilized for directing the children to the virtuous bearing of honesty and good manners. Unfortunately, the educators and fathers have shown shortage in this regard. They did not immunize their sons against the lethal diseases, such as existentialism and the like, that gushed into the Muslim countries and affected many individuals. Such individuals went on imitating the fashions and styles of the aimless and the corruption of the existentialists. They have lost all of the criteria of human values and distinction between good and evil.

Categories of Sciences:

Islam has ordered of plunging into all of the classes of sciences especially those achieving social and mental growth. Furthermore, it is obligatory upon Muslims to receive some sciences such as medicine, pharmacology, and other industrial sciences and arts. Modern sciences and specialization are given an exclusive intention for their being the bases of people’s development and renaissance. The Islamic world has collapsed and been rent asunder because of ignorance and the conceptual slowdown in industries, and falling behind the developed countries that built their civilization on the grounds of science and arts. All these made the Islamic homeland the target of the imperialists who hurried for usurping its riches and economic resources.

Islam has not restricted science to certain categories, but it urged on using all of its categories and arts. The imams, who are the Prophet’s heirs and the repositories of his wisdom and secrets, have cleft the portals of most of sciences. They tackled the various classes of mental and reported science through their lectures and theses. They recorded their attendance in jurisprudence, hadithology, Quranic exegeses, medicine, and chemistry et al. Imam As-Sadiq grasped the grand portion of the crystallization of mental life and the expansion of science scopes that contributed in constructing the Islamic civilization. Sayyid Mir Ali al-Hindi says, “It is quite acceptable to state that the sciences of that time helped in unlocking the restricted mentalities. Philosophic discussions became public all over the Islamic world. It is worthy mentioning that the chief of this movement was the grandson of Ali bin abi Talib, known as Imam Jafar whose nickname was As-Sadiq. He enjoyed expansive mental horizons and intellectual far-thee-well. He had full and complete familiarity with the sciences of his age. He was surely the founder of the well-versed philosophic schools in Islam. His classes were not dedicated to those who became, later on, founders and masters of the sects, but they were attended by the grand philosophers and the students of philosophy all over the Islamic state.”[19]

Mohammed Sadiq Nashat says, “The house of Jafar as-Sadiq was a university decorated permanently with the grand masters of hadith, exegesis, wisdom, and theology. The number of the attendants was attaining two thousand in most times. It could reach four thousand all are famed scholars.”[20]

The main topic of the previous exposition is to prove that Islam has constituted the conceptual life on the bases of enlightenment and development of the general, not specific, classes of knowledge. Al-Aqqad says, “Islamic science is too comprehensive to leave any topic. It is more significant than teaching how to perform the ritual precepts. It is surely the best worship by which man is led to the Lord’s secrets of creation as well as the personal and surrounding facts.”[21]

Islam has concentrated on the necessity of acquiring religious teachings and Shariite rulings since they regulate the social relations and achieve the equanimity of personal behavior and manners. At any rate, such teachings include transactions such as contracts, pledges, blood money, and doctrinal provisions besides the rituals. They also involve social, political, and economic affairs in addition to those related to ethics and moralities.

THE BANNED SCIENCES

Sorcery:

Sorcery causes terrible damages to the society since it attracts people to fables and false matters and believing in illusions and mirages. From this cause, Islam has banned the teaching and learning of sorcery, and likened it to atheism and polytheism. The Prophet said, “The sorcerers are atheists.” “He is converting to atheism that whoever learns any amount of sorcery, unless he repents.” “Three classes of people will not be in the Paradise- the drunkards, the sorcerers, and the violators of relations of kinship.”[22]

Those who practice this art are ruled as apostates since it is an instrument of demolishing and deviation and a source of frivolity and sedition. A number of naïve, simple, and ordinary people accepted sorcery completely; hence, they used to act upon the words and directions of sorcerers for revealing what they ignore. For instance, people seek the help of sorcerers for revealing the perpetrator of a murder. In many cases, sorcerers accuse innocent persons, arouse sedition, and disorder in the society.

Astronomy:

Astronomy causes to believe in the influence of the planets in the events and independent impression in composing and establishing certain occurrences. It also indicates the planets’ managing and founding this cosmos. This will certainly lead to denial of God’s existence and His relinquishing in the earthly affairs after creation of these stars. Islam has warned against learning or believing in astronomy. The Prophet said, “He whoever believes in wording of astronomers or fortune-teller is denying what has been revealed to Mohammed.”

As Imam Ali was about to begin his journey, an astronomer said, “If you choose this very time for traveling you will not win your intendment. This is the astronomy.” The Imam gazed at him and said, “Do you claim you lead to the very hour that discharges the evil and the one that brings about the vile? Believing in you is belying the Quran and disdaining God’s help in obtaining the wish and evading the abominated. O People! Beware of learning astronomy except in cases of direction. Astronomy leads to fortune telling. Fortune-tellers are the like of sorcerers. Sorcerers are the like of atheists. Atheists will be in the hell-fire.”[23]

This is the logic of Islam aiming at believing in God and engaging all of the events to His will and determination. Stars have nothing to do with events except those regarding climate, lunar and sonar eclipses and the like. Those predictions do not confront the religion and its factuality and guidance.

Those banned sciences cripple the conceptual movement, deaden the cognizance and enliven believing in delusions and fables.

Teaching Women:

Islam has not dedicated teaching to men. As a matter of fact, women had a good share of teaching. Islam has aroused the spirit of knowledge among women of Muhajirs and Ansar[**] and encouraged them on learning reading and writing in addition to religious affairs. Al-Bukhari records that women asked the Prophet to assign a day on which he might meet and teach them and the Prophet did. Al-Belathiri counts the ladies who were teachers of writing and reading among whom were Hafsa the Prophet’s wife, Ummukulthoum bint Awaba and Aisha bint Sa’d who said, “My father taught me reading and writing.”[24] Easa bin Miskin used to gather his sons and nieces for teaching reading and writing.[25]

Al-Jahiz affirms, “Women should not be taught writing and poetry. They should learn the Quran, especially sura of Nur.”[26] Al-Qabisi banned women’s learning to avoid depravity. He said, “It is more secure for women to evade learning reading.”

In fact, such opinions lack scientific genuineness and resist the Islamic spirit and guidance. Islam has persistently used all methods and powers for eradicating ignorance and illiteracy, and regarded the acquisition of knowledge as an individual right of every male and female. It has also burdened the governments of arranging equal opportunities of obtaining knowledge apart from race, nationality, and social class. It has declared that every human being should enjoy the right of the expansive participation in the scientific and conceptual activities.

The Islamic mission is based upon knowledge and believing in its being an important element of social progress of individuals and communities since it is not devoted to men exclusively. Women, whose roles in establishing the humane society and life prosperity and maturity have been distinctively and highly praised and estimated in Islam, are also included because they form the basic ground upon which family structure is built. How is it acceptable that Islam that gave women unprecedented respect and granted them as much as possible rights in scopes of general, as well as individual, relations with governments and societies has prevented them from obtaining knowledge, which is the guide to social and conceptual maturity and progress?

It is impossible for women to attain and rank of elevation and perfection unless they construct their lives on bases of knowledge and religion. It is yes that Islam banned women from mixed learning and warned against grooming since these matters push them into depths of disintegration and corruption and nullify their chastity and dignity. Islam aims for preserving women’s dignity and protecting them against slipping in humble levels. Women should be the mistresses of their class, and should manage and supervise the education and guidance of their likes for being active members in this life.

Status of Teachers:

Islam has paid considerable attention to teachers for their being the first brick in the structure of social development and perfection and the cause of guiding and developing behaviors and mentalities of individuals and communities. The Prophet cared for teachers and showed their elevated standings. Once, he passed by two circles of people; the first was supplicating to God while the other listening to a teacher. He commented, “The first is begging God who may or may not give them. The second was learning. I have been sent as teacher.” Hence, he joined the second. This is the best example of the Prophet’s encouraging education and teaching.

Teachers are exemplars:

Teachers are indisputably their pupils’ none such exemplars. Pupils acquire the good traits and sound trends, as well as the virtuous behavior and equanimity, from their teachers whose guidance and conducts penetrate to their hearts. On that account, teachers must overdiscipline themselves and train on virtuous and noble morals and manners to be the best exemplars of their pupils.

As a caliph appointed a teacher for his son, he instructed, “The reformation you will provide to my son should be a part of your self-reformation. Flaws of pupils are totally related to yours. They will deem good only what you deem good and deem evil only what you deem evil.”[27]

An educationist states, “Teachers are the good exemplars to whom the pupils refer inadvertently.”[28] Another educationist says, “Majority of people are pursuing states of the speakers. Those who are not are very rare. Hence, teachers should care for themselves more than improving their ways of teaching.”[29] It is said that admonitions of masters that neglect applying them are being very unstable in hearts.

Abul-Aswed ad-Dueli composed a couple of verses in which he said:

O, man that teaches others! You should have taught yourself first

Warn not against a manner while you are doing

This is the great shame on you

Begin with yourself in interdicting sins

If you do it then you are truly wise

Only then, your admonition will be acceded

And your words will be ensued and teaching be useful.

Self-disrespect and immorality of some teachers have been the cause that resulted in the present youth’s irregularity and deviation from the social traditions.

Teachers’ Rights:

Teachers enjoy abundant rights on their pupils since they are sources of their perfection and familiarity with life experts. They are also sources of their mentalities’ illumination. Therefore, teachers’ rights are preferable to fathers’. Pupils are required to show their teachers the highest pictures of respect and reverence. Imam Zeinul-abidin says, “The right of your instructor is dignifying him and committing to solemnity in their classes and good listening and attending. You should provide for your instructor with mental presence and conceptual attendance and heart retaining and sight propinquity. The way of all these is laxness of desires and confine of lusts. You must understand that you are the emissary of what you have been received to the ignorant you may meet. Then, you should convey properly and never breach the mission if you should perform.”[30]

These golden words have been definitely suffocated with teachers’ rights that bring about the nation’s guidance in behavior and morals.

Teaching stuff should enjoy the most remarkable rights not only on the students, but also on the nation. This is because teachers’ being the source of illumination and cognizance from which we recover elements of our renaissance and development. Teachers’ efforts are the source of establishment of civilizations and prosperity of life characters as well as achievements of the great expectations for which the nation yearns.

Teachers’ Qualities and Responsibilities:

The ancient Muslim educationists referred to a number of qualities and responsibilities that the teachers should apply on their teaching life. These qualities may participate in making the teachers the noble exemplars and achieving the prosperity of education and teaching for creating a generation of equanimity and good manners. The following is an exposition of these qualities:

- Teachers should offer their disciplinary activities for God’s sake. Their acts must aim at reforming the Muslim young generations. They should avoid thinking of riches or positions. Deviation is the inevitable fate of any teacher that intends to gain good livelihood or high positions through his missions. Sufian bin Uyeina says, “I had been gifted the understanding of the Quran, but when I received those riches from Abu Jafar I lost the understanding totally.”

- Teachers should be of extraordinary faith in God the Exalted, and should perform the rituals for showing the Islamic norms and destroying the seditious. They should also acquire noble traits so that God will cast understanding in their minds. Ibn Masud said, “Knowledge is not the abundance of narration. It is an illumination that God casts in minds.”

- Teachers should avoid humble professions, such as cupping or tanning, during the rest hours.

- Teachers should clean their bodies and practice the other ablutionary activities such as clipping the nails and avoiding malodors.

- Teachers should economize in their clothing, food, and lodging. Ashafii said, “I have not been saturated for sixteen years.”

- Teachers should keep themselves away from the ruling authorities as much as possible. Al-Awzaii said, “Nothing is more hateful to God than the scholars’ visiting the viziers.”

- Teachers should copy the virtuous and pious men among the Prophet’s companions and their followers.

- Teachers should be concerned with the serviceable knowledges and avoid the useless and disputable.

- Teachers should be concerned with the knowledges that take to the affairs of the Hereafter. Shaqiq al-Belkhi asked his student, Hatem al-Asem about the questions he had learned. “How long have you been with me?” asked the teacher. “They have been thirty three years,” answered the student. “What have you learned all these years?” asked the teacher. “I have learnt eight questions,” replied the student. The teacher expressed his sorrow and said, “I have finished my years with you, but you have learnt eight things only!” “That is it,” expressed the student, “ I do not want to lie.” “Well,” said the teacher, “Let me hear.” “They are the fondness of the good deeds, shoving the caprices away, decency and god-fearing, befriending the right, antagonizing the devil, adhering to obedience, leaving the humiliation of seeking earnings to people, and depending on God,” counted the student. The teacher expressed his great admiration and esteem and said, “O Hatem! God may prosper you. As I looked in the Torah, the Bible, the Psalms, and the Quran, I found these eight questions be the pivot of these Books.”

- Teachers should not engage themselves in positions higher than their abilities until they accomplish their profession and grant the certificate of master teachers. As-Shibli says, “He whoever has the front before attaining suitability is meeting his shame.”

- Teachers should discipline the pupils with their accounts and deeds in addition to words and admonition.

- Teachers should love their pupils and guard them against harm. Abu Abbas said,

“The most respectful -for me- is my student who leaves all people to come to me. I protect him to the degree that I exert my efforts for preventing even the flies from reaching him.”

- Teachers should pardon and acquit the pupils who make mistakes. They should use intimation in attracting their attentions to their faults. If they do not conceive, teachers then may state the fault openly. Then comes the reproach. The Prophet (s) said, “Teach without chiding. Teachers are preferable to the scolders.” He also said, “Use leniency to those whom you teach and those who learn you.”

- Teachers should welcome the attendant pupils and ask about the absent.

- Teachers should not answer questions they ignore. They may confess they do not know. Ibn Masud said, “O people! He, whoever is familiar with something, should say it, otherwise he should say: Allah is the most knowledgeable. This saying is a part of knowledge.”

- Teacher should realize the levels of the pupils and offer to them according to their understandings. They should intimate to the smart, elucidate for others, and repeat for the unintelligent.

- Teachers should refer to the unchanging rules and the exceptions of the materials they teach. They should also urge them on working and ask them to repeat the matters they had to memorize, and chide the negligent and praise the good retainers. They should also ask them for testing their understandings and order them of moderation especially when signs of physical or mental fatigue are shown. They should recommend the bored ones of rest and relaxation.

- Teachers should not ask for intolerable matters that do not fit the students’ minds and age. They should not ask the students of reading books that are mentally unattainable. They should test before referring to a subject to be perceived. After test, teachers may refer to books that accord the pupils’ minds. They should not engage the pupils with several subjects at the same time.

- Teachers should not teach when they are annoyed or complaining an illness, hunger, or anger since these states may harm the students and themselves.

- Teachers should neither prolong nor shorten the lessons unacceptably. Likewise, they should neither raise nor reduce their voices inadequately.

- Teachers should allot certain times to receiving the scope of the pupils’ memorized items. In the ancient times, teachers allotted Wednesday night and Thursday morning to recalling. Friday was the day off.

- Teachers should treat the pupils equally and avoid any sort of discrimination. The Prophet is reported to say, “Teachers who have three students- of different social classes- and do not treat them equally, will be in the line of the traitors on the Resurrection Day.”

- Teachers should supervise the pupils’ tendencies and mental desires so that the suitable subject is chosen. They should lead the pupils who seek another subject to the correct direction. Avecinna says, “Not every desired profession is possible and attainable for boys. They should be fit enough for conforming it. If all of the professions and knowledges were responsive, none would lack arts and professions, and people would have the same arts and professions or the opposite. Wardens who intend to select a profession for the wards should first test the nature and suitability. Hence, professions should be selected on the bases of suitability and capability.”

- Teachers should reward the hard-working pupils and praise them before the mates. Ibn Maskub said, “Pupils should be praised and rewarded for any good manner and favorable act they show.”

- Teachers should be accurate in treating the pupils. They should count their breaths and account their entire movements and activities.

The desires of seeking knowledge should be evolved in the pupils’ minds. Teachers should refer to the most significant matters that advance them and their societies plentifully. Pupils will surely pursue knowledge resolutely if this noble tendency is sewn in their minds and, consequently, the conceptual and scientific life will be prosperous in the country.[31]

Because they applied those programs, the teachers of the early eras of Islam could produce those virtuous generations of such high traits and perfect maturity, and achieve the most remarkable scientific renaissance the sparks of which have covered all of the ages.

TEACHING METHODS

The ancient Muslim educationists adopted a special method of teaching that promotes the recipients of knowledge. The following are some articles of the teaching methods:

Forsaking Tension

Teachers ought to treat their pupils leniently and kindly and avoid any tension and cruelty since these two things impede the mental growth and author serious psychological complexes. Ibn Khuldun says, “Tensional teaching injures the pupils, especially the children and the harshly educated.”

Physical Discipline

Pupils of irregular behavior and negligence should be disciplined if they ignore the advice. The ancient Muslim teachers used to beat and detain even the kings’ sons. Abu Merriam, the educator of al-Amin and al-Mamun[***] , caned them so harshly that one’s arm was injured. Before his father, the boy showed his hand, and the teacher was summoned. “What for did Mohammed –al-Amin- complain you?” asked ar-Rashid. “He is full of naivete and slyness,” answered the teacher. The caliph then said, “You may kill him! His death is better than being dull.”[32]

In his instructions to al-Ahmer, one of his sons’ educators, ar-Rashid said, “You should first reform him by means of kindness and lenience. If he refuses, then you should use tension and coarse.”

Fathers used to say to the educators of their sons, “Your share is the flesh while ours is the bones.”

Beating and tormenting were the most important means of education. This is incorrect indeed since it is undecided to Islam that regards mercy, kindness, and lenience as the most matters on which education should settle. All of the crooked ways should be avoided in the educational processes. Teachers should not exceed in disciplining the irregular and deviant pupils since it creates mental complexes and impedes the maturity and prosperity of education and personality. Ibn Khuldoun says, “If the educator uses coercion, this will distress the pupil and confine his delighted spirit and urge on indolence and lead to lie and malignancy for avoiding more coercion. In addition, this coercion will teach the pupil trickery and fraud, and the pupil may take them as customs and qualities forever. The educator, whether teacher or father, should not exaggerate in disciplining the sons.”[33] The Prophet (s) said, “Teach without chiding. Teachers are preferable to the scolders.” Ibn Quteiba said, “Teachers are recommended not to use tension or pride.”[34]

Teachers are compared to the compassionate father. It is said, “Teachers are the substitutes of fathers.”[35] It is also said, “Teachers ought to care for the students’ interests and treat them like the dearest sons with kindness, courtesy, benevolence, and patience on probable alienation. Teachers should apprise of their flaws by means of advice and sympathy, not chiding and crudeness.”[36] Al-Qabisi, one of the master educators of the fourth century –of Hegira-, was asked whether it is recommended for teachers to use coarseness or lenience with students, he answered, “Disciplining should never occupy the good teachers’ lenience and mercy to the pupils. Teachers are the substitutes of their fathers. It is discommended for teachers to be always frowning.

This will make the pupils disrespect them.”[37]

Teachers’ roughness originates mental troubles and leads to the students’ refusing the lessons.

Suggestive Rebuke

Muslim educationists believe that the insinuative rebuke should be within the teaching methods in case pupils show irregular behavior or imperfect work since this method is more impressive than expression. They said, “Teachers who notice an irregularity or a crooked behavior should not state it directly to the pupils. They should insinuate within their common speech by referring to the disadvantages of such a behavior. This will achieve the intended convention.”[38]

This method, in fact, is more useful than direct reproach, which may lead to rebellion and insistence on the wrong. Islam has asserted this topic in the fields of education and teaching. It is related that Imams al-Hassan and al-Hussein, the grandsons of the Prophet, once noticed an old man perform the ritual ablution incorrectly. They avoided stating to him directly; hence, they agreed on making him the arbiter who should rule of the most accurate ablution. As they performed the ablution before him, the old man said, “O masters! You both have performed the very accurate ablution, but it seems that the old man can master nothing.”

Islam has adopted this necessary practice since it saves the deviant from irregularity and aberrance and takes him back to the truth and right. Educationists said, “The pupil that is not amended by insinuative impression, owing to lack of understanding and perception, secret expression and frank warning should be used. If this method is unsuccessful, the teacher may warn openly and reproach. If this is also unsuccessful, the teacher then may dismiss and leave the pupil till he returns.”[39]

THE LEARNERS’ MANNERS

Muslim educationists have been greatly concerned with the learners’ affairs. They constituted the considerable methods that aim at disciplining and acquiring the virtuous ethics and noble manners.

- Learners should seek knowledge for God’s sake purely, neglecting any worldly interest or valueless purpose. God will surely raise the respects of such learners, facilitate the difficulties, grant perception and intelligence, and combine the welfare of this world and the Hereafter.

- Learners should carry out the religious instructions and precepts as well as the noble morals and ritual practices. They should fear God in their hiddens as well as their appearances and purify their hearts against discommended qualities such as envy, ostentation, pride, and arrogance since these characters are the vilest and the most unassuming. An educationist says, “Prayers are invalid without extrinsic purification. Likewise, heart worship that is seeking knowledge is invalid unless the hearts are purified from ill manners and immoral qualities. Knowledge is not the abundance of narration. It is an illumination that is cast in hearts.”

- Learners should enjoy self-possession and sedateness. The Prophet (s) said, “Seek knowledge and convey to people. Use composure, tranquility, and modesty to those from whom you learn and those to whom you convey. Do not be the despotic of knowledge.”[40] Imam as-Sadiq said, “Seek knowledge and use self-possession, composure, and modesty to those from whom you learn. Do not be the despotic of knowledge, otherwise the wrong will remove your right.” Students of such perfect moralities will naturally be the exemplars of others and influence positively in the people’s behavior and ethics.

- Learners should exert all efforts for seeking knowledge since it is not inspirational. Knowledge is acquirable. It depends upon the scope of the efforts that lead to obtaining scientific fortune. Learners should respect time as well as their lessons. Any tardiness will waste the classes and cause the teachers’ carelessness.

- Learners should not exaggerate in studying lest their powers and energy will be exhausting and the mental maturity be impeded. It is essential for learners to have sufficient time for rest and physical relaxation. Men should regard the rights of their bodies. Al-Ghezali said, “It is essential to give the pupils sufficient time for acceptable amusement and relaxation after the fatigue of teaching. Preventing the pupils from entertainment after the exhausting teaching will deaden their hearts stupefy their minds. This will also cause a life disturbance and oblige them to look for trickeries for the sake of getting rid of such a disturbance.”

- Learners should not ask rigor questions otherwise they lose prosperity owing to disrespecting the knowledge and dishonoring the teachers whose approval should precede everything else.

- Learners should respect their teachers who should enjoy rights that are preferable to the fathers. Ashafii said, “I used to reverence my teacher, Malik, to the degree that I skimmed over the books so slightly so that he will not hear the sounds of the papers.” Learners should also esteem their teachers in their presence or absence, use various styles of honoring and veneration, neglect using their names, and stand their flaws and roughness. Ashafii reported, “People informed Sufian bin Uyeina that some people, who had come from distant districts, would leave him because of his harshness.” He said, “They are surely ignorant if they leave their advantages because of my ill manners.” Learners should also be in the class before their teachers, sit in front of them, not lean to a wall or a pad, and not turn the back before them. All these affairs contradict the teachers’ rights. They should also listen heedfully to their teachers and save them against repeating the teaching materials. Moreover, learners should avoid yawning, eructing, laughing, mocking, or practicing any deed that dishonors the teachers.

- Learners should not combine two subjects of study at the same time, lest their minds will be exceedingly disturbed. Ibn Khuldoun says, “Learners must not mix two matters of knowledge at the same time, lest they will be too deficient to obtain any of them since this causes mind confusion and leaning to one on the account of the other.”

- Learners should not associate with other than the hard-working students so that they receive the good behaviors. It is said that the social life is influential and being influenced. Each individual gives and takes from the surroundings. Lazy and slender individuals will surely convey their qualities to their associates.

- Primary learners should not involve themselves in discrepancies and ambiguous opinions of the master scholars especially in conceptual theses, lest these variant opinions will weaken their mentalities and natures.

- Learners should not move to another lesson before they master the earlier. Negligence will surely cause tardiness and skillessness.

PROSPERITY OF THE SCIENTIFIC LIFE

Islam has overthrown totally all of the concepts of Jahilism[****] including ignorance, fables, and submission to delusions and hallucination. It brought about a genuine conscience and a tremendous development in the conceptual and scientific fields. It has also used all means to crystallize the concepts, publicize science, and eradicate all of the social aimless and unconscious traditions.

The Islamic culture has covered all of the territories that became under its control. Ibn Hazm said, “When the Prophet was deceased, Islam was prevailing on the Arabian Peninsula entirely from the –Red- Sea passing by all of the Yemeni coasts to the –Persian- Gulf upward to the Euphrates to Syria. The cities of this area, such as Yemen, Bahrain, Oman and Najd to Mecca, converted to Islam and established mosques. Every single village recited and recorded the Quran and conveyed it to their boys, men, and women. When Omar came to power after Abu Bakr, Persia, Syria, the Peninsula, and Egypt were entirely conquered. Every city there established a mosque, and copied and learned the Quran.”[41]

The great Islamic Empire saved equal opportunities of teaching. Knowledge became the commonest matter. Mosques, institutes, and faculties of knowledge and wisdom opened their portals before everybody. The Islamic State also provided all of the alimony that the seekers of knowledge may need.[42]

Besides teachers, students, and librarians, the cultural and scientific cognizance –in the early ages of Islam- was common among Muslims. It is related that a young man intended to return home after he had accomplished his study in Baghdad. As he was in his way back, he listened to a scientific discussion between two of the shopkeepers there. He was highly admired and affected; hence, he returned the pack animal he had hired to its owner and declared, “It is quite inappropriate to leave a country the shopkeepers of which enjoy such a scholastic rank.”

People also confined themselves to reading to excess that they used to reject any summon during reading. It is related that a caliph sent his servant to summon a scholar for communication. As the servant reached there, he saw that many books encompassing the scholar who was reading. “Tell the caliph that I am engaged with many wise now. I will attend if I finish,” answered the scholar after he had received the caliph’s invitation. The servant conveyed this answer to the caliph who asked him about those wise ones. “In fact,” said the servant, “I saw none with him.” The caliph ordered of fetching that man in any case. The man was present before the caliph who asked, “Who were those wise ones that you had accompanied.” The scholar worded:

They are the sitters that we do never feed up with their conversation

Honest and confident in presence and absence

In our oneness, they are the best of their talks are

Helping in eliminating the whole grief

We benefit by their past information

Morals, disciplining, opinions, and honor

We anticipate neither doubt nor bad association

Nor fear their tongues or fists

I do not lie if I say they are dead

Nor am I a fabricator if say they are alive.

The caliph understood that the man was referring to the books; therefore, he did not blame.

They also were unduly concerned to their books. Except in conditions of harsh neediness, the personal books were not vended at all. Historians also related that Sharif al-Murteda purchased a copy of Ibn Dureid’s al-Jamhara from a man –named Abu Ali bin Ahmed al-Fali-, and found the following poetry written with the handwriting of the vender on one of their pages:

These books have been my pleasure for twenty years. Then I vended

After them, my anxiety and longing have been dragging

I have never thought I would vend them

Even if my debts will lead me to life imprisonment

But for weakness and poverty, and children

Little and on them my affairs are based

And I said while I could not control my tears

The saying of heart-burnt and sad

It happens that exigencies take out the honorable from their tenacious lord.

The Sayyid returned the books to their owner and granted him the price.[43]

They also decided the abomination of sitting to shopkeepers except the booksellers.

In any case, the scientific life and conceptual movements were highly prosperous in the Islamic ages. Associations and the caliph sessions in addition to public circles used to discuss scientific questions and theological and philosophic schools as well as the other sorts of high culture.

CENTERS OF THE ISLAMIC CULTURE

Yathrib, the place of Hegira, was the public center of the Islamic education, and the midpoint from which the scientific and cultural movement extended to the other points of the Islamic and Arab world. The Prophet’s Mosque was the higher institute of receiving scientific and religious affairs. It was also the center of managing governmental affairs and political and military issues. For many Islamic eras, this mosque has been the center of Muslims. The Imams of the Prophet’s progeny used to deliver their considerable lectures that covered a great deal of sciences and knowledges. Imam as-Sadiq made it the center of his grand university that contained four thousand students including the founders of the Islamic sects such as Abu Hanifa, Malik, and Sufian bin Uyeina. Imam Musa bin Jafar also delivered his lectures and scientific lessons in that mosque. Qeba Mosque was also the center in which delegations gathered for holding scientific circles. It is the place where the Prophet instructed his companions, sent them to call to Islam, and taught the people of the Arabian Peninsula the good deeds and forbade the evil.

Mosques were the public teaching faculties. They were spreading all over the Islamic State. For instance, Kufa Mosque was exclusively significant since the master graduates of the school of Imam as-Sadiq joined it. They were about nine hundred. Al-Hassan bin Ali al-Wesha said, “I saw in Kufa Mosque nine hundred teachers, each says: Jafar bin Mohammed told”[44]

Al-Maqdisi counted 110 scientific sessions in the Grand Mosque of Cairo.[45] Al-Mansur Mosque in Baghdad was the most famed teaching center in the Islamic kingdom in which Ibrahim bin Mohammed –known as Naftawayih- delivered lectures for fifty years.[46]

The first Islamic scientific foundation is Darul-Quran in which some readers lived for receiving knowledge. Dies, the Oriental, says, “Since the early era of Islam, it seems there have been places in which Muslims gathered for receiving and studying the Quran. These places must have been like primary schools that provided the principals of reading and writing, as al-Wahidi asserts and mentions that Abdullah bin Uummi Mektum lodged in Darul-Quran in Al-Medina.”[47]

Mosques were not dedicated to religious studies. Sessions of literature, linguistics, and poetry had a good share in these studies.[48] Moreover, the other conceptual sciences such as theology, philosophy, medicine, and botany were discussed there. With the expansion of the scientific movement, the Islamic governments established many faculties and schools all over the Islamic State. Sharif ar-Radi established a school named Darul-Elm (House of knowledge) in which students lodged and received their alimony.[49] There was a huge library comprising all sciences in every school or faculty. Scholars used to dedicate their books in the mosques.[50] Ibn Heyan- the judge of Nisapur- established a teaching house, library, and lodging for the foreign students. He also saved their alimony.[51]

The teaching institutes and cultural centers contributed in spreading sciences and arranging conceptualities and progressions of Muslims.

EMIGRATION FOR KNOWLEDGE

Islam has called to emigrate and travel for obtaining knowledge. God says:

Why should not then a company form every party from among them go forth that they may apply themselves to obtain understanding in religion, and that they may warn their people when they come back to them that they may be cautious.

Muslims all over the ages responded to this original call, then many groups of them emigrated to the various Islamic provinces for joining the teaching institutes there. They also spent most of their ages enduring the pains of dreariness, and traveling for nothing other than seeking knowledge and God’s favor. As soon as Imam Jafar as-Sadiq established his grand university, the students all over the Islamic provinces hurried to join it. A. Al-Ahl said, “People of Kufa, Basra, Wasit, and Hijaz sent their sons and dearest among all of the Arab tribes especially sons of al-Harith bin abdil-Muttelib and al-Hassan bin Ali in addition to great groups of the free and sons of the slaves and the non-Arabs among the celebrities of the Arabs and Persia, and Qum in specific.”[52]

The Islamic countries, as a whole, participated in sending their sons to the University of Imam as-Sadiq for acquiring his sciences and receiving the religious rulings from that grandson of the Prophet (s). The Islamic society achieved a scientific renaissance, the shining waves of which extended to all of the ages.

The celebrities of Muslims embarked upon the seeking of knowledge, disregarding the sufferings of traveling. Ibn Isaac says, “Makhul said: I wandered this earth for seeking knowledge. In Egypt, I missed no single knowledge. Then I came to Syria and garbled their sciences.” Saeed bin al-Museyab said, “I was traveling for several days and nights for the sake of studying a single hadith.”[53] It is also related that an-Nisai listened to the hadiths in Khorasan, Iraq, Hijaz, Egypt, Syria, and the Arabian Peninsula.

As Abut-Teyib at-Tabari intended to emigrate for learning from Mohammed bin Ayub ar-Radi, his wife prevented him. When he knew of ar-Radi’s decease, he moaned, tore his clothes, smeared in dust, and shouted, “I have been informed of the death of the man that you had prevented me from joining him.” Hence, his wife consoled him and permitted to emigrate for learning.

Abdullah bin al-Mubarak said, “I examined the scholars and checked the Syrian, Iraqi, Persian, and Hijazi people, but I could not find literature but with three men; Ibn Awn whose impulse is literature, and abdul-Aziz bin Dawud, whose profession is literature, and Wahab al-Maliki who was born with the literature.”[54]

Muslims in the golden age were competing with each other on learning and recording the hadiths. They used to welcome and receive the scholars warmly for listening and coming by their information. When Imam as-Sadiq arrived in Kufa, people crowded around him to ask for fatwas and religious rulings. Mohammed bin Maruf al-Hilali reported, “I traveled to Hira for meeting Jafar bin Mohammed –as-Sadiq-, but I could not reach him for the crowds that encompassed him. On the fourth day, he saw me and asked to approximate him. Hence, people left. I followed when he went to the tomb of Imam Ali. I heard his words while I was accompanying him.”[55]

Historians relate that people of Baghdad welcomed Abu Bakr Jafar bin Mohammed, the famous scholar, before he reached the land. He promised he would deliver a lecture in a certain place. Thirty thousand individuals attended the lecture and 316 were dictating.[56]

Ali bin Mohammed al-Basri related: As we attended the session of Abu Isaac Ibrahim bin Ali for receiving the knowledge of hadith, he was sitting on his house and people were filling the street to excess. I intended to take a good place; hence, I went there in the dawn, but I found some people had preceded me. There must have been more than thirty thousand persons who attended these lectures.”[57]

Abdullah bin al-Mubarak was asked what he should do if he realizes he would die a few hours later. He said, “I will take initiative to learning.”[58]

This highly considerable spirit is one of the Islamic inspirations and illumination. They prove the fact that Muslims were greatly concerned with learning. Circumstances that helped in the emigration for learning were the extension of the Islamic State and the unity of the formal language, which was the Arabic, in addition to the nonexistence of foreign languages in studies or courses.

Specialization:

Muslims of the first ages competed with each other on specialization in the conceptual and reported sciences. Many of them came into sight. Husham bin al-Hakam, Husham bin Salem, Muminuttaq, Mohammed bin Abdullah at-Teyar, and Qeis bin al-Masir; those master scholars majored in philosophy and theology. Those magnificent masters were the choice of the graduates of the University of Imam as-Sadiq. Zurara bin Ayun, Mohammed bin Muslim, Jamil bin Derraj, Yazid bin Muawiya, Isaac bin Ammar, Ubeidullah al-Halabi, Abu Basir, Eban bin Teghlib, al-Fadl bin Yesar, Abu Hanifa, Malik bin Anas, Mohammed bin al-Hassan as-Sheibani, Sufian bin Uyeina, Yahia bin Saeed, and Sufian at-Thawri; all those majored in the field of jurisprudence. Al-Mufeddal bin Ammar specialized in the wisdom of existence and the secrets of creation. Jabir bin Hayan al-Kufi specialized in chemistry. It is to mention that this man was the most famous chemist in the Arab world, as Vandyke affirmed. He invented many fascinating discoveries that are mentioned in the books involved, like the non-incendiary papers and those shining at night under the supervision of his great master, Imam as-Sadiq (a). Abdurrahman Badawi says, “Searchers of the Islamic history can never observe a personality stranger than Jabir bin Hayan. He was so ambiguous and encompassed with secrets to the degree that he was about to be a legend. He was also a high thinker that bewilderment will be the feature of everybody who notices his deep scientific and philosophic vital viewpoints. He also enjoyed a general spirit that is covered by the essence of illumination and human trend tending to unveil all of the secrets.

Scientific, theological, and civilizing researches can never contain this personality in any means. On the contrary, such efforts are being remoter whenever they delve into the personality whose amount increases whenever the sides are stroked. Today, we are the furthest from realizing this personality and cognizing the main lines and the guiding currencies.”[59]

Precisely, Islam preceded modern faculties in founding the specialization of scientific studies.

Freedom of Study:

Students of religious, as well as other, fields –in Islam- enjoy perfect freedom in selecting the materials they desire to study. No regulation might define a certain age of teaching. Likewise, no provision might restrict the propriety of pursuing certain sciences. The students’ desires, which were offered to God, were the only motive beyond studying.

The students of the Religious University of Najaf, as well as others, hold perfect freedom of discussing the teachers. This characteristic proves the students’ superiority and perception.

Recording and Compilation:

It is quite sure that Islam, since its first stages, adopted the invitation to record and convey the sciences since recording and conveyance influence greatly the development of the scientific and cultural life. The Prophet (s) said, “Record the knowledge.” Some companions asked him the method of recording. “Write it down,” tutored the Prophet.[60]

Narrators also related that a man complained before the Prophet of his ill retaining. “Seek the help of your right hand,” said the Prophet who referred to writing.[61]

Imam as-Sadiq (a) also urged oftentimes his students on recording the lessons and lectures that covered mostly all of the arts and sciences. Abu Basir narrated:

Imam as-Sadiq (a) said to me, “What prevents you from writing down? You will not memorize before you write. A group of people of Basra have just left me after they had recorded the answers of their questions.” He also said, “You should write down. You will not memorize before you write.”

The Imam’s students responded to the illuminative instruction that carries the spread of knowledge to people. Thus, they competed with each other on obtaining knowledge. Eban bin Teghlib, for instance, compiled the following books:

Maanil Qur’an (Meanings of the Quran)

Al-Qira’at (The recitals)

Al-Fedhail (The virtues)

Al-Usul fir-Riwaya (Principals of narration)

Gharibul-Qur’an (The allegorical of the Quran)[62]

Mohammed bin Ali al-Kufi –known as Muminuttaq- compiled the following:

Al-Imama (The imamate)

Al-Marifa (The knowing)

Ithbatul-Wasiya (Proof of the will)

Ar-Reddu Elel-Mutezila Fi Imametil-Mafdul (Refutation the Mutazilites in the matter of the preceded leader.)

Amru Talha, az-Zubeir and Aisha (Affairs of Talha, az-Zubeir and Aisha)

If’al Wela Taf’al (Do and do not)

Al-Munazara ma’a Abu Hanifa (Disputation with Abu Hanifa)[63]

Al-Mufeddal bin Omar compiled at-Tawhid (Monotheism), which is one of the most remarkable Islamic writings discussing the topics of creating and composing the human beings along with the secrets of creation. The book also provides many medical searches.[64] Husham bin al-Hakam -one of the honorable students of Imam as-Sadiq- compiled seventeen books regarding various sciences and arts.

Jabir bin Hayan compiled a thousand-page book of chemistry including the five hundred theses of the Imam.[65] Those theses were the most fertile sources of chemistry. Muslim and Oriental scholars, as well as scientists, praised Jabir since he equipped the Islamic society with the most abundant scientific wealth he had received from his master, the Imam and the pioneer of the Islamic conceptual and scientific movement. In addition, there is a great deal of other students who compiled volumes in various sciences and arts, such as Zurara bin Ayun, Abu Basir, Ismail bin abi Khalid, and others. Agha Buzurg, the late grand master of Islam, exposed two hundred volumes compiled by the Imam’s students.[66]

Scientists were encompassing Imam Musa bin Jafar. They used to carry clays and writing instruments so that they would record any single letter that the Imam would utter.[67] Hence, the Islamic scientific movement was widely spreading in the Islamic districts, and the scholars transferred the Islamic heritage to the next generations.

Fading of Teaching

The illumination of teaching was extinguished when Hulagu, the tyrant, seized Baghdad the capital of the Islamic caliphate in 765. The Mongolians caused the ever most terrible sufferings to the Islamic people.

When the Western powers rent asunder the Islamic homeland into small states, the scientific and conceptual life began to dwindle gradually until it disappeared. The intellectual indolence and the mental slump subdued the Islamic provinces totally. The West then went on implementing their horrible policy of castrating the mental prosperity and intellectual outburst. This policy also aimed at killing the cognizance and publicizing humiliation and ignorance. An Arab educationist says, “In the early twentieth century, schools were moveless. They included a few students who were unaware of their surroundings or interiors. They were of one composing, cultural, and unproductive matrix. This was the outcome of the outer control of knowledge. Hence, it is not strange for us to earn such a humble collapse that threatens the aspects of our life wholly. The controller of our education was a foreign element that aimed at producing humble and unprolific generations, who should never contribute in opinions and be unable to overcome the life difficulties. Hence, teaching was far away from discussing and exposing such difficulties.”[68]

Nowadays, the conceptual renaissance began to flow all over the Islamic homeland, and Muslims began to remove away the dust of ignorance and retardation to join the developed countries that held fast on the caravans of life and light. The current governments are required to utilize this phenomenon and provide, first of all, the necessary experts of teaching in schools and faculties, and create moralities -in the spirits of the youth- in addition to self-reliance, systemization, caring for the home affairs, and sacrificing for the protection and independence of their homeland. The governments are also advised of arousing the hatred of the imperialists and Zionists in the minds of the youth by proving and referring to the menacing dangers of those powers that have been plotting the Islamic and Arab homeland. This is surely one of the most significant social liabilities that the governments of the Islamic countries should concern.

The Islamic society has had to encounter various sorts of calamities and dangers from the imperialists and their agents. The imperialists have created the causes of discrepancies and enmity besides the dispersion of the spirits of frenzy, egotism, and negativity. They have spared no efforts for screening the heritage of the Muslims’ great religion for depriving them of the constituents of dignity and elevation. From that cause, the new generations should be brought up on antagonizing and abhorring the colonialists by means of dispensing with their educational systems that impede our march of progress, prosperity, and national investment of our riches. It is also obligatory to show the great powers of Islam in the fields of education, policy, and sociology as well as the whole fields and affairs of life. Those powers should be within the teaching methods since they are the best way of achieving the Muslims’ renaissance and development.

ISLAMIC MENTAL AND SPECULATIVE EDUCATION

Islam has betaken man’s conscience, as well as the mental and speculative powers, as the chief ground of constructing the educational entity. Thus, it dedicated the grand powers to the reformation of impulses, the maturity of the noble tendencies, and the incapacity of the evil ones so that man would be actually God’s representative in this earth through constituting the right and enjoining justice and seeking the good.

Islam has focused its concernment on the mental frames in order to save them from disintegration, collapse, and frailty, and saturate with the spirits of faith, willpower, and self-determination. In fact, Islam has applied this excellent education to the life. The old men were rushing to the battlefields for the sake of guarding the principals of their grand religion. The youth were also armored with powers of belief and struggle for the sake of right. They attained the top of loyalty when they left their fathers and brothers who tarried in the battle of Tabuk[*****] . However, the Prophet asked them to associate with their families later on.

The Islamic education overflowed with immense spiritual powers that are kept in the first Muslims whose feelings and emotions were totally captured by Islam. They formed a single body that was tied by religious emotions and single words and trends. The powers of belief, which is the most fastening than any other bond, tied these trends.

Speculative education:

Using all of its methods and powers, the Islamic education aims at maturing and releasing the human speculations from the chains of ignorance and blind imitation. It also purposes to teach through the providing of the historical examples and events. It arouses the deep thinking in the universal precision and systemization so that man will believe in the Creator. This belief should be provable through argumentation and evidenced certitude. Only then, the illuminations of the conscious belief, which encourages on competing in the fields of virtue and good, will be shining in the minds.

Islam has been greatly concerned with the intellects; therefore, it called for an intellectual liberation and prosperity, and decreed of using the judgments of the intellects. Uninterrupted reports have related that the Imams confirmed that the intellects are the intrinsic argument of men and the means by which the Beneficent Lord is worshipped, and the wisdom is attained. They also affirmed that the intellects’ judgments are the messages of the intrinsic apostles.[69] The Imamite Shias decide that the intellectual judgments are within the four evidences, according to which the jurists can elicit shariite rulings. Furthermore, the intellects are the master judge of the questions of contrary narratives -narratives that are intellectually accepted should be grasped only.

The holy Quran condemns those who neglect their intellectual talents. God says:

Surely, the vilest of animals, in Allah’s sight, are the dear, the dumb, who do not understand.

Or do you think that most of them do hear of understand? They are nothing but as cattle; nay, they are straying father off from the path.

God has also stated that the reason beyond the torture that would inflict the atheists is that they screened their intellects against thinking in God’s affairs:

And they shall say: Had we but listened or pondered, we should not have been among the inmates of the burning fire.

Islam has surely glorified the headmost basis of believing and wisdom.

Thinking in the Universal System:

Truthful meditation and deep thinking in the universal phenomena fill in the heart with shining and believing in God. Islam has encouraged on this matter. God says:

Do they not then look up to heaven above them how we have made it and adorned it and it has no gasps. And the earth we have made it plain and cast in it mountains and we have made to from therein of all beautiful kinds. To give sight and as a reminder to every servant who turns frequently to Allah.

The human beings will surely strengthen their relations with the Lord through exposing the fines of this universe and thinking in its miracles, from which the most accurate essences of wisdom, excellence, and creation are perceived. Islam calls for wakening the mentality and guiding to look upon the universal portents: God says:

Most surely, in the creation of the heavens and the earth and the alternation of the night and the day there are signs for men who understand. Those who remember Allah standing and sitting and lying their sides and reflect on the creation of the heavens and the earth; Our Lord! Thou hast not created this in vain! Glory be to thee; save us then from the chastisement of the fire.

Looking deeply in the creation of the heavens and the earth, and thinking in the alternation of day and night; all these fill in the mentalities with faith and confidence in Allah the Creator. None would think of these matters except the sound-minded individuals who use their conscious mental powers in a serious thinking of the marvelous creation. They mention God permanently and say with pure tones of certitude and imploring, “O our Lord! Thou hast not created all this in vain. Glory be to thee! Save us against the chastisement of fire.”

Thinking in God’s kingdom is the perfect course of the speculative education since it release the minds from every deviation, and negates any doubt or suspect to lead them to the locations of believing in God. People will surely and indisputably believe in God if they look accurately in the fascinating and excellent systems of this universe. It is quite impossible that such systems be the origin of serendipity that is, according to absolute scientific conceptions, the most nonsensical. Lablabs says, “This mind-perplexing system, within the movements of the stars from which the solar system is composed, can never be presupposed to be the outcome of serendipity. In fact, serendipity is logically nonexistent in the language of science. Serendipity is absent and nonexistent in this world all of whose components are subduing to the laws of equanimity and statistics that are assigned by an unseen will and an ultimate wisdom. The thing we are naming serendipity is the very result of the unseen powers that we ignore their influences totally. Likewise, we lack knowledge of their existence while they are surrounding us. On that account, it is not possible to regard the order we are noticing in the solar system as a serendipity. We must confess of the existence of an origin and general matter that organizes this system.”[70]

Eckersie Morrison says that the nonfinite systems, without which the life is impossible, are the evidence on the Creator’s existence. Man’s existence on this earth and the excellent aspects of his intelligence are only a part of the program that is implemented by the Creator of this universe.[71]

Islam pushes the conceptual powers to think and perceive the mysteries of this universe so that people will believe in God sincerely and, thereafter, constitute their lives on bases of equanimity.

Pondering over the Creation of Man:

Islam has encouraged on pondering over the creation and composition of man. God says:

So, let man consider of what he is created. He is created of water pouring forth, coming from between the back and the ribs. Most surely, he is able to return him to life. On the day, the hidden things shall be made manifest. He shall have neither strength nor helper.

O people! If you are doubt about the raising, surely we created you from dust, then from a small seed, then from a clot, then from a lump of flesh, complete in make and incomplete, that we may make clear to you. And we cause what we please to stay in the wombs till an appointed time. Then we bring you forth as babies, then that you may attain your maturity. And of you is he, who is brought back to the worst part of life, so that after having knowledge he does not know anything.

Men’s realizing themselves, as well as looking upon the worlds and the mysteries there, is within the matters that incite to believe in God without doubt. Afif abdul-Fettah says, “The Evidences on God’s existence, which are lying in man’s essences, are innumerable. With the extension of the scientific scope, these evidences grow more acceptable and plentiful. All these evidences verify that this fantastic creature should have a Wise Lord. Which of the man’s aspects are not astonishing and amazing?

Are man’s phases in the uteri not one of God’s portents?

The digestive system dissolves the food into variant balanced materials. Each material directs to the place where it fulfills its function while the unusable is emitted. Are these not one of God’s portents?

The system of blood distribution is responsible for taking the blood from its main center, which is the heart, to all of the body directions via uncountable arteries, then returns to the heart through the blood circulation and the passage of air that is brought by aspiration. This process aims at reforming the polluted blood and bettering the body. Is this system not one of God’s portents?

Man’s hearing, sight, articulation, and feelings, including oblivion, grief, delight, familiarity, and ignorance; all these are within the grand evidences that refer to the Creator’s existence.”[72]

The modern microscopic devises and labs could realize a tiny part only. All these refer to the Creator’s excellence and power.

Pondering over the creatures:

Islam has encourages on looking upon the creatures, including the plants. God has given each plant an exclusive quality, arranged it so aptly that it absorbs only the matters it needs for maturity, and prepared it for the purpose of creation. God says:

Then let man look to his food. We pour down the water, pouring it down in abundance. Then we cleave the earth, cleaving it asunder. Then we cause to grow therein the grain and grapes and clover and the olive and the palm and thick gardens and fruit and herbage. A provision for you and for your cattle.

And a sign to them is the dead earth; we give life to it and bring forth from it grains so they eat of it. And we make therein gardens of palms and grapevines, and we make springs to flow forth into. That they may ear of the fruit thereof and their hands did not make it; will they not then be grateful.

He it is who sends down water from the cloud for you; it gives drink, and by it grow the trees upon which you pasture. He caused to grow for you thereby herbage, and the olives, and the palm trees, and the grapes, and of all the fruits. Most surely, there is a sign in this for a people who reflect.

If man looks deeply upon the creation of animals with their countless classes and remarkable making, he will certainly believe in God. Newton says, “How were the bodies of these animals composed in such a gorgeous creation? What for were their numerous parts designed? How is it rational to believe that eyes and ears are originated without full acquaintance with the origins of sight and audition laws? How are the animal’s movements renewed intentionally? What is the source of this natural familiarity of these animals?

These creatures, along with their most splendid and perfect formation, refer to the existence of an incorporeal god. This god should be everliving and wise and existent in everyplace, and should be realized by the factuality of everything.”[73]

The holy Quran invites man to look deeply in the striking creation of animals. God says:

Do they not see the birds, constrained in the middle of the sky? None withholds them but Allah; most surely there are signs in this for a people who believe.

Will they not then consider the camels, how they are created?

God has created the animals for that people would use and benefit by them. He says:

And your Lord revealed to the bee saying: Make hives in the mountains and in the trees and in what they build. Then ear of all the fruits and walk in the ways of your Lord submissively. There comes froth form within it a beverage of many colors, in which there is healing of r men. Most surely, there is a sign in this for a people who reflect.

And Allah has made for you of what he has created shelters, and he has given you in the mountains places of retreat, and he has given you garments of preserve you from the heat and coats of mail to preserve you in your fighting. Even thus does he complete his favor upon you that haply you may submit.

Thinking in God’s creatures leads to believing and removes any delusion or suspect. It is surely the best of worship. The Prophet said, “A one-hour thinking is preferable to a seventy-year worship.”

Reflecting manners of the past nations:

For awakening the minds and maturing their acquisitions, the manners of the past nations, people, history, and affairs should be considered. A group of these nations took the right path that saved them from all of the sorts of irregularity and aberrance. They gained the regal life of amiability, security, and settlement. The other group went astray. They abandoned the path of right and justice; therefore, they vanished, and lost their existence. This carries lessons and examples for every conscious and free man, and saves against the elements of ruining and elapse and clinging to the equanimity and straightness. Imam Ali (a) says:

“Beware of the consequences of the past nations due to their ill deeds and wrongdoing. Remember their worthy and vile manners, and beware of being their likes. If you look upon the variance of their two –good and evil- manners, then you should cling to matters that dignified them, scavenged their enemies, elongated their healthiness, submitted their graces, and connected them to nobility. These matters represent the avoidance of discrepancy and acceding, urging, and recommending of amiability. They shunned every matter that breaks their backs and weakens their intentions, like the heart malice, the mind malevolence, the spiritual rancor, and the power frustration.

Look upon the affairs of the past believers and study their behaviors in the manners of testing and examination. Were they not the most antagonized, the most examined, and the most distressed? The tyrants enslaved, showed the worst of torment, and coerced them to swallow the bitterest. They were kept up in this state of humiliation, expiration, and persecution of mortification. They could not be availed with a plan of refutation or a way of defense. As God noticed their serious toleration that they offered for His favor, and their harsh endurance that they chose for His fearing, He relieved them after the hard examination. He substituted dignity for the humiliation and security for the vacillation. They became kings and rulers. God has made to them what they did not expect.”[74]

The Imam (a) keeps on exposing the vigorous pictures of the past nations that coincided with the paths of right and justice and achieved the most significant states of dignity, nobility, honor, and custody. The holy Quran is filled up with the repetitive calls to count the results of the pious that God has appointed in the earth and fortified their religion that He pleased. The Quran is also stifled with the calls to attend to the consequences of the tyrants and the beliers who averted the right path; hence, God devaluated their triumphs and deadened their affairs.

Result of the pious:

The Quran declared that victory should be the share of the pious and the virtuous ones:

Allah has promised to those of you who believe and do good that he will most certainly make them rulers in the earth as he made rulers those before them. And that he will most certainly establish for them their religion, which he has chosen for them. And that he will most certainly, after their fear, give them security in exchange; they shall serve me, not associating aught with me, and whoever is ungrateful after this, these it is who are the transgressors.

God has granted those pious servants with this noble standing in this world, and bestowed upon them by immortalizing their mentioning and making their lives as exemplars. In the Hereafter, God will lodge them in the Paradise and the permanent felicity.

Consequence of the tyrants:

God has pledged of destroying the tyrants and the despots who disbelieve the social rights and people’s souls and dignities. In various positions in the holy Quran, God exposes the story of Pharaoh who tyrannized and bullied; consequently, God fisted him strongly and revengefully. God says:

Surely, Pharaoh exalted himself in the land and made its people into parties, weakening one party from among them. He slaughtered their sons and let their women live. Surely, he was one of the mischief-makers. And we desired to bestow a favor upon those who were deemed weak in the land, and to make them the imams, and to make them the heirs. And to grant them power in the land, and to make Pharaoh and Haman and their hosts see from them what they feared.

Mortification and torment were the result of Pharaoh because of his having denied God’s elegance and averting the straight path in addition to tyranny and arrogance.

The holy Quran has also called for considering the manners of those that wronged or trampled; therefore, God tortured them, and none could guard them against His punishment. God says:

Have they not traveled in the earth and seen how was the end of those who were before them? Mightier than these in the land, but Allah destroyed them for their sins, and there was not for them and defender against Allah.

And certainly, we did destroy generations before you when they were unjust, and their apostles had come to them with clear arguments, and they would not believe; thus do we recompense the guilty people. Then we made you successors in the land after them so that we may see how you act.

God cursed the wrongdoers and prepared for them a painful torment. God says:

Now surely the curse of Allah is on the unjust, who turn away from the path of Allah and desire to make it crooked. And they are disbelievers in the Hereafter. These shall not escape in the earth, nor shall they have any guardians besides Allah. The punishment shall be doubled for them. They could not bear to hear and they did not see.

God has decreed to punish the wrongdoers all over history. When God’s discipline and punishment inflict the wrongdoers, their economic and military powers will not protect them since God makes all these in vain.

By the exposition of the wrongdoers’ manners, the Quran intends to provide lessons and admonitions for people to convince them of giving up the vile qualities, such as aggression and insulting people.

Releasing the intellects from imitation:

Islam has called for releasing the minds from the bonds of imitation. The source of such an imitation is ignorance and bigotry. The Quran reproached the imitators whose words are expressed by His saying:

Thus, We did not send before you any warner in a town, but those who led easy lives in it said: surely, we found our fathers on a course, and surely, we are followers of their footsteps.

The Quran alienated the question of resting upon the chiefs and leaders who avert the guidance, and ruled that those chiefs, along with their imitators, will share the same punishment. God says:

Those who were followed shall renounce those who followed them, and they see the chastisement and their ties are cut asunder.

Islam antagonizes any baseless trend that depends upon unfounded imitation and pursuance. This is an invitation to discipline the minds and release the ideas from the bonds of imitation.

Verification of matters:

Within the courses of its speculative education, Islam insisted upon the verification of matters and obtaining certitude before judging. God says:

And follow not that of which you have not the knowledge; surely the hearing and the sight and the heart; all of these shall be questioned about that.

On that account, God forbade depending upon surmise. God says:

They do not follow anything but conjecture, and surely conjecture does not avail against the truth at all.

The baseless surmise leads to incorrect delusion and many fatal troubles. Fatalists depended upon such surmise when they denied the existence of God as well as the Resurrection. God says:

And they say: There is nothing but our life in this world. We live and die and nothing destroys us but time. And they have no knowledge of that. They only conjecture.

Fatalists deviated to such a lowly foot only because they depended upon conjecture in the conventional fields.

Islam has also banned relying upon the reports of the licentious lest sedition and ignorance will be prevalent. God says:

O you who believe! If an evildoer comes to you with a report, look carefully into it, lest you harm a people in ignorance, then be sorry for what you have done.

Opting for the best:

Islam has urged on clinging to a certain opinion. Muslims should opt for the best of opinions since this expresses sincerity to the right and disciplines the intellects. God says:

Those who listen to the word, then follow the best of it. Those are they whom Allah has guided, and those it is who are the men of understanding.

God has ordered Muslims of scrutinizing every sect and avoiding rejecting, owing to fanaticism, any opinion before checking. Muslims are also advised of opting for the best. God describes those who follow this method as the guided and owners of right minds and shining mentalities.[75]

MENTAL EDUCATION

The Islamic education achieves sufficient potentials in the mental fields that impede from irregularity and deviation, and mature the noble tendencies and the virtuous habits. They also establish a spiritual coherence and perseverance against occurrences and create equanimity that covers all of the mystical horizons in order that man will achieve a unique entity of behaviors, trends, tendencies, and emotions. Thus, any mental aspect will not influence the spiritual, and man will not be enslaved be any capricious or vile inclination. The Islamic mental education drives men to prudent, self-control, and perfect mastery of impulses and trends. We should stop at the aspect of the Islamic mental education.

Conscientious Guidance

Using all of its powers, the Islamic education strives for composing the religious deterrent in the depths of the soul, so that this deterrent will overcome the mental motives and hold the leadership and the guidance.

The only protector against deviation and tyranny is the alert conscience that is full of the spirits of belief and conviction. As a matter of fact, the conscience is the greatest deterrent that guards against falling in the holes of vices and forbidden matters. Islam is trying to compose and reform the aware conscience so as to control the lusts, and guide to the bright fields that achieve God’s satisfaction and please the conscience. This is the reason beyond the genuineness of the Islamic education that succeeded in achieving its goals. Some French generals, who have been the rivals of Islam, confessed of the existence of this remarkable phenomenon. They said, “We must not underestimate Islam and Muslims. Surely, Islam is a marvelous belief that has persisted on this globe. We have tried all of the economic, capitalist, and administrative laws, but we failed. The very element in which we have failed was the equality of distribution and monition. In Islam, this monition is not an individual or official duty. It is the fear of God and the maturity of the religious conscience. This is adequately a potential power in Islam. Unfortunately, Muslims do not understand or appreciate their religion, which has been the only element that kept and conserved them. Our mission is precisely eliminating the aspects of this religion by impoverishing them in addition to massacring and depriving them of knowledge and fortune.”[76]

There is a divine gift in each individual’s mentality. Yet, there are numerous effective and sharp satanic tendencies. Each man has a violent incentive and a potent stimulus to the world of the uncounted and uncontrolled lusts. Islam has considered all these things deeply and comprehensively; thus, it used ultimate accuracy in paralyzing the vile activities of impulses for uprooting and delimiting them. It also brightened the noble powers for controlling the spirits. Hence, Islam went on promising the righteous of permanent bounty. The Quran is filled up with magnificent pictures of the rewards and prizes of the pious. God says:

Most surely, the righteous shall be in bliss, on thrones they shall gaze. You will recognize in their faces the brightness of bliss.

Other faces on that day shall be happy, well-pleased because of their striving. In a lofty garden wherein you shall not hear vain talk. Therein is a fountain flowing. Therein are thrones raised high. And drinking-cups ready place, and cushions set in a row, and carpets spread out.

On thrones decorated, reclining on them, facing one another. Round about them shall go youths never altering in age. With goblets and ewers and a cup of pure drink. They shall not be affected with headache thereby, nor shall they get exhausted. And fruits such as they choose. And the flesh of fowl such as they desire. And pure beautiful ones, the like of the hidden pearls. A reward for what they used to do.

Surely, as for those who believe and do good deeds, their place of entertainment shall be the gardens of paradise, abiding therein. They shall not desire removal from them.

Such an abounding reward will release from all of the arts of irregularity and deviation, and support with the great powers of virtue and illumination.

God has also described the horrible punishment that will be cast upon the pursuers of their lusts and impulses. God says:

These are two adversaries who dispute about their Lord. Then as to those garments of fire; boiling water shall be poured over their heads. With it shall be melted what is in their bellies and their skins as well. And for them are whips of iron. Whenever they will desire to go forth from it, form grief, hey shall be turned back into it, and taste the chastisement of burning.

Lay hold on him, then put a chain on him. Then cast him into the burning fire. Then thrust him into a chain the length of which is seventy cubits. Surely, he did not believe in Allah the Great. Nor did he urge the feeding of the poor. Therefore, he has not here today a true friend. Nor any food except refuse, which none but the wrongdoers eat.

Is this better as an entertainment or the tree of Zaqqum? Surely, it is a tree that grows in the bottom of the hell. Its produce is as it were the heads of the serpents. Then most surely they shall eat of it and fill their bellies with it. Then most surely they shall have after it to drink of a mixture prepared in boiling water.

The Quran refers to many horrifying texts that fill in the minds with tense hazard and fear of God’s castigation. Such texts will absolutely establish barriers against disobeying God and perpetrating evil and sinful deeds.

The world of expectancy and fear is the most effective for achieving self-control completely. Through this splendid method, Islam has obtained conscience monition and constituted a controller, which inhibits and impedes the leaps, on the other mental impulses.

MENTAL VIRTUES

Owing to the great concern of Islam in the mental virtues, it has dedicated a specific course leading to personal adhesion and abnormality besides the marks of every honorable tendency and virtuous quality. Herewith, we will refer precisely to some of such virtues.

CHASTITY

Ethicists define chastity, as the self-control and equanimity of the inclinations to desires including the bodily, like eating and the like, and the mental, like agitations and emotions. The quality of chastity is applied to those who are moderate in all of these states. This virtue aims at achieving people’s self-restraint away from being the slaves of lusts and inclinations. The reports of the Imams regarding this virtue have been uninterrupted. Imam Ali said, “Chastity is the best of worship.” Imam al-Baqir said, “No worship is preferred to the chastity of the abdomen and the genitals.”

This virtue saves man from a great deal of mental and physical diseases and ill manners, such as gluttony, fornication, greed, squandering, rage, hatred, blabber, and many others.

Chastity pushes man to a general rectitude. It dismisses the quality of overeating that brings about many diseases and causes repetitive visits to clinics. The holy Quran encouraged on adhering to the virtue. God says:

Eat, drink and be not extravagant.

Besides, the extravagant abstinence and avoidance of the good matter that God has deemed lawful are excluded from chastity, which is merely the moderation. God says:

Say: Who has prohibited the embellishment of Allah, which He has brought forth for His servants and the good provisions? Say: These are for the believers in the life on this world, purely theirs on the resurrection day.

Chastity requires self-restraint and guardianship against full release of the whole mental lusts, the intemperance of which corrupts the life, enfeebles the spirituality, and leads to failing. Ethicists said, “Lusts are infinite. If time is extended, lusts will surely lead to others and so on. Finally, man will be the captive of endless lusts and the slave of untold caprices. Virtue is not the associate of such men.”[77] Chastity requires man’s full dominion of trends and lusts, and moderation in passions, and temperance in eating and drinking. For instance, man is advised of avoiding excessive grief in cases of calamities.

Means of developing chastity:

Ethicists mention several means leading to chastity. They are:

- Moderation in inclination to lusts

- Avoidance of associating with the evil who exaggerate and decorate the vices

- Acceding to the virtuous and the religious individuals who advance to moralities and warn against evil-doing

- Avoidance of reading erotic books that deconstruct the structures of virtue and perfection, and leaving the places of immoral entertainment

- Using self-control in states of wrath, which is a short-termed insanity.

- Retreating the unwelcomed customs such as arrogance and self-esteem since they lead to excite for any valueless matter because of the illusion of indignity

- Avoidance of thinking in vile and violation because such a thinking is the pioneer of will and work. The prolixity of licentious imaginary and vile misgiving lures on falling in the depths of vices.

- Avoidance of carrying irate and pessimistic thoughts, and agreement with those who disregard this life and disassociate with people

- The exploitation of the legal and acceptable provisions of the mundane affairs[78]

God says:

And seek by means of what Allah has given to you the future abode, and do not neglect your portion of this world.

WILLPOWER

Willpower and self-determination are primary intendments of Islamic mental education. First, Islam has been concerned with establishing a firm will, a constant determination, and a fixed spirit in the minds in order to save from drifting with the trends of occurrences, and challenge the seditious events. Islam has scorned extremely the languid and described them as dead. God says:

You do not make the dead hear, and do not make the deaf hear the call.

Islam bestows man with huge powers of determination and will to protect against the elements of weakness and fear. The Prophet (s) was the true exemplar of willpower and immense determination. He stood in firmness during struggling and resisting for the sake of his principals and goals. He behaved according to the Lord’s instructions, ignoring the problems and catastrophes. One hand was holding fast on the pennon of monotheism, while the other held the axe of destroying and ruining the ideas, customs, and traditions of Jahilism. Meanwhile, he was calling out to man’s dignity and rights. At the same time, all of the powers of polytheism and atheism were standing against him in one hand. He had no single supporter except Abu Talib his uncle --the believer of Quraish and the protector of Islam. The Quraishi chiefs threatened and menaced Abu Talib if the Prophet would not stop his advocacy. The Prophet answered his uncle who carried the chiefs’ words to him, “O uncle! If they position the sun in my right hand and the moon in the left for leading me to leave this advocacy, I will not respond till I perish or God will triumph.”

By such a giant willpower and great determination, the Prophet (s) overcame all of the problems. He demolished the pagans, ended the potentials of polytheism, and blasted the cells of Jahilism, and raised God’s word aloft on the earth and established a new life of firm right and strict justice.

The Prophet fed his companions with this remarkable trend to change their few numbers into mountains of dignity and fortification. They resisted the huge parties and defeated the armies of polytheism. They did never abscond in the battlefields until they conquered the countries and raised the Islamic banner on most of the provinces on this earth.

This handsome will was represented by the higher commander of Islam and the door of the Prophet’s city of knowledge- Imam Ali (a), the champion of the great conquests. He decapitated the polytheists, and overcame and subjected the Jews. He said, “I will never abscond even all of the Arabs collaborated against me.”

This giant willpower is a part of God’s will that rejects subduing, humiliation, slavery, and surrender. This will was visibly manifested by Imam al-Hussein (a)- the Prophet’s grandson and the father of the noble ones. He stood on the land of Kerbala despite the scantiness of supporters, and faced the armies of polytheism and deviation to dictate his will on them. He said, “I will not give you with my hand like the humble, nor will I submit to you like the slaves. I certainly consider death as happiness, and consider living with the wrongdoers as discontent.”

He then walked to the field of death, along with the virtuous men of his household, to deliver the best lessons of willpower, hard belief, and sacrifice for God’s sake to the world entirely.

Man’s value lies in his willpower, without which humanity is lost. A French philosopher says, “Nothing is more sticking to man’s personality than will.”

Willpower influences completely man’s composition and immortality. The weak-willed can never achieve any individual or social aim. Emerson says, “Willpower is the secret of success which is the goal of existence. The willpower of the famous personalities, such as Napoleon, Crenate and Alexander, was the reason beyond their immortality. Other personalities were known of their situations of humiliation because of their hesitation and ill self-determination. It is impossible to participate in the life conflict and expect triumph without the possession of willpower.”[79] It is an aspect of independent personality that contributes in making the human history and ignores impossibility. Napoleon answered, when he was told of the existence of the Alps in his way, “There will not be Alps there.” The worst words Napoleon hated to hear were ‘Impossible’ and ‘I cannot.’

It is worthy mentioning in this regard that Islam has specified willpower and giant self-determination as terms of selecting the rulers. The weak-willed are prevented from managing Muslims’ affairs since they may cause dangers, vanish the prestige of leadership, and cause mutiny and disobedience.

Lack of willpower:

Individuals that lack willpower will surely waste their personalities and their fancies will overcome. They will surely yield to their lusts and fling in lowly fields of vices such as consuming intoxicants, gambling, and committing all of the colors of sins. They will also relinquish to laziness and sloth that result in many problems and calamities.

Maturity of willpower:

Ethicists affirm that the treatment of the lack of willpower is the commitment to hard and arduous works that empower and help in overcoming the difficulties. Within the factors that increase the willpower is the exertion of all efforts. Hence, we should never show any delinquency in any duty that we should act. Islam has also called for this quality. God says:

And if you determine, rely upon God.

As well, considering the deeds of the great men of history is a means of arousing willpower, since those men could not achieve their success and change the history unless they enjoyed a high willpower that incited to do virtues.

Free will:

Islam has granted each individual the free will that enables in controlling all of the desires and achieving all of the expectations. Islam has banned from obstructing the individual wills except those that are used for sinning and perpetrating illegalities or harming others. Such wills should be interdicted and resisted for the sake of preserving the publics. In our ‘Political system in Islam’, I have referred to this point in detail.

COURAGE

Courage is one of the significant constituents of the conspicuous personality because it provokes on self-control and endurance in states of dangers, and saves against collapsing in calamities. Islam has spared no efforts for seeding this quality in the souls and caring for it in the thorough mental and educational aspects. Thus, it has driven Muslims to the battlefields and the terrains of sacrifice and offertory to the right, for guarding their principals and goals. In the first eras of Islam, Muslims showed no dearth in joining the battles with consonant determination and giant will that qualified them, despite of their little number, to defeat the powers of polytheism. The Islamic history has abounded with the unparalleled championship. Imam Ali (a) cited the most engaging example of courage. None of the ancient and modern history considered a man more courageous and consonant than him. He was the star of the celebrated situations and the distinguished standings in the battles of Badr, Uhud, Ahzab, and Khyber. No single hair of him was terrified by such nauseous situations when he strove for God’s sake consistently and recorded that file of heroism in struggling the atheists in their lands and opposed them openly. He said, “The great numbers of the surrounding people will not increase my fortification, and their dissension will not make me desolate. I will not submit even all of the people let me down.”

Imam Ali’s heroic situations comprised the languages of this world. Thence, he was the founder of the most splendid pictures of courage in the whole world. Imam al-Hussein, being a copy of his father, has elevated in this bright field. He has become the leader of the Islamic liberal and combative movements. He received spears and swords while he was standing like an exalted mountain to deliver to the generations the lessons of dignity, haughtiness, and self-denial. He disregarded those heartbreaking catastrophes that resulted in the massacre of his sons, brothers, and darlings, in addition to the horrible adversities of harsh thirst and the screams of his harem and children. All these tear-jerking distresses did not hinder his striving and struggle. He kept on fighting invariably until he met the Exalted Lord with full endurance. The Imam’s great attitude recorded the greatest triumphs of Islam that remained lively and illuminative to open the paths of struggle for freedom and independence to people.

Aspects of courage:

The most important natural aspects of courage are as follows:

- The preservation of the natural state and equanimity, and the avoidance of hesitation during disputations and exchanging opinions and defending the beliefs

- Overcoming the countering difficulties and taking steps in the path of reforming the faults of people’s lives and beliefs

- Declaring the right and the bravery in the face of the evils for the sake of exalting the wording of the right

Ethical courage:

Ethical courage stands for declaring the right bravely. It also stands for the self-denial. Islam has adopted this very meaning in its educational aspects. Muslims are required to express the right under any circumstance. The Prophet said, “Say the truth even if it injures your own personality.” “Care not for any blame in the field of saying the truth.” Within his precepts to Imam al-Hassan his son, Imam Ali says, “Engage in the right wherever it is.” the Prophet (s) warned the nation against concealing the truth before the tyrants and the unjust. He said, “My nation will be vilipended if they fear of declaring the wrong deeds of the unjust.”

Abu Therr al-Ghefari was the most famous in the field of declaring the right and criticizing the evil. Induced by the revelation of the Islamic doctrine, he went on denying the Umayyad policy when they deviated and went astray. He used to threaten Othman and call for revolting against him.

Abu Therr’s call was originated from a heart that cognized Islam thoroughly and understood its goals and factuality. He denied Othman’s policies of acting fraudulently in the nation’s destiny when he usurped its fortune to provide them to the celebrities and the rich individuals while starvation attacked people all over the state. Sayyid Qutb says, “Abu Therr’s call was one of the Islamic thrusts that the corrupt-hearted denied. Presently, the likes of such individuals –such as the packs of the colonialists- are still denying the calls of right. It was a call of arousing the consciences that are uncontrolled by greed in front of the harsh inflation of the riches in a way of classifying Muslims into various categories and demolishing the bases that Islam came for reforming.”[80]

Abu Therr conducted very bravely when he showed his intense denial and indignation on Othman who exiled him to Rabatha where he was deceased due to starvation. Meanwhile, Othman grasped the riches to spend them generously on the Umayyads and the sons of Muit, and withheld from this notable companion, who was likened, by the Prophet, to Jesus (a) in guidance and straightness.

Shiite leaders also possessed such huge amount of bravery and audacity. They did not submit to the persecution and severity of the unjust ruling authorities. They pushed forwardly for exalting God’s word and renouncing corruption and evil. Abdullah bin Afif al-Azdi, the acquaintance of Imam Ali, revolted against Ubeidullah bin Ziad, the tyrant murderer, when the latter addressed a speech after the killing of Imam al-Hussein, the Prophet’s grandson. Before Ubeidullah had finished his speech, the man answered him with words sharper than new swords. He said, “The liar is most surely you and your father, and that who appointed you and his father. O, you slave of the barbarous! You killed the sons of the prophets, and ascended on the Muslims’ pulpits. Where are the sons of Muhajirs and Ansar to revenge you and your tyrant chief-- the cursed and son of the cursed? –He refers to Yazid and Muawiya whom were cursed by the Prophet (s)-”

Al-Kumeit bin Ziad, the poet, was another example of the revolution against the wrongdoers. He satirized roughly the Umayyad kings and praised the Alawids. He said:

“They –the Alawids- are chiefs unlike those who see no difference between leading people and leading sheep. They are unlike Abdul-Melik, al-Walid, Suleiman and Husham[******] .”

He also satirized Husham the tyrant as well as the Umayyad kings. He said, “His words are the prophets’, while his deeds are the Jahilites’[*******] .” “Tell the Umayyads wherever they were, though you fear swords: May God starve those whom you feed, and saturate those whom you starved due to your injustice.”

Those kings exceeded in persecuting and oppressing our poet, but he was exceeding in adhering to his belief and principals.

On the theatre of Shism, another poet emerged. He was al-Farazdaq, who criticized and reprimanded the Umayyads and upheld the Prophet’s progeny --the real people of the Islamic right and justice. The most remarkable situation of this poet was praising Imam Zeinul abidin and denigrating Husham bin Abdul-Melik, the Umayyad king, who pretended he had not known the Imam. Al-Farazdaq said, “This is the one whose steps are realized even by the deserts. The holy House, the legality, and the precincts realize him, too. This is the son of the best of God’s servants. This is the pious, the pure, the sanitary, and the master. Your asking about his personality does by no means prejudice him. The Arabs and the non-Arabs know him.”

The poet went on praising the Imam in such an unprecedented wording. Consequently, he had to encounter the Umayyads’ irritation and punishment. Nevertheless, this persecution did not stop him. He satirized Husham and kept on referring to the Umayyads’ defects. He said, “He is nodding the head which has never been a master’s head. He has a crossed eye of manifest defects.”

Diibil al-Khuzai was surely the poet of the persecuted and the wronged ones. He declared the right and criticized the kings after they had exceeded in wronging and persecuting people. He satirized ar-Rashid, al-Amin, al-Mamun, al-Mutassim, and Ibrahim bin al-Mahdi. The most influential and consonant poetry was that addressed at al-Mutassim. He said, “Then came an unguided leader who lacked intellectuality and mind. The Abbasid kings are seven as it was predicted in the ancient books. No single book has referred to an eighth one. This is similar to the people of the cave, who were seven individuals. They were virtuous. Their eighth was their dog. I exalt their dog to you, because you are sinful while it was not.”

This giant man used the notable religion and the belief that he embraced for antagonizing the unjust rulers, who wrung from this nation’s affairs, persecuted, and debasing people. None could declare the right word and defend the miserable and the deprived except Diibil and his faithful brothers who stood against the ferocious waves to declare God’s word in the most horrible and suffering circumstances.

Women also had notable roles in the field of the moral courage. They contributed in supporting the right and conflicting the social injustice and oppression.

Suwada bint Imara-- the mistress of the Iraqi women- was the best example in this regard. As she was before Muawiya for complaining the injustice of the governor, the man realized her. He said, “It was you who said in the battle of Siffin[********] , ‘O son of Imara! Fight like your father on the days of fighting and the meeting of opponents. Support Ali, al-Hussein, and their party, and combat Hind[*********] and her son degradingly. The Imam, who is the Prophet’s brother, is surely the sign of guidance and the minaret of believing. Lead the armies and walk under his pennon with your sharp sword and spear.’ You said these words, did not you?”

She embarked upon Muawiya with highly firmness and said, “Yes, by God. It was I. I do never disdain the right and provide false excuses.” This answer surprised Muawiya who asked for the reason that incited her to say that wording. “It was the love of Ali and the pursuance of the right,” she replied. “But I do not notice the effects of that love,” said Muawiya. “The head was deceased and the tail was amputated. You had better leave remembering the forgotten and repeating the past,” she worded, and cited her problem of the injustice that her people and she had to encounter due to the oppression of their governor. She then expressed, “May the Lord bless that body in that grave in which the justice was buried. He allied nothing but the right; hence, he was permanently mentioned with the right and belief.” “Who is that?” wondered Muawiya. “That was Ali bin abi Talib,” she answered. “What did he do to you to occupy such a situation in your heart?” asked Muawiya. The woman storied, “Ali was performing a prayer when I came to him to complain the tax-collector that he had appointed on our province. He finished his prayer and asked about my demand. When I told him the whole story, the Imam wept and supplicated to God, ‘O, Allah, thou know that I did not instruct them of wronging your servants or deserting the right.’ He then took a piece of skin out of his pocket and wrote down, ‘In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. An evidence from your Lord has come to you. Give full measure and weight fairly, and defraud not men their things, and do not act corruptly in the lands, making mischief. What remains with Allah is better for you if you are believers, and I am not a keeper over you. As soon as you read this missive, you should keep what is in your hands until a man that receives the position will arrive.’”

The story shocked Muawiya completely. He could not control his nerves when he said, “Son of abi-Talib suffused you with bravery and inveigled you by his saying, ‘If I am the doorkeeper of a paradise, I will surely welcome the people of Hamdan warmly.’”[81]

The memorable situation of this noble mistress was one of the gifts of the Islamic spirit that never subdue to affronts and subjugation, and never succumb to wronging and injustice.

ENDURANCE

Endurance is one of the factors that result in the coherence and equanimity of personalities. Islam has paid specific attention to this quality and urged Muslims on acceding to it. God’s reward will be highly considerable for the tolerant. God says:

Only the patient will be paid their reward in full without measure.

And we will most certainly give to those who are patient their reward for the best of what they did.

And reward them, because the were patient, with garden and silk.

And we made of them imams to guide by our command then they were patient, and they were certain of our communication.

Surely we found him patient; most excellent the servant! He was frequent in returning to God.

Endurance, without which the minds would topple and the powers would retreat, is one of God’s gifts that the faithful individuals should accept. In addition, they should meet the hardship with a compatible rigidity and serene reasoning. Islam has called for hanging on endurance, for it is the most significant moral virtue. It was mentioned in seventy situations in the Quran. It is greatly notable and a source of the social erecting. The impatient nation is unable to resist the calamities and difficulties. Endurance, likewise, stirs up the virtuous tendencies that thoroughly lack it. The Imams brightened endurance and prompted on sticking to it. Imam al-Baqir (a) said, “Difficulties and endurance encompass the Paradise. He, whoever tolerates the worldly difficulties, will be in the Paradise. Lusts and desires encompass the hell-fire. He, whoever submits to the lusts and desires, will be in the hell-fire.” Imam as-Sadiq (a) said, “Endurance represents the head of believing. With the fading of the head, the body will be valueless. In the same manner, when endurance vanishes, the believing will be valueless.”

Endurance is the remedy of the hearts that are injured by calamities and wronged by the mishaps. It is the consolation of the grievous souls when attacked by the currencies of obsessions and distresses, and the delight of the excruciated ones who are suffering anguishes and mistreatments. Under the shades of endurance, the anguished ones may find tranquility, rest and settlement.

Categories of endurance:

Ethicists define certain categories of endurance:

- Endurance against evildoing, caprices, lusts, and every act that may mar man’s dignity and value

- Endurance of catastrophes through tolerating the misfortunes, pains, the missed interests, and the worldly benefits

- Endurance in the situations of danger and horror, especially in defending the right and the honor

- Relinquishment to adversities and slowdown in resisting them, using all of the legal means

Subjection to poverty and rest, as well as expecting the matters of earnings, is not included with endurance. It is obligatory upon everybody to exert all efforts for obtaining good livelihood. Unemployment is illicit since it is a sort of ignorance and sloth and an entrance to sinning and vices.

At any rate, Islam has called to endurance and considered it the most notable mental virtues and the most beneficial for both individuals and societies. It is said that the most dignified and elevated people are those whom are described of endurance, steadfastness, and tenacity in hazardous and menacing situations. Those people face the calamities with full preparations and means to be saved against difficulties and inutilities.

COMPOSURE

Composure is one of the divine names and attributes that helps to win the best opportunities and adhere to virtues. God has given composure exclusively to the prophets and the godly. God says:

Most surely, Abraham was forbearing, tenderhearted and oft-returning to God. Take to forgiveness, enjoin good, and turn aside from the ignorant.

Composure is one of the most renowned mental virtues that achieve board-heartedness, high self-determination, and virtuous moralities. Many narratives refer to the adherence to this trait.

The Prophet (s) said, “O Allah! Richen me with knowledge and adorn with composure.” “God will never support by ignorance or humiliate by composure.”

Imam Ali (a) said, “The abundance of fortunes and sons is not the goodness. The real goodness is the abundance of knowledge and the munificence of composure.”

Imam Ali bin al-Hussein (a) said, “Men, whose composure overcomes their wrath, admire me.”

Imam as-Sadiq (a) said, “Composure is a sufficient support.”

The Imams were highly ascribed with composure. Imam al-Hassan, the Prophet’s grandson, was the exemplar of composure by the testimony of his enemies. Marwan bin al-Hakam tried to participate in the ceremonies of Imam al-Hassan’s funeral, but Imam al-Hussein said to him, “Do you intend to carry his funeral while you were one of his ultimate enemies who raged him to excess?” The man said, “I did this to the man whose composure was as huge as mountains.”

Imam Musa bin Jafar was also one of the most self-possessed and broad-hearted. He was named al-Kadim, which means ‘the self-possessed.’ God praised the carriers of such elevated qualities. He said:

And those who restrain their anger and pardon men, and Allah loves the doers of good to others.

Composure settles numerous problems and enmity, spreads mutual amiability and association, and takes away from malice and hatred. From this cause, Islam has paid thorough attention for concentrating composure in Muslims’ mentalities.

MODESTY

Modesty is a noble quality that the Islamic education cares for seeding it in the mental horizons. It eradicates arrogance and destroys its affection. It elevates man in this world and approaches to God. Uninterrupted reports have assured that the Prophet (s) had said, “He whoever behaves modestly to God, will surely be raised.” He once asked his companions, “Why do I not notice the beauty of worship?” “What is the beauty of worship?” they wondered. “It is modesty,” asserted the Prophet.

He also said, “There are four matters that God will not grant to other than those He likes. They are silence, which is the headmost of worship, and reliance upon God, and modesty, and abstinence in this world.”

The Imams applied the full meaning of modesty when they delivered fascinating lessons. Historians relate that once a man and his son were the guests of Imam Ali, who welcomed them and served a plate of food. As they finished their food, the Imam hurried to fetch a pitcher of water to pour it on the guest’s hand. The man abstained. “Sit down and let me help in washing your hands,” said the Imam, “The Exalted Lord sees you when your brother, who does not outclass you, serve you especially when he aims at gaining the Paradise.” The man kept on abstaining but the Imam abjured him by his right; hence, the man had to accept. As he finished, the Imam handled the pitcher to Mohammed, his son, and ordered of pouring water on the son’s hands. He explained, “I would pour water on this son’s hands if he was not accompanying his father. God, the Elevated, rejects to equate between fathers and sons when they are in the same situation.” Mohammed carried out his father’s order.

This is the very spirit due to which the Islamic education has been prevalent and exalted in the instructions and moralities.

Imam as-Sadiq (a) discussed the quality of modesty. He said, “Modesty is the origin of every choice honor and eminent rank. If it were a tongue perceived by people, it would speak out the facts of the hidden outcomes. Modesty is only that intended for God’s sake, lest it is arrogance. He, whoever used modesty for God’s sake, God will raise and prefer him to great numbers of the servants. The Modest enjoy marks that are realized by the people of the heavens; the angles, and the people of the earth; the spiritualists. God says:

And on the most elevated places there shall be men who know all by their marks.

The origin of modesty is honoring, esteeming, and reverencing the Lord. It is the door to the rituals that God accepts and receives. Except God’s intimate servants, who realize the deepest purport of monotheism, none can identify the very meaning of modesty. God says:

And the servants of the Beneficent God who walk on the earth in humbleness, and then the ignorant address them, the say: Peace.

The Lord urged the best of His creatures and the master of people, Mohammed (s), on using modesty. God says:

And be kind to him who follows you of the believers.

It is the homestead of submission and god-fearing. Veneration and pudency are parts of modesty. The actual and perfect honor is unsound unless it offers modesty for God’s sake.

The Imam’s wording has referred to the actuality of modesty for which God rewards and requites, provided that all of the material tendencies are abandoned and it is offered to God’s sake purely.

PARDON AND CONDONATION

The Islamic education has been concerned with the noble characteristics of pardoning the aggressive and condoning the wrongdoers. God has urged on pardoning and condonation in many Quranic texts. He says:

And if you pardon and forbear and forgive, then surely Allah of Forgiving, Merciful God has also ordered of treating the wrongdoers benevolently and pushing the evil away by means of altruism. God says:

And not alike are the good and the evil. Repel evil with what is best, when lo! He between whom and you was enmity would be as if he were a warm friend.

Books of hadith contain a great deal of narratives encouraging on adhering to this titled tendency. The Prophet (s) said, “May I inform you of the best traits of this world and the Hereafter? It is condoning those who wrong you, and associating with those who breach relations with you, and using benevolence to those who maltreat you, and granting those who deprive you.”[82] “Cling on pardon. It elevates the dignity. Condone and God will dignify you.”[83]

Imam al-Baqir (a) said, “There are three matters by which God dignifies increasingly. They are condoning the wrongdoers, giving those who deprive, and constructing good relations with those who breach.”[84]

Imam as-Sadiq (a) said, “There are three matters that are within the virtues of the world and the Hereafter. They are condoning those who wrong you, and relating those who breach you, and using composure to those who ignore you.”[85]

The Prophet (s) represented this quality most honorably when he pardoned and condoned those who maltreated him. He also pardoned the Quraishi polytheists who mistreated, injured, expatriated, and instigated all powers of polytheism against him. When he conquered Mecca, he gathered them and asked, “What do you think I am going to do to you?” “We expect the good, since you are the magnanimous and the son of the magnanimous,” they all answered. He then said, “Go off! You are released.”

Anas bin Malik related: I was accompanying the Prophet (s), who was in a cloak of a hard margin, when a Bedouin pulled him from the cloak fiercely and said in harsh and irate tone, “O Mohammed! Carry on my two camels with God’s riches that you keep. They are neither yours nor your fathers.” The Prophet kept silence for a while, and then said, “The riches are God’s. I am only His servant.” After a pause he asked, “O Bedouin! Do you not expect to be retaliated for you deed?” “No, I do not,” answered the Bedouin. “What for?” wondered the Prophet. “Because you do not answer the evildoing with evil,” replied the Bedouin. The Prophet (s) smiled and ordered of giving him barley and dates as much as his camels bear.

The Prophet (s) used benevolence, goodness, and condonation with any wrongdoing he might encounter. This nonesuch morality was stuck to the tendencies of the Imams by which they preceded the others.

Historians mention that once a man threw showers of insults and reviling at Imam Zeinul abidin while he was leaving the mosque. The Imam stopped his slaves who intended to punish that man. “O you man!” addressed the Imam; “I am more than your previous wordings. You ignore more than what you have known about me.” The man felt shy and was embarrassed. Hence, the Imam gave him his shirt and bestowed with one thousand dirhams. The man then confessed, “I must declare that this is one of the Prophet’s sons.”

A Syrian man went on reviling at Imam al-Hassan. The Imam answered him with handsome smiling and said, “O man! We will give you what you need, and lead you to your lost, and bestow you if you ask, and feed you if you are hungry, and enrich you if you are destitute, and succor you if you are fugitive.” The Imam kept gentleness with the Syrian man until the evil was uprooted from his mind. He was highly astonished to the Imam’s morality; therefore, he could utter no single letter. He only worded, “God is the most knowledgeable of the fittest of conveying His message.”[86]

These pictures of the Imams’ conduct incite to hold to self-denial and freedom from hostile tendencies. Hence, they were the best examples of God’s saying:

And repel evil with good.

CHARITY

Charity, which stands for good doing, is the best trait and the best fruit of existence. It results in people’s docility and collective honoring. It also causes the illustrious mentioning after death. Islam has positively adopted and called to charity. God says:

Surely, Allah enjoins the doing of justice and the doing of good to others and the giving to the kindred, and He forbids indecency, and evil and rebellion.

He defines it as the best quality:

And whoever submits himself wholly to Allah and he is the doer of good to others, he indeed has taken hold of the firmest thing upon which one can lay hold.

He also urges on doing charity, and promised of rewarding what is better:

Whoever brings good, he shall have better than it, and they shall be secure from terror on that day.

He promises of rewarding the good doing tenfold:

Whoever brings a good deed, he shall have ten like it.

God also promises of keeping the reward of the charitable and rewarding them with the best:

And be patient, for surely Allah does not waste the reward of the good doers.

Charity is a principal pillar of constructing the human societies and the best means of dispersing reciprocal love and association. God defines some parties and orders of treating them benevolently because of the ties of relation, neighborhood or being without custody. God says:

And serve Allah and do not associate any thing with Him. And be good to the parents and to the near of kin and to orphans and the needy and the neighbor of your kin and the alien neighbor, and the companion in a journey and the wayfarer and those whom your right hands possess. Surely, Allah does not love him who is proud, boastful.

God compares worship with treating such parties kindly, since they are in exigent need of kindness and charity. These parties are:

- The parents: Custody and kind treatment to the parents are the tightest matters of family attachment. We have previously referred to this point.

- The near of kin: They are the brothers, paternal and maternal uncles, and their sons in addition to the other kinsmen and kinswomen. Using charity to these individuals disperses love among the family members. Family is surely the first brick in the social structure.

- The orphans: They are those who lost their parents. The nation entirely is responsible for caring and educating the orphans as a form of the social solidarity that Islam has imposed. It has also decreed of meeting the needs of the handicapped, the weak, and the orphans.

- The poor: They are the paupers who are unable to meet their annuity. Hence, Islam has ordered the nation of saving the needs of the poor. Islam has also given them exclusively a good deal of social obligations and a portion in the poor rate, so that they will get rid of poverty, which should be eradicated totally from the Islamic society.

- The neighbors, whether the near of kin or the alien: God orders of treating the neighbors kindly in order to achieve firm bonds of love and association among people of the same quarter. This is surely one of the reasons of the social connection and attachment.

- The wayfarers: They are those who lose all their fortune before they arrive in their hometowns. Islam has ordered of attending to them carefully and meeting their needs until they reach their homes. In addition, a portion of the poor rate is allotted to them.

- The slaves: Islam has urged on doing good to the slaves by manumitting them and treating them kindly and avoiding intruding them to heavy duties.

Charity and benevolence to those parties creates amiability and empowers the reciprocal social bonds to make people represent one hand against their enemies.

GENEROSITY

How benevolent, philanthropic, confident of God, great-spirited, honorable, and noble are the openhanded individuals who adhere to the codes of generosity and avoid misery and avarice!

The Islamic education cares for seeding this quality in the minds for its being the worthiest estimable tendency that leads to social adhesion and the harmony of the individuals’ reciprocal love and association. The Prophet (s) called to heed this quality. He said, “Generosity is surely a part of faith. Faith will be in the Paradise.” “God the Praised said: I have accepted this religion. It will not be amended without generosity and good manners. You should spare no efforts for honoring this religion with these two matters.” “The generous are close to God, and close to people, and close to the Paradise and remote from the hell-fire.” “Do the favor to its deservers and to those who do not deserve. If you give it to its people, then you have done the right. If you do not reach them, then you are its people.”

The Imams also spoke much about generosity. Imam Musa bin Jafar (a) said, “The courteous generous is being in God’s sustenance. God will not leave him before He sends him to the Paradise. God did never select for prophecy and the succession of the prophets other than the generous. My father kept on advising me of generosity till he passed away.”

The Imams adhered to generosity. They devaluated the riches except in cases of meeting the needs of the hungry, the needy, or the insolvent. Imam al-Hassan, the generous of the Prophet’s household, is reported that he had never said, “No” to any suppliant. People asked him about this quality. He answered, “I ask God and long for His benevolence. I am too diffident to be suppliant or reject a suppliant. God has inured me to receive His abundant graces and I accustomed to give His graces to people. I am afraid He will cease His habit if I cease mine. As a suppliant come to me I say: Welcome to him whose favor is an urgent obligation, and whose favor is imposed on every charitable. The best days of a man are those in which his favor is asked.”[87]

The Imams were draining their virtues and generosity on the needy and the orphans. Al-Kumeit, the poet, refers to this point by composing; “They are the rainy –with charity- that became the laps of orphans when people refrain.”

The Imams’ history is suffocated with situations of generosity and charity.

ALTRUISM

Altruism is a gentle feature that elevates man and contributes in perfecting the personality, sobriety, and self-sacrifice for the sake of the right and good. Islam has tended to this quality and praised its people. The holy Quran praised a group of Muslims who preferred their brothers to themselves. Exegesists report that seven Muslim warriors who had been wounded in the battle of Uhud were harshly thirsty. A Muslim fetched them some water that was sufficient for one person only. The first man, to whom the water was offered, refused to drink since he suggested offering it to the other. The other preferred the third, and so on. As the man reached the last one, he found him dead. He returned the other and found him dead and so on, until all of the wounded were dead.[88]

Islam has supplied Muslims with such a magnificent spirit, and copied the high traits in their souls and made such a notable human perfection all over history.

The ever most expressive, genuine, and influential picture of the Islamic altruism was that of the Prophet’s household. A whole sura was revealed for expressing this altruism. It is the sura of Insan –or Addahr-. Unanimously, the exegesists –of the holy Quran- related that the Prophet (s), with some of his companions, visited al-Hassan and al-Hussein, who were sick. They suggested that Imam Ali, their father, should vow a three-day fasting if they would recover their health. The Imam, as well as their mother Fatima the veracious and Fudda their bondwoman implemented that suggestion. When al-Hassan and al-Hussein were healed, the group fasted. The Imam had no food at that time; therefore, he had to borrow three measures of barley. In the first day, Fatima the veracious milled and baked one of these measures. In the very time[*********] of breaking the fast, a poor man knocked their door for a meal. The imam gave him his share. The other entirely pursued the imam and gave their shares. They passed that night without eating any thing. On the second day of their fasting, Fatima the veracious milled and backed the second measure to make some bread. An orphan complaining hunger knocked their door in the time of breaking the fast. They entirely offered their shares of bread and passed the second night without eating anything. On the third day, Fatima the mistress milled and backed the last measure and made some loaves of bread. In the very time of breaking the fast, a prisoner complaining hunger knocked their door asking for some food. They all offered him their shares before having anything of it. In the fourth day, the Prophet (s) visited them and noticed the paleness of their faces. He was highly influenced when he shouted, “Is there a helper? Mohammed’s household is starving.” Before he completed his words, the angel Gabriel descended with the sura of Insan. The sura comprises the ultimate adulation and the best wording[89] . God thanked their unparalleled efforts of altruism and promised of a great reward and compensation in the Hereafter when they will be enjoying the everlasting bliss of the Paradise. He also immortalized their mentioning in this world and made them the imams and leaders of Muslims.

COLLABORATION

Teamwork in the fields of charity is also one of the most notable aspects of the Islamic education. God says:

And help one another in goodness and piety, and do not help one another in sin and aggression.

This is the Islamic methodology that aims at composing the individuals and communities on firm bases of cohesion and cooperation in the fields of goodness and piety, not sin and aggression. The best sketches of the moral cooperation is establishing schools, hospitals, institutes of studying, factories, and the like matters that lead to social development and prosperity of mental and economic life.

This noble tendency caused the predominance, maturity, and elevation of Muslims in their early ages. With discrepancy and weakness of this tendency, the Muslims’ affairs and word were scattered. They descended to the depths of humiliation and ignominy to the degree that Israel, which was the most humble nation, dared to assault them. In the Muslims’ homeland, the Israelis have founded a state for the Zionists and humiliated the Arabs and Muslims. Had there been a sincere collaboration among Muslims, Israel had had no ability to occupy these territories of our homeland, banished their people, and exceeded in demeaning them. Muslims can hear the various colors of persecution that the Palestinians are encountering, such as massacre and displacement. The religious zealotry has not moved their feelings to save their brethren and liberate their usurped rights.

SINCERITY

Islam has devoted great attention to truthfulness, and urged on taking to it for its being a priority of the noble traits and the good qualities. It is one of the four pillars of the social system. Likewise, it is the title of the nations’ maturity and, meanwhile, the evidences of their degradation in case people abandon.

In the Quran:

In many Quranic texts, the importance and high-ranking of veracity are exposed. God describes His Essence of veracity. He says:

And who is truer of word than God is?

We are surely truthful.

He praised the prophet Samuel by saying:

Surely, he was truthful in his promise, and he was an apostle, a prophet.

Truthfulness is also a quality of the pious believers. God says:

The believers are only those who believe in Allah and His Apostle then they doubt not and struggle hard with their wealth and their lives in the way of Allah. They are the truthful ones.

Sincerity is also the key to success on the Resurrection day. God says:

Allah will say, this is the day when their truth shall benefit the truthful.

That Allah may reward the truthful for their truth.

God also orders of pursuing the truthful in this world. He says:

O, you who believe! Be careful of your duty to Allah and be with the true ones.

Many Quranic texts call to using and adhering to sincerity.

In the prophetic traditions:

The Prophet and the Imams worded many sayings inciting Muslims to be true-tongued and avoid fabrication.

The Prophet (s) said, “Hold fast on sincerity. It guides to the benevolence that guides to the Paradise. Man is still saying and inspecting the truth until he is recorded as a veracious to Allah. Beware of untruth. It leads to licentiousness that leads to the hell-fire. A man is still lying and inspection fabrication till he is recorded as a liar to Allah.”[90]

Imam as-Sadiq (a) said, “Regard not the elongation of the genuflection –Rukuu- and prostration –Sujoud-. This may be a habit, without which one may feel bored. You should regard the truthfulness and the fulfillment of trusts.”[91] “God the Elevated had never sent a prophet but with truthfulness and fulfillment of trusts to the pious and the licentious.”[92]

Advising his adherents, Imam as-Sadiq (a) said, “Be solicitors to good doing with means other than your tongues so that people will notice your solemnity, veracity, and piety.”

Necessity of sincerity:

Sincerity is the individual component and the genuine affair on which the systems and equanimity of the cultural and economic life depend. International economy is managed by truthful transactions. National and individual capitals, banks, and commerce are proceeding on the light of sincerity and factuality that are within the peculiar elements of the transactional processes and effects. Sincerity is the pivot of the international economic movement. It is impossible for the fraudulent and duplicitous economic movements to develop.

Sincerity is a basic component in the cultural life, too. Culture is grounded upon the method of factuality and sincerity. It will be vain and meaningless if students and teachers are untruthful in their tests, courses, and lessons.

The same thing can be said about the political life. Policy is being continuous and valid only when it is fixed upon sincerity. Insincere policy will eventually fail. The best example in this regard is the behavior of Imam Ali, the pioneer of the right and justice on this earth, to the Kharijites after they had discovered Muawiya’s fraudulence in the question of the arbitration. They insisted on demanding the Imam with declaring the repentance from (the guilt) of accepting the arbitration. The Imam declined since he had originally not committed any guilt. They perpetrated that guilt. Had the Imam accepted their demand, he would have been saved against the mutiny of his army. He rejected the political life that is based upon fabrication, cheating, and fraudulence. He pursued the completely sound path. Similarly, had the Imam kept abreast with Abdurrahman bin Awf, who specified pursuing God’s Book, the Prophet’s practice, and way of the Sheiks –Abu Bakr and Omar-, as the condition of holding the position of leadership after the death of Omar bin al-Khattab. Had the Imam accepted that condition, he would have saved the Islamic nation from Othman bin Affan, the chief of the Umayyads-- the real foes of Islam. The Imam, however, insisted on veracity disregarding the results. He preferred God’s satisfaction to everything. Thus, he rejected to pursue the course of the two Sheiks and insisted on the fact that the Islamic policy and management should be grounded upon God’s glorious Book and the Prophet’s practices.

Categories of sincerity:

The categories of sincerity are elevated and honorable:

Honesty:

Honesty is one of the firmest pillars on which the sound society rests. It is the guide to all of the virtues and moralities, and comprises God’s rights, including precepts, obligations, and the abandonment of illegalities. It also contains the respect of the publics’ rights by preventing from using the deposits, cheating, defrauding in measures, and pursuing people’s flaws. People’s rights are guiding them, testifying, and conveying the missions completely in addition to many others. God ordered of fulfilling the trusts to their owners. God says:

Surely, Allah commands you to make over trusts to their owners.

He also reckons honesty with the qualities of the pious believers. He said:

And those who are keepers of their trusts and their covenant

The Prophet (s) said, “Honesty brings subsistence. Dishonesty brings poverty.”

Advice is a sort of honesty. In fact, the seekers of advice entrust the advisers.” “The individuals that are asked for advice are entrusted. Those who are asked for an advice should provide the best as if they were the doers of that act.” “He, whoever advises of a matter other than the accurate, is defrauding the seeker.”

Likewise, keeping the others’ secrets is a sort of honesty. People, who unveil their secrets before others, should trust one another because they have presumed each other without any form of concern or care. Both are warned against deceiving through conveying the secrets. The Prophet (s) said, “The two associates communicate each other by the trust of God. It is illegal for them to unveil the secrets.”

The Prophet (s) affirmed that the safety and continuance of this nation is kept only when people care for their trusts, apply it to the factuality, and take it out of their benefits. He said, “My nation is still secured as long as people do not regard the trusts as profits and the almsgiving as debts.”

Keeping the covenant:

Keeping the covenant is a notable aspect of the Islamic education. Islam has called to this quality. God praised Samuel the prophet by saying:

And mention in the Book Samuel. Surely, he was truthful in his promise, and he was an apostle, a prophet.

The pledge is a recorded document; hence, it must be fulfilled. God says:

O you who believe! Why do you say that which you do not do? It is most hateful to Allah that you should say that which you do not do.

And fulfill the covenant of Allah when you have made a covenant, and do not break the oaths after making them fast, and you have indeed made Allah a surety for you. And fulfill the promise. Surely, every promise shall be questioned about.

The Prophet (s) said, “The signs of the hypocrites are three, even if they perform the prayers and fast and claim being Muslims. They lie when they speak, and breach when they promise and cheat when they are trusted.”

As he was asked about the signs of the hypocrites, the Prophet (s) answered, “They breach when they pledge.”

The fulfillment of promises is a social necessity upon which the life course and system depend. Islam has confirmed the necessity of fulfilling the promises and compelled Muslims with it even if the other party was an enemy. In his will to Malik al-Ashtar, Imam Ali says, “If you tie with your enemy a knot or dress him your covenant, you should encompass this covenant with fulfillment and keep your pact by honesty. Make yourself an armor of what you have given. Nothing -of God’s precepts- is more agreeable, despite people’s discrepant caprices and varying opinions, than the glorifying of the fulfillment of pledges. This commits the polytheists, not Muslims, among them due to there regarding the consequences of breaching as great woes. Do not breach by your humility, infringe your covenant, or violate your enemies. Only the rascal ignorant do venture God after He had made His pledge and rectitude the security that should be publicized among His servants by His mercy, and the shelter and vicinity to which the servants harbor and rest.”

This is the pure Islamic attitude to pledges and promises. It has decreed obligatorily the fulfilling of the pledge and promise even to the foes and the rivals of Islam.

GOOD WORDING

The Islamic education has exerted all efforts for habituating to the good wording and avoiding the bad. God says:

To Him do ascend the good words. And the good deeds lift them up.

The good wording ascends to the Lord to reward it and bless its sayer. Islam has emphasized on this matter in many occasions. God also orders the servants of speaking only the best wording. God says:

And say to My servants that they speak that which is best. Surely, the Shaitan sows dissensions among them.

And you shall speak to men good words.

Good wording achieves the good reputation and saves from numerous problems and difficulties, the source of which is the evil wording that, in most cases, arouses spites and draws approaching damages.

Lowering the voice and avoiding noises are within the Islamic instructions. God says:

And lower your voice. Surely, the most hateful of voices is braying of the asses.

Imam Musa al-Kadim (a) narrated that the Prophet (s) liked the low-voiced and hated the sonorous.

The loud-toned speech refers to the ill manners and the degraded behaviors and ethics of the speaker.

The previous noble traits are surely the brands of God’s illumination and the gifts of His mercy. They push to the good manners, aspire to good doing, and preclude from irregularity and deviation.

THE EVIL TENDENCIES

The evil tendencies that lie in the mental horizons stimulate to evil and sinning, and occlude against the straight path. If they are left free, they will overcome and appropriate the virtuous traits and noble morals by which the human beings differ from animals. Islam has posed the sound bases of uprooting and ceasing the activities of such evil tendencies so that mankind will be saved against vices and sins. Muslim ethicists have studied these tendencies on the light of the Quranic and prophetic texts.

RAGE

Rage is the vilest mental defect that introduces the behavioral aberrance and irregularity.

Definition of rage:

Ethicists define rage as a psychical action due to which the blood in the heart is excited. Hence, it spreads in the arteries and reaches the top of the body and makes the brain as same as a cave in which fire is flared to blacken its sides and cause that little torch to extinguish. Thus, the face and eyes are reddened.[93] They added that the blood, when tensed, makes a violent movement that fills the brain, as well as the other nerves, with darkening smokes. Such smokes screen the intellective illumination and enfeebles the actions of the brain; therefore, any admonition or advice will be invalid. Sometimes, coarseness and intensity may be added to the manners of the angry.

Other ethicists define rage as a firebrand of God’s flaming fire that prospects only the hearts, and lies in the bottom like the fire’s lying under ash. The zeal of religion takes it out from the believers’ hearts. The zeal of the screened arrogance and ignorance in the tyrants’ hearts has a connection to the Satan who said, “You created me from fire and created him from mud.”

These definitions reveal the vile factuality of this hateful tendency that usurps man’s equanimity and intellective components.

Reasons of rage:

The following are the reasons of rage:

- The intellective weakness and laxity, that occur due to sinking in boons and luxury. This brings about the influence of any affect.

- The mental sensation, that is aroused due to the feelings of insult, and the perception of the appearances without thinking or deliberateness.

- Disease and physical fatigue that consume the intellective powers.

- Engrossment in working and the continuation of staying up and engaging the mind with greed that sow the seeds of rage.

Disadvantages of rage:

Rage has many disadvantages that cause many risks. It is the most influential element of criminality and retorting. Rage has caused numerous misfortunes and opened many jails, gallows, and fire. It has also cut off the bonds of relations between kinsmen, fathers, sons, and friends. Tongues uttered insults and revilement because of rage that unveiled hatred and schadenfreude, and induced to beat and wound, and aroused the feelings of malice and enmity. An ethicist says, “Rage causes the mind to confuse, the body to thrill, the lips to shrink, the voice to hoarse, the breath to accelerate, the face to flare up, the veins to puff, the hands to shrivel, the nerves to confuse, the hear to pulse, the blood to boil, the mouth to froth, and the eyes to throw evil. When all these are noticed on the angry, it will be surely adjudged that the insane are sounder and nearer to bettering than the angry are. If the angry look in the mirror to see that disgusting mien, they will surely feel shameful and be embarrassed.”

At any rate, rage is one of the vilest the most injurious manners since it causes variable misfortunes and calamities and inflicts the greatest difficulties and dilemmas.

Warning against rage:

Islam has warned against rage, which is a nefarious quality. It has counted it as a danger and risk. Many narratives have been reported in this regard. The Prophet (s) said, “Rage corrupts faithfulness like the vinegar when rots honey.” He also regarded self-striving and self-possession in the states of rage as signs of heroism. He said, “The hero is not that who overcomes in fighting. The real hero is that who possesses himself in rage.” Imam Ali (a) said, “Fury is a sort of madness.” Imam as-Sadiq (a) said, “My father used to say: Which matter is more intense than rage? In the states of rage, a man may kill the innocent, and slander the honorable matrons.” He also said, “He whoever lacks control on his rage, will not control his mind.” “Rage eliminates the minds of the wise.”[94]

Islam has also added the pardon in the states of rage to the believers’ qualifications. God says:

And when they rage, they surely forgive.

Islam has warned Muslims against being submitted to rage that leads to disintegration and failing in this world and the Hereafter.

Precautionary methods

Ethicists refer to several means that protect against the evil of rage:

- The recall of vileness and remembering the bad results of rage that brings about problems and desolation.

- Considering the advantages of composure, such as the good reputation.

It is also recommended to remember that the angry disputants may be changed into close friends by means of self-possession and pardon. God says:

Repel evil with what is best, when lo! Be between whom and you was enmity would be as if he were a warm friend.

- Regarding God’s might, which is the most powerful. The revenge that is directed at the other party, especially when he is weak, is always less powerful than God’s. Aggression, however, overtakes the doom and negligence of God’s mercy.

- Remarking that rage is a sign of mind imperfection and psychic defect. The angry are estimated as same as the valueless idiot. This remark may guard the enraged from sticking such descriptions to themselves, since self-esteem and conservation of entity and reputation are personal matters.

- Remarking the defects and the diseases of nervous collapse and disorder that is originated from ire and rage.

- Remarking the physical state of the angry and the ill-spoken statements they would utter.

- Avoiding curiosity, inquisitiveness, and sycophancy.

- Hiding and devaluating the ill wording. God says:

And when they pass by what is vain, they pass by nobly.

- The observance of the physical health and cleanness, and practicing sports. In most cases, rage occurs to the diseased.

FEAR

The Islamic education exerts all efforts for the sake of eliminating the ghost of fear to achieve tranquil and settled life.

Reasons of fear:

Islam has antagonized the several factors that originate fear, and called to release them. They are:

Fear of death:

Fear of death is a natural phenomenon. Man always avoids any circumstance that may cause danger, and tries to take any available means that keep the life and oppose termination. The adherence to the lifeline may cause humiliation and mortification. Islam has rejected humiliation and regarded it as a sort of self-weakness since fear of death will never postpone or change what God has prescribed to man, who definitely be led to death in the very limited time. God says:

And Allah does not respite a soul when its appointed term has come.

Any effort of respiting death is void. God says:

Every soul shall taste of death.

Whenever you are, death will overtake you, though you are in lofty towers.

Matters that prevent from performing the national duties, especially opposing the unjust rulers, will never change in any means the factuality of death that is imposed on everybody.

Fear for subsistence:

God the Elevated has entrusted man’s earnings to His will and volition. God grants whomever He wills. He says:

Allah makes abundant the means of subsistence for whom He pleases of His servants, and straitens them for whom he pleases.

Surely, Allah is the Bestower of sustenance, the Lord of Power, the Strong.

Seek the sustenance from Allah, serve Him, and be grateful to Him.

The holy Quran asserts this fact in many texts so that man will be released from the ill delusions that relate the sustenance and earnings to the creatures, not the Creator, so that they may be betaken as gods. God says:

Surely, they whom you serve besides Allah do not control for you any sustenance.

By means of such a creative education, Islam has canceled all of the sorts of fears that may prevent from delving in the various the aspects of sustenance, which is the most dangerous. Thus, it has committed the earnings to God, and vacated any role of the creatures in this process. This regulation paves the way of dignity, freedom, and honor so that people would not take any course to slavery and misfortune.

Fear of the coming:

The anticipation of coming problems is a natural phenomenon. Islam has released men from this bond and attached whatever inflicts people to God. God says:

Say: Nothing will afflict us save what Allah has ordained for us. He is our Patron, and on Allah let the believers rely.

Say: I do not control any benefit or harm for my own soul except as Allah pleases.

The individuals, who believe that they will be inflicted by matters that God has ordained, will surely live in tranquility and beatitude, away from anxiety, disorder, submission, and humiliation.

Islam has fought all of the factors and incentives of fear so that the whole horizons of life will be used thoroughly.

The factual incentives of fear:

God-fearing:

Islam has emphasized on fear of God. God says:

But do not fear them and fear Me if you are believers.

That Allah might know who fears Him in secret.

God-fearing, when settled in the mind, will certainly prevent from committing crimes or sins, and prompts the good and virtuous doing.

Fear of disobedience:

Fear of disobedience and sins is the actual fear because it takes away from vices and forbidden matters, and warns the punishment of the Hereafter. God the Elevated mentions the pious believers who fear Him and escape from disobedience. He says:

Say, surely, I fear, if I disobey my Lord, the chastisement of a grievous day.

The Prophet said, “One must not fear other than his guilt.”

Before we commit a sin, we must remember and fear God, Who will punish in this world and the Hereafter.

Fear of the Resurrection Day:

Man should fear the terrors and difficulties of the Resurrection Day, by avoiding any matter that God has forbidden, and clinging to the precepts and obligations. The holy Quran exposes the horrifying terrors of the situation on the Resurrection Day. God says:

The day on which a man shall fly from his brother and his mother and his father and his spouse and his son. Every man of them shall on that day have an affair, which will occupy him.

Surely, the violence of the hour is a grievous thing. On the day when you shall see it, every woman giving such shall quit in confusion what she suckled, and every pregnant woman shall lay down her burden, and you shall see men intoxicated, and they shall not be intoxicated but the chastisement of Allah will be severe.

The Quran also exposes the horrible chastisement that the tyrants and murderers will encounter on that day. God says:

Lay hold on him then put a chain on him. Then cast him into the burning fire. Then thrust him into a chain the length of which is seventy cubits. Surely, he did not believe in Allah the Great. Nor did he urge the feeding of the poor. Therefore, he has not here today a true friend. Nor any food except the wrongdoers’ eats.

It is obligatory upon every individual, who possesses a mentality, to shun any sort of sinning, and to fear God. Naturally, such a high education will achieve a bright and pure mentality.

ENVY

Envy is the virulent disease that affected men all over history and caused many distresses and difficulties. Islam has warned against envy and reproached the envious and called for prompting against it.

Reality of envy:

The ill-favored envy[***********] stands for the wish that the amenities were to lapse. In other words, the evil envy is the intendment of ruining and destroying. The desire of getting the same amenities of somebody else has nothing to do with envy. This is the emulation. In most cases, the feeling of obtaining others’ good qualities is being favorable since it encourages doing well. The Prophet said, “The faithful believer emulates, but does never envy.” Likewise, envy is different from the competition that stands for striving for copying others’ good deeds. It is the main incentive of the industrial and commercial progression. Islam has urged on competing with each other in the fields of good and benevolence. God says:

And for that let the aspirers aspire.

Warning against envy:

Islam has paid a great attention to protect Muslims against the insalubrious disease of envy because it causes social disunion and spreads enmity. It has also criticized and rebuked the envious.

Several Verses deny and malign the envious. God says:

Many of the followers of the Book wish that they could turn you back into unbelievers after your faith, out of envy from themselves.

Or do they envy the people for what Allah has given to them of His grace?

God also exposes the nature of envy. He says:

If good befalls you, it grieves them, and if an evil afflicts you, they rejoice at it.

The Prophetic texts are also filled up with many indications to the ill manner of envy. The Prophet (s) said, “Envy consumes the good deeds like fire when consumes wood.”[95] “Poverty is about to be atheism, and envy is about to overcome God’s act.”[96] “The malady of the past nations has crept to you. It is malice and envy, which is shaving. It shaves of religion, not hair. By the Prevailing of Mohammed’s soul, you will not be believers before you love each other. May I lead to a matter after which you will certainly love each other? Propagate salutation among you.”

Imam al-Baqir (a) said, “Man may convert to atheism when he commits an ill manner in case of rage. Envy surely consumes faith like fire when consume the wood.”[97]

Imam as-Sadiq (a) said, “The plague of the religion are envy, self-esteem, and arrogance.”[98]

Besides, there are many texts warning against envy, which is an epidemic that corrodes the entity and change the envious into victim of pains and infliction.

Incentives of envy:

Ethicists referred to a number of incentives that originate envy:

- The origin of envy is the mental evilness and avarice. It takes the souls to the bottoms. Such souls are annoyed when they notice God’s amenities and charities widespread over people, and rejoice when they notice distressed persons. This is the most evil sort of envy. The Prophet (s) said, “God’s amenities have enemies. They are those who envy people for receiving God’s charities.”

- Envy is originated from enmity and malice. The enemies and the malicious are pleased when they see others sink in grief and sorrow. They feel depressed as they notice them live in luxury.

- It is also originated from the desire of exceeding others. The bearers of such desires are dejected when others excel them, and think they will obtain comfort if they excel others.

- It is also originated from the anticipation of missing opportunities and interests. This feeling is generally stuck to craftsmen. It extends with the narrowness of the province. The big cities may lack this sort of envy because of the engrossment of crafts.

- It is also originated from arrogance and pride. The arrogant may fear of others’ excelling them if their elegance is increasing.

- It is also originated form contempt. The envious, who contempt others, wish the fading of others’ amenities. This sort comprises the atheists’ envying the prophets for being given the Lord’s mission exclusively. Those atheists used to say to the prophets, as the Quran exposes, “Your are naught but mortals like ourselves.” This envy also incites those atheists to accuse the prophets and apostles falsely. Anyhow, these accusations would change into the publicity of those apostles’ virtues and elevation.

Abu Temmam, the famed poet, referred to this meaning when he composed a couple of verses in which he asserted that God uses the tongue of the envious when He wills to arouse an unseen virtue.

Misfortunes of envy:

Numerous misfortunes and calamities are originated from envy. The envious may be inflicted by ceaseless grief and sorrow because they suffer if any amenity is granted to a mortal. God’s amenities, however, are incessant. Thus, the envious are in continual regret. Consequently, this will affect the physical health. Ibnul-Mutaz says, “Envy is the epidemic of the body.” A spiritualist says, “I have never seen such wrong people who are as same as the wronged. They consider the amenity as their calamity.” The envious are the rejecters of God’s act. In most cases, this may lead them to atheism and disbelief. Accordingly, the Prophet said, “Envy consumes the good deeds like fire when consumes wood.”

The reduction in the social ranks of the envious is one of the misfortunes involved. People usually abandon the envious, since they cause the rupture of relations in addition to other defects, such as fabrication, backbiting, tattling, perfidy, treason, calumny, killing, and larceny besides other sins and evil-doings.

Treatment of envy:

Ethicists have cited some treatments for this disease:

- The envious are prescribed of acceding to the ethics of Islam and considering God in every action since this precludes and trains on leaving this vile habit.

- The envious should regard that this ill quality is a perishing disease that results in falling in this world and failing in the Hereafter. The envious will surely leave this habit if they look curiously upon this fact. Self-love is one of the inveterate human qualities. Man will definitely avoid any matter that may lead to expiration. For the envious, when they esteem that envy will never harm the others, they will think of giving up this habit.

- Within the matters that help in quitting envy is looking to those who are in lower states, so that God’s graces and amenities will be realized. The Prophet said, “Looking to the more should be followed by looking to the less.”[99]

The envious are prescribed of considering the results of envy that brings the ill manners as well as misadventures and vices.

AVIDITY

Avidity is a mental vice that the Islamic education has tended to uproot and eradicate. Its source is the excessive engagement in the earthly affairs, the greedily coveting of collecting money and the complete negligence of death. The Prophet (s) referred to this phenomenon by saying, “Had son of Adam had two valleys of riches, he would have wished of obtaining a third. Nothing fills his interior but dust.”[100] “Richness is not the abundance of items. It is the self-contentment.”[101]

The Prophet (s) also warned against the excessive avidity. He said, “O people! Calm down in seeking your livelihood. Man will never obtain more than the decreed, and will never leave this world before receiving the decided.”[102] Imam al-Hassan (a) said, “Avidity is the enemy of mentalities. Adam was expelled from the Paradise because of avidity.”

Avidity urges unheedingly on obtaining riches. Man is inconsiderate that earnings and sustenance are in God’s hand that He bestows to whomever He desires and prohibits from whomever He desires. Man’s excessive endeavors will never change anything of the limited sustenance. Ibn Zureiq the poet assures this meaning. He affirms that God had already distributed the individuals’ earnings; hence, it is nonsense to exert excessive efforts for gaining and profiting.

Avidity draws to many sufferings and pitfalls, seduces to strive and work hard, deprives of rest and settlement, and arouses grief and pains. The best way of getting rid of this ill manner is the contentment to God’s decree and contemplating that these riches will surely inherited by others. Hence, if the riches are ill-gotten, then the sin will be stuck to the collector while their benefits will be the inheritors’.

PARSIMONY

Parsimony is a vile quality and an ill manner. It is one of the fruits of adhering to the worldly affairs, as ethicists affirm.

Reality of parsimony:

For ethicists, parsimony is the stinginess in the situations of the necessary giving. It is the preference of abstinence in any matter. Imam al-Hassan (a), when was asked about the meaning of parsimony, expressed, “It is to consider any spending as a loss.”[103] This is the most accurate definition of parsimony.

Warning against parsimony:

Islam has struggled and warned against this aspect. The Quran and the prophetic traditions refer to this topic in many texts. God says:

Those who are niggardly and bid people to be niggardly and hide what Allah has given to them out of His grace.

And let not those deem, who are niggardly in giving away that which Allah has granted them out of His grace, that it is good for them. Nay, it is worse for them. They shall have that whereof they were niggardly made to cleave to their necks on the resurrection day.

Many prophetic texts condemn parsimony.

The Prophet (s) said, “The parsimonious is remote from God and remote from the Paradise.”[104] “Parsimony is a tree rooted in the hell-fire. Only the parsimonious will be in the hell-fire.”[105] “Beware of niggardliness. It wiped out the past nations. As they responded to niggardliness, they killed each other, violated the forbidden, and cut off their relations.”[106] “Niggardliness and faith do never combine in a Muslim’s heart.”[107] Imam al-Hassan (a) said, “Parsimony comprises all of the vices and defects and weeds out the heart amiability.”

Many other texts warn Muslims against this evil trend that is the head of every lechery and blotch.

Protection against parsimony:

The best way of protecting against this disease is considering deliberately the bad consequence of adhering to it, especially after departing this world. Every man will be surely asked about the money he leaves in this world. Punishment will fall upon those who collect ill-gotten riches and those who collect the riches legally, but care for them excessively. Besides, the parsimonious are socially degraded and scorned. Sheik an-Naraqi says, “The best way of treating parsimony is dissecting its causes, which is the fond of riches. The reason is surely the fondness of the lusts that are gotten through money only. The excessive hope is another reason. If a man expects he will leave this life soon, he will never think of collecting money parsimoniously and saving it for the descendants.”[108]

MALICE

Malice is a vile tendency and a state of rage that may destroy and terminate since it is hidden in the minds. Islam cares for purifying the mentalities from the vices and evils of malice. The Prophet said, “The faithful believer should not be malicious.”

Envy is the source of malice that ruptures the relations, leads to animosity, and drives people into tremendous evils. Slander and schadenfreude are within the outcomes of malice. Malice may result in other bad consequences, such as mockery and other illegal matters that create dishonor and corrupt the religion. Disorder and depression usually affect the malicious since they live in incessant and unsettled grief, pains, and animosity.

Protection against malice:

- The malicious should consider that the internal animosity takes away from faithfulness and approached to the hypocrites and the deviants.

- The malicious should remark that malice brings about pains and suffering without gaining any profit.

- The malicious are advised of looking upon the courses of the great men of history whom were described of good behavior and virtuous moralities. Imam Ali (a) says, “If you overcome your enemy, you should consider pardoning him as the gratitude for the overcoming.”

People went on supplicating to God against the unknown larcener that thieved some dirhams of Abdullah bin Masud, the grand companion of the Prophet (s). Abdullah answered, “O Allah! If it was an exigent need that drove that man to thieve those dirhams, then I implore thee to bless him. If he thieved due to intending to commit a sin, then I implore thee to make it the last of his sins.”

A wise man said, “If you are told that somebody was reviling at you, you should answer: He must have been unaware of my defects totally, lest he would not utter only these words.”

ARROGANCE

Islam has warned against arrogance and self-conceit that create egoism and tyranny. They are also the indications of ignorance and pride. God said:

Do not attribute purity to your souls. He knows him best who guards against evil. Therefore, enter the gates of hell, to abide therein. So certainly evil is the dwelling place of the proud.

The Prophet said, “Three matters are annihilating. They are the obeyed niggardliness, the pursued fancy, and self-esteem.”[109] “Arrogance consumes the good deeds like fire when consumes wood.”[110] Imam as-Sadiq (a) said, “Doom is the outcome of arrogance.”[111]

Islam has antagonized the evil tendency of arrogance that is originated from ignorance, pride, and rashness.

Blights of arrogance:

Arrogance causes serious mental blights, the most notable of which are as follows:

- Arrogance generates pride, self-esteem, and precedence.

- It results in the oblivion of sinning and the abandonment of God and the Hereafter.

-It perverts the deeds that are offered purely to God. As he was asked about the arrogance that perverts the good deeds, Imam Musa (a) said, “Arrogance is of different classes. A class makes the ill deeds seem to be good and admiring. Another class secures, falsely, from God; hence, the bearers of such an arrogance think they do favor to God, while the truth is that God is doing favors to everybody.”[112]

- It arouses self-esteem. The arrogant thinks of being guarded against God’s acts and punishment, and thinks he have many rights that are mandated upon God because he performs some rites.

-It leads to boasting and trespassing.

- It results in dictation and challenging the right.

Types of arrogance:

There are several types of arrogance. They are as follows:

- The vanity about richness and amenities. God said:

And he possessed much wealth; so, he said to his companion, while he disputed with him: I have greater wealth than you, and am mightier in followers.

As the Prophet (s) noticed a rich man roll his clothes while he was associating with a poor man, he said, “What! Do you anticipate that his poverty will affect you?”

- The vanity about the abundance of wealth and the power of the family. The holy Quran refers to this phenomenon. God says:

And they say: We have more wealth and children, and we shall not be punished.

- The vanity about power. The holy Quran exposes the story of the tribe of Ad who said, “Who is more powerful than we are?” This sort of vanity creates wars and seizure. The powers that are admired of their arms will tend to overcome the less powerful.

- The vanity about lineage and nationalities. Islam has antagonized such an ill quality and ruled of combating anyone that may call to it, because this racism disunites Muslims and promotes the variant trends. According to the Islamic viewpoint, Muslims should be one body of equal organs.

- The vanity about ill opinions. God says:

What! Is he whose evil deed is made fairseeming to him so much so that he considers it good?

They think that they are well versed in skill of the work of hands.

This is the compound ignorance.

- The vanity about knowledge. The students may esteem themselves and despise others. This is the most influential disease that deconstructs knowledge and takes away from God. The Prophet said, “The blight of knowledge is self-complacency.”

- The vanity about deeds and worship. This sort of arrogance nullifies the worship and creates pride.

Protection against arrogance:

The best way of guarding against arrogance is the thorough self-consideration. Man is the target of various calamities and misfortunes especially when none can realize or predict the coming. After death, man will not be more than an obscure thing and a mass of valueless dust. What for should man be arrogant? Any consideration and judgment will remove the elements of arrogance and takes back to the right.

OSTENTATION

Ostentation is a serious sin. It indicates mental vices. The ostentatious do not have any relation with God. Islam has warned against exhibitionism and ordered Muslims of purifying themselves from its germs. The holy Quran, also, exposes and warns against ostentation. God says:

Surely, the hypocrites strive to deceive Allah, and He shall requite their deceit to them, and when they stand up to prayer, they stand up sluggishly. They do it only to be seen of men and do not remember Allah save a little.

Whoever hopes to meet his Lord, he should do good deeds, and not join any one in the service of his Lord.

Woe to the praying ones who are unmindful of their prayers, who do good to be seen and withhold the necessaries of life.

The reports that deal with and warn against the ostentation are uninterrupted.

The Prophet (s) said, “The most dangerous thing that I warn you against is the minor polytheism It is the ostentation. On the Resurrection Day, God will say to the ostentatious: I reward the servants for their deeds. Go to those whom you were showing in the world. Will they reward you?”[113] “God will not admit any deed that possesses a bit of ostentation.”

Imam Ali (a) said, “Fear God exhaustively, and work for Him without seeking any reputation. He, whoever works for other than God, will be attached to those for whom he works.”[114]

Imam as-Sadiq (a) said, “Dedicate your affairs to God’s sake. Do not make them for people’s sake. Whatever is intended to God, goes to God, and whatever is intended to people will never ascend to God.”

Imam ar-Rida (a) said, “You should work for other than ostentation or reputation. He, whoever works for other than God, will be attached to those for whom he works.

Ostentation is rebuked and considered as a sort of polytheism that never ascends to God.

Incentives of ostentation:

Incentives of ostentation are as follows:

- Showing off piety and virtuousness for winning people’s respect and veneration.

- Showing off for holding some religious positions, the terms of which are piety and religiousness, such as judiciary and imamate,

- Showing off for winning people’s confidence, and planning for embezzling their trusts, or the like.

Only those who sacrifice the Hereafter for worldly affairs may take the path of ostentation. The ostentatious individuals, in fact, worship others besides God, and dress piety as a means of achieving the narrow aims.

Ostentation invalidates worship:

Muslim Jurists affirm unanimously that ostentation invalidates the worship. There is no difference in the rule whether such a state of ostentation occurs in the first of the ritual, in the middle or in any part of it. Likewise, ostentation invalidates the rites even if it is intended in some parts that are out of the obligatory ritual. For instance, the prayer is invalid when the performer shows off by joining a collective prayer, or choosing a definite mosque, imam, time or place.[115]

The actual worship is engaged in the sincerity to God. When ostentation occurs, the rituals will be invalid and should be repeated.

Treatment of ostentation:

Ethicists mention a number of matters that eliminate this virulent defect.

- The ostentatious should clear the incentives of ostentation, such as the fondness of praise and greediness in people’s amenities.

- The ostentatious should regard the blights and calamities that are resulted from ostentation, such as the corruption of the deeds and God’s scorn.

- The ostentatious should consider that people’s praise and confidence would not improve the livelihood, since sustenance is God’s concern, and that whoever seeks sustenance from other than God will gain nothing but humility and decline.

- The ostentatious should concern the grief and the lack of tranquility that affect them because of presuming people’s emotions and trends. They should also remark that nothing would please people who have contradicting opinions and tendencies. This will surely bring about the most intolerable suffering and heartache and deprive of any profit.

- The ostentatious should consider that God will sooner or later divulge the ill intendments and unveil the actuality in this world or in the Hereafter. Thus, no profit is gained from the deceptive efforts.

The ostentatious will surely get rid of their ill habits if they consider these treatments carefully.

CONCEIT

Conceit is one of the mental defects that the Islamic education has treated and purified the mentalities from its germs.

Reality of conceit:

Ethicists mention that the reality of conceit is the minds resting to what accords the fancies confusedly and conceitedly. He is deceitful that whoever esteems his present or fated success. They also disclose that deceit is composed of two matters:

First: esteeming the vile as good.

Second: the fondness of lusts and rage.[116]

Warning against conceit:

Islam has warned against conceit because it ruins the minds and causes sufferings and leads to commit the forbidden matters. God says:

Let not this world’s life deceive you, nor let the arch-deceiver deceive you in respect of Allah.

But you caused yourselves to fall into temptation, and you waited and doubted and vain desires deceived you till the threatened punishment of Allah cane, while the arch-deceiver deceive you about Allah.

The Prophet (s) said, “How excellent the sleep and the nature of the courteous are! They excel the staying up and the efforts of the idiot. A bit of piety and certitude is preferable to the conceited even if it is as much as this earth.”[117]

Imam as-Sadiq (a) said, “The conceited people are poor in this world and grieved in the Hereafter. They sold the best for the worst. Do not be conceited by yourselves. Your riches and health may allure you, thinking you will persist. The long age, the children, and the associates will not save you. Your beauty, wish, and gaining the target may allure you, assuming your being sincere and true. Your remorse for delinquency in worship may allure you, while God realizes that your heart has the opposite. You may undertake excessively for adoration while God wants mere sincerity. You may take pride in your knowledge and lineage while you are unaware of the unseen damages. You may imagine that you supplicate to God while you are supplicating to someone else. You may think you are advising people while you intend your own interests. You may reproach yourself while you are actually praising.”[118]

This saying indicates all of the incentives and causes of deceit. The Imam warned against all sides of conceit and called to purify the mentalities against its deviation and sins.

Protection against conceit:

The eradication of fondness of lusts and fancies is the best protective way against conceit. It is essential to cognize that we will leave this world to the world of the right. Looking upon these facts may take back to the straight path.

MENDACITY

Mendacity is the origin of every vice and the source of every defect. It is a hateful quality. The honorable and the virtuous are remote from such an ill manner that Islam has opposed.

Censure of mendacity:

Islam has warned against this ill characteristic. God says:

Only they forge the lie who do not believe in Allah’s communications, and they are the liars.

So, He made hypocrisy to follow as a consequence into their hearts till the day when they shall meet Him because they failed to perform towards Allah what they had promised with Him and because they told lies.

The Prophet (s) said, “Beware of fabricating. It leads to licentiousness, which leads to the hell-fire.”[119] “May I inform you of the grandest sin? It is polytheism and impiety to parents and telling lies.[120]

Imam Ali (a) said, “The servants –of God- will not find the good taste of faithfulness before they quit intentional and unintentional fabrication.”

Imam Ali bin al-Hussein (a) said, “Beware of insignificant, influential, unintentional, and intentional lies. Fibs lead to fabrication.

Imam al-Baqir (a) said, “God the Praised has made locks for the vices. He made the consuming of intoxicants the keys of these locks. Mendacity is viler than consuming intoxicants.”

Imam al-Askari (a) said, “All of the vices were confined in a house the key of which is mendacity.”

Moreover, many other narratives forbid this evil quality and declare God’s punishment to those who commit this depravity.

Reasons of mendacity:

Many causes that are originated from self-weakness and disloyalty to God incite to commit mendacity. They are as follows:

- Fabricating lies for gaining a delusive profit or guarding against an anticipated damage. This anticipation is dictated by the soul, which is the incessantly demanding with evil.

- Fabricating lies for profiting by a good livelihood or approximating the profitable wealthy. The source of such mendacity is self-degradation and humiliation. The comic mendacity is also a repulsive feature. It stands for forging lies for the sake of making others laugh. This property drags to illegal matters without gaining any benefit.

- Fabricating lies for disturbing and wreaking the enemies. These matters incite to describe false questions and revile by inaccurate accusals.

- The most notable incentive of mendacity is the lack of piety and religiousness. Those who fear God never commit mendacity.

Mendacity may be an irremovable habit if it controls the mind. It is said that if suckling of mendacity is found sweet, it will be very difficult to wean. The mendacious are socially disrespected and any said lie will be naturally imputed to them.

Sorts of mendacity:

The sorts of mendacity are as follows:

- Forging lies against God and the Prophet. This stands for the intentional ascribing unsaid statements to God and the Prophet. Some of the companions, who merchandized with their religion and sold their Hereafter to Muawiya, such as Samara bin Jundub, Abu Hureira, and Amr bin al-As, purposed to forge lies against the Prophet. Muawiya bestowed them abundantly; therefore, they counterfeited the prophetic traditions and falsified the sayings of censuring the Prophet’s infallible household and praising others for gaining Muawiya’s gold and power. That was the most calamitous damage that Islam had to encounter, since such false reports corrupted Muslims’ doctrinal lives and deformed the religion’s signs and rulings. For Shias, forging lies against God and the Prophet invalidates the ritual fasting of the month of Ramadhan.

- Perjury, which wastes people’s property, honors, and souls. It is surely the most horrendous crime that eradicates justice and systems. The Prophet (s) said, “May I inform you of the grandest sins? They are polytheism, impiety to parents and –emphatically- perjury.” Perjury in insignificant or grand matters is indifferent. Judiciaries should chastise and distrust the perjurers.

- Mendacity for mocking people. This is also an ugly forbidden matter since it stands for abusing others. Islam, however, protected people’s dignities and forbade debasing and deriding them.

Mendacity brings about God’s ire and scorn, and causes the mendacious to lose lechery and the failing of justice and trustfulness.

Warrants of mendacity:

Islam has permitted mendacity in cases of attaining some social benefits when the way of telling the truth is blocked. These cases are as follows:

- Telling lies is permitted when it is intended for saving a Muslim from the unjust ruler’s fist. When a tyrant intends to kill, usurp, or dishonor a Muslim, it becomes obligatory to tell false things, if there is no other way, for saving that individual. In this case, “the vice of mendacity retreats because the obligation of salvation is effective,” as scholars of jurists affirm.

- Telling lies is permitted when it is intended for refitting ruptured relations. In case the reuniting of ruptured relations relies upon a fib or telling untrue things, it is not unacceptable to fib or invent a matter, provided that there is no other solution, that re-gathers the hearts of the adversary parties at odds and dislodges the spirits of rivalry and animosity. The Prophet (s) said, “He is not a liar that who makes peace between two rivalry parties when he says good wording or publicizes good deeds.”[121] Abu Kahil reported: As two of the Prophet’s companions were engaged in discrepancy, I came to one of them and told, falsely, that the other party used to praise and applaud him. I went to the other party and did the same thing. Hence, I could make peace between them. Then, I considered that I had made peace between those two, but violated my own personality due to telling lies. I came to the Prophet (s) and cited the problem. “O Abu Kahil!” said the Prophet, “Make peace between people even by means of” He referred to fabrication.

Islam has greatly concerned with making peace and reconciliation between discrepant parties, and preferred this process to the general rituals of prayers and fasting. Rivalry opens the door to evils, ruptures the united word, and spreads the spirits of animosity and contest among Muslims.

- Telling lies is permitted when it is intended for winning a battle. War depends upon trickery. If Muslims’ triumph and the foes’ defeat rely upon fabrication, it becomes obligatory to lie. The Prophet (s) said, “Every fabrication is forbidden except telling lies in wars, since wars depend upon trickery.”

- Telling lies is permitted when it is intended for reconciliation among the fellow wives. Polygamous husbands are required to deceive each wife that he loves her more than he loves the others, for relieving them and saving from rivalry and quarrels.

Unfortunately, people have opened the portals of mendacity as wide as possible. They have stuck to it so adhesively that they got used to it. Deceptive flattery, which is surely a sort of mendacity, has become a habit. For instance, when an individual tries to get rid of the embarrassment of breaching a promise, he may cite falsely an ailment as his excuse. Fathers also used to instruct their sons to tell those who visit them of their absence in order to avoid the visitors. These sorts of social hypocrisy have been prevalent nowadays that even some poets recommended of sticking to them in the social relations. This flattery is surely a social defect that is originated from cowardice, timidity, and lack of mental disciplining.

It is strange that some writers, especially the Orientals, have purposed to forge lies in their writings. For instance, the Islamic Encyclopedia Britannica is filled up with intrigues, inventions, and lies especially in matters pertaining to Islam and some leaders. We have referred to many examples of their forged lies that are intended defame Islam and wrong the Imams.

By the same token, the books of Dr. Ahmed Amin and Dr. Ahmed Shibli that are pertaining to Shias and some of their doctrinal beliefs are filled up, shamelessly, with lies and fabrications.

At any rate, people used to fabricate and lie. Indisputably, this deadly defect destroys all of the moral virtues. Degradation and collapse will be the inescapable fate of any nation that takes fabrication as a course.

Protection against mendacity:

The following are the ways of protection against mendacity:

- Deliberate concern of the ceaseless chastisement that God threatened the liars who gain nothing from mendacity.

- Considering the ordeals and distresses, the most important of which is the social degradation and distrust that is originated from mendacity.

- Avoiding associating with the evildoers, who do not refrain from forging lies, and clinging to the virtuous and the religious ones so that their deeds, habits, and morals may influence and help in uprooting the evil customs.

Educators are required to activate their notable roles for extirpating this malignant disease and saving the new generations by citing the terrible damages of mendacity that leads to degradation and ruin.

BACKBITING

Backbiting is a lethal defect and evil that unveils envy, oppression, and lack of faith. Unfortunately, people hanged to the bad manner of backbiting that became a general custom and a fruit in which they have fun. They used to place each other on the table of slicing to reveal the flaws and imperfections of one another openly.

Reality of backbiting:

Backbiting stands for mentioning the others’ affairs that they detest, whether frankly, metonymically, indicatively, symbolically, or literally. It also comprises the mentioning of religious affairs, such as accusing of larceny, treason, negligence of prayers, impiety to parents, or the like, and worldly affairs, such as accusing of ill manners or loquacity or mocking the way of dressing or the like.

Illegality of backbiting:

Islam has banned backbiting since it arouses malice and animosity. God says:

And do not spy nor let some of you backbite others. Does one of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? But you abhor it.

Hence, God considers the backbitten as a brother, considers his honor as the flesh, and considers backbiting him, while he is unaware, as his death.[122] God also says:

Surely, as for those who love that scandal should circulate respecting those who believe, they shall have a grievous chastisement in this world and the hereafter. And Allah knows, while you do not know.

The Prophet (s) said, “Backbiting is more serious than fornication. God may forgive the fornicators if they repent, while He will not forgive the backbiter before the backbitten forgives.” “He whoever keeps on backbiting and unveiling his brother, will be kept on in hell-fire, and God will unveil his flaws before the creatures.” “Sessions in which backbiting is prevalent are ruining the religion. Prompt your hearings from listening to backbiting. The deliverer and the receiver are parties of the sin.

Imam as-Sadiq (a) said, “He whoever declares what he notices and hears about his faithful brother, is with those who are intended in God’s saying:

Surely, as for those who love that scandal should circulate respecting those who believe, they shall have a grievous chastisement in this world and the hereafter.”

Backbiting is a grand sin for which God will chastise and interrogate on the Resurrection Day.

Incentives of backbiting:

Ethicists mention a number of incentives of backbiting. They are as follows:

- Mocking and ridiculing encourages backbiting others.

- Jocularity incites to backbite others.

- Faulting others and self-love causes backbiting.

- Associating, flattering, and consenting to individuals that are accustomed to exposing people’s defects cause backbiting.

- If it is expected that somebody will sooner or later backbite, this may lead to take initiative in backbiting him.

Backbiting is a sign of the ingenuity of mentalities that is irrelevant to virtue and morals.

Penance of backbiting:

The penance of backbiting is seeking the backbitten’s satisfaction and acquittal. Numerous narratives assert this indication. It is related that backbiting will not be forgiven unless the backbitten forgives. The Prophet (s) said, “Those against whom there is a complaint of honor or assets, should seek the acquittal before the coming of that day on which there will not be any dirham or dinar. On that day, the good deeds of the charged will be added to the complainants. If there is no good deed, the evils of the complainants will be added to the charged.”

Jurists have issued that the repentance due to which God forgives and pardons does not omit the chastisement of backbiting because it is people’s, not God’s, rights.

Protection against backbiting:

- A deliberate concern of the ceaseless chastisement that God has threatened the backbiters for debasing, dishonoring, and wronging the others, is a protective method against this malignant disease.

- The consideration of the worldly vices that are originated from backbiting, especially when it reaches the backbitten and arouses or increases animosity and may creates harm, insult, and aggression, may encourage avoiding backbiting.

- Removing and treating the incentives of backbiting will save against going on backbiting others.

TATTLING

Tattling is as evil element and a door to arousing sedition. It unveils ignobility and villainy.

Reality of Tattling:

Tattling stands for informing others of the ill wording that is said about them. It is a sort of divulging the secrets and exposing the screens. It comprises the conveyed words and deeds, whether they were acceptable or unacceptable. In other words, tattling stands for the broadcasting of any kept secret affair.

Censure of tattling:

The holy Quran censures the malevolent quality of tattling. God says:

And yield not to any mean swearer, defamer, going about in slander.

Woe to every slander, defamer.

The Prophet (s) said, “The most beloved of you to Allah are the best of moralities and the modest. They are those who like others’ company and others like them. The most hateful of you to Allah are those going in slander, driving wedges between the associates, and searching for the innocents’ flaws.”[123] “For those who refer to a Muslim’s flaw for tattling, they will be in the hell-fire in the Hereafter.”[124]

Imam al-Baqir (a) said, “The Paradise is interdicted from the backbiters and those going about in slander.”[125]

Imam as-Sadiq (a) said, “Those who convey a deed of a Muslim for the purpose of debasing and dishonoring, God will dismiss them from His guardianship to the Satan’s. The Satan will reject them, too.”[126]

Incentives of tattling:

- The will of stirring up discord, evil, and malice against the slandered causes tattling.

- The will of approximating and favoring those about whom a word was said, for obtaining their confidence, is another incentive of tattling.

- The will of rupturing relations and creating sedition between the slanderer and the slandered is another incentive of tattling.

Protection against tattling:

- A deliberate consideration of the sedition and the evil that is created from tattling may save against adhering to it. Tattling is a means of destroying and corruption that is possessed only by the faithless.

- Looking upon the chastisement that God will subject upon the tattlers, whose deeds reach to no profit at all, may remove this ill quality.

- Tattlers should regard that their deeds debase them, and make people distrust and belie them.

MOCKERY AND SARCASM

Islam has called to the mutual respect and esteem. According to the Islamic education, it is illicit to mock or debase others whether by words, deeds, or indication in order not to arouse animosity and discrepancy. God says:

O, you who believe! Let not one people laugh at another people perchance they may be better than they, nor let women laugh at other women, perchance they may better than they. And do not find fault with your own people nor call one another by nickname. Evil is a bad name after faith. And whoever does not turn, these it is that are the unjust.

Mockery, carping, and defamation bring on heart malice, rupture the bonds of mutual association, amiability and disobedience, and occasion God’s scorn. Mockers are surely wronging themselves and approaching God’s chastisement and castigation.

SCHADENFREUDE

Schadenfreude stands for the enjoyment obtained from others’ troubles. It suggests ignobility and meanness. Experiments have shown that those who are enjoyed for others’ misfortunes would eventually be inflicted by similar misfortunes. Imam as-Sadiq (a) said, “He whoever expresses glee for others’ misfortunes will not leave this world before being inflicted by a misfortune.”[127] Schadenfreude originates spites and animosity among people.

GARRULITY

Islam has called to avoid garrulity and ill wording and the like matters since they waste time uselessly. More than one Quranic text refers to this ill manner. God says as He mentions some qualifications of the favorable servants:

And when they hear idle talk they turn aside from it and say: We shall have our deeds and you shall have your deeds. Peace be upon you, we do not desire the ignorant.

And when they pass by what is vain, they pass by nobly.

Garrulity comprises all of the sorts of idle talk that arouses lusts and corrupts moralities.

Islam has worked for disciplining and purifying the mentalities against defects and misfortunes, for saving people against the moral and mental blotches that lead to irregularity and deviation from the straight path.

The Islamic education solves the problems of the speculative elements that arouse dangerous sorts of psychic struggle. It also influences positively the general behavior, and elevates to high levels of the human culture and the sound cognizance that help in achieving the productive activities of developing the social life. In fact, the Islamic education is not devoted to disciplining and reforming the mentalities only. It aims at achieving social amendment and comprehensive guidance in all of the life aspects. Naturally, this nonesuch education will not achieve reformative and disciplinary predominance on the national maturity and composition unless it affects the mentalities, and finds a place in all of the fields of man’s behavior.