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Abstinence |
 This world is like a snake, soft to touch but full of venom inside - Imam Ali (as) Imam Ali (a.s.) said: Abstinence is one of the means of improving religious ethics. Ameerul Momineen (a.s.) said: Abstinence means reducing aspirations, being grateful for all blessings and abstaining from all the divinely forbidden acts. Imam Sadiq (a.s.) said: Allah will fill the heart of whoever is abstinent in this world with wisdom, and enable them to speak wisely. He will enable him to see the flaws in this world, their problem and treatment. Allah will take him out of this world healthy and deliver him to heaven. Imam Sadiq (a.s.) said: Whoever struggles in this world, harms him Hereafter. But Allah will grant the daily bread of whoever designates the Hereafter as his priority, and he will meet his Lord in a prosperous state. Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) said: Abstinence does not mean wearing harsh clothes or eating unpleasant food, rather it means reducing one’s aspirations. Ameerul Momineen (a.s.) said: Abstinence is a form of wealth. Piety is like an armor. Abstinence is best when done in private. Abstinence will make the body slim and restrict aspirations, and speeds up death and pushes away worldly desires. Whoever attains it benefits, and whoever loses it will be burdened. Nothing is nobler than piety. No trade is better than performance of good deeds. Nothing is a better form of piety than abstaining from what is doubtful. Nothing is a better form of abstinence than abstaining from the forbidden. Whoever does not worry about the past, and does not get happy about the future has realized both the aspects of abstinence. O people! Abstinence implies reducing aspirations, and thanking Allah for the blessings, and abstaining from the forbidden. Whenever you lose these characteristics, do not let the forbidden acts overcome your patience and do not forget being grateful for the blessings that you receive. Allah has left no room for any excuse for you sending reasons and divine Books. Reference: Mishkat ul Anwar, Section 3, Chapter 3. Imam Ali (AS) has said: When you give alms to a needy man, the alms giver should kiss his hand, for God receives the alms before it is put in the hand of the needy man, since God is the Receiver of the alms. Imam Sadeq (AS) has been quoted as saying: Allah says: For every good deed I have appointed a deputy to receive it save alms which I Myself receive immediately. A man or a woman may give one or half date as alms but I will make it big as a colt grows into a horse and young camel grows into a camel so as to meet Me on the Day of Judgment while one or half date has become as big as Ohood Mountain. Imam Sadeq (AS) has said: Increase your sustenance through alms-giving. Imam Sadiq (AS) said: Whenever you become destitute, do business with God through alms-giving. Imam Baqer (AS) has said: Surely alms-giving repels seventy afflictions of the world including a bad death. Surely an alms-giver never dies a bad death.
Imam Baqer
(AS) said: Alms-giving in the way of God will help repay debts and leave
blessings behind. Reference: Odattol Daee by Sheikh Ahmad ibne Fahd Hilli Imam Sadiq (a.s.) said: Anger is the key to all evil. Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) said: Whoever gets angry will lose his comfort. Imam Sadiq (a.s.): Allah will forbid the Fire of Hell to touch your body if you control yourself when you are aroused, afraid. Hungry, angry, pleased or unhappy. Imam Reza (a.s.) said: On the Resurrection Day three groups of people are closest to Allah until the end of the Reckoning: Those who quench their anger and do not oppress others when they have power, those mediate between two people and do not favor either side in the least amount, and those who tell the truth whether it be in their favor or not. Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) said: Manliness does not depend on physical strength. Rather it depends on the ability to restrain anger. Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) said: God loves whoever restrains his anger when he gets angry. Reference: Mishkat-ul-Anwar, Section Eight, Chp. 1 Avoiding the Forbidden and the Like Imam Baqir (as) said: All eyes will be crying on the Resurrection Day except for the eyes that remain open at night for the sake of Allah, and eyes which cry for the fear of Allah, and the eyes that are closed not to see what Allah has forbidden to see. Imam Baqir (as) said: You will not experience any calamities except due to committing sins. Imam Sadiq (as) narrated on the authority of Holy Prophet (saw): There are occasions in the Hereafter when you get imprisoned for one hundred years for just one sin while you jealously look at your brothers and wives in Heaven. Imam Sadiq (as) said: Whoever asks for forgiveness but continues to commit sins is like a joker. Imam Sadiq (as) said: Committing sins will block the daily bread of a Muslim. Reference: Mishkat ul Anwar: Section 3, Chapter 13 Imam Sadiq (as) quoted on the authority of Holy Prophet (saw): Allah did not appoint us to collect wealth, He appointed us in order to give charity. Imam Baqir (as) said: The best thing for the religion and the religious people is that wealth be in the hands of those who pay its due and do good deeds with it, and the worst thing for religion and the righteous people is that wealth be in the hands of those who do not pay its dues and do not use it in proper ways. Imam Sadiq (as) said: Give charity and be sure you will receive a reward later. Know that whoever does not give charity out of obedience to Allah will suffer later on from spending in the way of committing sins. And whoever does not attempt to help fulfill the needs of Allah’s friends will later have to try to fulfill the needs of Allah’s enemies. Reference: Mishkat ul Anwar: Section 3; Chapter 25 Conceit – (Self-Importance, Pride) Ameerul Momineen (as) said: No position is higher than humbleness, and no loneliness is more awesome then conceit. I am amazed at a conceited person who was only a sperm before and will one be a corpse in the future. Holy Prophet (saw) said: Three things ruin man and three things save him. The three things that ruin man are stinginess, following selfish desires and conceit. The three things that save man fearing Allah in public and in private, and being just at time of anger and contentment. Imam Sadiq (as) said: Whoever gets conceited will be ruined. Mutraf said: It is better for me to fall asleep at night and wake up sorry in the morning, than to stay up all night and start my day with conceit in the morning. Conceit means being pleased with perfection of man’s characteristics, deeds or self; and relying on them and forgetting the real One who gives the blessings. (Trad. No. 1827 - Mishkat ul Anwar) Reference: Mishkat ul Anwar : Section 8. Chapter 4. Imam Sadiq (a.s.) said: One who is contented with divine destiny is the one most aware of Allah. Imam Sadiq (a.s.) said: The most important aspect of obedience to Allah is being content with and being patient with what Allah has decreed whether we like it or not. And when one is content with what Allah has decreed for him, whether he like it or not, that which is decreed is best for him. Imam Sadiq (a.s.) said: Comfort and convenience lie in contentment and certitude, and sorrow and sadness lie in doubt and anger. Imam Kazim (a.s.) said: Whoever ignores Allah should not become upset if his daily bread is delayed. He should not accuse Allah regarding his destiny. Imam Sajjad (a.s.) said: Perseverance and contentment with divine destiny are the highest forms of Allah’s worship. Allah will only destine what is beneficial for those who are patient and content with what Allah destines for them whether they like it or not. Reference: Mishkatul Anwar, Section 1, Chapter 7 The following traditions are from Imam Jafar Sadiq (a.s.). These words of Imam Sadiq (a.s.) have been termed as ‘Dispersal of Gem’s’ and have been narrated in Tuhfal al Uqoul under the chapter Dispersal of Gem’s. There are 89 traditions under this section. Here are a few of them.
Reference: Tuhaf al Uqoul – Maxims of Imam Sadiq (a.s.), Pg. 375 Traditions from Imam Sadiq (a.s.).
Reference: Tuhaf al Uqoul – Maxims of Imam Sadiq (a.s.), Pg. 375 Ameerul Momineen (a.s.) said: O People! Fear Allah. He hears whatever you say sand knows what ever you hide. Prepare yourself for death. A death from which you try to escape will approach you. Even if you stay where you are, it will overcome you. Even if you stay where you are, it will overcome you. It will remember you even if you forget it. Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) told to Abdullah bin Umar: Live like passers-by and prepare yourself for death. Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) said: There is comfort in death for a believer because he departs the world from which he fears, and he rushes towards what he expects and hopes for. Imam Sadiq (a.s.) said: Remember death often, since one who often remembers death will abstain from the world. Imam Ali (a.s.) said: Whoever prepares himself for the future life of this world has not recognized the truth about death. People who have high aspirations will commit sins and do evil. If one could see his own death, and how fast it approaches him, then he would hate high aspirations and seeking (material things of) this world. Mishkat ul Anwar, Section 7, Chapter 9. Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) said: It is troublesome enough for a man to be pointed at with fingers from fame due to religious or worldly fame. Imam Sadiq (a.s.) said: Allah hates two types of fame: fame for the way you dress, and fame for praying. Imam Sadiq (a.s.) said: Fame whether good or evil results in Fire. Imam Hasan (a..s) said: Allah will make the one who puts on a garment of fame in this world wear a garment of Fire in Hereafter. Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) said: Whenever a servant’s inward and outward appearances are the same, Allah the Almighty will consider him to be a true servant. Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) said: If one hides his inward self, Allah will make his inward self appear as a garment on him. If his inward self his good, the garment will look nice, but if his inward self is evil, his garment will look bad. Imam Sadiq (a.s.) said: Whoever appears in public adorned with what Allah likes, but appears in front of Allah adorned with what Allah dislikes will meet Allah when Allah is angry with him. Mishkat ul Anwar, Section 8, Chapter 8. Imam Sadiq (as) said: Any form of hypocrisy is polytheism (shirk). Whoever works for the people should demand his reward from the people, whoever works for Allah, his reward is given by Allah. Imam Sadiq (as) said: Fear Allah and work for Him. Allah will fulfill your needs if you work for Him. If you work for anyone other than Allah, Allah will leave you to whoever you work for. Holy Prophet (saw) said: On the Resurrection Day, those who worshipped the people will be called on to go and get their reward from the same people they worshipped since Allah does not accept any deeds that are mixed with material worldly affairs. Mishkat ul Anwar: Section 8, Chapter 3 Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) said: There are three things by which Allah will only increase our good things: by humbleness He will increase our position; by humiliating ourselves Hr gives us honor; and by chastity He gives us wealth. Imam Sadiq (a.s.) said: Being content to sit in a lower position in a meeting, greeting whomever you see, not quarrelling even if your are right and disliking to be praised for piety are all signs of humbleness. A man asked Imam Kazim (a.s.) as to what deeds constitute humbleness. Imam Kazim (a.s.) said: There are various degrees of humbleness. Some of them include to know yourself and peacefully accept your own position; to treat others as you like them to treat you; to be kind to others when others are not kind to you; to restrain your anger; and to forgive people. Allah loves those who do good deeds. Imam Baqir (a.s.) said: Three things are back-breaking: overestimating ones deeds, forgetting one’s sins and only considering one’s own viewpoints. Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) said: Whoever is least haughty (self-important) or proud will not enter Heaven. Imam Sadiq (a.s.) said: On the Resurrection Day, haughty people will be placed under the people’s feet as tiny objects until Allah gets done with reckoning. Reference: Mishkat ul Anwar: Section 5 – Chapter 2. Honors that Allah has reserved for the Believers Imam Sadiq (a.s) said: Allah has not taken it on himself to reward anyone for good deeds except the believers. Bihar ul anwar 67/64 h.9 Imam Sadiq (a.s.) said: A believer’s light shines for the inhabitants of the heavens like starts shining for the inhabitants of the earth. He also said: A believer is a friend of Allah; he helps Him and works for Him and he does not say cpncerning Allah anything but the truth, and he does not fear anyone other than Him. Bihar ul Anwar 67/64 h.11 and 12 Imam Sadiq (a.s.) said: When two believers meet, one hundred mercies are showered between them—ninety nine of these go to the one who loves the other more. Uddatul Da’i 173 Imam Sadiq (a.s.) said : Allah says, One who humiliates My friend has set out to fight with Me; and I am the swiftest in coming to My friends’ aid. I do not hesitate in doing anything except in taking the life of My believing servant. I would love to meet him but he dislikesdeath; so, I avert it from him (for a while). He asks Me and I give him; he calls upon Me and I answer him. And if in this world there was none but one believing servant, he would suffice Me in place of all My other creation and I would make for him his faith a companion so that he would never need the company of others. Bihar ul Anwar 67/65 h.14 Imam Sadiq (a.s.) said: A disbeliever calls out (for his needs) and Allah says, ‘Hasten his wish to him,’ out of aversion for his voice/ And a believer supplicates for his needs and Allah says, ‘Delay his wish’, out of longing for his voice. So, on the Day of Resurrection, Allah will say (to the believers), ‘You asked Me for such and such and I delayed answering you; so your reward (for the delay) is such and such’. A believer will at that time wish any of his supplications had been never answered in the world when he sees how excellent the reward is. Bihar ul Anwar 9/74 and Uddatul Dai 188 Ammerul Momineen (as) said: There are seventy benefits associated with greetings, sixty-nine of which are for the one who greets first, and the last one is for the one who greets in return. Imam Sadiq (as) said: A miser is one who is stingy about greeting. Holy Prophet (saw) said: The basis of humbleness is to greet whoever you see, respond to whoever greets you, sit in the lower ranks in a meeting, and not get pleased woth people admiring you. Am’mar ibn Yasir may Allah bless him said: Whoever possesses the collection os the following three has acquired faith: charity at times of poverty, self-sacrifice and greeting everyone. Ameerul Momineen (as) said: Do not initiate greeting to the people of the Book, but whenever they greet you just say “Alaykum” meaning “be upon you” Imam Sadiq (as) said: Whoever says ‘Greetings to you’ ten good marks will be recorded for him. Whoever says ‘Greetings and Allah’s Mercy be upon you’, twenty good marks will be recorded for him. And whoever says ‘Greetings and Allah’s Mercy and Blessings be upon you’, thirty good marks will be recorded for him. Reference: Mishkat ul Anwar: Section 4, Chapter 4. Imam Sadiq (as) narrated that Holy Prophet (saw) said that Allah the Almighty said: I do not accept all the words of wise men, rather I accept ones will and efforts. If his will and efforts are for Me, I will establish his words and deed as My worship, even if he has said nothing. Imam Baqir (as) said: Allah the Almighty loves anyone who jokes without using indecent language, thinks when he is alone, takes lessons from others, and stays up at night to pray. Imam Sadiq (as) said: Doing each of the following deeds will take you to Heaven: Giving water to a thirsty, feeding a hungry person, providing clothing for one who does not have any clothes, or freeing a slave. A man asked Imam Sadiq (as): O grandson of the Prophet! We are a group of passers-by. We were unable to become your companions no matter how hard we tried. Please give us some advice. Imam (as) said: I advise you to adhere to piety, honesty, trustworthiness, treating others with kindness, greeting, feeding the poor, praying in the mosques, visiting the ill, and attending the funeral processions. My father (Imam Baqir (as)) told me: Our followers were always the best people. If there was a jurisprudent, he was a Shitte. If there was a caller to prayer, a prayer leader, an orphan keeper, trustworthy person, or a depositor, he was one of the Shiites. Now you be the same way, and make us loved by the people, not hated by them. Reference: Mishkat ul Anwar: Section 3, Chapter 10 Imam Sadiq (as) said: May Allah have mercy upon those who make us loved by the people, and not hated by them. I swear by Allah that if they quote our good sayings for others, they will become dearer and no one can ascribe anything to them. Imam Sadiq (as) said: The most pious person is the one with the purest heart and the one who wishes best (for others). Imam Baqir (as) said: The nobility of a believer depends on his prayer and staying up at night (to worship Allah). Speak nicely with the people. Imam Sadiq (as) said: Once when the Prophet (saw) was passing by a group of people who were trying to lift a rock, he asked them why they did so? They said that they were trying to find out who was the strongest. The Prophet (saw) told them that he could tell them who the strongest man was if they wished him to do so. When they said they wished to hear the Prophet (saw), he said the one who is the strongest is the one who does not engage in sin or wrong deeds whenever he is satisfied; and one who does not utter but what is right when he is angry; and does not do what is unjust when he is powerful. Imam Sadiq (as) said: Whoever does not associate with others, does not love others, does not visit others, or does not give charity for our sake does not belong to our nation. Mishkat ul Anwar: Section 3, Chapter 24 Imam Sadiq (as): Generosity is abstaining from what is forbidden, and being pleased with spending whay you legitimately earn in Allah’s way. Imam Sadiq (as) quoted on the authority of Holy Prophet (saw): Generosity is a tree roted in Heaven with its branches hanging over the Earth. Whoever grabs one of those branches will climb up it to Heaven. Imam Kazim (as) said: How bad it is for someone to be asked for something and he says no. Imam Reza (as) said: Generous people eat other people’s food so that others eat their food, but stingy people do not eat other people’s food so that others do not eat their food. Imam Sadiq (as) said: A stingy person is one who is even stingy about greeting. Imam Ali (as) asked his son Imam Hasan (as): O my son! What is generosity? He said: It is giving freely during affluence and destitution. Reference: Mishkat ul Anwar: Section 5, Chapter 4. Imam Baqir (as) said: There are three acts with which a Muslim attains honor: forgiving the oppressor, giving to the deprived, and establishing ties with the one who has cut off relations with him. Imam Sadiq (as) quoted on the authority of Holy Prophet (saw): Forgive since it will cause you to attain honor. Forgive each other so that Allah honors you. Imam Baqir (as) said: Getting sorry that you forgave is better and easier then getting sorry that you punished. Imam Sajjad (as) said: If someone swears at you on your right side, and then goes to your left side and apologizes, accept is apology. Imam Sadiq (as) quoted on the authority of Holy Prophet (saw): Accept apologies, whether or not they are right. I will not intercede on behalf of anyone who does not accept an apology. Reference: Mishkat ul Anwar: Section 5, Chapter 3. On Jealousy Holy Prophet (saw) said: O Ali! I advise you against having three characteristics: jealousy, greed and lying. Holy Prophet (saw) said: Jealousy will destroy good deeds just as fire destroys wood. Imam Sadiq (as) said: A man who is scared, jealous and greedy is not a believer. Holy Prophet (saw) said: The most ignorant is one who does not learn from the changes in this world, and does not change. The most self-sufficient person is one who is not enslaved by greed. It has been narrated that Moses (as) saw the high rank of a man near the Throne. He asked about the man (from Allah). He was told: That man was never jealous of what Allah granted to others from His Grace. Mishkat ul Anwar: Section 8, Chapter 2 Visiting a Believer Socially and When He is Ill Holy Prophet (s.a.w) said: Whenever a believer visits one who is sick for the sake of Allah, he will be immersed in mercy totally. When he sits and spends some time with him, he will be soaked in mercy completely. If he visits him in the morning, seventy thousand angels will bless him until he retires in the evening; and if he visits him at night, seventy thousand angels will bless him until he rises in the morning. Bihar ul Anwar 81/225 h.34 Imam Sadiq (a.s.) said that Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) narrated: May I inform you of the people amongst you that are the people of Paradise? ‘Indeed, O Messenger of Allah,’ they replied. Holy Prophet (s.a.w) said, ‘They are the Prophets, the truthful, the martyrs, the newborns and those who visit their brothers at far away places in the city for no reason except seeking the pleasure of Allah.’ Bihar ul Anwar 74/350 h.15 It has been narrated that Imam Sadiq (a.s.): On the Day of Ressurection, when a believing servant comes before Allah, He will account him with an easy accounting but then reproach him saying, ‘O believer, what stopped you from visiting Me when I was sick?’ The believer shall reply, ‘You are my Lord and I am Your servant; and You are everliving and never afflicted with suffering or illness!’ ‘One who visits a believer in sickness has in fact visited Me,’ shall say the Lord, ‘Do you know not know so and so?’ ‘Yes,’ the believer shall reply, ‘I know him.’ Allah shall then say, ‘What stopped you from visiting him when he was sick? Had you visited him, you would have visited Me. Then you would have found Me ever-present at the time of your need. If you then would have asked me for any need, I would have fulfilled it for you and not turned you away from it.’ Bihar ul Anwar 81/227 h. 39 The Reward for one who feeds a believer, Quenches his Thirst, Clothes him or Pays of his debt Imam Sadiq (a.s.) said: If two believers were to enter the house of a believer and he were to feed them to full, this would be better than freeing a slave. Bihar ul Anwar 74/373 Imam Ali ibn al Husain (a.s.): Whoever feeds a hungry believer, Allah will feed him with the fruits of Paradise; and whoever gives a drink to a thirsty believer, Allah will quench his thirst (on the Day of Jedgement) with an exquisite drink of Paradise; and whoever clothes a believer, Allah will clothe him with a green robe of Paradise. Bihar ul Anwar 74/384 h. 89 Amiral Momineen Ali (a.s.) said: Feeding your brother a mouthful is more loveable to me than giving a dirham in charity; and giving him a dirham is more loveable to me than giving ten in charity; and giving him ten Dirhams is more loveable to me than freeing a slave. Al-Mustadrak 3/91 h.2 Imam Abu Jafar (a.s.): said: Amongst the qualities most loved by Allah are three: a Muslim who feeds a hungry Muslim, relives him from a distress or settle his debt for him. Bihar ul Anwar 74/365 h.36 The Prophet’s Commandments for Ali (as) O Ali (as), I will convey to you a commandment that you should retain. You will keep up yourself in goodness as long as you follow my commandment. O Ali (as), for those who suppress their anger while they are able to punish, Allah will endow them with security and tasteful faith on the Day of Judgment. O Ali (as), he who rejects an apology, whether true or false, will be deprived of my Intercession (on the Day of Judgment). O Ali (as), the drinker of wines is as same as the idolater. O Ali (as), the faithful (believer) should enjoy eight characteristics: he should be venerable in shaking situations, steadfast against misfortunes, thankful in luxury, satisfied with what Allah has decided for him, avoid oppressing the enemies, avoid overtaxing the associates, should fatigue his body, and make people feel glad with him. O Ali (as), every sin can be repented except bad mannerism. Whenever the ill-mannered quits a sin, he enters into another. O Ali (as), a Muslim should enjoy twelve characteristics in regard with sitting to the dinning tables, four of which are obligatory, four are recommendable, and four are ethical. The four obligatory characters are to know what to eat, begin with Bismillah hir rahman ir rahim (In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful), thank, and satisfy (yourself with food). The four recommendable characters are to rely on the left leg, eat with three fingers, eat from only what is before you and suck the fingers. The four ethical characters are to make the bite as small as possible, chew the food properly, avoid looking in people’s faces, and wash the hands. O Ali (as), three manners are the charities of this world and the world to come: to pardon him who oppressed you, regard him who ruptured relations with you, and possess yourself when one’s ignorance inflicts you. O Ali (as), Allah disliked for my people to play during offering prayers, to remind those to whom alms are given of favors, to attend in mosques while being ceremonially impure, to laugh among graves to spy on houses. O Ali (as), sitting
with three ones deadens the heart:
O Ali (as), three characters raise the rank, three others forgive the sins, three others cause perdition, and three others achieve salvation. The three characters that raise the rank are to perform the (ritual) ablution perfectly in biting cold, to wait for the coming prayer after accomplishing the current one, and to walk to the collective prayers in days and nights. The three characters that cause the sins to be forgotten are t greet everybody, to offer food (to the needy), and to worship at nights when people are sleeping. The three characters that cause perdition are the obeyed niggardliness, the pursued passion, and self-conceit. The three characters that achieve salvation are to fear Allah, Exalted is He, openly and secretly, to be moderate in richness and poverty, and to say the right in situations of satisfaction and dissatisfaction. O Ali (as), begin and end your meals with salts, for it cures from seventy-two maladies. O Ali (as), he who forgets to seek blessings for me is missing the path to Paradise.
Excerpts from a Sermon of Holy Prophet (saw).
Imam Sadiq (as) quoted on the authority of Holy Prophet (saw): Allah will not open the doors of thanksgiving for anyone without opening up a door to increased blessings. Holy Prophet (saw) said: A man from among my nation goes to the bazaar, and buys a shirt-like dress for half or third of a Dinar, and praises Allah whenever he wears it. His sins are forgiven before this dress reaches down to his knees. Holy Prophet (saw) said: Whenever a believer gets full, stops eating and drinkning aand praises Allah, Allah grants him the reward of one who fasts. Imam Sadiq (as) said: Allah will record ten good deeds for the one who makes ablution and prostates to thank Allah. He will also wipe out ten of that man’s major sins. Imam Ali (as) said: Lost blessings are rarely recovered. Imam Sadiq (as) said: Whoever thanks Allah for what he acquires, Allah will increase his gain, but whoever does not thank Allah for what he acquires is endangering the blessings, and is not secure from revenge and changes. Reference: Mishkat ul Anwar : Section 1 – Chapter 6 Severity of Believers Afflictions Imam Sadiq (a.s.) said: If a believer knew what reward lies for him in suffering tribulations, he would wish he be cut into pieces with a scissor. Bihar al-Anwar 71/159 h.76 Imam Sadiq (a.s.): There are more devils on a believer (trying to misguide him) than flies on a piece of meat. Bihar al Anwar 67/246 h. 86 Imam Baqir (a.s.): In the decree of Allah, there is nothing but good for a believer. Al-Mustadrak 1/137 h.1
It has
been narrated that Imam Baqir (a.s.) said: When Allah decides to honor a
servant but the servant has committed sins, He afflicts him with an
ailment. If not that, He puts him in need; and if not that, He intensifies
the severity of his death (in order that his sins may be forgiven). And
when He decides to disgrace a person who has done some good, Al-kafi 2/444 h.1; al-Mustadrak 2/113 h.7 It has been narrated that Ibn Hamran said : I heard Imam Sadiq (a.s.) say: No forty nights pass for a believer without something befalling him for which he is rewarded – the least of which is an anxiety whose cause he does not understand. Bihar al-Anwar 67/237 h.16 Al-Sabbah ibn Siyabah narrated: I asked Imam Sadiq (a.s.), ‘The affliction that befalls a believer is it because of a sin?’ ‘NO’, he replied, ‘It is so that He (Allah) may hear his wails and complains and supplications for which good deeds are recorded and misdeeds are wiped out from him, and a treasure is amassed for him for the Day of Judgement. Al-Mustadrak 1/80 h.39 Imam Sadiq (a.s.) said : The best of ‘gulpls’ is anger that is swallowed despite being unbearable; for the greatest reward comes with the greatest affliction. Allah never loved a people but that He tried them with afflictions. Al-Mustadrak 1/140 h.36; Bihar al-Anwar 71/408 h.21 It has been reported that al-Maulla ibn Khunays said: I said to Imam Sadiq (a.s.), ‘What is the right of a believer on a fellow believer?’ ‘I feel sympathy for you’, he replied, ‘I fear that you would know and not act upon it and you would neglect it and not safeguard it.’ I said, ‘There is no power and no strength except with Allah’ ‘Believers have seven obligatory rights incumbent on each other,’ Imam Sadiq (a.s.) said, ‘each of these rights are mandatory on brothers in faith to fulfill. If he (believer) omits any right from these, he has come out of the guardianship of Allah and has forsaken obedience to Him. The simplest of these rights is that you should love for him (your brother in faith) what you love for yourself and you should despise for him what you despise for yourself. The second is that you should help him with your self, your wealth, your tongue, your hands and your feet. The third is that you should pursue what pleases him and avoid his displeasure and obey hois command. The fourth is that you should be his eyes, his guide and his mirror. The fifth is that you should not fill your stomach while he is hungry, you should not be quenched while he is thirsty and you should not clothe yourself while he is naked. The sixth is that if you should have a servant while he does not have one, you should send your servant to wash his clothes and prepare his food and bedding. The seventh is that you keep his vows, answer his calls, respond when he invites you, visit him when he is ill and accompany his bier; and if he should have a need, you should rush to fulfill it and not give him the trouble to ask you for it. When you have done all these, then your friendship unites with his friendship and his friendship with yours. Bihar ul Anwar 74/224 h. 12, al Khisal 50 h. 26 al Kafi 2/169 h. 2 Imam Sadiq (a.s.) said: By Allah (I swear), never has Allah been worshipped with anything better than fulfilling the rights of a believer. A believer has more rights than the Ka’bah. And he said: “A believer is the brother of another believer; his eys and his guide. He neither cheats him nor deserts him. (Bihar ul Anwar 74/311 h.67) Imam (a.s.) also said: If you are in need ask him, and when he askes you give him. Do not tire doing good to him as he does not tire for you. Be a support to him for he is a support to you. When he is away, safeguard his interests in his absence, and when he is present, visit him, show him respect him and honor him, for he is from you andf you are from him. If he is angry with you, do not leave him until you have removed his resentment. If good befalls him, thank Allah; and if he is afflicted, compensate him, relieve him of it and help him. (Bihar ul Anwar 74/24 h. 4) It has been reported that Abu Jafar (a.s.) asked: Does any of you come to his brother, put his hand in his pocket and takes what he wants; and the other one does not stop him?’ I (the narrator) said. ‘I do not know of that happening amongst us’. So Abu Jafar (a.s.) said, ‘Then you have achieved nothing’. ‘Then we are doomed’ I exclaimed. ‘The community (of believers) have not attained maturity in their understanding yet,’ he remarked. Wasail us Shia 6/299 and /424; Bihar ul Anwar 74/24 h. 51 Imam Baqir (as) pointed to his throat and said: Allah will accept the repentance of whoever repents before his life reaches this point. Imam Baqir (as) said: No one can be saved from sin unless he confesses. Imam Sadiq (as) said: One who repents a sin is like one who has not committed any sin, but one who continues to commit sins while he has repented is making a fool out of himself. Imam Baqir (as) was asked what a true repentance is. He said : It is repenting from a sin, and never committing that sin again. Imam Baqir (as) said: Feeling sorry is sufficient for repentance. Reference: Mishkat ul Anwar: Section 3, Chapter 1 On Persevering in the face of Calamities Imam Baqir (as) said: Whoever was given a grateful heart, a remembering tongue, a body persevering in the face of hardships, and as pious wife is given the best in this world and the Hereafter. Imam Sajjad (as) said: Whenever a believer withstands calamities for three days and does not complain to anyone, Allah will solve his problem. Imam Sadiq (as) said: A Muslim always has three characteristics: knowledge about the religion, good management of life, and perseverance in the face of calamities. Imam Sadiq (as) said: There is no fever, headache, or nervous problem except due to committing a sin. There are many sins that Allah will forgive. Narrator said: We were with Imam Sadiq (as) when a man came and complained about a tragedy he had suffered from. The Imam (as) said: If you persevere you will be rewarded, but if you do not, divine destiny will happen and you will not receive any rewards. Reference: Mishkat ul Anwar: Section 7, Chap. 1 One’s Faults and finding ways to fight them Imam Sadiq (as) said: Get closer to your heart, and talk to it. Consider your deeds as your father whom you follow. And consider your own self as an enemy with whom you are at war. Consider your wealth as a loan you have to return. Imam Sadiq (as) said: Before you lose your soul, hinder yourself from what harms you. Try to free from your selfishness just as you try to earn a living, since it is subject to your deeds. Imam Sadiq (as) said: Detecting your faults before you seek other people’s fault is more beneficial. Holy Prophet (saw) said: Whoever possesses at least one or all of the following traits shall be protected by the shade of Allah on the Day when there is no shade. He gives to the people from what he himself likes to have. He does not do anything unless he makes sure whether this will please Allah or raise His anger. He does not blame others for what he has not corrected in himself. Whoever tries to improve himself will never get a chance to seek the flaws of other people. Reference: Mishkat ul Anwar: Section 6, Chapter 1 Nobility of Illness and Hiding it Imam Baqir (as) said: A body that does not get ill will increase one’s bad deeds, and a body that does bad deeds is no good. Imam Sadiq (as) said: Allah the Almighty said – If My believing servants would not have gotten upset, I would have tied up the heads of the infidels with an iron handkerchief so that they would not ever get a headache. Imam Sadiq (as) said: Visit the ill, and ask them to pray for you, since their prayer is equal to the prayers of the angels. Whenever one gets ill at night and accepts it with, Allah will record the reward of sixty years of worship for him. He was asked: What ddo you mean by accepting it with pleasure? He said: It means that he does not complain to anyone about the illness. Imam Sadiq (as) said: The example of a believer is like that of a branch of a tree which the winds move around. The believe gets pushed around by pains and illness. The likeness of a hypocrite is like that of a straight cane which is never bent or harmed until death approaches and it bends down. Mishkat ul Anwar: Section 7, Chapter 2. What Allah has forbidden a Believer to do against a fellow Believer : Part 1 It has been related that Zurarah said: I heard Imam Sadiq (a.s.) saying: The closest stage to infedility that one attains is that a person takes one to be his brother-in-faith then the latter keeps track of his mistakes and slips that he may use them against him someday. Bihar ul Anwar 72/217 h.20 Imam Sadiq (a.s.) said: One who accuses a believing man or believing woman falsely will be raised on the Day of Judgment by Allah in a messy substance unless he unsays it. Bihar ul Anwar 75/244 h.5 The Prophet (s.a.w.) has said: One who does not care to know of his brother what he knows of him is not his brother. Bihar ul Anwar 75/17 h.1 Imam Sadiq (a.s) said: It is Allah’s will that a believer should always be thought of well; and to humiliate a dead believer is like humiliating him while he is alive. Al-Mustadrak 2/110 h.3 Imam Sadiq (a.s.) said: If any believer asks a fellow believer for help but the other refuses though he is able to do. Allah will impose a serpent in his grave biting his fingers. Al-Mustadrak 2/413 h. 12 Part 2: It is reported that Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) said that Allah says: One who humiliates a friend of Mine has prepared to confront Me; and I am the swiftest in coming to My friends’ aid. Bihar ul Anwar 74/297 h.27 Imam Sadiq (a.s.) said: Whoever conceals the shame of a believer, Allah will conceal his shame on the Day of resurrection; and whoever exposes a believer, Allah will expose him on the Day of Resurrection. Al-Mustadrak 2/104 h.2 It is reported that Abu Jafar (a.s.) said: Do not insult the believers and do not try and uncover their faults; for if one discloses the faults of a believer, Allah will disclose his; and if Allah discloses a person’s faults, he will be disgraced even in his own home. Al-Kafi 2/355 h.5 It has been narrated that Abu Jafar (a.s.) said: If one’s brother-in-faith is backbitten in his presence while he does not neither aid nor defend him when he is able to do so, Allah will disgrace him in the world and the hereafter. Al-Mustadrak 1/108 h.2 Imam Sadiq (a.s.) said: Do not rejoice at the misfortune of your brother-in-faith lest Allah should have mercy on him and change your condition. Imam (a.s.) also said: One who rejoices at a misfortune that has befallen his brother will not leave this world before his condition changes to the worse. Bihar ul Anwar 75/216 h. 19 Holy Prophet (saw) said: No one is dearer to Allah than a young fellow who repents. Holy Prophet (saw) said: Nothing in this world is dearer to Allah than a youth who repents, and nothing is more despised by Allah than an old adulterer man. Holy Prophet (saw) said: No one can move on the Resurrection Day unless he is questioned about what he has done during his life, what he has used his youth for, how he has used his knowledge, and how he has obtained wealth and spent it. Reference: Mishkat ul Anwar : Section 3 – Chapter 18. Duas and Zikr keep away tribulations Imam Sadeq (AS) said: A believer may die under any condition save by lightning which will not strike him when he is remembering God. Imam Sadeq (AS): Sometimes, a man invokes God for the fulfillment of his desire and starts praising God and sending greetings to Muhammad and his progeny to the extent that he forgets the desire itself. Here God fulfills man’s desire without asking any desire. Holy Prophet (SAW): One whose prayer keeps him from invoking God, God will give him the best thing given to a suppliant. Holy Prophet (SAW): God said to Moses (AS): Remember Me frequently and when doing so be humble. Imam Sadeq (AS): A man might die any kind of death: Being drowned in water fall off from somewhere, being devoured by fierce animals, and stricken by thunder, but none of these befalls a man who remembers God frequently. Reference: Odattul Daee Imam Sadeq (AS) has said: In what was revealed to Moses (AS), it has been pointed out: Do not rejoice over much wealth nor abandon My remembrance under any condition, for much wealth will make you forget sins and abandoment of “Zekr” will make you hard-hearted.
Imam Sadeq (AS) said:
Whoever wishes to make the scales of his deeds heavy, should say when
rising up: Glory be to the Lord of might, who is beyond description and
peace be to His messengers, and praise is due to the Lord of two worlds.
The Holy Prophet (SAW) has said:
God has said: O children of Adam! Remember Me moments after dawn and
moments before evening. I too will assume your important affairs. Holy Prophet (SAW) said: Any speech which does not begin with the praise of God, it is not perfect. Imam Sadeq (AS) said: Whoever says: Praise is due to the Lord of the worlds at dawn four times, has thanked God for that day and whoever repeats the same in the evening, has thanked God for the night. Holy Prophet (SAW) said: The best prayer is to say: There is no god but Allah. The Holy Prophet (SAW) has said: Shall I teach you five words which are light on tongue and heavy on the scales, words which will please God and drive away the Satan, words which are among treasures of heaven, words coming from beneath the Throne and among the righteous deeds? They said: Yes, O Messenger of Allah! The Holy Prophet said: Say: Glory be to Allah, and praise is due to Allah, there is no god but Allah and God is the Greatest, there is neither might nor power but with Allah, the Great, the Exalted. Then he said five times: Excellent are these words which make your scales of good deeds heavy. One day the Holy Prophet (SAW) said to his companions: If you heap up all your clothes, buildings and the living goods, do you think they will reach the sky? They said: No, O Messenger of Allah! The Holy Prophet said: Shall I introduce to you something whose root is in the earth and its branches in heavens? They said: Yes. The Holy Prophet said: Whenever you complete your prayer say thirty times: Subhanallahi wal hamdulellahi walailahaillalah walaahuakbar the roots of which are in the earth and its branches are in heavens. It is these words that removes from man sorrows, collapsing of wall, fire, being drown in water, falling into well, being attacked by fierce animals, bad death, and tribulation which descend from heavens on the day. Those words are truly righteous deeds. The Holy Prophet (SAW) also said: Hearts have a kind of rust as the acetate of copper which must be polished by asking forgiveness from God. Imam Sadeq (AS) said: Whenever a man asks forgiveness frequently, the book of his deeds will ascend illuminated. Imam Reza (AS) has also said: The Messenger of God used to ask forgiveness and repented seventy times each morning. The reporter says: I said: How? He said: Astaghfirullaaha rabbee wa atoobuilayh? (O God! Forgive me and accept my repentance). The Holy Prophet recited Astaghfrullahi seventy times and wa atuboelallahe seventy times. The best time for “Zekr” is dawn, forenoon an afternoon. It has been reported on the authority of Imam Baqer and Imam Sadeq (AS): It has been reported on the authority of the Infallibles (AS): Lo, greetings of Allah be upon those who rise up at dawn and seek forgiveness. Amiral momenin (AS) when beginning the day used to say: Glory be to Allah, the king, the Holy. Imam Sadeq (AS) said: Whoever recites: My Lord! Send greetings on Muhammad and his household before anything else after morning prayer, God will keep his face from the flames of Fire. Reference: Odattul Dae |