IslamicEthicsAyatullahDastghaybShirazi-xkp

Published:2014Tag(s):islamMANNERSCHARACTERS"humanbeing"muslim"beingmuslim"islamiclawssalatnamazbeliefxkp

1ChapterIntroduction

ProphetMuhammad(S)said:“Ihavenotbeensentexcepttoperfecttheethicalsystem(makārimal-

akhlāq).”[1]One'sactions,whenperformedoutofchoice,aredue toknowledge,beliefandhabits.Forexample,

supposeoneisthirsty,knowsthatwaterisnearhimandknowsthatwaterwillrelievehisthirst.Inthiscasehewilldrinkwaterbecauseofhisknowledge.Therearealsoexamplesofhabits.Forexample,astingypersonwillnotwanttohelpaneedyperson,

evenifherealizeshisneed,whileagenerouspersonwillhelpaneedypersonwithoutthinkingaboutit.Hisgenerositypusheshimtowardshelpingtheneedyperson.TherearerulesfoundinIslamwiththepurposeofobtainingcorrectbeliefsandhabits.Theblessingsof

goodhabitsarefoundinone'sactions.Therearemanytraditionsfromtheinfallibles(a)thatclaimthatgoodethicsweretheProphets'most

importanttrait.TheysaidthatAllahgavethemthesehightraitsandthattheyencouragedmankindtoobtainthesehightraits.[2]

Muhammad(S)HadTheBestEthicalTraits

ProphetswerechosenbyAllahandorderedtoguidemankindandbetterhumanity.Theleaderof the

Prophets is thesealof theProphets,Muhammad(S).HewasraisedbyAllah. In theQurān it says thatAllahtaughthimwhathedidnotknow.[3]TheQurānsaysthathehadthebestethicaltraitsinorderforhimtobeabletoimprovehisnationuntiltheDayofJudgment.[4]TheQurānsaysthatheishighineveryethicaltrait.[5]TheQurānalsosaysthathismissionwastoteachandbetterhumanity.[6]Imām‛Alī(a)saidthefollowingaboutProphetMuhammad(S):“Allahsenthishighestangeltoshow

Muhammad(S)therightpathandcorrectethicaltraitsfromthetimehebreastfed.[7]WiththissaidhewouldaskAllahtogivehimgoodethicaltraitsandtobesafefrombadethicaltraits.

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AllahPurifies(Spiritually)WhoeverHeDesires

Itisclearthat'muzakka'isAllah'spurifyingabilityfoundintheverse:“..AllahpurifieswhomeverHe

wishes.”[9]Nobodycanpurifyhisownself;insteadhemustfollowtheIslamiclawswhichwouldresultinpurification.Howisoneable topurifyhimselfwhen it isnecessary tohavecompleteknowledgeofone'sselfandcompleteknowledgeofhowtocorrectone'sself?Manonlyhassurfaceknowledgeofhimself.TheQurānevensaysthatmanhasbeengivenonlyalittle

bitofknowledge.[10]

ObtainingCorrectEthicalTraits

Man,fromchildhood,beginstobeattractedtocertainthings,forexamplemilkandtoys.Eventually,he

becomes attracted tomoney andhe finds a sense of self-love.A child struggles to getwhat hewants,deliciousfoodorinterestingtoys,andshowsanegativereactionwhendeniedwhathewants.

PurifyingComesBeforeTeaching

The Qurān mentions two verses[11]regarding the Prophet's duties. The word purifying has been

mentioned before teaching in these two verses. The reason for this might be that one must build thefoundationbeforehecanfillthehousewithknowledge.Apersonwhohasknowledge,butdoesnotactuponit,is,astheQurānsays,likeadog.[12]TheQurān

alsolikenshimtoadonkeythatcarriesbooks.[13]

TheoreticalAndPracticalEthics

Onecanobtaingoodethical traitsbyboth theoryandpractice.Onewhowants toridhimselfofbad

ethical traits andobtaingoodethical traitsmustknowwhatgoodandbadcharacteristics are.Afterheknowsthegoodandbadtraitsheshouldtakeadvicefromthebestethicalteachers,ProphetMuhammad(S)andtheAhlal-Bayt(a).ApointthatmustbementionedisthatAllahistheonewhopurifiespeople.So,onemustaskAllahfor

helpinobtainingthesetraits.ImāmSādiq(a)said:“WhoeverhasthesegreatethicaltraitsshouldthankAllah,andwhoeverdoesnothavethemshouldaskAllahforthem.”[14]

TheImportanceThatShahīdDastghaybGaveToLecturesOnIslamicEthics

The martyr had a special desire to help the seminary students purify themselves. He would teach

Islamic ethics every Thursday.Hewould tell them that theywould have to be the rolemodels of theIslamicethicalsysteminthesocietyandthatthemoretheyworkedonthemselves,themoretheyworkedonsociety.Thisisbecauseonemustguidepeoplewiththeiractionsandmannersbeforetheirwords.AfterImāmKhomeini(r)talkedabouttheimportanceofunitybetweentheuniversityandthereligious

seminary,ShahīdDastghaybinviteduniversitystudentstohisThursdaylecturesaswell.Manyyoungmenandwomenacceptedhisinvitationandtookpartinhislectureseveryweek.Thirteen lectures were given and then the class was cancelled due to summer vacation. Shahīd

Dastghaybwantedtocontinuethem,butthehypocritestookhimawayfromus.Thisbookisacollectionoftheselectures.

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2ChapterLecture1:DoNotRebuildABrokenDam

ImāmKhomeinisaid that somesubjectsshouldbe repeated inorder tobeeffective.Likewise,many

subjectsarerepeatedintheHolyQurān.Thisisthepurposeoftheselectures.On the day of unity between university students and seminary students, Imām said: “With this

revolution,youwereabletobreakthedamthatRidāKhānandhissonbuiltbetweentheuniversityandthereligiousseminary,betweentheuniversitystudentsandtheseminarystudents.Theybuiltthisdamsothat these two forces would not join hands and cause problems for their dictatorship. The revolutionbrokethedam;donotletthisdambebuiltagain.”

WhyShouldWeBeSeparate?

Fromthebeginningoftherevolutionyouhaveseenhowsomepeopledisrespectthereligiousscholars

intheirspeeches.Theywanttotakethelovethattheyouthhaveforscholarsoutoftheirheartssothattheycanestablishanotherdictatorship.University studentsmustbeonewith religious students.Thegoalofbothinstitutionsareone;servingmankind.Boththeuniversityandthereligiousseminarystudymedicine.Thosewhospecializeinphysicalmedicinecurephysicaldiseasesandthosewhospecializeinspiritualmedicine cure spiritual diseases.Both have one goal; servingmankind.Why should they be separatedfromeachother?Wewillspendonedayaweekinthisplacetotakecareofthesecondgoal.Thesecondgoaliswhat

Imāmsaid:“Universityandreligiousstudentsmustpurifythemselves.”Theywillcauseharmtosocietyiftheyarenotpurified.Anunpurifieddoctorwillcauseharmtothesocietyjustlikeanunpurifiedmujtahid.[1]Imāmgaveexamplesoftheseaswell.DoctorAhmadī,wholivedinthePahlavīperiod,waskilledbyaninjectionandShaykhNūrīwasexecutedbytheorderofaShaykhfromZanjān.

Self-BuildingAlongWithUnderstanding

One must both study and purify himself. The Qurān mentioned that the Prophets' duties were both

purifyingandteaching.[2] Ifonerefrains frompurifyinghimselfhewouldbe likeadonkey thatcarriesbooks.[3]AnexampleisPharaoh;hehadsomuchknowledge,butstillfoughtagainstMūsa.HethoughthimselftobebetterthanMūsa.In short,wemust consider self-buildingmore important than learning. Purifying one's self does not

comewithoutstruggle.Imām‛Alī(a)said:“IstruggleagainstmyselfsothatIwillbesafeontheDayofJudgment.”[4]

TheFirstStepInPurifyingOne’sSelfIsThought

Purificationwillnothappenwithoutstruggle.Thebiggestpartoftheroadtopurificationisthoughtand

action.Iwillbrieflyexplainthis.Thebiggeststep,asmentionedintheHolyQurān,isthought.TheQurānhasorderedusindifferentversestoponderupondifferentsubjects.Onemustthinkaboutwherehecamefrom,whereheisandwherehe'sgoingandwhy.

ThinkingAboutOne’sCreation

First,wewerealldropsofwater,and thenAllahorderedus tobecreated.5Onewouldunderstand

manythingsifhepondersuponthis.Onecanunderstandthegloryofhisbodyandtheamazingrelationsbetween thedifferentpartsof thebody.Allahcreateddifferentpartsof thebodyfromthisonedropofwater. For example, one's eyes, ears, liver and heart. The liver does many things. Blood is alwaystravelingthroughourveins.ThisisonethoughtwhereonecanunderstandAllahaswellasthefactthatoneisaservantofHis.Allah'sstrengthisunlimited;Heisabletodoallthings.Thisthoughtispartofourfundamentalbeliefs.

StandingUpAgainstFalseIdeas

Everybodywasadropofspermthatdidnothaveanyknowledgeorability.Therewasno'I'.Ifitwas

leftthatway,evenforahundredyears,wewouldnothavecomeintoexistence.TheQuestioncomesup,whatisthis'I'?Thethoughtthatonehaspowerwhichcomesfromseeingone'sexistence,one'seyes,ears,tongueandsoforth,mustbecorrected.One must understand that this power belongs to someone else; the one who created this body and

allowedittomove.Onestopssaying'I'whenheunderstandsthisreality.Onewouldnolongerconsiderhimselfbetterthanothers,takeprideinhisselforseekpopularitywhenheunderstandsthisreality.Thebeginningandendoftwopeoplearethesame.Betweenthetwoends,nooneisabletohelporhurthisownself.[6]Whoisabletostopoldage?Onewhoseespowerinhimselfforgetshisbeginningandhisend.Heistheonewhosays'I'.

Humility,OnlyForAllah

OneshouldnotbehumbleinfrontofanyoneexceptAllah.OneshouldonlyprostrateinfrontofAllah.

EverybodyisaservantofAllahandneedsAllahtothesamedegree.TheQurānsaysthatmanneedsAllahbutAllahdoesnotneedanyone.7Nogroupof people is better than another; the only thing thatmakessomebodybetterispiety.Itisunreasonableforonepersontofollowanotherortobetheslaveofanother.

FreedomIsInPiety

Imām‛Alī(a)saidintheNahjal-Balāghah:“Verily,pietyfreesonefromeverykindofslavery.”Whoeverwalksontheroadofpietyisfree,whilethosewhoarenotpiousmustlowerthemselvesto

getwhattheywant.AsShaykhBahā'ī(r)said:“Ifthecurtainwasremoved,wewouldseethattheyaredogsprostratinginfrontofdogs.”One'slifeishisownwhenhedoesnothavetoperformlowactionsinordertobreathe.Thisisjustlike

theMessengerofAllah's(S)statement:“Mylifeisyoursandmydeathisyours.”Thepeoplewhoarenotlowered by possessions, positions or popularity are free. Do not become the slave of anything. Onlyloweryourheadtoonething:Allah.

AllahSwears14TimesAboutTheImportanceOfPurifyingOne’sSelf

Purifyingone'sselfisfreeingone'sselfofhisevildesires.Nosubjecthasbeenemphasizedasmuchas

this in theHolyQurān.Allah, inSurahShams, swears14/ times that thosewhoarepiouswill receivebliss.Allahswearsby14grandobjectsthathecreatedthatonlythosewhopurifythemselveswillreachsalvation.Hewouldbesuccessful in thisworldand thenext.Woebe to theonewhodidnotworkonhimself,whofollowedhiscarnaldesirestosuchapointthatitisnowimpossibletoimprovehimself.So,wemusttryandworkonourselves.Wemustgiveimportancetobecomingrealhumanbeings.We

must loosen the shacklesof slavery fromour feet.The summaryof this lecture is thatwe should thinkaboutthecreationofourbodiessothatwewillbecomeawareofAllah'sknowledgeandstrengthaswellasbecomemorehumble.

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3ChapterLecture2:HumanIntellect

قلخ مم ناسنإلا رظنیلف

Nowletmanbutthinkfromwhatheiscreated!

قفاد ءام نم قلخ

Heiscreatedfromadropemitted-

بئارتلاو بلصلا نیب نم جرخی

Proceedingfrombetweenthebackboneandtheribs[1]22Thepreviouslecturewasabouttheimportanceofthought.Thereisapurposebehindeverystrengthor

abilitythatAllahgivesus.Manmustusethesestrengthsandabilitiesorelsehewillpreventhimselffromachievingtheirblessings.Thepowerof thought is thebestabilityandthebestblessingthatAllahgaveman.Thispoweriswhatseparatesmanfromanimal.IntheQurānitsaysthatmanisrespected.[2]Thisrespectcomesfromthepowerofthought.Manwillreachthehighstatusthathewascreatedforifheusesthispower,butifherefrainsfromusingithewillbecomelowerthananimals.TheQurānanswersthequestionaboutwhysomepeoplegotoHellfromthetongueofthosewhoarein

theHellfire.Theysaid:“IfwelistenedtothewarningsandusedourpowerofthoughtwewouldnotbeintheHellfire.”[3]Manmust thinkaboutwhathewascreated fromso thathecanunderstandhisGod.Hewill see the

greatpowerofcreationwhenherealizesthathewasonlyadropofwaterwhichchangedintoabloodclot which changed into bones and flesh and then his spirit was blown into him. One must ask thefollowing questions when he grows up and is able to use his intellect: what was I and what have Ibecome?

ItIsImpossibleForSomethingToComeIntoExistenceWithoutACreator

Thefirstthought:Isitpossibleforsomethingtocomeintoexistencebyitself?Everythingthathasbeen

createdhasacreator.ThelateSayyidIbnTāūswritesinthebookKashfal-Mahajja:“Thethoughtthateverythingthathas

beencreatedhasacreatorisinman’sdivinedisposition(fitrat).Fromthedayswhereheisabletousehispowerofthoughtheknowsthateveryeffecthasacause.”Wewilluseatwo-year-oldbabyasanexampleforthis.Supposeababyissittingdownanddoesnot

knowthatyouarebehindhim,thenyoudropatoyoverhisshoulder.Beforethebabytakesthetoyhewilllookbehindhimatthepersonwhoputitthere.Hedoesthisbecauseheknowsthattherewasnothingthereandnowsomethingappearedandnothingcanappearwithoutacause.This is one of the self-evident truths. So, every thing that has been created has a creator. The

characteristicsofthiscreatorcanbefoundinwhathecreated.Itisclearthatthecreatorisextremelywiseandintelligentifhiscreationhasknowledgeandwisdom.Thecreatormustalsobeextremelypowerful.Would someone accept that a watch came into existence by itself? Would someone accept that an

animalmadeawatch?Itisclearthatthepersonwhoinventedawatch,whomadethelittleandbigpartsofthewatchruntogetherinunison,musthavehadenoughknowledgeandpowerforthetask.The creator, being knowledgeable and wise, becomes evident when one looks at creation. If one

seriously looksathisbodyhewill see that there isnotoneextraveinororgan in it.Everythinghasapurpose.

TheFingernail

Tomakeanexample,wewillallude toapartof thebodythat isnormallyoverlooked.Oneof these

partsisthefingernail.Thefingernail,likehairandfeces,ismadefromtheexcessoffoodthatoneeats.What is the purpose behind this?Why is the fingernail hard?Many uses for the fingernail have beendiscovered.Thefingernailissomethingthatthetipofthefingercanleanagainst.Asyouknow,manuseshishandsalot.Sometimeshepicksheavythingsupwiththem,andbecauseofthat,thefingerneedssomethingtolean

againstinordertorelievesomeofthepressureoftheheavything.Manwouldnotbeabletoliftheavythingsifthefingernailwasnotthereandthefingerdidnothaveanythingtoleanagainst.Whenonedoesnothaveafingernailhefeelspainwhenhetriestoliftupsomethingheavy.Whatanamazingpartofthebodythisfingernailis!

WasTheCreatorUnaware?

IstheCreatorunawareofthisbody?Ishephysical?Wouldthemindacceptthis?SomesaythatAllahhasnotseentheplacesthatwehavegone.Onemustusehismindandthinkabout

thedegreeofhiseyesight.Eyesareabodypartthatiscommonbetweenallanimals.Theseeyeshavetheability to see big things but cannot see small things. It cannot even see air. So howcan one so easilydismisssomethingthathehasnotseen?Air,whichisphysicalbutverysmall,isinvisibleformankind.But,oneacceptsit,becausehefeelsitandhebreathesit.Sometimeoneisunabletoseethewaterinaglass.Inshort,thereareconditionsforonetobeabletoseesomething.Isoneunabletodenytheexistenceofelectricity?

AProofOfTheDayOfJudgment

Theconceptofresurrectionisacceptedafteroneusesthisfacultyofthought.Isitpossibleforoneto

createthisamazingbodywithoutapurpose?What isall thiswisdomandknowledge thathasbeengiven tomanfor?Wasmancreated to liveon

earth for a couple of days, eat, sleep, produce babies, satisfy his desires and die? This would bepointless.TheQurānsays:“Didyouthinkthatwecreatedyouinvainandthatyouwillnotreturntous?”[4]The creation ofmanwould be in vain if theDay of Judgment did not exist.Manwould have been

created toeat inorder todefecateanddefecate inorder toeat.This isaneverendingcirclewhich isillogical.Onewouldbeabletofigureoutthattherehastobeanotherworld;theworldthatmanwascreatedfor.

One would be able to figure this out without using the help of Prophets and revelation. One wouldunderstandthatthisworldisnottheprincipaldwellingplaceofman.Onewouldrealizethattherehastobeanotherworld,aworldwithoutthedifficulties,discomforts,diseasesandevilfoundhere,aworldfullofpleasureandsuccess.Thisworldisthedwellingplaceforanimals,butthenextworldisthedwellingplaceforman.They ask: “How is it possible for man to be given life and raised after he has died and been

decomposed?”Theanswerisintheverse:“VerilyHeisabletobringhimback.”Allahisdefinitelyabletobringthemback;Hejusthastocreatethemagain.WhateverisfoundinthisearthisanexampleofAllah'spowerandstrength.AllahsaysinchapterHijr,

verse21:“Thereisnotathingbutits(sourcesand)treasuresarewithUs;butWeonlysenddownthereofindue

andascertainablemeasures.”SomeofthebountiesthatAllahwillgivecanbefound,toasmalldegree,ontheearth.Forexample,

oneofAllah'sbountiesisabeautifulfragrance.Somefragrances,likeflowersandperfumes,canbefoundonearth.ThebestfragrancewasthatofProphetMuhammad(S),becauseheisheaven.The fragrances of theworld are limited andwill not overstep their bounds.They are limited in the

fragrance itself aswell as the duration of the fragrance.But, the fragrances of heaven, according to atraditionfromImāmSādiq(a)lastforonethousandyears.Also,therearetraditionsthatsaythatonewhoseversrelationswithhisfamilywillnotevenbeabletoevensmellthefragranceofheaven.

ThePiousWillBenefitFromAllah’sEverlastingRewards

Allahwillgivehiseternalblessings to thepious.[5]Theconditionsfor receiving theseblessingsare

beingunattached to thisworldand refraining fromfollowingcarnaldesires.2On theDayof Judgment,peoplewillhavetheformoftheirinsides,nottheiroutsideappearancethattheyhaveinthisworld.Manisanamazingcreaturebecausehehasapartofeveryothercreature;hecanbecomeanyothercreature.Mancanbecomeapredatorlikeawolforleopard.Mancanbecomeafarmanimallikeasheep.Mancanalsobecomeapigorafox.Ontheotherside, thegoodactionsofangelscanbeseeninman.Mancanbecomewhateverhewantswhileheisinthisworld.

HowMuchShouldManStrengthenHisNature

Ifthepurposeoflifewastofillone'sstomach,becominglikeasheepwouldbeenough.Ifthepurpose

oflifewasfollowingone'sbasedesires,becominglikeapigwouldbeenough.Ifthepurposeoflifewasobtainingpower,becominglikeanarrogantleopardwouldbeenough.Ifoneclimbsacertainleopard'smountainitwillattackhiminsuchawaythathewouldnevertrytoclimbthatmountainagain.But,thereisnodangerinbeingbelowaleopardthatisfull.Apersonwhoisafterpowerisreadytocommitanyatrocitytohisrivalsinordertogetahead.Inshort,thereisanexampleofeveryformofexistenceinman.Onemayreachsalvationifhecontrols

himself,doesnottryandpushhimselfinthefront,andisnotaftersatisfyinghiscarnaldesires.

GreedCompelsOneToCommitAnyCrime

Greed is found in some animals, especially the ant.A greedy person becomes lower than an ant or

mouse.Thistraitcausesonetocommitatrocities,tobeunjustandtosellthingsforwaymorethantheyareworth.Theythinkthattheywillbeabletokeeptheirwealth.[6]Thereareotherswhowalktheroadoftheangels.Theybecometruehumanbeings.Howeasyitistobe

ananimalandhowhardisittobeahuman!Sometimesmanservesothersandforgetsthathewasspermandwillbecomeadecomposeddeadbody.HaveyouheardthatImām‛Alī(a)wenttothemarketplaceandboughttwoshirtswithQanbar?Imām

‛Alī(a)gavethebettershirt tohisservantQanbar.Qanbarsaid:“But,you'remymasterandtheleader(khalīfa)oftheMuslims?”Imām‛Alī(a)said:“IwouldbecomeshyinfrontofAllahifIplacedmyselfaboveyou.”‛Alī(a)wascreatedandQanbarwascreatedaswell.If‛Alī's(a)stationishigherthanQanbaritis

onlybecauseAllahgaveittohim,but,inregardstobeingcreated,theyarethesame.TheShī‛amustusethesekindsofexamplestoshow‛Alī'sgreatness.Oneshouldnotconsiderhimselfhigherorbetterthananother. One should not sit comfortablywhile someone else is serving him; instead one should serveothers.

BearingTheDifficultiesWithTravelersWhoAreVisitingImāmHusayn’sGrave

The following has been related by some trustworthy people inNajaf by one of students of the late

mujtahidAkhūndMullāHusaynqulī.Whenthestudentmethisteacher,MullāHusaynqulīaskedhimwhathedidthepreviousnight.Thestudentsaid:“Nothing.”MullāHusaynqulīsaid:“Whatdidyoudointhemiddleofthenight?”Thestudentsaid:“Ididnotdoanything;Iwassleeping.”MullāHusaynqulī:“Thiscan'tbe;tellmeeverythingfromthebeginningofthenight.”Thestudentsaid:“LastnightIhadsomeguestswhocameherefromKarbalatovisitImām‛Alī's(a)

shrine.Myroomwassmallandweallsleptthereafterdinner.InthemiddleofthenightIfeltsomethingheavyonmychestandwokeupindiscomfort.Isawthatoneofthesetravelerswasinadeepsleepwithhisfootonmychest.Iwantedtomovehisfoot,butthenIthoughtthatheisonazīyārattripandisalsoascholar. The Prophet (S) also said thatwemust be respectful and generous to our guests. I bore thisdifficultyuntilhemovedhisleghimself.MullāHusaynqulīsaid:“Thatisit.Icanseethegleaminyourfacefromthisactionlastnight.Youdid

nothavethislightbefore,didyouthinkwhatyoudidwassmall?”

IWishICouldBeAFlower,ButIfI’mNotIDoNotWantToBeAThorn

Arealmanwantsothers tobecomfortableanddoesnotseekcomfort forhimself.Hetries to lessen

otherpeople's strugglesanddifficulties insteadofmakingdifficulties forothers.He tries togiveotherpeoplehonor,nottakehonorawayfrompeople.Hetriestofillpeople'sstomachs,noteatpeople’sbread.Mancanhavethecharacteristicsofangelsoranimals.Ananimaldoesnotwanttoserveotherswhileanangel'sjobisservinghumanity.Inshort,howhaveyoubuiltyourself?Lookatyourself.Haveyoubecomeawolf?Afox?Ifyouhave

youwillbethisinthenextworld.Ifyouhavebecomeanangelyouwillbeoneinthenextworldaswell.Yourplacewillnotbeheavenuntilyouacquirethetraitsofanangel.

BashīrAndMubashshirAreTheSameAsNakīrAndMunkar

Have you heard that two angels come and interrogate the dead person on the first night, after he is

buried?ThepopularopinionisthattheirnameswillbeNakīrandMunkar.ThesetwowordscomefromtheArabicrootmeaningsomethingdistastefulorsomethingthatwillcauseharmandunhappiness.WhoareNakīrandMunkarsentfor?Theyaresentforpeoplewhohavediedbeforetheypurifiedthemselves.But,NakīrandMunkararenotsentforthepious,insteadBashīrandMubashir,thegiversofgladtidings,aresent.InoneofthesupplicationsofthemonthofRajabwesay:“O'AllahdonotsendNakīrandMunkarto

meonthefirstnightinmygrave;insteadsendBashīrandMubashshir.”So,thetwoangelsthatcometothebeliever'sgraveareBashīrandMubashshirand the twoangels thatcome to theunbeliever'sgraveareNakīrandMunkar.

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4ChapterLecture3:ProphetsandReligiousLawsWereSentForMankind

ImāmKhomeini repeated the following a few times this pastweek.He said that university students

must be polished. The seminary studentsmust also be polished, because if they are not polished theywouldbedangerousandcorrupt.Iftheydonotbecomepolishedtheywillnotbenefitthesocietyatall.Theunpolisheddoctor,engineerormujtahidisnotonlycorrupt,buthemakesotherscorruptaswell.Thereligionandlawsthatalloftheprophetsbroughtdownisforman.TheQurānwantsmantopurify

himself;toknowhimselfandhiseviltraits.Thenitwantsmantocorrectthem.

KnowingOne’sSelfWillHelpInRiddingOne’sSelfOfAnimalisticCharacteristics

Polishingone'sselfmeanspurifyingone'sself.Whatshouldapersonpurifyhimselffrom?Heshould

purifyhimselffromanimalisticcharacteristics,fromanimalistichabits.Whenhebecomespurifiedfromthesecharacteristicsheunderstandsthatheisnothingmorethanhissoulaswellasthathewasmadeforanotherworld.Hemusttraveltothenextworld.Hewillfeelaresponsibilitytoremainpious.Aslongasonehasanimalisticcharacteristicshewillconsiderhimselftobeananimal.Inrealityheis

like an animal. Greed, stinginess, hypocrisy, anger, and seeking power are some of the animalisticcharacteristics.Itisimpossibleforone,withthesecharacteristics,toknowhimselfandknowthatheismade for anotherworld. For example, thematerialists and communists consider themselves to be onewiththeanimals.Theythinkthattheendoflifeisdeath.

OthersareforyouandyouareforAllah

People say,with certainty, thatmanmust be free just like animals.How little knowledge they have

aboutthemselvesthattheyconsiderthemselvesonewiththeanimals!Quadrupedswerecreatedforman.[1] Everything on this earthwas created forman.[2]Man's station of existence is higher than that ofmaterialthings.EverythingwascreatedformanandmanwascreatedforAllah.Onemustbecertainthatheissomethingotherthanthismaterialbodyinordertopurifyhimself.How

wouldonebeabletorealizehisfaultsandtheircuresifhedoesnotknowthis?Forthisreasonwewilldiscusstheimmaterialityofthesoul.

WhyDoesn’tADeadBodyHaveFeelings?

Thesouliswhatfeels;flesh,skin,veins,bonesandorgansarecreatedforthesoul.Theeye,earand

tonguearemeans for the soul to see, hear and speak.Nothingcomes from themby themselves. If theyactedindependently,whydoesn'tadeadbodyfeelanything?Thetongueisunabletospeak.Ifitwasabletospeakadonkeyorcamelhasatonguetwicethesizeofourtongue-theyshouldbeabletotalkmorethanus.So,thetongueisnothingmorethanatool,itdoesnothavepowerinandofitself.Itisthesoulthatsees,hearsandspeaks.Itisthesoulthatsmells.Theseorgansarejustameansforthe

soul.

AnIntellectualProofOfTheImmaterialityOfTheSoul

Manmust know that this 'I' is in the body, not the body itself, becausematerial things do not have

knowledge.Leavesofatreeareunawareofotherleaves.Afingerisunawareofotherfingers.But,'I'isaware of everything fromhis head to his toe. Iwill quickly knowwho I am if a needle goes into thebottomofmyfootorapersontouchesmybody.'I'controlsthebody,soitisnotthebodyitself.

AbilityInAllFields

Allahcreatedmanwiththeabilitytodoanything;evenwalkonthemoonorknowexactlywherethe

moonwillbeonanygivenday,hour,minuteorsecond.Theseareproofsofman'simmaterialsoul.Dirt is unaware of everything. It is impossible formaterial items to obtain knowledge. So,man is

something abovematerialism, something that is able to understand everything. So the term 'I' isman'sessence,nothisbody.Thebodydies,butthesouldoesn't.Thesoulisimmortal,ithasbeencreatedtoliveforever,nottodie.Deathiswhenthebodyandsoulbecomeseparated,notwhenthesouldies.Deathislikegettingdown

fromone'shorse. Imām‛Alī (a) said thatwhenonedieshechangeshisdirtymaterial clothes forniceimmaterialclothes.Itislikeabirdthatwasinhiscage;whenhiscageisfinallyopenedandhefliesout.

TheyHaveForgottenThemselves

Communists have strangled themselves and anyone who accepts their ideology.Whoever considers

himself to be an animal has misunderstood his responsibilities. He will become polluted with everycarnaldesire,andinreality,willbecomeananimal.ThisisbecausetheyhaveforgottenAllahand,asaresultof that, theyhaveforgotten themselves.[3]Theymust find themselves, reviewthemselves,andgetridoftheirbadhabits.Onewillnotbecomeahumanuntilheleaveshisanimalisticnature.Ireceivedmanywrittenquestionslastweek.Forexample:Whatagewillwebewhenweareraisedon

theDayofJudgment?Willweberaisedwiththesameformthatwehavenow?Isit just thatone'soldbodybepunishedforasinthatonecommittedinone’syouth?Theanswerstothefirstquestionsareasfollows:

BelieversWillEnterHeavenWithYoungBodies

TheDayofJudgment,initself,isintellectuallyproved,buttheeventsthatwillhappenontheDayof

Judgment remain unknown. The only way to understand what will happen is through revelation andtraditionsfromtheAhlal-Bayt(a).Wehavereceivedtraditionsthatstatethatbelieverswillenterheavenatayoungage,menat32andwomenat16.Thebelieverswillalsostay thatageforeverbecauseonedoesnotageinthenextworld.Theanswertothesecondquestion,thequestionaboutwhatformwewillberaisedwith,mustalsobe

answeredthroughrevelation.

PeopleWillBeRaisedAccordingToTheirNature

ThefollowingtraditionisrelatedfromtheMessengerofAllahinthebookTafsīral-Qummīunderthe

verse,“Youwillcomeforthincrowdsonthedaythatthetrumpetisblown.”[4]PeopleaskedtheProphet(S)ifthisversereferstotheMuslimsortheunbelieversandtheProphet(S)

answered: “It is in reference to theMuslims. Theywill be raised in ten groups, somewill look likemonkeys,somelikepigs,somewillbeupsidedown,somewillbeblind,somewillhavepussfallingoffoftheirtongue…”[5]Anothergroupwillberaisedwithfacesthataregleamingmorethanafullmoon;theywillbelikeangelsleadingalloftheothergroups.He (S) said regarding the women of heaven: “The relationship between the heavenly women and

thehural-‛aynisliketherelationshipbetweenthehural-‛aynandotherwomen.”[6]Asasummary,everyonewillberaisedaccordingtotheirnature.Onewillberaisedupmorebeautiful

than the angels if he obtained these characteristics on earth, but, if hewas like a predator hewill beraisedup in suchacondition thatpigswill lookbeautifulnext tohim.Hewillhatehisappearancesomuchthathewillwishtobethrownintohellsothatotherswillnotseehiminthisstate.Howbaditisthathellwillbehisplaceofrefuge!Wewillnowanswerthethirdquestionwhichwas:isitjustforone'soldbodytobepunishedforasin

thatonecommittedwhileinone’syouth?

TheSpiritHasPleasureOrPain

TheanswershouldbecleartothosewhopaidattentiontowhatIhavesaid.One'sfleshandskinisa

toolforone'ssoul.'I'commitasinand'I'mustbepunished,thesoulmustbepunished.'I'isthesameinold age as it is in young age.A soulwhose body is a hundred years old is the same soulwho had atwenty-year-old body. It is the same if he committed a sin when he was twenty or a hundred. Allahpunishesthesoulnotthefleshandskin,becauseitisthesoulwhowantedtocommitthesin.

ThePunishmentOfTheHereafterIsDifferentThanThePunishmentOfThisWorld

One of the things that onemust know about resurrection is that the punishment in the nextworld is

different that the punishment of this world. The punishment of the hereafter is incomparable topunishmentslikeprisonortakingoffone'sfingernails.Inthenextworld,one'sbadactionscometolifeandmanisengrossedinfire.Weareunabletopictureexactlywhatthepunishmentwillbelike,butweshouldknowthatitisunlikeanythinginthisworld.

PerfectionIsInTheHereafter

Anotherquestionthatwasaskedwas:isthereperfectioninthisworldornot?Canapersonwhodies

orbecomesamartyrhaveknowledgeaboutwhatisgoingonintheworld?Theanswertothefirstpartisthatwhatevermanbecomesinthisworldiswhathewillbecome.Death

closes the folder of one's actions. The Prophet of Islam (S) said: “The Earth is the farmland for thehereafter.”Aslongasmanisonearththereistimetoplantseeds.Thetimeforharvestiswhenhedies.Hewillseewhateverhehasdoneinthenextlife.Ifwhatismeantbyperfectionisthathewillreceivetherewardofsomethingthathedidnotdo,itisincorrect.Ofcourseintercessionandgenerosityhavetheirownplaces,butoneshouldnotexpecttherewardofa

prayerthathedidnotperform,therewardofcharitythathedidnotgiveortherewardofgoodactionsthathedidnotperform.OneshouldaskAllahtogivehimtherewardsofwhatonehasdone.

ExpectMercyIfYouWereMerciful

OnecanaskthosewhoaskAllahformercyiftheyweremercifulthemselves.Ismercygoodorbad?If

it is good,why don't you showmercy?Man should expectAllah to treat him the sameway he treatsothers.OnecanaskthosewhoaskAllahtoforgivethem-howmanypeoplehaveyouforgiven?Manypeople

donotforgivethosethattheyfightwith,butexpectAllahtoforgivethem.TheQurānsaysthatyoushouldforgiveeachother;don'tyouwantAllahtoforgiveyou?[7]

ImāmSajjād’sConversationWithHisServant

SayyidIbnTāūswroteinhisbookAl-Iqbāl thatImāmSajjād(a)gatheredhisservantson‛Īdal-Fitr.

TheImāmwrotedownallofthebadthingsthathisservantsdidintheyearandonthisdaysaidtothem:Iforgive you for all of the bad actions that youperformed in this year.You are also free from this dayforward.TellAllah;'‛Alīibnal-Husaynforgaveus,soforgivehimaswell.Healsofreedus,sofreehimfromthetorturesofHell.”Comparewhatrealityistowhatwethinkitis.WeshouldshowalittlebitofwhatwewantfromAllah.

IfwewantAllahtoforgiveusweshouldforgiveothers.AllahistheMostmerciful;areyouwillingtoshowmercyordoyouwanttotakerevenge?Ifyouwantrevenge,thenwhydoyouaskAllahformercy?

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5ChapterLecture4:DivineWisdomisFoundFromOne’sHeadToToe

قلخ مم ناسنإلا رظنیلف

Nowletmanbutthinkfromwhatheiscreated!

قفاد ءام نم قلخ

Heiscreatedfromadropemitted-

بئارتلاو بلصلا نیب نم جرخی

Proceedingfrombetweenthebackboneandtheribs[1]ItwassaidinthepreviouslecturethatAllahorderedmantothinkabouthisbeginning.Onemustthink

thathewasmadefromsperm,asubstancethateveryonehates.Itissaidthatthereare34bonesinone'shandandifoneofthoseboneswasnottheremanwouldfallintomanydifficulties.Eachfingerhasthreepartssothatonecanmakeafist,pickthingsup,andopenandclosehishands.Onewouldseewisdomifhecarefullylookedathisbody.Hewouldseethatnoparthasbeencreated

in vain.There are not any extra veins or bones. If one thinks that there is a part of his body thatwascreatedinvain,hemustrealizethathisthoughthasaproblem.

Nature’sChoice,AClearContradiction

Whatdoeschoicemean?Apersonwhohasintellectualcapabilitieschoosesthebetteroftwochoices.

Thechoosermusthaveanintellect,knowledgeandunderstandingtobeabletochoosethebetteroption.Ifnaturedoesnothaveanintellect,whatdoeschoicemean?Doesspermhaveabrainwhichenablesittomakeabody?Payattentiontoyoureyelids.Theuppereyelidscurlupwardsandthelowereyelidscurldownwards.

Inthiswaytheybecomepairs.Ifitwasnotlikethistheywouldnotpairup;insteadtheywouldclumpuptogetherandwouldnotbeabletoprotecttheeyefromdust.

MillionsOfCellsInEachBodyPart

Manyresearchreportshavebeenwrittenandwillbewrittenabouthowmanyofthewisdomsfoundin

thebodyareleftunknown,butmightbefoundoutinthefuture.Likewise,weunderstandmanythingsthatthepeopleofthepastdidnotunderstand.One's hearing faculty is comprised of threemillion cells, and if someof themaremissing onewill

becomedeaf.Oneofmyfamilymemberswasdeafandwenttothedoctor.Thedoctorsaidthatthereasonhecannothearisthatheismissing16,000ofthethreemillioncellsnecessarytohear.Itisreallyamazingtolookatone'screationandseewhathappened.Twoof thenamesofAllahareAll-wiseandAll-knowledgeable.Lookat the completewisdomand

knowledgeofAllah'sactionsthatcanbefoundinthebody.IbnSīnāmadean interestingremark.Hesaid:“Manbecomesastonishedatamagnet thatpicksupa

littlebit ofmetal, but doesnotbecomeastonished at the fact that his intellect picksup andmoveshisheavybodywithease.”Thisisthesamebodythatafewpeoplestruggletomoveafterdeath.Whatkindofabilityisthisthatonecanmovejustbyhavingthedesiretodoso?Wheredoesthisabilitycomefrom?WhatgreatabilitiesAllahgavetothesoul!

HumilityInFrontOfAllah’sFavors

Onemustcontinue thinkinglike this.Studythewondersof thebody.Ponderuponthemandthensay:

“GlorybetoAllah,theBestcreator.”Whenmanunderstandsthesethings,hisintellecttellshimtobehumbleinfrontofsuchaCreator.Greatmenhavecorrectlystatedthatmanistheslaveofgoodness.Itishisnaturetolikeandbehumble

infrontofpeoplewhotreathimkindly.IfonethinksabouttheabundantfavorsfromAllah,ifonerealizesthatblessingsfromotherthanAllahdonotexist,onewillbecomehumbleinfrontofthetruth.

UnderstandTheFavorBeforeItGoesAway

AfewyearsagomyearsgotcloggedupandIcouldn'thearanythingforafewdays.Iwasforcedtogo

toadoctorandhecleanedmyearsforme.AnhouraftermyearswerecleanedIheardasound.Ibecamesohappyandsaid:“O'Allah!WhatagreatblessingyouhavegivenmebutIwasunawareofit.”Manislikethis,hedoesnotknowthegreatnessofablessinguntilitistakenawayfromhim.Ihopethatyouwillnotwaitforablessingtobetakenawayfromyouforyoutounderstanditsgreatness.Thegreatnessofone'sabilitytospeakbecomesclearifitistakenaway.WeshouldpraiseAllahwith

this ability, we should say: “Allah is the greatest.” Do not ever forget Allah. Allah gave so manyblessings,internalblessings,externalblessings,materialblessingsandspiritualblessings.Hecreatedtheearth,skiesandstarsformankind.IthasbeenheardthatsomesaythatAllahdoesnotneedourworshiporthanks.Thisistrue,butyouare

inneedofit.Whatevermandoesisforhimself.[2]Hereceivestheresultsofhisactions,betheygoodorbetheybad.IfonethanksAllahhewillbecomehigher thantheangelsandwill receivea loftyrewardfromAllah.But,itistoyourownlossifyoudonotthankAllah.Attheend,Allahknowswherethereishope;hehelpseveryonereachthegoalwhichisbeinginthepresenceofAllah(liqā'Allah).

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6ChapterLecture5:TheMeansOfUnderstandingMan’sBeginningAndEnd

قلخ مم ناسنإلا رظنیلف

Nowletmanbutthinkfromwhatheiscreated!

قفاد ءام نم قلخ

Heiscreatedfromadropemitted-

بئارتلاو بلصلا نیب نم جرخی

Proceedingfrombetweenthebackboneandtheribs[1]Twoprinciple Islamicbeliefsare thecreationand the resurrection. It isobligatory forman toknow

abouthiscreationandCreator,thentoknowabouthisendandreturn.Thesetwoversestellmantothinkabouthiscreation.Itisclearthatmanmustlookintohiscreationso

hecanunderstandhisCreatorandhisend.Whatanamazingstructurewascreatedoutofadropofwater;astructurethatfromitsheadtotoeisfullofwisdom,insuchawaythatevenoneveinwasnotcreatedwithoutpurpose.Anextrabonewasnotcreated.WhatonecanunderstandfromthisbodyisthatAllahisAll-powerful and there is no limit toHis ability.He created this amazing body, a body that has beenresearchedforthousandsofyears,butstillnotcompletelyunderstood,intripledarknessfromadropofwater.

LifelessObjectsAreUnableToCreate

IstheOnewhocreatedunaware?[2]WastheOnewhocreatedinsuchawaythatthereisnoatomthat

doesnothaveapurpose,unintelligent?Communists,whorejecttheconceptofGodandthehigherworld,claimthatwhateverexistsistheresultoftheperfectionofnature.Whatdotheysayaboutallthewisdomthatisfoundallovertheworld?Isitpossiblethatanunwisebeingcreatedit?Theysaythatmaterialisunintelligent; howdoes this fit? It is a contradiction.Fromone side they say thatmaterial objects andnaturedonothaveintelligenceandontheothersidetheysay'nature'schoice.'Choosingisanactionthatdependsonintelligence.

ABigProblemWithDarwin’sProposition

Orsomesaythatmanwasoriginallyamonkeyperfectedbynature.Theysaythatthemonkeyloosedits

tailandhairandstoodupstraight.Ifthisistruethereshouldnotbeanymoremonkeysonearth.Howdidonemonkeybecomeahumanwhiletherestremainedmonkeys?Ifitisnaturethatperfectsitself,whatisthedifferencebetweenthemonkeysthatremainedmonkeysandthemonkeysthatbecamehuman?Isitthatonemonkeybecameperfectedandanotherdidnotbecomeperfected?Itisclearthattheyarenotwillingtoacceptthetruth.Theydonotwanttosincerelyusetheirabilitiesto

findthetruthout.Theyrejectcleartruthssothattheywon'tbecalled'religious.'

Man’sUnderstandingIsNotAnOffspringOfSomethingMaterial

Doesmanhaveanintellectornot?Everymanknowsthathehasanintellect.WastheOnewhobuilt

youunintelligent?Everymanwasadropofsperm;didamaterialobjectgivehimhisintellect?Didadropofspermoranothermaterialobjectgiveyouyourintellect?Isitpossibleforsomeoneto

claimthis?ThereisnootherchoiceexcepttosaythattheCreator,All-knowledgeableandLiving,gavememy intellect. Just like the body is a creation, it came fromnothing into existence; the intellect is acreationthatcamefromnothingintoexistence.Someonehadtohavegivenmanhisintellect.Wheredidthis intellect come from? Is it possible to say that a material object made it or it was 'nature's bestchoice'?Doesyourintellectacceptthis?Theintellectthatmanhasisabletofindnewgalaxiesandnewstars.Thisisevenaproofthatone'sspiritisimmaterial.

EncompassingKnowledgeIsASignOfTheImmaterialSoul

Whatisthismanwhocanlearnabouteverythingintheworld?Whatpowergivesustheabilitytoknow

aboutourinsidesandhowtheywork?Thisisoneofthebiggestproofsthatthesoulisimmaterial.Aleafof a tree isunawareofother leaves.A finger isunawareofother fingers.Eachatomofone'sbody isunawareofotheratoms.Itbecomesclearthatmanissomethingotherthanhisbody,thereisapowerfromhisheadtohistoe.Thispowerisawareofallthedifferentpartsofhisbody.Cansomeonedenythefactthathehasknowledge?Isthisknowledgematerial,wasitgiventoyoubyamaterialobjectordidtheonewhocreateyougiveyou thisknowledge?Man's intellect is thebiggestproof thathe is immaterial;hissoulisimmaterial.WhenmanthinksabouthiscreationherealizesthathewascreatedbyAllah,theAll-knowledgeable,

theAll-powerful.TheintellectheusestothinkaboutthisisimmaterialandhealsorealizesthatAllahisabletocreatethisbodyagain.

TheBodyInTheHereafterisnotAffectedbyMaterialism

Thebodyinthenextworldisdifferentfromthebodyinthisworld.Forexample,thereisnowasteor

defecationinheaven.Thereisnourine,feces,hairorfingernails.Inadditiontothis, thebodydoesnotbecometiredduetoworkinginthenextlife.Therearenosicknesses.Thebodyinthenextlifeisthesamebodyaswehavehere,butitsmake-upisinsuchawaythatthenecessarywastesofamaterialbodyarenot there.Rightnowweareunable to imagine thisperfectlybecause thesewastesanddefecationsarenecessarypartsofmaterialbeings.Peoplehavemadeasimilitudeforthis.Nomatterhowmuchyouwouldtrytomakeafetusunderstand

thatoutsideof itsmother'sstomachisahugeworldfulloffruit,food,plantsandanimalshewouldnotunderstand. Man is the same way when he is in the stomach of the natural world in relation to theunnaturalworld.Howevermuchonewantstomakemanunderstandaboutthedifferentattractionsofthenextworldhewillnotunderstand.TheQurānsaid:“Nooneknowswhathasbeenkepthiddenforthemofcomfort(inthehereafter)asarewardforwhat

theyusedtodo.”[3]WewillnowdiscusssomeversesrelatedtotheResurrection.

TheRejectorsDoNotHaveAnyProof

Thosewhorejectthehereafteronlysaythatitisimpossible;theydonothaveanyproof.Inthesame

waythattheyrejectthecreation,theyraisethequestion:howcanAllahbringdeadbonesbacktolife?Thebiggestprooffortheresurrectionistheverse:“Verily,Allahisabletobringhimback”[4]One

whowasabletocreatethebodyoutofadropofspermcancreateitoutofahandfulofdirtaswell.TheQurān even says that it is easier for him to do that.Bringing back to life is easier than creating fromscratch.AnothernicepointhasbeenmadeinchapterQiyāmat:“Weareabletomakeman'sfingerprints.”[5]Tantāwī,anEgyptianQurānicscholarwrotethatthepointofthepreviousversewasunknownuntilthe

modern century.He claims that it is one of themiracles of theQurān. Previously people did not payattention to the fact that every person has a special fingerprint. Four and a half billion people havedifferent fingerprints. Because of this, peoplemust give their fingerprints as a signature and there areplacesthatcatchcriminalsbyfindingtheirfingerprints.

TheDifferencesInPeople’sFaces

Notwopeoplehavetheexactsameface.Eventwinshavesmalldifferences.Similarly,notwovoices

areexactlythesame.Whatatrocitieswouldhappeniftheywerethesame?Theorderoftheworldwouldbedestroyed.Therewouldnotbeasocial lifebecausenobodywouldbeable todifferentiatebetweentwopeople.HerewecanseethatthewiseCreatormadeawisedecisioninthisregard.Thecreationandtheresurrectionarenecessarybeliefs,evidentbeliefsandinaccordancewithone's

intellectanddivinedisposition.

RespectingGravesIsASignOfAcceptingTheHereafter

People wrote; when Stalin would be faced with a difficult situation, which was not solved by

consultation, he would visit Lenin's grave. He would stay there until his problem was solved. Thismaterialist'sconsciencedidnotbelievethatLenin'ssoulwasdead.Ifhedid,whywouldhegotoLenin'sgrave?WhywouldheaskhelpfromLenin?Whydoothersbuildmonumentsoverthegravesofunknownsoldiersandthenrespectthem?TheirconsciencestestifytothefactthatthereisaGodandthatthereislifeafterdeath.Ifrevelationdidnotexist,thisiswhatman'sconscienceordivinedispositionwoulddo.Theproblemisthis:ifthisissoclearwhydoesmostofmankindrejectit?TheanswertothisquestionisfoundinchapterQiyāmat:“Rathermandesirestogoonlivingviciously.”[6]For this reason they overlook every truth. If one wants to enjoy power he must overlook his

responsibilities.IfhedoesnotdothishewillrealizethatheisaservantofAllahandhasresponsibilitiesthat hemust fulfill.After he realizes this,would he continue to say 'I..I..I'?Arrogance and tawhīd areopposites;theycannotcometogether.OnewhoconsidershimselfaneedyservantofAllahwillnotbearrogantorafterpower.Hewillnot

want tobeaboveothers.For this reason, thosewho follow their carnaldesiresclose their eyes toallformsoftruth,evenifitisaself-evidenttruth.

HārūnAndMamūnKnewTheStationOfTheImāms

ItissaidthatsomeoneaskedMamūnhowhecametolikeImāmRidā(a).Hesaidthathelearnedthis

fromhisfather.HewaswithhisfatherinMedinaandimportantpeoplecametoseehim.Hesaid:“Onedayapersoncameinandmyfatherstoodupandsatthatmandownnexttohimandspoketohimwiththehighestformofmanners.Thatnight,IaskedmyfatherwhothatmanwasthatyouweresohumbleinfrontofandherepliedthatitwasMūsabinJa‛far(a).IthenaskedwhoMūsabinJa‛farwasandherepliedthatheismyImāmandyourImām.Ithenasked;'Youarenottherightfulpossessorofthekhilāfat?Myfatherreplied;'No,heistherightfulkhalīfa.”Ithenangrilytoldmyfather:“Ifthisisthecasewhydoyouwanttoimprisonandexilehim?”Hesaid:“Powerdoesnotevenknowason.IfhewasaproblemIwouldkillhimortakehisson'seyes

outlikeotherkingshavedone.”Thepurposeofthisstoryistoshowhowbadmancanbe,hecanputthetruthtothesideevenifitisas

clearasthesun.

LoveOfThisWorldIsTheRootOfSin

Weshouldnotforgetthatlastyear,whenImāmKhomeiniwantedtoswearinthenewpresidenthesaid:

“Theloveoftheworldistherootofallsins.”Thisisawarningbellforeveryone.Loveoftheworldissuchatraitthatwhenonehasitheiswilling

tooverlookalltruthsandwillingtounlawfullygetridofalladversaries.Thisarroganceandnarcissismisdangerous.So,nowitisclearwhysomanyrejectthetruthevenifitissoclear.

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7ChapterLecture6:PurifyingOne’sSelf;KnowledgeandAction

نیبم لالض يفل لبق نم اوناك نإو ةمكحلاو باتكلا مهملعیو مهیكزیو هتایآ مهیلع ولتی مهنم الوسر نییمألا يف ثعب يذلا وه

ItisHewhohassentamongsttheunletteredamessengerfromamongthemselves,torehearsetothemHis signs, to sanctify them, and to instruct them in scripture andWisdom, although they had been inmanifesterror.[1]One shouldknowwhat the carnaldesires are and then stayaway from them.One shouldalsoknow

whatthehumancharacteristicsareandacquirethem.Onemustactaswellaslearn.First,onemustlearnhowtoescapefromhislowselfandobtainhumancharacteristics,andthenhemustputwhathelearnedintoaction.Heshouldnotsatisfyhimselfwithknowledgealone.Thebadnatureofanimalsdoesnotcomefromitspawsorteeth;insteaditisfromthepredatorynature

thatisfoundinsideofthem.Thisnatureisalsofoundinmanalongwiththehumanandangelicnaturesaswell.Mancanbecomelikeadogorwolforlikeanangel.

HabitsAreNotFormedSpontaneously

One's nature is nothing but his habits. These habits are not formed spontaneously; instead they are

formedby the repetitionof actionsandwords.Someonewhoseactionsareanimalisticwill eventuallybecome an animal. One's inside is affectedwhen he oppresses others. If he continues to oppress, hisinsidewillturnintoadog.Wesaidthatmanisdifferentfromskinandbones;hisrealityishisrationalsoul.Differentnatures takeondifferentshapes.After time, ifoneactsandtalks inaccordancewiththedivinelaw,onewillbecomeahuman.Onewillnotreachthestageofhumanitywithoutstruggle.Onecanonlydreamthatonecanridhimself

ofalltheanimalisticnaturesandobtainalltheangelicnatureswithoutstruggle.Allahhascreatedinsuchawaythatmanhimselfchooseswhetherhewantstobeananimalorahuman.Onecanslowlyridhimselfofhisanimalisticnatureandtrytoperformangelicactionssothatslowlyhecangleamwithhumanity.Ifhedoesthishewillbefullofblessingsandotherscanbenefitfromhim.

‛Alī(A)AlsoStruggledToPerfectHimself

PayattentiontothesentenceofImām‛Alī(a)foundinhissermontoHamām.Hesaid:“Thepiousare

peoplewhosegoodoneishopefulof,whiletheydonotcommitanybadactions.”[2]Peoplearehopefulof their goodwhile they are safe from their evil.Apersonwho struggleswithhis selfwill becomeahuman.Thesignofapersonlikethisisthathedoesnotcausemananyloss.Peoplearecomfortablewithhimandevenexpectgoodfromhim.Peopleshouldnotthinkthatonecanreachahighspiritualleveleasilybyperformingoutwardformsof

worship,likeprayer,fasting,orpilgrimage,withouthavingone'sheartinit.Thewayonecanbecomeahumanisbyrefrainingfromstrengtheninghisanimalisticnature.Onemustcontrolone'stongue;ifone'stongueisleftaloneitwillbecomepredatory.IwillmentionanothersentenceonthislinefromtheCommanderofthefaithful(a).Hesaid:“Istruggle

againstmyself(nafs).Igivemynafsmanners.IprotectmynafssothatontheDayofJudgmentIwillbesafe.”You,whoarethefollower(shī‛a)ofImām‛Ali(a),mustfollowhiminthis.TodayIwillexplainoneoftheanimalisticqualitiessothatwecanunderstanditwell.Then,wemust

refrainfromusingthistraitanduseahumantraitinitsplace.

Anger,AnAnimalisticTrait

Angerbecomesananimalistictraitformanwhenhegetsupsetatotherswhoareabarrierforhimto

reachhisgoalsorwhensomethingisdoneagainsthisdesires.Forexample,hewascursedoroppressedandthefeelingofrevengecomestohismind.Sometimeshisfaceturnsredandthemovementofbloodinhisfacebecomesapparent.Atthistimehisnafstellshimtogetrevenge.First,hesayssomethingagainstrealitythencursesorhitshisopponent.Inthisstate,heisunawareofhisactions.Itisananimalisticstatewhere truth isnon-existent.He isable toperformanyaction in thisstate, just likeananimal.Whenhebecomesangryhedoesnotknowanythingexceptrevenge.Sometimeshetearshisownshirtandhitshisownself.Sometimesheevengetsastroke ifhisangerreachesanextremelyhighlevelandhe isunable toget

revenge.Ihaveknownsomepeoplewhohavegotstrokeswhiletheywereangry.Someofthemdiedandsome of them became paralyzed. Theywere peoplewho performed prayers, but prayer alone can notmakeonehuman.Onemustcontrolhisnafsandstophisanimalisticnaturefromgrowingintoawolf.Adogorwolfwillriphisopponent'sskinorfleshoff,butanangrymantakesawaythehonorofanotherman,whichisaworseformofoppression.

WhatshouldwedowhenweareleftwithoutChoice?

Supposeonewantstogetridof theanimalistictraits.Thefirststeptodoingthis iscontrollingone's

selfwhenonestartstogetangry.Controllingone'sselfatthisstageiseasy,butifonedoesnotcontrolhisself at the beginning hewill reach a statewhere hewill be uncontrollable.You are young, just at thebeginningofyourIslamiclife.Animalistictraitshaveyettotakeforminyou.Youcanshapeyourselfwithease.Youcanrefrainfromansweringsomeonewhoswearsatyou.Withalittlepractice,thisiseasyforyou.

MālikAshtarAndAYoungMan

Youhaveheard thatMālikAshtarwas thecommanderof Imām‛Alī's (a)army. Imām‛Alī (a) said:

“MālikAshtarwaswithmelikeIwaswiththeMessengerofAllah(S).”HewastheleaderoftheKandehtribeandthecommanderoftheIslamicarmy.OnedayhewenttoKufa'smarketplaceandwaslookingtobuyashirt.Ayoungman,whodidnotknowMālik,wantedtomakefunofhimandthrewahandfulofdirtathim.Mālikdidnotsayanythingtohimandleft.Somepeopleaskedtheyoungman:“Doyouknowwhothat

was?”Hesaid:“No.”Theytoldhim:“ThatwasMālikAshtar.”Theyyoungmanbecamefrightenedandupset.HewentafterMālik.SomepeopletoldhimthatMālik

enteredthemosqueandtheyoungmanalsowentinsidetoseethatMālikwaspraying.Whenhisprayerfinished the youngman kneeled in front ofMālik and said: “I did not knowwho youwere. Imade amistake,forgiveme.”Mālik replied: “I forgaveyou at the same time that you threwdirt atme.Now, I have come to this

mosquetoprayforyousothatAllahwillforgiveyouaswell.”Mālikwasatruefollower(shī‛a)of‛Alī(a).Canwecallourselvesshī‛a?Whathavewedonetobe

calledashī‛aof‛Alī(a)?Ashī‛acontrolshisanger;hedoesnothitsomeonewitharockafterbeinghitbyapieceofdirt.

ShouldthrowingaPieceofDirtbeRewardedwithaRock?

Commonpeoplebelievethatoneshouldanswerbadlanguagewithbadlanguageoranswerathrown

pieceofdirtwitharock.Thesearecompletelyincorrectactions.Apredatorshouldnotbetreatedlikeapredator. Ifyoucursehimoutyouare just likehim;sowhat is thedifferencebetweenahumanandananimal?Hecursedbecauseofhisanimalistictraits,soyoushouldrefrainfromcursingbecauseofyourhumanetraits.Youshouldevenbehavewithhimusinggoodmanners.The late Narāqī wrote in the bookMi‛rāj al-Sa‛ādat: “One does not have the right to swear at

someonewhosworeathim.But, if theydo, theywillbecome theexampleof theProphet's (S)saying:'Thosewhoinsulteachotherwillbeinthefire.”[3]Bothofthepeoplewhocursearecondemned,eventhoughtheonewhostarteditisabiggeroppressor.

But, the one who answers him is also an oppressor. Bad language stems from anger and animalisticqualities.ThelateNarāqīcontinued:“Oneshouldremainsilentinfrontofsomeonewhoiscursinghimor,ifhe

wants togiveananswer,heshouldbecarefulnot to lie,defame,orcurse thatperson.Hecancall theotherpersonignorantbecauseinrealityheis.Ifonedoesthishebothansweredthepersonwhoiscursinghim,butdidnotlieoractinapredatorymanner.Whoisnotignorant?

ShowingPatienceinAngerisaHumanCharacteristic

Ifmanwantstousehumanqualitiesinsteadofanimalisticangeratdifficultiesheshouldusepatience

andforbearance.Thesearehumancharacteristics.Ananimaldoesnotknowwhatforbearanceis.Whatdifference would there be between us and animals if we, who know what forbearance is, act onlyaccordingtoanger?Butifweforbearwewillbeusingahumancharacteristic.Isaidthatonecannotreachthelevelofahumanwithoutstruggle.Manisatacrossroad,hecaneither

becomeananimalorahuman.Thereisnocompulsion,Allahcreatedmanwithchoice.Hegavemanatongueandthepowerofchoice.Mancaneitherusethistonguetocursepeople,tocreateproblemsortosolveproblems.Whatismeantbyforbearanceisshowingrestraintandpatienceatdifficulties.Wheneveronefacesa

difficultyheshouldcontrolhistongue,handsandfeet.

MuhaqqiqTūsī’sInterestingAnswerToAnIgnorantPerson

‛AllāmahNasir al-DīnTūsīwrote that an ignorant person addressed a letter to himusing theword

'dog'.Muhaqqiqansweredhimbysaying:Youthought thatIamadog?I thoughtabout it,butcouldnotunderstandhowIamsimilartoadog.Ihavetwofeet,butadoghasfour.Adoghassharpteeththatcanbreakbonesbutmyteethdonotworkanymore.Adoghasfur,butIdonot.Adoghasclaws,butIdonot.”Heansweredhiminthisway,showingforbearance.Supposeheansweredhiminthisway:“You'rethedog,yourfatherandmotheraredogs!”Theignorant

personwouldnotsitquietandthesituationwouldbecomeworse.

HowDoesItComeToADispute?

Somepeoplerelatedastorythatwouldbegoodtosaytochangeupthespeech.Theysaythattherewas

a shoemakerwhowas famous forhavingbadmoralsandbeingquick to fight.Anunemployedpersonwenttohisstorethefirstthinginthemorningand,aftergreetinghim,said:“Iwantsomethingfromyou.Iwantyoutotellmehowitisthatyoustartadispute?Whatisitthatstartsafight?”Theshoemakerasked:“Whatkindofaquestionisthissoearlyinthemorning?Areyoutryingtobe

funny?”Theunemployedmanresponded:“No;I'mserious.Youmusttellmehowafightisstarted.”Theshoemakersaid:“What'swrongwithyou?Maybeyou’renotallthereupstairs,howshouldIknow

howafightisstarted?”Theunemployedmansaid:“Iwillnotleaveyouuntilyouanswerme.”Theshoemakerresponded:“Youshouldbeashamedofyourself,youlittleunemployedmanwhogets

in people'swaywhen theywant towork.Letmeget towork.”Then after somemorewords the shoemakerhit theunemployedmanonhisheadwith thebottomof a shoeandblooddrippeddown thehishead.Theunemployedmansaid: “Enough! Iunderstandhowa fight starts.Oneperson says somethingbut

doesnotgivein;eventuallythiswillleadtoafight.”Atfirstitisnotimportant,butifcontinued,badlanguagewillappearandeventuallyitwillturnintoa

physicalfight.Onemustfightagainstone’sself(nafs)untilitbecomeslikeatamedanimalwhodoesnotstepoutof

bounds.EveryonemustfighthisnafssomuchsothatitdoesnotstepoutoftheboundsthatAllahhasputonman.Onceitleavestheborderofhumanitythereisnothingleftotherthantherealmofanimals.Atthebeginning there is a little struggle, but after time it becomes easy. One will become happy when hecontrolshisanger.

IDeserveMorePain

Onedayanimportantmanwasinanalleywhensomedirtfromahousefellontohishead.Helooked

intotheskyandthankedAllah,hesaid:“O'AllahIthankyoubecauseIdeservedtobehitbyarockforthepunishmentofmysinsbutyouthrewsoftdirtonmyhead.”As everyone has read and heard, people would repeatedly throw dirt on the Prophet of Islam (S).

Sometimestheywouldevenhithimonthelegwithaboneinsuchawaythatbloodwoulddripfromhisleg. Sometimes theywould throw the liver of a camel at his face.But, as an answer, the Prophet (S)wouldpray:“O'Allah,guidemypeoplefortheydonotknow.”HewouldforgivethemandaskAllahtoforgivethemaswell.WemustfollowthewayoftheProphet(S),especiallywescholars.Wemustbearthedifficultiesthat

weseeinsocietyandwemustknowthatitwillnotremainlikethis.Thepeoplewillbeguided.IwillendmylecturebyrecitingatraditionfoundinUsūlal-Kāfīregardinganger.

RefrainingFromAngerIsRefrainingFromSpillingBlood

Oneof the leadersofanomadicArabtribemet theProphet(S).Whenhewantedtogohesaid:“O'

MessengerofAllah!GivemesomeadvicethatIcanbenefitfrom.”TheProphetansweredhimbysaying:“Donotbecomeangry.”TheArabmanacceptedhisadvice.Whenhereturnedtohistribehesawthattheywereinanabnormalcondition.Heaskedwhatwasup

fromthepeoplewhogreetedhim.Theysaidthatbloodhasbeenspiltbetweenusandanothertribe.Theywerewaitingforhimtostartawar.Atthebeginning,Arabprideovertookhim.Hearmedhimselfandwentoffinthedirectionoftheother

tribe.HerememberedwhattheProphet(S)toldhimwhenhefacedtheothertribe.HerememberedthattheProphettoldhimnottobecomeangry.Atthatmomenthethrewhissworddownandfacedtheenemytribe.When they saw that hewas unarmed andwalking towards them they dropped their swords andwaitedtohearwhathehadtosay.Hecameclosetothemandcalledtheirleaders.Heaskedtheminanicevoice:“Whyarewefighting?

Supposeyoukillsomeoneinrevengeforthepersonfromyourtribewhowaskilled,hestillwouldnotcomebacktolife.Come;takethisbloodmoneyandwhateverelseyouwant.Ifyouinsistthatsomeonefrommytribemustbekilledasrevenge,youcankillme.”Theenemytribe,withseeingthisleader'sunprecedentedcondition,becamehumaneandwithouteven

takingthebloodmoneymadeapeacecontract.[43][44][45]

8ChapterLecture7:AngerisBothMercifulandSatanic

Inthelastlecturewediscussedanger.Angercanbringmantosuchastatethathisangelicfacewillbe

turnedintothefaceofapredatoryanimal.TheQurānsays:“Indeed the worst of beasts in the sight of Allah are the deaf and the dumb- those who

understandnot.”[1]Theendofonewhocontinuestowalkthepathofangerwillbeworsethanapredatoryanimal.Today

wemustmakeclearwhichpartofangerisanimalisticandwhichpartishumane.Ifapersonusesangerintheanimalisticwayhewilllosehisangelicshapeandturnintoapredatoryanimal,butifheusesangerinthehumanewayhewillbecomeaperfectman,anexampleofgoodandfullofblessings.Angeriswhenone'sbloodboilswhenconfrontedwithadifficultyorwithsomethingunwanted.Ifone

doesnotcontrolhimselfinthesesituationshewillseekrevenge.

TheExistenceofAngerInManIsNecessary

Ofcourse,manwouldnotbeabletolivewithoutanger.Angermustbeusedinthecorrectway.Man

cannot livewithout anger or lust (shahawat).Manmust have lust in him sohewill go after food andmarriage.Consideringalltheobstaclesinlife,howwouldmanbeabletolivewithoutanger?But,ifmanuseshisangerintheanimalisticwayitwillcausehimtofalldownfromthestateofhumanity.Whatishumaneangerandwhatisanimalisticanger?

AnimalisticAnger

Animalisticangerisangerwhichisunlawful,rationallyandreligiously.Angerandrevenge,whenever

itisagainsttheintellectoragainstareligiouslaw,isanimalistic.Angermustbeusedinthecorrectway.Anger should occur when there is a barrier between him and improvement or perfection. One mustbecomeangrywhenanotherpersonwantstooppresshim.Whatismeantbythisisthathemustnotallowtheotherpersontooppresshim.Iwillgiveanexampletomakeitclear.Supposeapersonunintentionallyhurtyou,supposehefellonyou.Ifyougetangryathim,cursehimout

andtrytogetrevenge,youhaveusedangerintheanimalisticway.Thepersonunintentionallyhurtyou,notintentionally.An animal does not understand intentional and unintentional,whenever something occursthathedoesnotlike,hegetsangry.Butahumancanunderstandiftheotherpersonhithimintentionallyorunintentionally.

ImāmSajjād(A)AndTheServantThatKilledHisSon

It is related in the eleventh volume ofBihār al-Anwār that Imām Sajjād (a) had guests over at his

house.TheImām'sservantwasbringingahotkabobonasharpmetalutensil.Suddenly,heaccidentallyhit the Imām's small child with the utensil and the child died. The servant immediately recited theverse:“..andthosewhocontroltheiranger.”(3:134)Imāmsaid:“Ihavecontrolledmyanger.”Thenhe(a)readthenextsectionoftheverse:“..and those

who forgive the people.” He continued: “I have also forgiven you.” Then he read the rest of theverse:“..andAllahlovesthevirtuous.”Hecontinued:“Ialsofreeyou.”Actinoppositiontoyournafs.Thiswasaplaceforforgiving,notanger,becausehedidnotkill the

childintentionally.

DoNotGetAngryFromFalseReports

Sometimesachildaccidentallybreaksadishandhismotherandfathergetangry.Sometimestheyeven

hitthechild.Thisisamistake.Thechildwasplaying;hedidnotwanttobreakthedish.These are examples of the principle: do not get angry when the other person did something

unintentional.Ifonegetsangry,it isangerwithoutreason.Mostofthetimewhenpeoplegetangryit iswithout reason.Therearesomepeoplewhogetangrywithsomeoneafterhearingsomethingabouthimfromanotherperson.Butmostofthetimethesestoriesarefalse.

ActingInOppositionToExpectationsCausesUnwarrantedAnger

Anotherreasonthatpeoplebecomeangryin thewrongwayiswhenothersact inoppositionto their

expectations.Forexample;supposeapersonexpectshisfriendtoloanhim100dollars.Whenheaskshisfriend,hisfriendrefusesanddoesnotgivehimthemoney.Here,thepersongetsangryathisfriendandhisangerremainsinhisheart.Thisisdangerous.It has been related that Imām Sādiq (a) told his followers not to ask people for things unless it is

necessary.Thereasonforthisisclear,whenoneasksforsomethinganddoesnotgetit,hebecomesupset.Hisbeingupsetturnsintoanger.But,wemustthinkpositivelyofthepersonwhodidnotgivewhateverwasaskedfor.Maybehedidnothavewhatwasaskedfor.Maybeheneededwhatwasaskedfor.Didheoweittome?Wasitobligatoryforhimtogiveittome?

PietyStrengthensOne’sFaithAndCoveteousnessWeakensOne’sFaith

SomeoneaskedImāmSajjād(a):“Whatstrengthensfaithandwhatweakensit?”The Imām (a) answered: “Piety (wara‛) strengthens one's faith and covetousness weakens one's

faith.”[2]Manexpectssomeoneelsetocomeandhelphim.Hemustloanmemoney.Hemustfixmyproblems.ThepersonwhobelievesintheonenessofAllah(tawhīd)shouldknowthatAllahistheonlyOnewho

solveshisproblems.ThemeansthatAllahallowstoexistwillonlyworktotheextentthatAllahallows.One's problemwould not be able to be solved ifAllah does notwant it to be solved.A personwhobelievesintheonenessofAllahisonewhoknowsthatallgoodisfromAllahandonewhoknowsthatthecreationsofAllahare justmeansforobtaining thatgood.Supposeonewent toacreatureofAllahandexpectedthatcreaturetosolvehisproblem.Thisisaformofpolytheism.IfIamaMuslimandonewhobelievesintheonenessofAllah,Imustbelikethis:“O'AllahIamgoingtothisperson,butmyhopeiswithyou.Solvemyproblembymeansofthisperson.”

LowerYourExpectations

ThesignofapersonwhoreallybelievesintheonenessofAllahisnotgettingangrywhenhisproblem

remainsunsolved.HesaysthatAllahdidnotwantit.Itwasnotinmybestinterest.But,iftheproblemgetssolvedhe thanksAllahandsays:“MyLord!Youhaveblessedme.Yousolvedmyproblemat thehandsofsoandso.”OfcoursethereisnoprobleminthankingthatpersonaswellbecausethepersonwhodoesnotthankthecreaturewillnotthanktheCreator.[3]Similartowhatwasmentionedbefore,thisisanexampleofAllah'sfavor.So,itisnecessarytothank

themeansthatAllahmadeforfixingone'sproblem,notthankingthemeansindependently;forthatwouldbeaformofpolytheism.Manbecomesangrywhenhehasanexpectationfromsomeone,butthatpersondoesnotliveuptohis

expectations.Fromthebeginning,onemustknowthatitisnotintheotherperson'shands.IfAllahwantedtheproblemtobesolvedhewouldhavesolveditthroughhimoranotherperson.Onewillneverhavethisunwarrantedangerifhethinkslikethis,becausehewillnothaveanykindofexpectation.

AngerAtOppressorsAndOpenSin

Onemustbecomeangryatoppressors.Forexample,onemustbeangryatthecursedSaddamHussein

whocrossedtheboundaries.ItwouldbeenoughfortheentireMuslimworldtobeangryathimifhisonlycrimewaskillingthelateal-Sadrandhissister,butnowhishandsaredirtywithrespecttothousandsofIranianandIraqiMuslims.Onemustalsobeangryatthosewhocreatecorruption,thosewhocommitsinsopenly.Theamountofangerthatonehasatoppressionandsinshouldbeinrelationtothatformofoppression

andsin.Somesinsarebiggerthanothersandthelevelofangerforthosesinsshouldbemoreaswell.Forexample,thesethreesinsaredifferent,awomanhavingalittlebitofherhairoutsideofherhijāb,a

mandrinkingalcoholopenlyandamankillinganinnocentperson.Thefirstsinisthesmallestsinandthelastoneisthebiggest.Thisholdstrueforseekingrevengeaswell.Forexample,youcannotdomorethanslaponewhoslaps

youoryoucannotsweartwiceatsomeonewhosworeatyouonce.Ofcourse,inanycaseitisbettertoforgive.Thereisapleasurefoundinforgivingthatisnotfoundinrevenge.

IfOneOver-RetaliatesTheOtherPersonhastheRighttoCounter-Retaliate

Itisagainstreligiousdoctrinetoover-retaliateortocrossthelineingettingrevenge.Ifoneslanders

anotherhemustreceivethereligiouspunishment(hadd)andifonewrongfullyhitsanotherhemustpayblood-money(dīyah).Forexample,supposesomeoneslappedyouandyourskinbecamered,butwhenyou retaliated you slapped him and his skin became black. Here, you must pay the amount of goldspecifiedinthebooksofjurisprudenceunderthesectionofblood-money.Ananimal isonewho isunorganized inhisactions.Animalisticanger is anger thatwhenone seeks

revengehegetswhateverkindrevengethathecan,evenifitislikeapredatorywolfthatkillshisprey.As aprinciple, anger is good, but itmust beused in the correctway and to the correct extent.One

shouldbeangryatoppressionandsinandevenshouldseekthecorrectamountofrevenge.ThegloriousQurānsaysthefollowingaboutthisissue:“..Shouldanyoneaggressagainstyou,assailhiminthemannerheassailedyou.”[4]49Youcannotafflictmoreaggression.Firstonemustknowtowhatlevelhehasbeenoppressed,thenhe

mustbecarefulnottostepoverthelineinretaliation.For this reason there isnocharacteristicofabeliever in theQurān that sayshemustnotevershow

anger.

TheHereafterIsForOneWhoDoesNotSeekSuperiority

IbnFahdHillīsaid:“Supposetherearetwopeoplewhoareangryandyouwanttoknowif theyare

believersornot.Telloneofthem: 'BecauseofAllah,forgetaboutit.'Ifheisanunbelieverhewillnotpayattentiontoyou.But,ifyouputsomemoneyinhishandandsaycalmdown,hewillcalmdown.”Mostpeopleareexamplesoftheverse:“Theyarestucktothemateriallifeandbelongingsandarenot

interestedinthehereafter.”ShaykhBahā'īsaid:“Scholarsmustnotforgetthisverse;“ThisistheabodeoftheHereafterwhichWe

shallgranttothosewhodonotdesiretodomineerintheearth..”[5]Theworldisnotimportantforhim.Howdotheyobtainthislevelofspirituality?Animportantpoint

aboutthisverseisthatitsaid'thosewhodonotdesire’not'thosewhodonotgoafter.'Intheirheartstheydo not want superiority; they do not want to become famous, because the one who wants fame orsuperiorityisignorant.Theyhaveyettounderstandtherealityofthisworld.Theyhavenotgoneafterthehereafter. It is self-evident that an ignorant person will not benefit from the next world’s positionsbecause:“..Arethosewhoknowequaltothosewhodonotknow?”[6]Thescholarsaretheoneswhoknow,theyaretheone'swhoalwaysrememberAllah.[7]Thisworldwillremainmoreimportantthanthehereaftertoanignorantperson.Whatexpectationsdoyouhavefromhim?Apersonexiststotheextentofhisknowledge.HowwillonewhohasnotsteppedoutoftherealmofanimalsstepintotheneighborhoodoftheLordoftheuniverse?

One’sLoveOfTheHereafterBecomesClearWhenOneIsAngryOrLustful

The importanceorunimportance thatonegives to thehereafterbecomesclearwhenone is angryor

lustful.Oneonlythinksofhishonorinthislifeorhisworldlypositionwhenthehereafterisunimportantforhim.It shouldnotbe left unsaid that Islamicpunishment canonlybe carriedout in a courtroom from the

rulingofanIslamicjudge.Ifthiswasnotthecasetherewouldbemayhemandanarchy.Forthisreasonitisunlawfulforonetotakerevengefromsomeonewhooppressedhimwithoutajudge'sconsent.HemustgotoanIslamiccourtoranIslamicjuristtogethisright.

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9ChapterLecture8:LustResultsInTheContinuationOfHumanLife

Lustandangerare two traits, twopowers thatAllahput insideman.Thecontinuationofmankind is

dependentonthesetwotraits.Lustisusedtoattractbenefitsandangerisusedtokeepawayloss.Ifonedidnothaveanylustordesirehewouldnotgoafterthethingsthathisbodyneeds.Onewouldnoteatifhedidnothaveadesireforfood,andwhenhedoesnoteathewoulddie.So,itisablessingthatonehasthisdesireforfoodthatforceshimtostruggletoobtainsomethingtoeat.Sexual desires are also necessary for the prolongation of human life.Nobodywould getmarried if

sexualdesiresdidnotexist,becausemarriedlifehasitsdifficultiesandbadtimes.Forthisreasontheremustbeadesire,alustinmanforhimtomarryandhavechildren.So,sexualdesiresarenecessaryforthecontinuationofhumanlife.

SpiritualGrowthIsAlsoFoundInAngerandLust

hesocialorderofmanwouldbecomedestroyedifmandidnotgetangry,ifmanwasindifferenttohis

propertybeing stolen, to his life being takenor to the life of his lovedone's being taken.That personwouldnotdoanything;hewouldnotprotecthismoneyorhishonor.So,angerisnecessarytoprotecthimfromallsortsoflossesthathewouldbefacedwith.Thesetraits,lustandangerarenecessaryinthisworldandarealsonecessaryforthenextworld.One's

religionisalsodependentonthesetwotraits.Onemustchoosethemiddlecourseinthesetraits;onemustnotbecome,forexample,tooangryornotangryenough.Bothbecomingtooangryornotangryenougharemistakes.Determiningthemiddlecourseisdependantontheintellectandreligiousdecrees.One'sintellect,when

ithasgrownenoughtobeabletodeterminerightfromwrong,anddivinelawsguidemantofindingthemiddlecourse.

BecomingTooAngryOrLustfulOrNotAngryOrLustfulEnoughIsDangerous

Amanwhobecomestooangryortoolustfulornotangryenoughornotlustfulenoughwillbelower

thananyanimal.Themiddle course of these two traits is the straight path (sirāt al-mustaqīm).[1]One's state in the

hereafterdependsonhisstateinthisworld.Thepersonwhofallsoffthemiddlecourseinthisworldwillfallinthenextworldaswell.Mostofthebadthingsanddifficultiesthathappeninthisworldarebecauseofman'sactions.[2]

TheMiddleCourseInEating;NotBeingExcessive

Onewillbehealthyifhefollowsthemiddlecourseregardingthedesireforfood.Themiddlecoursein

eatingiseatingthenecessaryamountandvarietyoffood.TheQurānordersus:“Eatanddrink,butdonotbeexcessive.”[3]Thecommanderofthefaithful,Imām‛Alī(a)alsohasgivenanorderinthisregard.Hesaidthatone

shouldnoteatuntiloneishungryandshouldstopeatingbeforeoneisfull.Ifoneeatswhenheisfullhewillget adigestivedisease.This isbeingexcessive.On theother sidenot eatingenough isnot eatinganythingfor24hours.Forthisreason,ithasbeencommandedforapersonwhoisfastingtoeatsomethingatnight.ForthisreasoneatingsomethingbeforedawnhasbecomepartoftheIslamicculture.ThepoetS‛adīhaswroteapoemin this regards:“Donoteatsomuchso that foodfallsoutofyour

mouthanddonoteatsolittlesothatyoudieofweakness.”One should not becomeweak due to lack of eating and one should not eat somuch that he would

becomesickandgetdigestivediseases.Somehavesaid:“Thestomachisthehomeofallpain.”Thiswasabouttheamountoffood,butaboutthekindsoffood:

AColorfulDinnerTableAndDifferentDiseases

Neverbecomeaccustomedtoeatingallkindsofdifferentfoodatonce.Themorekindsoffoodthatman

eats themore health problems hewill have.He thinks that hewill become stronger from eating thesedifferentkindsoffoods,butitistheopposite.Thedifferentkindsofsweetsandfattyfoodsthatoneeatsbringhimclosertogettingdiabetesandotherdiseases.Onewhoisusedtoeatingdifferentkindoffoodsmustalsospendalotofmoney.Forthisreasonitis

possibleforhimtocommitanycrimeinordertoprovidehisstomachwithwhatitwants.Butwhenoneissatisfiedwithwhateverisbroughttohim,whenonedoesnotcaretoeatdifferentkindsoffoodhewillnotcommitthesecrimes;insteadhewillfightagainsthisnafs.YouhaveheardhowAbuDharr foughtagainsthispersonaldesiresanddidnot acceptMu‛āwīyah's

elaboratedinnerinvitationsorpouchesofgold.Instead,hewassatisfiedwithbarleybread.Onewhoissatisfiedishonored.Hepaysattentiontowhatisallowedandwhatisforbidden.So,beingexcessiveineatingornoteatingenoughiswhenonestepsoutoftheordinaryandnecessary

amountorvarietiesof food that thebodyneeds.Themiddlecourse iseating thenecessaryamountandvarietiesoffoodthatthebodyneeds.

OneMustFollowTheMiddleCourseInSexualDesiresAsWell

Themiddlecoursemustbefollowedinsexualdesires;thedesiretotouchtheoppositesex.Oneshould

notrefrainfrommarriagebecausethishasbeenorderedagainst.TheProphetofIslam(S)said:“Marriageisagoodcustom(sunnah)andsomethingthatIhavedone.Onewhodoesnotactaccordingtomycustomsisnotfromme.”[4]Refrainingfrommarriageall together isa formofnegligence.Allahgavemansexualdesiresso that

manwillprocreate.TherehasbeenatraditionfromtheMessengerofAllah(S)regardingthisaswell.Hesaid:“Getmarriedandhavechildren.IncreaseinpopulationsoIcantakeprideatyourbeinglargerthanothercommunitiesontheDayofJudgment.”[5]Beingexcessiveinsexualdesiresisalsoamistake.Supposeoneisnotabletotakecareofonewoman,

hewillonlycausehimselfandotherspain ingettinganotherwife.Also,differentdiseasesoccurwhenoneperformstheactexcessively.One'slifespanalsobecomesshorterwhenhedoesthisinexcess.

TheMiddleCourseInMarriageIsRelative

Themiddlecourseregardingsexualdesiresmustbeadheredto.Oneshouldmarryaccordingtowhat

thedivinelawsaysandaccordingtowhatman'snaturesays.Aftermarriage,oneshouldperformtheactaccordingtohisbody'sability.Theabilityofmen'sbodiesdiffer;likewisethemiddlecoursediffersfrommantoman.Forsomeonceaweekisthemiddlecourse,forsometwiceaweekandforsomeonceeverytwoweeks.

TheSpiritualBenefitsOfMakingAFamily

Itisnecessaryforone'ssoultomakeafamily.Onefindsperfectionafterdealingwiththedifficultiesof

marriage and childbearing. As I alluded to before, religious decrees are related to man's nature andinstincts.Onewhoactsinexcessorrefrainsfromsatisfyinghisdesiresnotonlyhasactingagainstdivineorders but will also suffer spiritual and physical diseases. He will lose the blessings of having ahouseholdwhichwillperfecthimonaspirituallevel.

DoNotOppressNorBeOppressed

Angeralsohasamiddlecourse.Themiddlecourseofangerisnecessaryandmanbecomesperfected

init.Onemust not remain indifferentwhen his property, loved ones, honor or life is put in danger. It is

correct to be angry at these times. As long as one is able, he must not let someone take awaythehalālmoneythathehasobtained.Thesamegoesforhishonor,lifeandlovedones.TheQurānsays:“Donotoppressnorbeoppressed.”[6]Donothitsomeonewithoutreasonanddonot

allowsomeonetohityou.AsentencefromtheBiblehasbeennarratedthatIdonotbelieveisfromdivinerevelation.Thereisno

doubt that theBible and theTorahhavebeen tamperedwith.They say that Jesus (a) said: “Wheneversomeonehitsyou,turnyourcheeksothattheycouldhittheothersideaswell.”Thisisinoppositiontojusticeandman'snature.Donotkillanddonotletsomeonekillyou.Donothit

anddonotletsomeonehityou.Donotfightwithoutacause,butfightifthereisacause.

BeingIndifferent

Supposesomeoneisindifferentandsays:“Theycame,what'sittome?Theyleft,what'sittome?They

werekilled,what'sittome?”ThispersonislikewhattheCommanderoffaithful(a)said:“Apersonwhodoes notmove to fight againstwrong, or at least, does not feel angry in his heart, is like a deadmanwalking.”I havepreviouslydescribedwhatbeing too angry is andwhatnotbeing angry enough is.Notbeing

angryenoughisbeingindifferenttosomeonetakingone'sproperty,life, lovedonesorhonor.Beingtooangryisbecomingangrywhenoneshouldnotbecomeangryorexceedingthelimitsofangerevenwhenoneshouldbeangry.Onemustrefrainfrombothofthesecases.Igaveexamplesofbothofthesecasesinthelastlecture.Iexplainedthatsomeofthecaseswhereoneshouldnotbecomeangryareduetohavingfalse expectations.For example,oneexpects everyone to standupand treathimwith respectwhenheentersaroom,butwhenoneortwopeopledonotstanduphegetsangry.Whatkindofexpectationwasthat?

TheProphet(S)DidNotWantRespect

Itisamistaketoexpectmantorespectyou.TheMessengerofAllah(S),withallofhismajesty,said

thathedidnotagreewiththewaythateveryoneshowedhimrespectwhenheenteredameeting.TheProphet(S)didnotexpectotherstorespecthim;hedidnotconsiderhimselfbetterthanothers.Itis

thecommunity'sdutytorespecthim,buthewantedtoshowthatoneshouldnotexpectotherstorespecthim nor should he consider himself better than others. TheMessenger of Allah (S) did not considerhimselfbetterthanhisnation;insteadheconsideredhimselftheirservant.Hedidnotexpectanythingfromthem,hewasaservantsentbyAllah.Forthisreason,hisrewardisalsowithAllah.[7]Respectingandlovinghisfamily,whichhasbeenordered,isfortheMuslims;itisabenefitfortheMuslimsthemselves.[8]

BeHappyIfSomeoneDidNotTreatYouIll

Especially,thereligiousscholarsandseminarystudentsshouldfollowthisstrategyoftheProphet(S).

Oneofthegreatscholarssaidthatascholarshouldexpectpeopletothrowstonesathimwhenheleaveshishouseandwhen thatdoesnothappenhe shouldbe thankful.Ascholar shouldnotexpectpeople togreethim,treathimwithrespectandkisshishands.YouareafolloweroftheProphet(S);youhaveandheardabouthowmuchhehasbeentortured,howbadhehasbeentreated,howmuchhehasbeenhitbystonesandbones.Now, I shouldsay:“Iamascholar. Iamasayyid.Respectme.”But, if theydonotrespectmeshouldIbecomeangry?

TheProphet(S)AndImāms(A)DidNotHaveExpectations

Youshouldnotexpectotherstoserveyou;insteadyoushouldservemankind.Donotdesiretobecome

higherorbetterthanothers;insteadfollowthepathoftheProphet(S)andthepureImāms(a).It has been related that, in one of the Islamicwars, the Prophet's companions slaughtered a sheep.

Everyoneofthemhadacertainjobtodo.TheMessengerofAllah(S)wenttocollectfirewoodandtheytoldhim:“Weareyourservants,OMessengerofAllah.Sitdownandrelax,wewillcollectthefirewoodourselves.”TheProphetrespondedbysayingthathewouldfeelshyfromhisLordifhewouldconsiderhimselfinahigherpositionthanhiscompanions.[9]

WeShouldNotExpectGreetingsAndRespect

I am trying to say that the scholarsmust lower their expectations.They shouldnot expect people to

serve them. (Of course, thepeoplehave their ownduty, they should respect scholars.)For example, ascholarshouldnotexpectthepeopletogreethim;insteadtheyshouldfollowtheProphet's(S)exampleandgreetthepeople.JustliketheProphetsaid:“TherearethreethingsthatIwillnotleaveaslongasIamalive;oneofthemisgreetingthepeoplebeforetheygreetme.”(Thesecondandthirdthingsaresittingonthegroundandnotwalkinginfrontofothers.)

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10ChapterLecture9:LustAndAngerMustBeInAccordanceToOne’sIntellectAndDivineDecree

We said that Allah, with His perfect wisdom, gave man two powers, lust and anger. If these two

powersareincongruencewiththethirdpower,intellect,manwillbesuccessful.Hewillachieveblissinthisworldandthenext.Manwillreachperfectionifthesetwopowersareusedinthemiddlecourse,thecourseacceptedbyboththeintellectandthedivinedecreesgiventousbytheprophets.Manwillfallifheactsinexcess.Hewillleavethehumanworldandentertheanimalworld.AccordingtotheQurānhewillbeevenlowerthananimals.

PhysicalAndSpiritualBenefitsFoundInFood

Eatingtoolittleiswhenallofthenecessaryfoodproductsdonotreachone'sbody.Apersonwhoeats

toolittledoesnotbenefitfromthegoodthingsthatAllahcreatedforhim.Onemustbenefitfromfoodbothmateriallyandspiritually.Whenoneeatshalāl food itwillbothstrengthenhisbodyandstrengthenhissoul.ThereasonforthisisthatthereisalittlebitofAllah'sperfectioninthefood.Manmusteatsweetfruitandpayattentiontowhocreatedthefruit.HeshouldthinkaboutthepowerandwisdomHemusthavehadtomakethesefruitsfromwateranddirt.HeshouldthankAllahandincreasehis loveofHim.Oneshould benefit from the delicious food that Allah has made. So, one has lost both physically andspirituallyifhedoesnotbenefitfromfood..

WorshippingOne’sStomach

Eatingtoomuchisworshippingone'sstomachandgoingaftercompletecomfort.It iseatingwithout

eventhinkingaboutit,justlikeananimalfillshisstomach.[1]Excessintheamountoffoodiseatingmorethanwhatisnecessaryandexcessinthetypesoffoodiseatingmanydifferentvarietiesoffoodwithoutthinkingabouttheirphysicalorspiritualbenefitsandharms.Eatinginexcessiseatingwithoutthinking.

One,WhileEating,ShouldRememberThatAllahBlessedHimWithThisFood

OneshouldremembertheOnewhoblessedhimwhileheiseatingatthedinnertable.Itisgoodtosay

'inthenameofAllah'(bismillah)beforetakingeverybiteoffood.OneshouldnoteatfoodthatAllah'snamehasnotbeenpronouncedover.[2]ThelateSayyidbinTāūs(r)actedinaccordancetothisversewithevery typeof food, even though it is onlyobligatory to recite thenameofAllahwhen slaughtering ananimal.Ifoneintentionallydoesnotsaybismillahwhileslaughteringananimaltheanimalwillfallunderthecategoryofadeadbodyanditsmeatwillbeforbiddentoeat.TheSayyidactedaccordingtothiswithalltypesoffood.Forexample,theSayyidwouldnotdrinkmilkifthepersonwhomilkedthecowdidnotstartbysayingbismillahorhewouldnoteatbreadifthebakerdidnotstartbysayingbismillah.Aservantwhoknowsreality,whothanksAllahwheneating,isnotonlyawareofAllahwhileheeats,

butheisawareofhimwheneverheisbenefitedbyanything.

TheMiddleCourseInMarriageAndAnger

Onewaytobeexcessiveinmarriageisnottomarryatall.Thisisagainstman'snatureandthecreation

ofmankind.Menandwomenmarryforsocialreasons,buildingafamilyandprocreating.Beingexcessiveontheothersideismarryingorperformingtheactmorethanthenecessaryamount.Angerhas alsobeendiscussed.Whenonedoesnot usehis anger enoughhe is indifferent to crimes

committedagainsthim.Hedoesnotcareifhispropertyisstolen,ifhislifeorhonoristaken,orifoneofhis loved one's life is taken. This same person is indifferent when he sees sin. He does not help theoppressedanddoesnottrytostoptheoppressor.Whatisexcessiveanger?Wearegoingtotalkaboutthis;thisisaveryimportantsubjectespeciallyfor

thegeneralpublic.Excessiveangerdestroysone's life in thisworldand thenext.For this reason it isimportantforallofustoknowwhatitisandactaccordingtowhateverweunderstood.

TheProphet(S)NeverHadPersonalAnger

Angercanbeexcessiveeitherbecauseofhowonebecameangryorhowoneshowedhisanger.Anger

becomesexcessivewhenonebecomesangryat a timewhenneither the intellectnor thedivinedecreeallowsit.Anexamplegivenearlierisonebecomingangryatsomeonewhodidnothaveachoiceinwhathe did. This is against the intellect and against religious law.Another case iswhen one does not actaccording to another's expectations.Whydid youhave expectations so that youwouldget angrywhensomeoneactedagainstthem?TheMessengerofAllah(S)neverhadpersonalangerdirectedatsomeonewhoactedagainstwhathe

(S)wanted.TheProphet'seyeswerealwaysdivine;hewouldbecomeangryatdisbelief,corruptionandsin.

Imām‛Alī’(A)And‛AmrBin‛AbdWudd

OurImām'salsoactedlikethis.Everyonehasheardthat‛Amrbin‛AbdWuddspatinImām‛Alī's(a)

facewhentheywereatwar.Imām‛Alī(a)didnotkillhimatthatmoment;insteadhewaitedforalittlewhileandthenchoppedhisheadoff.Afterpeopleaskedhimwhyhehesitated,hesaidthatifhewouldhavekilledhimatthatmomenthewouldhavebeenactingaccordingtopersonalangerwhichiswrong.

Tribalism

Anotherkindofangeriscomingtotheaidofsomeonewithwhomyouhavesomekindofrelationship

eventhoughheisinthewrong.Forexample,ifapersoninyourfamilycommitsacrimeandyouhelphimonlybecauseheisamemberofyourfamily.Onemusthelptheoppressednottheoppressor,eveniftheoppressorisone'schild.Sometimespeoplehelpoutmembersoftheirowngang,eveniftheyareoppressors,justbecausethey

arefromthesamegang.

TribalismIsAgainstTheDivineDecree

ImāmSajjād(a)saidthatnegativetribalismiswhenapersonthinksthatabadpersonfromhistribeis

betterthangoodpeoplefromanothertribe.[3]Theythinkthataterriblepersonisgoodonlybecauseheisamemberoftheirtribeorfamily.

LovingOne’sFamilyAndTribalismAreTwoDifferentThings

Iwillalsomentionthepointthatonemustloveone’sfamily.ThisisanaturalfeelingthatAllahputin

man.Onemustalsoloveone’sfriends.Hemusthelphisfamilyandhisfriends,butwhatisdislikedandbadishelpingoutafriendorafamilymemberevenwhenheisanoppressor.Onemusthelphisfamilyandfriends,butnotinoppression.Onemustnotdifferentiatebetweenfamilymembersandotherpeoplewhenitcomestooppression.Onemustalwaysactinaccordancetojustice.ImāmSādiq(a)said:“Thearmyontherightsideisjustandtheopposingarmyactsinaccordancewith

tribalism.”Onemusthelptheoppressedevenifone'ssonistheoppressorandevenifhishelpwillhurthisson.Onemusthelptheoppressedevenifthehelpthathegiveswillhurthisownself.TheQurānsaysthefollowingaboutthis:“Standupforjustice…evenifitisagainstyourownselves.”[4]Forexample,supposeoneofyourfriendsorrelativesgotinafightandhewasintheright.Hereyou

shouldgivewitnesstohelpyourfriendorrelative.But,ifyouknowthattheotherpersonwasintherightyoumustgivewitnessagainstyourfriendorrelative.Thisshouldnotbeexclusivetothecourtroom,butinanycasethatyoumustgivewitness.Oneshouldnotforgetaboutthepersonwhoisintherightbecauseofpersonalissues.

Justice

Ifman isnot justhe isananimal.Hewillnotpayattention towho is in the rightandwho is in the

wrong.Wemustmakeapacttopayattentiontowhoisintheright,evenifitisourenemy.So, the opposite of tribalism is justice. One must become angry at oppression, no matter who is

oppressed,andattheoppressor,nomatterwhoheis.Here,onemustputhispersonalfeelingsaside.[62][63][64][65]

11ChapterLecture10:ShowingAngerwithTheTongue,HandorHeart

Sometimesonecanbeexcessiveinangerata timewhenoneshouldbeangry.This isnotgood, if it

occurs.Oneshouldbecomeangryatoppressionandsinwithhistongue,withhishandandwithhisheart,butshouldmakesuretoactinthecorrectfashion.Howangryshouldonebecome?Thedifferentstagesofangerusingone'stonguehandorheartwillbecomeclearbygivingsomeexamples.Exceedingthelimitsusingthetongue-It isnaturalthatabelieverwillbecomeangrywhensomeone

sayssomethingbadtohim.Inthiscase,thebestthingtodointheviewofIslamiscontrolone'sangerandremainsilent.

AnswerBadWithGood

It would be very good if one could not only refrain from replyingwith bad language, but give the

personadviceinanicetoneusinggoodmanners.Forexampleifonewouldtellhim:“Youarearespectedpersonwhompeoplelookupto.Itwouldbeashameifyourrespectwouldbeloweredintheireyes.”IfaMuslim isable toanswerbad languagewithgood language,heshouldanswerbadactionswith

goodactions.Forexample,youcangivesomeonewhoneedssomethingwhatheneedsevenifthatsamepersondidnothelpyououtwhenyouwereinneed.Ifoneisabletoanswerbadwithgood,hisenemieswould lose their hatred for him and would become his friends, even better than friends, they wouldbecomelikefamilymembers.Ofcourse,noteveryoneisabletodothis.Onlythepeoplewhohaveahighleveloffaithareabletodo

thisandbenefitfromtheirgoodhabits.

TheOtherPersonWillBeAshamedWhenYouActWellWithThem

At first it is difficult to answerwith goodwords someonewho swore at you, but later it becomes

pleasurabletodoso.Sometimesmen,inordertofeelbetter,answeroneswearwithtendifferentswears.Notonlydoesthismakethatpersonfeelworse,hegetsevenangrieranditresultsinmakinganenemy.A personwho answers bad languagewith good language,who controls his anger,who acts like an

adult,istheonewhowillbecomecalmandfeelbetterwhilethepersonwhousedbadlanguagewillbeashamedandregretful.

AnEyeForAnEyeLimitedByTheDivineDecree

One can perform one of the following three actions to someonewho swears at him.He can either

forgivehimandremainsilentoranswerhisbadlanguagewithgoodlanguage,orifhecannotdoanyofthesehe can swear at theperson just like the latter swore at him.For example if someone calledhimstupidhecanreply:“You're thestupidone.”But,hedoesnothave theright tosayanythingagainsthisfather,motherorbrother.The Qurān says: “..Should anyone aggress against you, assail him in the manner he assailed

you.”[1]Oneisunabletooppresstheoppressortoahigherdegreeofoppressionthanhewasoppressedhimself.Ifoneswearstwicerespondingtooneswear,hehascrossedthelimits.There is no eye for an eye regarding false accusations. The accused cannot claim that the accuser

committedthecrimethathesayswascommitted.Forexample,theaccusedcannotaccusetheaccuserofcommitting adultery in return for a false accusation.What the accused cando is charge the accuser ofmakingfalseaccusationsandifitisconfirmedhewillbepunishedIslamically.[2]Thedangerhereisonelosingcontrolofone’stongueinthestateofangerandsayingmorethanoneis

allowedtosaywhichresultsinbecomingdivinelyresponsible.But,inanycase,onemayrespondwithbadlanguage,ifitisnotafalseaccusation,lieorslanderand

notoutsidethelimits.One'stongueeasilygoesoutofcontrolandtheonlythingthereistocontrolitisthefearofAllah.

DignityAndComfortInFrontOfTribalism

Here we will mention a verse from Surah al-Fath: “When the faithless nourished bigotry in their

hearts, thebigotryofpagan ignorance,Allah sentdownHiscomposureupon theApostleandupon thefaithful, and made them abide by the word of God-wariness, for they were the worthiest of it anddeservedit,andAllahhasknowledgeofallthings”.[3]TheArabsintheageofIgnorance,inadditiontohavingsatanicandanimalisticanger,weremoreracist

andmoretribalisticthanothernations.Accordingtoaprophetictradition,tribalismwasthecauseoftheirfall.Theirtribalismmadethemarrogant,andbecauseofittheycontinuedtoacceptthefalseslogansthattheirfellowtribesmenwouldsay.The unbelievers had this spirit of ignorant tribalism while Allah gave his Prophet and those who

followedhimpeaceandcomfortsothattheyhaddignityinfrontoftheunbelievers.

ThePeaceTreatyOfHudaybīyah

Thisversewas revealedabout thepeace treatyofHudaybīyahwhichhasbeenmentioned in Islamic

historyandisoutsideofourdiscussion.ThepolytheistssentSuhaylbin‛AmrtotheProphet(S)astheirrepresentative in writing the treaty. The Messenger of Allah (S) recited the peace treaty and theCommander of the faithful (a) wrote it down. The Prophet said: “Write 'In the name of Allah, theCompassionate,theMerciful’.”TheCommanderofthefaithfulwroteit.Suhaylsaid:“WedonotknowtheCompassionate,theMerciful.Nothinghasreachedusaboutthisfrom

ourancestors.”SomeMuslimscomplainedandsaidthatthesentencemustremainasitwas.TheMessengerofAllah(S)said:“Whatshouldwewrite?”Suhaylsaid:“Writing:‘inyourname,OAllah’,iscommonamongstus.”TheProphetsaid;“‛Alī,erasewhatyouwroteandwrite:‘inyourname,OAllah’.”This isnot something so serious thatone should fightoverand ruin thepeace treatywhich is in the

benefitofIslamandtheMuslims.What losswill thosewordscause?Theprinciple is that itshouldbestartedinthenameofAllah;itdoesnotmatterwithwhichsentence.ThosepeoplehadasatanicformoftribalismintheirheartsandforthatreasonAllahgavetheMuslimspeaceintheirheartstobearwhathesaid.

InAnyCase,Muhammad(S)IsAProphet

TheProphet(S)thensaid:“Write:‘ThisdocumentisbetweenMuhammad,theMessengerofAllah,and

Suhaylbin‛Amr.”Whenitwaswritten,Suhaylsaid:“Wewouldnothavefoughtyouifwethoughtthatyouwereaprophet

sentfromAllah.”ThecompanionsgotangryandafightwasabouttobreakoutwhentheProphet(S)said:“Noproblem,

eraseit.”‛Alī(a)asked:“OMessengerofAllah(S)!HowcanIeraseyourtitle?”TheProphettookthedocumentanderasedthewords'theMessengerofAllah'himself.MuhammadisaProphetwhethertheywriteitornot.IswritingthatMuhammadwasthemessengerof

Allahworthfightingover?Isitworthdestroyingthepeacetreatyover?

DoNotLoseYourCalm

A believer is onewhose soul and veins are full of piety.A believer always considersAllah to be

presentandwatchingeverything.His tongueandeyesare inhiscontrolandhedoesnotbecomeangrybecauseofhisnafs.IfhebecomesangryitisforAllah.Suhayl bin ‛Amr disrespected the Prophet (S) and the Prophet refrained from getting angry. This is

thesunnahoftheProphet(S).Onemustnotlosehiscalm.Oneshouldremainpious.Oneshouldnotshowsatanic and animalistic anger at ignorance. One must show dignity and calmness when dealing withignorant, tribalistic people. TheQurān describes the believers as having the following characteristic:“..When ignorant people address them they say peace (salām).”[4]TheArabic term salām is derivedfromsalama.Itmeansthatwedonothaveanyfightwithyou.Wearenotlikeyouignorantpeoplewhousesuchbadlanguagewithsomeone.AMuslimisonewithwhomotherMuslimsfeelsafe.[5]

SteppingOverTheLimitsOfAnger

AccordingtotheQurānitisbettertoforgivesomeonewhoslapsyou.[6]OneshouldnotsaythatifI

forgivehim,hewillslapanotherperson. It isusual foracriminal to feelupsetandaskfor repentancewhenthevictimforgiveshim.It isbetter tofightone'snafsandforgive thatpersonrather thanseekingrevenge.Thereasonforthisis that therevengemustequaltheharmthatwasinflictedanddoingthatisverydifficult.Forthisreason,forgivingthepersonisclosertopietythanseekingrevenge.

DoNotBearOppressionAtTheBeginning

We should also remember the verse of Qurān that says: “Do not commit oppression nor be

oppressed.”[7]Thisisregardingoppressionatthefirststage.Forexample,nobodysaidletapersonwhowants to hit you, hit you. Likewise, nobody said to let someonewhowants to kill you, kill you. TheCommanderof the faithful (a) said that someonewhodoes this is like someonewhocommits suicide.[8]Thereasonforthisisbecausehedidnotdefendhimselfeventhoughhewasabletopreventtheotherpersonfromkillinghim.Theysaythatitisbettertoforgivesomeoneratherthanseekingrevengeafterhehashityou.Thereisa

pleasurethatisinforgivingthatisnotfoundinrevenge.Thefollowinghasbeenmentionedintheexplanationoftheversethatsaysforgivingisclosertopiety:

therearethreethingsthatonecandoafterbeingwounded.Thefirstisforgivingthecriminal,thesecondisasking forbloodmoneyand the third isphysicallypunishinghim.Thisverdictmustbegivenby theIslamicjudge(hākimal-shari‛).Thepunishmentcannotbeanybiggerthanthewounditself.Forexample,Qanbar, Imām ‛Alī's (a) servant was whipping someone as an Islamic punishment. He accidentallywhippedthepersononeextratimeandtheImāmsaidthatQanbarmustbewhippedonetimebythepersonwhowaswhipped.It isbettertoforgivethepersonbecausepunishingsomeoneequallyisdifficult.Inanycase,thebest

thingtodoisforgivethepersonandthesecondbestthingtodoisaskforbloodmoney.But,ifsomeonewantstophysicallypunishthecriminal,hemustdosoequally.So,youarenotallowedtoslapsomeonetwicewhoslappedyouonce.Also,youcannothitsomeone

whostruckyouandleftaredmark,insuchawaysoastoleaveablackmark.Ifonedoesthishemustpaytheextraamountinbloodmoney.

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12ChapterLecture11:EnvyDestroysOne’sHealth

Wemustunderstandwhatcreatesenvyandrefrainfromit.Thissicknessisworsethancancerforone's

spirit.Fromthebeginning,onemustcontrolhimselfsothathedoesnotbecomeafflictedwiththisdiseasethat can destroy one's family. Envy starts from becoming angry at the wrong times or becomingexcessivelyangry.Examplesofthesehavebeenmentionedearlier.Forexample,supposetherearetwoworkmates.Oneofthemgetsapromotionandtheotheronedoes

not.Theonewhodidnotgetpromotedgetsangryatthefactthathisworkmategotpromotedbuthedidnot.Thisangerwillresultinenvy.Hisenvywillgrowandhewillwishthathisformerworkmategetsdemoted.Thisformofenvyisharmfulforone'sbodyandsoul.TheCommanderofthefaithful(a)saidintheNahjal-Balāghah:“Itisstrangethatanenviouspersondoesnotpayattentiontohishealth.”[1]It istruethatenvydestroysone'sphysicalhealth.He(a)alsosaid:“Healthcomesfromalackofenvy.”[2]Aman'sspirithasmanydutiesincludingtakingcareofhisbodyandprotectinghisabilities.Whenone

becomesenvioushisspiritonlythinksaboutwhatheisenviousabout.Hisspiritbecomesupsetbecauseitfeelsthatithaslessthanwhatheisenviousabout.Thisevenhasaneffectonone'sappetite.

EnvyDoesNotAllowFaithToRemainInOne’sHeart

Envyalsodestroysone'ssoul.ThefollowingtraditionhasbeennarratedfromUsūlal-Kāfīandother

books:theMessengerofAllah(S)said:“Envyconsumesone’sfaithjustlikefireconsumesfirewood.”Haveyouseenwhatfiredoestofirewood?He(S)saidthatenvydoesthesamethingtoone'sfaith.Onewilldiewithout faith if envygrows insideofhim,becauseenvydoesnot allow faith to remain inhisheart.Inanothertradition,theMessengerofAllah(S)saidtohiscompanions:“Beware,asicknessthatwas

inpreviousnationshasbeenfoundamongstyou.Knowthatthisisaterminaldisease;itisadiseasethatdestroysyourreligion.”[3]Thiswasawarningsignthat theProphetgavetohiscompanionsat theendofhislife.Envyiswhat

took the followers of the previous prophets off the path of religion andwe sawwhat envy did to theMuslimsaftertheProphet(S)passedaway.Envywasthereasonforthedeathofthousandsofpeopleinthe battles of JamalandSiffīn. Review the history of Islam; youwill see that envywas behind everysocialcatastrophethatbefellMuslims.

EnvyKillsScholars

The late Shaykh Jawāhirī wrote in his book Jawāhir al-Kalām, in the chapter of giving testimony,

abouttheconditionsofawitness:“Awitnessmustnotbeenvious.InIslam,awitness'stestimonyisnotacceptedifheisenvious.Heisnotjust.Inotherwords,envyisoneofthegreatersins.”ShaykhJawāhirīused a tradition from the Messenger of Allah (S) to prove that envy is one of the greater sins. ThetraditiondescribedthesinsthatwouldforcedifferentsegmentsofsocietyintoHell.Oneofthethingsthathe(S)saidwas:“Thereligiousscholars[willbesentintoHell]becauseoftheirenvy.”EnvywillmakethosewholearnaboutreligiongotoHelliftheyarenotcarefulandiftheydonotpurifythemselves.ItisbetterifIrelatesomethingwhilewearetalkingaboutthistradition.Tomorrowisthebirthdayof

theninthImām,ImāmJawād(a).BeforeIreadatraditionfromhimIwouldliketosaythattheenvythatdestroys scholars isnotexclusive to scholarswhostudy Islamic jurisprudence, instead it encompassesuniversitystudentsandscholarsofotherfieldsaswell.Asaprinciple,knowledgebringsaboutenvy,beitreligious knowledge or any other knowledge. This is a warning to anyone who has becomeknowledgeable in any field. Because of this Imām Khomeini (r) said that a student in the religiousseminaryorastudentintheuniversitywillbedangerousforthesocietyifhehasnotpurifiedhisself.Hisharmwouldbemorethanhisbenefit.

TheEnviousJudgeTriesToGiveTheImāmTheDeathPenalty

HaveyouheardaboutthestoryofAbūLīlāī,whowasajudgeduringthetimeofImāmJawād?Abū

LīlāīwasajudgeintheAbbasidkhalīfa,Mutawakkil'ssocalledIslamicgovernment.Hewastheheadjudgeandinchargeallofthecourthousesinthecountry.AstoreownerlivedclosetohishousebythenameofZaraqā'. The judge and the store ownerwere friends.One day the judgewent to seeZaraqā'whilehewasverydistressed.Thestoreownerasked:“Yourhonor,whyareyousoupsettoday?”The judge responded: “If you only knew what happened to me in front of the khalīfa today. They

broughtathiefinfrontofme.TheyaskedmehowmuchofhishandshouldbecutandIsaidthattheQurānsaidthataperson’shanduptohiselbowmustbewashedinwudū.[4]So,Isaidthathishandmustbecutfromtheelbow.“Thekhalīfaaskedotherjudgeswhowerepresentinthecourtroomabouttheiropinionandtheysaid

that the hand must be cut from the wrist because all considered that to be the hand in regardstotayammum.“TheKhalīfathenturnedtotheImāmoftheShī‛a,ImāmJawād(a).ImāmJawād(a)said:“Theysaidwhattherulingis”TheKhalīfasaid:“Youtellmetherulingaswell.”Imāmagainsaid:“Theyalreadysaidwhattherulingis.”TheKhalīfainsistedthattheImāmtellhimhisopinionandtheImāmsaid:“Hisfingersmustbecutoff

becauseAllahsaidthatthemasājidbelongtoAllah.[5]Masājidisthepluralformofmasjidwhichmeanspartsofone'sbodythatareonthefloorwhenheprostrates.Thisthiefwillwanttoprayandhemustputthesevenpartsofhisbodyonthegroundwhenheprostrates.Hemustputhistwopalmsonthegroundandforthisreasontheyshouldnotbecut.Instead,onlyhisfingersshouldbecut.When the Imām said this, the Khalīfa said; “Excellent!” and immediately ordered the thief to be

punishedinthewaythattheImāmsaid.At this time it was like the world fell on my head. How was a 25 year old man ahead of me in

knowledge? I'mupset and Iwill not get over it until I dowhat I have to do, even though I know thatwhoeverhelpsinthemurderofthisyoungmanwillgotoHell.Zaraqā' tried toadvicehimagainst itbuthedidnotaccept.Thenextdayhewent to thekhalīfaand

asked him: “Do you knowwhat happened yesterday? Instead of suppressing the personwhom a largenumberofMuslimsconsideras theirImāmandas therightfulkhalīfaof theProphet(S),whoconsideryou to be unjust, you put him forward and strengthened him. Those who thought he was therightfulkhalīfaarenowsaying;'Didn'tyousee,eventhekhalīfaunderstandsthatheishigher.'Theyaresayingthatheisbetter thanothers.Whatabigpoliticalmistakeyoumade!”HekeptmakingstatementslikethistothekhalīfauntilthelatterwasconvincedaboutkillingtheImām(a).Finally,theypoisonedhim(a).

UnderstandingRealityWillNotComeFromReadingBooksAlone

Lookand seehowmany scholars are indangerof this.Mujtahids,doctors, engineers and scientists,

theyareallindangerofthis.But,theknowledgethathasbeenpraisedintheQurānandtraditionsisalightthatshinesinone'sheart.

An example of this is: “The scholars are the inheritors of the Prophets.”[6] This knowledge, theknowledgeofreality,theknowledgeofthemortalityofthisworldandtheimmortalityofthenext,isnotachievedbyreadingalone. It isa light that isgivenbyAllah toapersonwhohaspreparedhimself toreceiveit.

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13ChapterLecture12:Knowledge,LikePropertyandSocialStatus,BringsAboutArrogance

Thereisanimportantpointthatisnecessarytotellyoureligiousstudentsanduniversitystudentsabout.

It isadanger thatwill ruinallyourefforts ifnotunderstood.Thisdanger isarrogance.Thisdanger isfoundineverygroupofpeople,butitismorecommonamongstscholars.Theknowledgethatonehasinanyfieldcancausearrogance.Arrogancedestroyspeople,justlikeitdestroyedIblīs.Thereisatraditionthatsays that thefirstsinonearthwasIblīs'sarrogance.Hefellduetohisarrogancetoaplacewhereeveryonecurseshim.Thedefinitionofarrogance,itsdangerandwhyitiscommonamongstscholarswillbemadeclear.One is arrogant when he imagines himself to be of importance or imagines that he has special

characteristics.He thinks that he does not have anyneeds.He considers himself important because helearned some jargon or he considers himself someone who does not have any needs because he hasbecomerich.Someoneismorelikelytobecomearrogantifhissocialstatusincreasesafterhehasgainedknowledge.Whenonebecomesapresidentofacompanyheseesgreatnessinhimself.

CompoundIgnoranceMakesOneForgetThatHe’sAServant

Thedangerofarroganceisthatonewillleaveworshipandenterintoastateofcompoundignorance.

Ignorance is when one does not see reality. He considers his imagination to be true, not reality. Onereality, for example, is that every existence in every level is less than the existenceof theSeal of theProphets (S).Whoever considershis existence tobedependent, andhis existence tobe fromsomeoneelse,ispresentandeverlasting.But,whoeverthinksthathisexistenceisinhisownhandsmustseethathewilldieevenifhedoesnotwanttoandhewillcontinuetoliveevenifhedoesnotwantto.OnewillnotdieuntilAllahallowshimtodie,evenifhetriestokillhimself.Notonlyishislifeinsomeoneelse'shands,buthisdeathisinsomeoneelse'shandsaswell.Drinking

poisonanddeathisfromAllah.IfAllahwantsonetodiebydrinkingpoisonhewilldie,butifAllahdoesnotwantthis,evenifhedrinkspoisonhewillnotdie.

HeTriedToKillHimselfInTwoDifferentWays,ButSurvived

I read in an article that aman inNewYork took a loan formillions of dollars in order to build a

skyscraper.Theskyscraperwaslefthalfwaydoneandhedidnothavetheabilitytocompleteit.Nobodyelsewould give him a loan.Now, he has a huge debt on his shoulders that is increasing daily due tointerestandhisskyscraperremainedhalfwaydoneandnobodywantedtorentit.Hedecidedtocommitsuicidebyjumpingoff the topfloor.Hethenthought,maybeIwillnotdiebyjumpingsoit isbetter todrinkpoisonandthenjumpoffthebuilding.Hethoughtthathewoulddefinitelydiefromoneofthetworeasons.Hedrankthepoisonandjumped,head-first,offthebuilding.Onhiswaydownhecrashedintoapole on the building and threwup the poison. So, he did not die in eitherway that he had thought hewould.WhenAllahdoesnotwantsomething,thereisnothingthatonecando.Wemustunderstand that life isnot inourhands,not the startof life andnot thecontinuanceof life.

Likewise,deathisalsonotinourhands.Wehavebeencreated,raisedandremainlivingwithoutchoice.EveryoneisdependentonAllahandAllahistheonlyindependentexistence.Manmusthavetheabilitytodowhateverhewantstodo.Isheabletobringaboutthisabilityinhimself?Donotsay:“Iamdoingthis.”Doyouhavetheabilitytodowhatyouwant?Yourexistenceisnotin

your hands for you to be able to say that qualities such as ability are in your hands.Lā hawlawa lāquwataillabillah.

AScholarIsAlsoInNeedOfAllahRegardingHisKnowledge

Oneshouldnotconsiderhimselfindependent,nomatterhowmuchknowledgehehas.Beingdependent

ispartofman'snature.Onemustnotforgetthatheisdependentaslongasheisalive.The place of knowledge is in one's memory. Allah decides how long knowledge remains in one's

memory.Fiftyyearsago,therewasascholarwhotaughtabookcalledMuttawil.Onedaywhenhewokeup he forgot how to recite the first chapter of theQurān.Hewas in a state of forgetfulness.When heentered theclassroom itwasas ifhehadnever read thebookbefore, andas ifhehadneverattendedschoolbefore.Heevenforgothowtosay'inthenameofAllah.'Thememorystoresknowledgelikeacomputerandthismemoryisoneoftheproofsthatone'snafs is

immaterial.Thememoryholdsall information learned, forexample thealphabet thatone learns infirstgrade.Ifone'smemoryistakenfromhimhewillevenforgetthealphabet.So,ascholarisstillinneedofAllah,eveninregardstohisknowledge.

ADoctorWhoAccidentallyKilledHisOwnSon

Adoctor isable tobenefit fromwhathe learned ifhisknowledge remains inhismemory.Butwhat

wouldhappenifAllahdidn'twantittoremaininhismemory?Thesonofadoctor,around30yearsago,hadafeverandthedoctorthoughtthathissonhadmalaria.

The doctor treated him as if he hadmalaria when in reality he had typhoid fever. Themedication oftyphoidfeverandmalariaaredifferent.Thesondiedafterafewdays.Thereisnobodywhowouldworkharderinfindingacureforthatchildotherthanhisfather,buteverythingisfromAllah.Therewasareligiousdoctorwhopassedaway.Hetoldme:“SometimesIgivesomeonemedication

whichIamcertainwillwork.LaterIseethatitdidnothaveapositiveeffect.SometimesmedicationthatI thought might work works perfectly.” It is clear that the effect is also fromAllah. A doctor, like amujtahid,isinneedofhisknowledgeandforthatreasonheshouldnotbecomearrogant.

AScholarMustBeHumble

Amujtahid,adoctorandanengineermustbehumble.Heshouldnotconsiderhimselftobedifferent

fromthelaity.Likewiseamillionairemustnotconsiderhimselfdifferentfromapoorperson.Themilliondollars that one has did not make him a person without needs. Can one's money cure him from anincurabledisease?Itshouldnotbeleftunsaidthatthisisrelatedtothepersonhimself.Themujtahidshouldnotconsider

hisselfhighandotherslow.Heshouldnothavehugeexpectationsofrespect.But,itisotherpeople'sdutyto respect him and hold him high. A scholar in any field must be respected, especially the religiousscholars.Manytraditionshavebeenmentionedaboutthis,forexample,respectingareligiousscholarislikerespectingtheMessengerofAllah(S)justlikemistreatingareligiousscholarislikemistreatingtheMessengerofAllah(S).

14ChapterLecture13:TheCureofArrogance,AccordingToImām‛Alī(A)

Firstonemustunderstandwhatarroganceisandwhereitcomesfrom,thenhewillrealizehowgreata

sinitis.Arroganceisastateoffeelingimportant,feelingthatonehasaspecialplace.Realityistakenfromhim

andheonlyuseshisimagination.Everyone,inreality,isnothing.Everybodyisfromdirtandwillreturntodirt.One'sselfisalsoinrealneed,hislife,healthandpropertyarenotinhishands.The Commander of the faithful (a) says in one of his speeches found in Nahj al-Balāghah: “O'

creaturesofAllah!Allahcreatedyouwithoutyouhavingachoiceandtakescareofyouforaslongasyouarealive.”[1]Man is naturally needy, low and in reality nothing. Imām ‛Alī (a) said in another tradition: “I'm

surprisedaboutthepersonwhoisarrogant.Atthebeginninghewasuncleansemenandattheendhewillbe a decomposedbody andbetween these twohe is good for nothing.”[2]Right now, under our skin,isnajisbloodanditisknownwhatisinourstomachsandintestines.

OneBecomesTheMeasureOfRealityWhenArroganceGrowsInOne’sSpirit

Arrogance is the reason behind many of the sins that man commits. One will not accept reality if

arroganceislefttogrow.Onewillstandagainstthetruth;onewilleventhinkthathehimselfisthetruth.Hewillthinkthathisownopinionsandcustomsarecorrect;hewillnotbeaservantofAllahanymore.HewillnotserveAllah'sfriends(awlīyāAllah).TheywillbelikethosewhowerearrogantandstoodupagainsttheCommanderofthefaithful(a),theyeitherdidnotpayallegiancetohimortheydisobeyedhimaftertheypaidallegiance.Whatcreatesarroganceandwhatstrengthensit?

ArroganceBecauseOfPropertyIsTheResultOfBeingIgnorantAboutReality

The first thing that creates arrogance is property. The natural result of an increase in wealth is an

ignorantformofarrogance.Isaidthatarrogancestemsfromignorance,becausearationalpersonwouldunderstandthatwealthdoesnotaddanythingtohisexistence.Thereisnodifferencebetweenhimandapoorperson,evenifhehasmillionsofdollars.But,whenhiswealthisincreasesheseeshimselfbetterthanpoorpeople.Haveyouheard the traditionwhere theMessengerofAllah(S)wassittingwitharichpersonanda

poorpersonenteredandsatnexttohisrichbrotherinIslam?WhenhesatdowntherichpersontuckedhisclothinginandtheMessengerofAllah(S)protestedandaskedhimwhyhedidthat.Heimmediatelybecameregretfulandsaidthatthereissomethinginmethatforcesmetodothesebad

actions(arrogancewasinhim).HesaidthatheisregretfulforhisactionsandtomakeituphegavehalfofhisbelongingstohispoorbrotherinIslam.TheMessengerofAllah(S)askedthepoorpersonifheacceptedthatandhesaid:“No,becauseIam

afraidthatifItakeitIwilldothesamethingtoanotherpoorperson.”

BeingArrogantBecauseOfKnowledgeIsDangerous

Knowledge thatoneobtains from learning inauniversity, forexample, isworse thanpropertywhen

onethinksthatheisimportantbecauseofhisknowledge.Helooksdownonothers.Itisevenworseifhethinksthiswayaboutreligiousknowledgeandconsidershimselftobeasthetraditionsays:“ThescholarsaretheinheritorsoftheProphets.”[3]Itisdangerouswhenhethinksthatothersmustobeyhimduetohisknowledge.Thisdangerismoreevidentforreligiousstudentsthanothersbecauseinothersarroganceshowsitself

inmonetarysituations.But,withreligiousstudents,arroganceshowsitselfinposition;hisnafswantstobeinahigherposition.Hesays:“Iammoreknowledgeablethanhim,Ihavestudiedmorethanhehas.”Inreality he is worse than the humble illiterate person. Position is in relation to faith and actions. TheknowledgethatisimportantistheknowledgeofAllahandthelastday;itisalightfoundinone'sheartthathumbleshim.

IAmTheLowestOfTheLowest

One,nomatterhowmuchknowledgehehas,islikeadropofwaterinrespecttotheoceanwithregard

totheImām(a).Hewilladmitthisifheisarationalbeing.LookatwhattheImām,whoisasourceofknowledge,whoistheholderofallfieldsofknowledge,does.ImāmZaynal-‛Ābidīn(a)saidinSahīfahal-Sajjādīyah:“Iamtheleastoftheleastandthelowestof

the lowest. I am even smaller than an atom.” The infallible Imām said that he was smaller than thesmallest thing in the eyes of Allah. Now, should a person who considers himself to be a scholararrogantlysaythatheisbetterthansoandso?Allah'sscaleispiety.Areligiousstudentmustnotforgetthatheisneedyandincapable.Hemustnotconsiderhimselfbetterthanothers.Heshouldnotconsiderhimselftobepartofaspecialsegmentofsocietyandtherestofthepeopletobeofthelaity.

IFeelLowerThanYou

Onewould realize thescale is somethingother thanknowledge ifhehasbecomeascholar.For this

reasonheshouldthinkthatmaybethatpersonwhoreligiouslyfollowsme(taqlīd)willgotoheavenandmaybeIwillgotoHell.Hishumilitygrowsandheseeshimselflowerthanothers.Thethirdreasonforsomeonetobecomearrogantisbecauseofpopularityorsocialstatus.Sometimes

thisevencomesfromfamilyrelations,forexampleonewhoisfromacertaintribeoracertaincountrylooksdownatothersandevenrefrainsfrommarryingpeoplefromothersegmentsofsociety.Sometimesthisarrogancecomesfrombeingasayyid.AsayyidissomeonewhoisfromtheMessenger

ofAllah's(S)lineage.HowdidtheMessengerofAllah(S)act?Hewouldsitonthefloorandalwaysbethe first togreet someone, even a child.But, such and such a sayyid expects others to greet him, onlybecauseheisasayyid.

AnUndeservingScholar’sFanaticism

Shaykh wrote a tradition from Imām Hasan al-‛Askarī (a) in Risā'l, in the section of the single

transmission.The Imāmdescribed the bad scholarwhose harm for theMuslimnation is great.He (a)said:“Oneofthesignsofabadscholar isfanaticism.Themorepeoplewhofollowhimthegreaterhefeels,eveniftheyarecorrupt.But,hedoesnotpayattentiontosomeonewhodoesnotfollowhim,evenifheisagoodperson.”Anybodyfromanysocialclasswhoobtainsasocialpositionisafflictedwiththissickness.Hemustdo

somethingtosavehimself.Arationalpersonwouldtrytoescapefromhavingpower;hewouldnotacceptitunlessheisforcedto.

WantingToServePeopleAndSeekingPowerAreTwoDifferentThings

It shouldnotbemisunderstood,a leader isnecessary in Islam.Weneed judgesandmayors.What is

meant is thatoneshouldnotwantposition,but if ithappensheshouldserve thepeople.Heshouldnotwanttobethemayor;heshouldwanttoservethecityandtheMuslims.Thedangeriswhenonewantstobeinpower.

TheCureOfArrogance

Thecureofarrogance isbeinghumble.Forexample,ProphetDāwūdbecameapolitical leader.He

was both a Prophet and a political leader. The following has been taken from the book Man Lāyahdaruhual-faqīh:avoicecamefromthesky:“Dāwūd,youareagoodservant,butyoumakealivingfromthepublictreasury.”DāwūdcriedtoAllahforfortynightsuntilAllahtaughthimhowtomakearmor.Then,Dāwūdwouldmake and sell armor for a living. It has been related that he sold every piece ofarmorfor300Dirhams.Hewouldgive100Dirhamsincharity,100Dirhamstothepublictreasuryandwouldspendtherestofitonhimself.Likewise,hissonSulaymān,whohadpowerover jinn,men,birdsandotheranimals,wouldmakea

livingfrommakingandsellingbaskets.It is understood from traditions like these that a person who has obtained power can fight against

arroganceifhemakeshislivinglikeotherpeople;ifheishumble.Iwillnotsay;“I'mthepresident!”or“I'mtheonebehindthedesk!”or“OthersmuststandwhenIwalkintheroom!”Inatradition,ImāmSādiq(a)orderedoneofhishighestcompanions,MuhammadbinMuslimtotake

somedatesnexttotheKūfaMosqueandsellthem.EventhoughMuhammadwaspartoftheupperclassinsociety he,with all of his heart, accepted the order.Onemust fight against arrogance even if it is bysellingdates.

PracticeNotGivingOrders

Anotherthingonecandoisnotgiveordersbecausewhenonegivesanorderitmeansthathethinkshe

isbiggerthanothers.Sometrustworthypeoplerelate that the lateMīrzāMuhammadTaqīShīrāzīwouldevenrefrainfrom

givingorders inhishouse.Hewouldnotorderhiswife tobringdinneror cleardishes.Hewouldgowithoutdinnerifhisfamilyforgottogiveittohim.Ofcourse,Iamnotsayingthatitisforbidden.Itisnotforbiddentogiveorders,butonemustpracticefightingagainsthisnafsifhewantstobeaman.

[80][81][82]

[1]1.Shaykh‛AlīNamāzī,MustadrakSafīnatal-Bihār,volume1,page410.

[2]2.ShaykhKulaynī,Usūlal-Kāfī,volume3,page95.

[3]3.Referto4:113.

[4]4.Referto93:6.

[5]5.Referto68:4.

[6]6.Referto3:164.

[7]7.Shaykh‛AlīNamāzī,MustadrakSafīnatal-Bihār,volume1,page415.

[8]8.Shaykh‛AlīNamāzī,MustadrakSafīnatal-Bihār,volume1,undertheword‘khalq’.

[9]9.4:49.

[10]10.Referto17:85.

[11]11.Referto3:163and62:2.

[12]12.Referto7:176.

[13]13.Referto62:5.

[14]14.ShaykhKulaynī,Usūlal-Kāfī,chapterMakarimal-Akhlāq.

[15]1.Amujtahidisonewhoisabletoderivereligiousrulingsfromtheirsources.

[16]2.62:2.

[17]3.62:5.

[18]4.Imām‛Alī,Nahjal-Balāgha,letter45.

[19]5.Referto86:5-7.

[20]6.RefertothesupplicationfoundinMafātīhal-Jinānwhichistobereadaftertheafternoonprayer.

[21]7.Referto35:15.

[22]1.86:5-7.

[23]2.Referto17:70.

[24]3.Referto67:10.

[25]4.23:115.

[26]5.Referto3:133and26:90.

[27]6.Referto104:3.

[28]1.Referto16:5.

[29]2.Referto31:20.

[30]3.Referto59:19.

[31]4.78:18.

[32]5.ThishasbeenexplainedinShahīdDastghayb’sbookabouttheresurrection(Ma’ad),availableonlineat:http://www.al-islam.org/the-hereafter/.

[33]6.‛AllāmahMajlīsī,Bihāral-Anwār,volume3.

[34]7.Referto24:22.

[35]1.86:5-7.

[36]2.Referto2:285.

[37]1.86:5-7.

[38]2.67:14.

[39]3.32:17.

[40]4.86:8.

[41]5.75:4.

[42]6.75:5.

[43]1.62:2.

[44]2.Imān‛Alī(a),Nahjal-Balāgha,letter45

[45]3.ShaykhKulaynī,Usūlal-Kāfī,volume2,page243,chapteral-Sifah

[46]1.8:22.

[47]2.Shaykh‛AlīNamāzī,MustadrakSafīnatal-Bihār,volume2,page93

[48]3.Shaykh‛AlīNamāzī,MustadrakSafīnatal-Bihār,volume1,page709

[49]4.2:194.

[50]5.28:83.

[51]6.39:9.

[52]7.Referto3:191.

[53]1.Referto6:153.

[54]2.Referto42:30.

[55]3.7:31.

[56]4.AllāmahMajlīsī,Bihāral-Anwār,volume103,page220.

[57]5.Sameasabove.

[58]6.2:279.

[59]7.Referto42:23.

[60]8.Referto34:47.

[61]9.‛AllāmahMajlīsī,Bihāral-Anwār,volume6.

[62]1.Referto47:12

[63]2.Referto6:121

[64]3.Shaykh‛AlīNamāzī,MustadrakSafīnatal-Bihār,volume2,page199.

[65]4.4:135.

[66]1.2:194

[67]2.Onecanrefertothebook“GreaterSins”formoreexplanation.

[68]3.48:26.

[69]4.25:63.

[70]5.ShaykhKulaynī,Usūlal-Kāfī,volume2,page234.

[71]6.Referto2:237.

[72]7.2:279

[73]8.Shaykh‛AlīNamāzī,MustadrakSafīnatal-Bihār,volume2,page407.

[74]1.Imām‛Alī,Nahjal-BalāghahFaydal-Islām,volume2,page1186,sayingnumber216.

[75]2.Imām‛Alī,Nahjal-BalāghahFaydal-Islām,volume2,page1200,sayingnumber248.

[76]3.Shaykh‛AlīNamāzī,MustadrakSafīnatal-Bihār,volume1,page251.

[77]4.Referto5:6.

[78]5.Referto72:18.

[79]6.ShaykhKulaynī,Usūlal-Kāfī,volume1,page24.

[80]1.mām‛Alī,Nahjal-BalāghahFaydal-Islām,page183,speech82

[81]2.Shaykh‛AlīNamāzī,MustadrakSafīnatal-Bihār,volume2,page360

[82]3.Shaykh‛AlīNamāzī,MustadrakSafīnatal-Bihār,volume2,page219

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Wisdom is the lost property of the Believer,

let him claim it wherever he finds it"

Imam Ali (as)