Ethics - God Society and Me - Sayyid Ali Al-Hakim

LESSONS in ISLAM
A SERIES OF
i /. V l : •■■l
mi1'"1!-,wR/i
• .'Vv b^|Hk| '
f
i
Ethic
f!
it
mm
-vs '<74? t
<■
■v
GOD, SOCIETY, AND ME
Sayyid Ali Al-Hakeem
i
:
i
:
A SERIES OF LESSONS IN ISLAM
Ethics
GOD, SOCIETY, AND ME
Sayyid Ali Al-Hakeem
/0\theMainsw
POUNDATION
Author: Sayyid Ali Al-Makecm
Translated and Edited by: The Mainstay Foundation
© 2015 The Mainstay Foundation
ALE RIG I ll'S RESERVED. No part of this work covered by the copyright
may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means — graphic, electronic,
or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, web distribution,
information storage and retrieval systems, or in any other manner - without the
written permission of the Mainstay Foundation.
Printed in the United States.
ISBN: 978-1943393879
To our guide. To our hope. To our salvation.
To our Prophet (s).

I
i
'
■
.
!
'
Contents
Contents................. vii
About the Author.., ix
Translator's Preface, xi
Introduction................................. 1
Heedlessness................................ 5
Spiritual Sustenance.................... 19
Faith.............................................. 27
The Good Life............................. 39
Struggle Within............................ 53
Benevolence................................. 93
The Little Time We Have........... 107
The Prophet (s)........................... 117
Imam Hussain’s (a) Renaissance. 129
The Death of Conscience.......... 143
Clash of Faith in Society............ 155
Sin 163
Repentance....... 171
Why We Sin..... 179
Pleasing God.... 193
Piety............... 205
Tests and Trials 223
Fear of God..... 235
bibliography 247
YU
*
'
About the Author
Sayyid Ali Al-Hakeem is an esteemed Muslim scholar, lec
turer, and researcher residing in Dubai, UAE. Sayyid Al-
Hakeem spent ten years studying at the Islamic seminaries
of Qum, Iran. There, he completed his Advanced Seminars
(a Ph.D. equivalent in Islamic seminaries) in Islamic Juris
prudence and Thought. He also received a Master’s degree
in Islamic Thought from die Islamic University of Lebanon.
Sayyid Al-Hakeem has dedicated the past twenty-two years
of his life to sendee of the Muslim community in different
capacities. He serves as a resident scholar in the Imam Has-
san Mosque, Dubai. He is the Chair of the Religious Com
mittee and die religious supervisor of die Charitable Deeds
Committee of the Ja'afariya Endowment Charitable Council
of Dubai.
ix
;
.
!
!
«
Translator’s Preface
The task of translating Sayyid Ali Al-Hakecm’s book was
gratifying and enlightening. The book delivered precious
nuggets of knowledge and polished pearls of wisdom in a
style that is conversational and pleasant. This book is our
attempt to pass these nuggets and pearls on to you in a style
that is similarly conversational and pleasant. We thank the
Sayyid for allowing us to benefit from this endeavor. We
wish him a life filled with scholarly attainment in hopes that
he will continue to pass along his treasures.
We must humbly however admit some of our biggest limita
tions in this endeavor. First, we must admit die great diffi
culty diat comes with the attempting to translate the Holy
Quran. Muslim scholars have pondered on the meanings of
the holy text for centuries, and die meanings of its verses
only grow deeper as time passes. The process of translation
always begs us to find precise meanings for the passages
that we translate. But when we encounter the majesty of the
Holy Quran, we find ourselves incapable of understanding,
let alone translating, its true and deep meanings. We turned
to the works of translators who have attempted to do diis
xi
Ethics
before. Although no translation can do justice to the Holy

Quran, we found that the translation of Ali Quri Qarai to be
the most proper in understanding when compared to die
understanding of the text as derived by our grand scholars.
As such, we decided to rely on Qarai’s transladons through
out diis book, with some adaptations that allowed us to
weave the verses more properly with the rest of die work.
A second great limitation came with translation of die narra
tions of the Grand Prophet Muhammad (s) and his Holy
Household (a). Their words are ever so deep and ever so
powerful. We attempted to convey these passages to the
reader in a tone that is understandable without deviating
from die essence of the words of these immaculate person
alities. We pray that we were successful in this endeavor.
Finally, we want to take this opportunity to thank you for
your support. As students of Islam and as translators of diis
text, our greatest purpose is to please God by passing along
these teachings to others. By picking up this book, you have
lent your crucial support to this endeavor. We hope that you
will continue your support throughout the rest of this book,
and we ask that you keep us in prayers whenever you pick it
up.
The Editorial and Translation Team,
The Mainstay Foundation
xii
Introduction
In the name of God, the most Beneficent, the most Merciful
Praise be to God, Lord of the Worlds. May God send His

peace and blessings to the most noble of His creatures, the
Holy Prophet Muhammad (s) and his Holy Progeny (a).
This book, Ethics: God\ Society, and Me, is a compilation of
life lessons revolving around the moral character of a true
Muslim. The focus and purpose of this work is to provide
practical inspiration for the reader who is trying to lead a
noble life in servicing God. With basic principles derived
from die Holy Quran and the lives of the Prophet (s) and
his Progeny (a), this book provides an overview of the Is
lamic code of ediics.
The teachings of Islam have one unequivocal goal - to al
low its followers to pursue excellence. From diat perspec
tive, Islam places great emphasis on knowledge and learn
ing. We can see this clearly in the verses of the Holy Quran.
These verses give knowledge a special status that is unique
when compared with other human virtues. God says in the
Holy Quran, “Say, An those who know equal to those who do not
1
Ethics
know?* Only those who possess intellect take admonition.**' God

also says, Only those of God's servants having knowledge fear
Him.**2
The traditions of the Holy Prophet (s) and his Progeny (a)
contain numerous similar admonitions as well. It is narrated
that Imam Al-Sadiq (a) said, “The Messenger of God (s) once
said, \Seeking knowledge is an obligation on every Muslim. Verily,
God loves the seekers of knowledge.*** It is also narrated that the
Commander of die Faithful Ali ibn Abi Talib (a) once said,
Oh people! Know that excellence in faith consists of seeking
knowledge and acting in accordance to that knowledge. In
deed, seeking knowledge is a higher obligation foryou than
seeking sustenance. Your sustenance is pre-ordained and
guaranteed. YourJust Lord has divided it amongstyou and
promised to deliver it to you. Surely, He will keep His
promise. [On the other hand,] knowledge is protected by its
keepers. Yon were commanded to seek itfrom its keepers, so
goforth and seek it.
Islam did not stop at admonitions and dieories about
knowledge and learning. Instead, it created opportunities
and enabled conditions diat would foster learning, research,
and study. Amongst these was the establishment of Friday
prayers - God says in die Quran, “0 you who havefaith! When
the call is made forprayer on Friday, hurry toward the remembrance of
God, and leave all business. That is betterfor you, shouldyou know.**1*
One of the important pillars of diis ritual is its sermon,
where the prayer leader must convey Islam's teachings, in
1 The Holy Quran. Chapter 39 [Arabic: Al-Zumat\. Verse 9.

2 The Holy Quran. Chapter 35 |Arabic Fafir\. Verse 28.
3 The I Ioly Quran. Chapter 62 [Friday; Arabic: Al-]umaa\. Verse 9.
2
Introduction
addition to addressing all other relevant worldly and other

worldly matters.
Dear reader, this series of books is based on a compilation
of Friday sermons that I delivered over the years, as well as
lectures I gave at a number of commemorations and cele
brations. Throughout such gatherings, I have been able to
address and speak on a wide array of issues relevant to die
Muslim community.
At the insistence of a number of dear brothers, I compiled
my notes to write these books with the hopes that God will
accept the work and that die benefit will spread to the be
lievers. I tried to maintain the conversational tone of the
original sermons in order to make the books more reader
friendly. After a series of these books were originally printed
in Arabic, a group of believers insisted on having the work
translated into English so that English-speaking audiences
may benefit as well.
I thank God, the Exalted, for His infinite support and favor.
I must also thank everyone who participated in making this
book a reality.
I ask God, the Almighty, to take this work as an act of de
votion for His sake and to accept it by His grace, He is sure
ly the All-Kind and Magnanimous.
Ali Al-FIakeem,
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
3
s
Heedlessness
In the name of God, the most beneficent, the most Merciful
[A]nd the true prowise draws near [to its fulfillment], be
hold\ the faithless will look on with a fixed ga%e: Woe to
ns! We have certainly been oblivious of this! Indeed, we have
been wrongdoers!*
This verse speaks of the fate of those who disbelieved in
God and the reality in which they will find themselves. Un
believers here are those who have preoccupied themselves
with matters other than the afterlife, clinging on to the
worldly life and all its glitter. They have worked tirelessly to
stay here in a desire of being somewhat eternal, without
paying attention to the fact that there is another life that
they will inevitably face. Thus, when the promise of truth
that God ensures does come, the human being who has
been blinded by the worldly life will stand confused and
even shocked. He will stand eyes wide open, unable to
blink, as he sees the punishment of God prepared for those
who have went against His will and turned to sin. Thus,
they find themselves in a realized state of woe, despair, and
The Holy Quran. Chapter 21 [The Prophets; Arabic: Al-Anbijya\. Verse 97.
5
Ethics
grief, because they were heedless to the consequences that

they are about to experience.
Moreover, the verse discusses a dangerous disease which
affects us as humans in this life, and though we may not
realize it, its affects are shown in die afterlife. This disease
strikes the soul of die human and disallows him from reach
ing the path of God. This disease is what the Quran de
scribes as heedlcssness. It is significant to discuss and un
derstand this topic and to realize both its causes and effects.
Realizing die reasons for heedlessness and its signs, one can
work to prevent it and thus be free of its shackles. To free
oneself from heedlessness is to enjoy true happiness bodi in
this world and die next.
This discussion is comprised of a number of key points:
Destined for Paradise

The A11-wise God created human beings with die goal of
giving diem the opportunity to end up in a paradise even
more distinct than the one where they started. For paradise
and everything in it was created for the human, and it is a
place established for diem to enjoy its pleasures and bene
fits while serving and worshiping God. When our forefather
Adam made the choice to begin his difficult test on eardi,
he departed the inidal paradise and descended to a realm
where an ultimate paradise had to be earned through trials
and tribuladons. The dynamics of the earthly examinadon
meant that one’s transgressions and sins could prevent
him/her from entering paradise. Just like a person who is
jusdfiably prevented entry to a safe zone for having a vile
6
Need less ness
virus, a person who carries sin can be rightfully prevented

entry into paradise.
We said, 'Get down from it, all together! Yet, should any
guidance come to you from Me, those who follow My guid
ance shall have no fear, nor shall they grieve. But those who
an faithless and deny Our signs, they shall be the inmates
of the Fin and they shall remain in it [fonver].2
We Have a Purpose
God created die human in this world to test and try him.
And this life will end when Judgement Day comes and hu
mans will be given the balance of their deeds, good for
good and bad for bad: “ Blessed is He in whose hands is all sover-
eignty, and He has power over all things. He, who cnated death and
life that He may testyou [to see] which ofyou is best in conduct. And
He is the All-mighty, the AHforgiving.”1 If there was not a Day
where God would reward the righteous and punish die cor
rupter — a meaningful end to the trials of this world — then
the whole work of creation would be in vain. But God, the
Wise, does nothing in vain. What would be the benefit for a
person to do good in this world and prohibit himself from
so many desires and pleasures, if life is only a limited num
ber of years that end in utter nonexistence. If it were not for
resurrection and the promise by God to bring humanity
forth toward Judgment, humanity’s movement towards God
would stop. The believer and the unbeliever, the obedient
and the disobedient, would all be in the same position with-
2 'ITie Holy Quran. Chapter 2 |Thc Cow; Arabic: Al-baqara\. Verses 38 and 39.
3 'Hie I loly Quran. Chapter 67 |Thc Dominion; Arabic: Al-Mulk\ Verses 1 and
2.
7
Ethics
out any distinction. There would be no meaning for sacri

fice, or for standing up against and taming one’s carnal de
sires. This world would become a jungle where no two
would be able to agree to even a single idea or opinion.
Chaos alone would emerge as people would hurt and kill
one another for nothing but self-sadsfaction.
Divine Law
If we know this, then we also know there is no doubt that
God would deliver a law to protect humanity. There must
be a system of law that cares for humanity throughout its
journey on the path that God wanted for it. God created
humanity and sent people prophets and messengers to
teach, warn, protect and guide all towards Him. God did
this so people would not fall to their whims and follow Sa
tan, and moreover, as part of His divine wisdom in moni
toring and protecting His creation.
With Him an the tnasuns of the Unseen; no one knows
them except Him. He knows whatever there is in land and
sea. No leaffalls without His knowing it, nor is then a
grain in the darkness of the earth, nor anything fnsh or
witbend but it is in a manifest Book.4
God Also says:
On that day, mankind will issue forth in various groups to
be shown their deeds. So whoever does an atom's weight of
good will see it, and whoever does an atom's weight of evil
will see it.'
4 The Holy Quran. Chapter 6 |Thc Cattle; Arabic: Al-Anam\. Verse 59.
5 The I Ioly Quran. Chapter 99[Thc Quake; Arabic: Al-Zat%ala\. Verses 6-8.
8
HEEDLESSNESS
Divine monitoring prevents humanity from completely leav

ing the righteous path and helps people in their behavior
and course towards God. However, when the heart is met
with veils caused by the practice of sin, that person is like
someone who is walking a path with several hurdles while
blindfolded. He cannot see and he is bound to trip over
those obstacles. On the other hand, the person who keeps
his eyes open will definitely avoid a lot of those obstacles
and manage to walk down that path more easiely. In the
same way, the person who chooses to stay in a state of re
membrance and reminding oneself of God will take himself
closer to his own perfection and completion.
A Spiritual Disease
Heedlessness is the self being lazy and sluggish to paying
attention to its responsibilities and duties. A person who is
heedless could know what is best for him, but for one rea
son or another, he creates veils or barriers between his heart
that calls him towards doing good and his acknowledgement
of the path of good. And thus, he lives in a maze bouncing
from wall to wall, not knowing which course to take and
how to conduct himself. Unfortunately, he doesn’t realize
this until he is shocked with the reality of death — a promise
of truth by God — that leads him to feel the oppression he
caused in his relationship with God.
For this reason, the believer should be wary about this spir
itual disease that could really blind him. In the same manner
that a person would want to protect his vision and eyesight,
he should consider even more maintaining his insight. This
emphasis on protecting one’s insight is due to the fact that
9
Ethics
the effects of heedlessness are even more detrimental to a

person than that of being blind. A blind person can go
about this life and adapt in one way or anodier to live effec
tively in this world. But can a heedless person adapt to hell-
fire, as he is unable to describe it or even acknowledge its
essence? Imam Al-Sadiq (a) warns us about heedless ness in
die following narration: “Beware of heedlessness. Whoever is heed
less, neglects his own self Beware of taking Godfor granted. Whoever
takes God for granted\ God will dishonor him on the Day ofjudg
ment.'*
The Reasons Behind It

Realizing the meaning of heedlessness we must progress
furdier to learn die reasons behind it. The following issues
are key to understanding the reasons for this disease, as de
rived from our understanding of the Quranic verses and the
noble narrations.
Oppression
Oppression is characteristic of mankind. But people do not
stop at oppressing one another, but rather, they go on to
oppress themselves. And the greatest oppression is when
mankind chooses oppression in his relationship with God.
This happens when a person is showered with the blessings
of life and responds to those blessings with wrongdoing and
disbelief. And thus, the greatest oppression is associating a
partner widi God. This is evidenced by the words of
Luqman as told in the Holy Quran, “ When Lnqrnan said to his
6 Al-Barqi, Al-Mahasin, 96.
10
Heedless ness
son, as be advised him: O mj son! Do not ascribe any partners to

God. Polytheism is indeed a great injustice.”7
And from here we observe that one of the causes of heed
lessness is oppression. The following verse describes this
from the perspective of those who are heedless: “Woe to ns!
We have certainly been oblivions of this! Indeed, we have been wrong
doers!^ Allamah Tabatabaei explains this verse in his Exege
sis - Tafsir Al-Mizan. This refers to the words of the unbe
lievers when they witnessed die ‘hour/ they stood with grief
and woe. They admitted to their heedlessness as an effect of
the oppression in which they partook by busying themselves
with tilings that made them forget the afterlife. For that
they said, in reference to themselves, “we were wrongdoers. »9 10
BeJ'rieruling people who are wicked and ivanlon

There is no doubt that befriending wicked and wanton indi
viduals is one of the causes of veiling the heart and inducing
heedlessness. Wicked people tend to pretdfy their misdeeds
to others as to attract others to join diem. A person who is
wicked or wanton does not find comfort until he finds oth
ers to pardcipate and partner widi him in wrongdoing. Be
friending people who are heedless is a cause for heedless
ness, and thus we see God warning die believers about this
sort of friendship in the following verse:
Content yourself with the company of those who supplicate
their Lord morning and evening, desiring His Face, and do
not lose sight of them, desiring the glitter of the life of this
7 'I*hc Holy Quran. Chapter 31 [Arabic: Lnq/uanJ. Verse 13.

8 The Holy Quran. Chapter 21 (The Prophets; Arabic: Al-Anbiyya]. Verse 97.
9 Ibid.
10 Al-Tabatabaei, Tafsir Al-Miân, 14:327.
11
Ethics
world. And do not obey him whose heart We have made

oblivious to Our remembrance, and who follows his own de
sires, and whose conduct is [mete] profligacy. "
Wien a person befriends such people, he will undoubtedly
experience a state of regret on the Day of Judgment. God
said: “7/ will be a day when the wrongdoer will bite his hands, saying:
1 wish I hadfollowed the Apostle's way! Woe to me! I wish I had not
taken so and so as afriend
This verse indicates an important reality, that befriending
heedless people results in heedlessness. That friendship is
realized with regret and guilt on die Day of Judgment, as
people stand wishing they had never had those relationships
that have caused such regret.
Not Praying
One of die causes of heedlessness is not praying. Prayer is
the remembrance of God. This prayer is a practical exercise
for people to remember Him at least five times throughout
the day. If a person truly practices and upholds his prayer,
there is no doubt that he will protect himself from the dis
ease of heedlessness — a disease that kills the heart and
blinds one’s insight. Imam Al-Hassan (a) describes heed
lessness as die following: “Heedlessness isyour abandoning of the
mosque andyour obedience to the conuptfl3
This truth is also realized from the words of Imam Al-Baqir
(a) when he says, “The believer who upholds his obligatory prayers,
11 The I loly Quran. Chapter 18 [The Cave; Arabic: A/-KabJ\. Verse 28.
12 The I loly Quran. Chapter 25 [Arabic: Al-Furqan\. Verses 27-28.
13 Al-Majlisi, Bibar Al-Anwar, 75:115.
12
Heedless ness
and prays them on lime, is not of the heedless.”14 Prayer has a great
effect on the presence of hecdlessness. Leaving prayer man
dates heedlessness, while upholding prayer mandates pro
tection from heedlessness.
Indulgence in the Ijove of the World
There is no doubt that indulging in the love of this worldly
life and following one’s carnal desires causes one to have a
barrier with God. It is impossible to combine the love of
God and the love of the worldly life in the heart of a believ
er. A person who makes this world his biggest concern and
die extent of his seeking does not think about anything but
diat. Because he is so preoccupied, he is unable to free him
self to even think of his captive state. Thus, he becomes
heedless of God and what God has prepared for His right
eous followers:
Indeed those who do not expect to encounter Us and who
ate pleased with the life of this world and satisfied with it,
and those who ate oblivions of Our signs - it is they whose
refuge shall be the Fite because of what they used to earn.
Indeed those who have faith and do righteous deeds, their
Lord guides them by the means of their faith. Streams will
runfor them in gardens of bliss.15
This world, in a way, becomes a prison for some people.
They do not seek meeting with God because they have sold
themselves into slavery to die world and do not wish to es
cape and free themselves. They do not see it as enslavement
though, they see it as bliss, and because of that they do not
14 Al-Kulayni, Al-Kafi, 3:270.

15 'flic Holy Quran. Chapter 10 [Jonah; Arabic: Younus\. Verses 7-9.
13
Ethics
wish to escape. Thus, heedlessness is actuated and in it they

remain.
The aforementioned four points are the most significant
causes for heedlessness and the reason fora person to be
come neglectful of God and his relationship with Him.
Hearts, Ears, and Eyes

The heedless is one who lives in veils and darkness whereby
he cannot find die light to guide his way. Nor can he see a
world tiiat is bigger and more welcoming than the one
where he already lives. In die following verse, God de
scribes this person widi several attributes:
Certainly We have winnowed out for hell many of the jinn
and humans: they have hearts with which they do not under
stand, they have eyes with which they do not see, they have
ears with which they do not hear. They are like cattle; in
deed, they an more astray. It is they who are the heedless.16
Every human being has a heart, ears, and eyes, but not every
person benefits from these tools. If a person goes on with
out utilizing these tools in dieir intended manner, it would
be no different if diose tools were present or not. The heart
was created to understand die signs of God and to be the
vessel of holy truths. However, when the heart is veiled
from such signs and truths, then that heart is robbed from
its intended benefit. The eyes were created to ease man
kind’s journey through life, to gaze upon die signs of God
as a clear connected path toward God, and to understand
godly truths. But if a person were to use his eyes for diings
16 The I Iolv Quran. Chapter 7 |Thc Heights; Arabic: A/-Aaraj\. Verse 179.
14
Heedless ness
other than obedience to God, dien the existence or inexist

ence of those eyes would be the same. Rather, those eyes
being inexistent would be better for that person as to not
indulge in sin and heedlessness through one of God’s bless
ings. In the same way, God created for us ears to listen to
His signs and the beneficial truths for this life and the next.
These are the most significant characteristics with which to
describe a heedless person, as mentioned by God in the Ho
ly Quran. In addition, these characteristics can be observed
in the situations we have previously mentioned as the causes
for heedlessness: neglecting prayer or taking it for granted,
befriending wicked and wanton people, and being indulgent
in this world and its pleasures.
It is important to note that it is possible for a person who is
a believer to fall into some of these mistakes as a result of
being in a temporary state of heedlessness. The heedlessness
that we have previously discussed, as evidenced by the
Quranic verses and the noble narrations, is in reference to
the person who has been overcome by those mentioned
causes and has made heedlessness his default state. Thus, it
is imperative for die believer who falls into some of these
situations to pull himself back and protect himself from fall
ing further into heedlessness. If he does not work to protect
himself, before he knows it he can be in so deep that he
cannot escape from heedlessness and its shackles.
Obedience and disobedience to God are the measure of re
membrance versus heedlessness. The Holy Prophet (s) is
narrated to have said,
Whoever is obedient to God is one who remembered Him,
even if he has lessened [the number of] his prayers, fasts,
15
Ethics
and natations of the Holy Quran. And whoever is disobe

dient to God is one who is heed/ess of Him, even if he has
increased [the number of] his prayers, fasts, and recitations
ofthe Holy Quran.1'
In this discussion Allamah Tabatabaei notes:
... Disobedience of the servant does not take place except by
heedlessness andforgefulness. If a person were to remember
the reality of his disobedience and its effects, he would not go
forward with such wrongdoing. This is unless that person is
one who is not concerned about disobeying, even when re
minded of God, and does not care about the status of his
Lord. This type ofperson is simply tyrannical and ignorant
of the status of God, the highness of His glory, and the ex
tent ofHis reach.18
Deadly Effects
There is no doubt that heedlessness has effects that result in
punishment by God to the heedless, amongst them are:
The Death of the Heart

The heart is the spring of a person’s life. One’s humanity is
not complete except by the life of that heart. The heart that
is alive is a pointer to the life of die human being. Likewise,
the heart that is dead is a pointer to the death of that human
being. This is regardless of whether diat person is inhaling
and exhaling. For a person who has a dead heart is one
whose existence or nonexistence are the same; and heed
lessness is the cause to the death of die heart. The Com-
17 Al-Saduq, Ala’ani Al-Akhbar, 399.

18 Al-Tabatabaci, Ta/sir At-Miân, 1:342.
16
Heedless ness
mander of the Faithful, Imam Ali (a), said: “Whoeverhas been

overcome by heedlessness, his heart has died'”19 Staying in a state of
heedlessness, however, causes the death of the heart after
going through a number of stages. Those stages include the
hardening of the heart and the blinding of one’s insight.
Imam Al-Baqir (a) connects the relationship between heed
lessness and hardening of the heart when he says: “Beware of
heedlessness, for in it exists the hardening of the heart'.”2n Regarding
the blinding of one’s insight, Imam Ali (a) says: “Staying in
heed/essness blinds the insight”1' And from this we see die great
effects of heedlessness on the heart of the human being.
The mentioned narrations concur with the following
Quranic verse: “they have hearts with which they do not under
stand...”'22
Going Astray
There is no doubt diat the person who lives in a state of
heedlessness also lives in a state of vanity, deviation, and
becoming farther from God. The heart cannot see the light
of guidance while it is veiled from God. Such a heart is far
away from the remembrance of God and the remembrance
of His verses and teachings. It is not possible for such a
heart to become a stadon for divine light, for such a heart
lives in the darkness of heedlessness. Whoever is like this,
there is no doubt that he is on a path of deviation and dis-
19 Al-Wasiti, ‘Ujoo/i Al-Hikam iva At-Mawa'e^ 504.

20 Al-Harrani, TohafAl-'Oqool, 285.
21 Al-Wasiti, Vjoon Al-Hikam wa Al-Maiva-es^ 250.
22 The ! loly Quran. Chapter 7 [’fhc Heights; Arabic: Al-Aciraj\. Verse 179.
17
12 T HI CS
tance from God. This is what Imam Ali (a) illustrates for us
in his saying: “There is enough deviation in beed/essness”2i
All in all, there are many negative effects from heedlessness.
These include but are not limited to corruption, vanity, ar
rogance, and other destructive characteristics and habits.
23 Al-Wasiti, Vjoon Al-Hikam wa AI-Mawa’e^ 385.
18
Spiritual Sustenance
In tbe name of God, /be most Beneficent, the most Merciful
Indeed We created wan from the drop of a mixedfluid so

that We may put him to the test, so We endowed with bear
ing and sight. Indeed We have guided him to the way, he he
grateful or ungrateful1
Bodyand Soul
God (SWT) created mankind in the best of forms and hon
ored liim over all other creations; so much so that mankind
was given the position of deputy2 over all creation. God cre
ated mankind with two components: die physical body and
the “soul” or the “self.” These two components are con
nected and interdependent in this world. For the duration of
our existence in this world, the two remain connected. They
are not separated until the moment of death, when the body
is worn by deadi and die soul begins its transition.
1 The Holy Quran, Chapter 76 [Man; Arabic: A/-Insan\, Verses 2 and 3.

2 Arabic: Kba/i/a.
19
BrilICS
Wmat Makes Us Human

One might ask, “which of the two components is more im
portant? The body or the soul? Is the physical being what
makes us human? Or is it the eternal soul diat is essential to
humanity?”
If we look into die Holy Quran, we will find diat humanity
is realized dirough the soul, or die self. It is diat component
that has consciousness, harbors a will, and drives human
action. And aldiough the soul and die self take action
dirough die physical body, that physical body is only a tool
for die soul to interact with the physical world. And so we
find that verses that speak to the issue of guidance and mis
guidance are addressed to the self. God says in His Holy
Book “By the soul and Him who fashioned it, and inspiied it with
[discernment between] its virtues and vices.”3
Such verses are addressed to the soul and not to the body,
and that is because die body is in a state of constant change.
Nature is always taking its toll on the body. A person who
has just been bom is very different in ten years,, very differ
ent at twenty years, and again very different at eighty. The
body is in a state of constant physiological change. And so
all characteristics and tides diat we address to a person are
addressed to the soul and the self. This self is the principal
and the body is only an extension and a tool for it. God
(SWT) says:
“Certainly We created man from an extract of clay. Then

We made him a dtvp of [seminal] fluid [lodged] in a seam
abode. Then We created the drop offluid as a clinging
3 The I Ioly Quran, Chapter 91 [The Sun; Arabic: Al-Shams], Verses 7 and 8.
20
miss. Then We mated the clinging mass as a fleshy tissue.

Then We mated the fleshy tissue as bones. Then We
clothed the bones withflesh. Then We produced him as [yet]
another creature. So blessed is God, the best of creators!
Then indeed yon die after that. Then yon will indeed be
raised up on the Day of Resurrection. ”*
And so we see that the soul is the stronger component of an
individual’s being, the dimension which remains constant
throughout all the physical changes. Indeed, we can even
say that the soul is trapped in a prison that is die body, and
is only freed from this prison at death. And at that point,
some blessed souls will be called out: “0 soul at peace! Return
to yonr Lord, pleased and pleasing! Then enter among My servants,
and enter My paradise!*
From this perspective, we must realize that nourishment of
the spiritual aspect of an individual is much more important
than any physical or bodily nourishment. Yet because we
live in a material state and can feel it all around us wherever
we turn, we become forgetful of this truth and start prizing
the physical world and our physical bodies rather than giv
ing the necessary care and nourishment to die more im
portant aspect of our being.
Appreciation of Spirituality
The soul has a power diat surpasses the power of the body.
The soul is what drives die body and all actions are deter
mined by the soul before diey are undertaken by the body.
4 'Hie Holy Quran, Chapter 23 |Thc Believers; Arabic: Al-Mu//iinoon\, Verses 12-
16.
5 The I Toly Quran, Chapter 89 |The Dawn; Arabic: Al-Fajr\, Verses 27-30.
21
Ethics
The soul is a metaphysical and simple being, yet it holds po

tentials that die body does not. The soul can launch into a
greater universe and can perceive many tilings that cannot
be seen by die body. A vision that a person may have is a
perception of the soul of worlds diat cannot be reached by
the body. So you see that a person might be asleep in Iris
own bed, but can see events occurring in places that are
thousands of miles away, or events diat have occurred in the
past or ones that are to occur in the future. All this is be
cause of the specific properties of the soul. Imam Sadiq (a)
was asked by Abu Basir: “A man or a woman might be
asleep but diey see diat diey are in Mecca or in another
land. Are their souls outside of their bodies?” The Imam
replied “No, Abu Basir. If the soul was to depart the body, it will
not ret uni to it. Rather it is like the sun; its location is in the sky, but
its rays cue throughout this world,' ”6 And this tells us that the soul
has the ability to encompass and transcend the time and
place of the physical body.
From this perspective, any intelligent individual would give
greater emphasis to die spiritual aspect than on the physical
aspect of his or her being. And although die physical aspect
of being has its rights and must be appreciated in itself, it
does not mean that it can overshadow the more important
spiritual aspect. When a person is hungry, he must find a
way to fulfill his hunger; but that source of fulfillment must
not have a negative effect on his soul. Forbidden or Haram
food would add to the oppression of the self and would
create barriers to the transcendence of the soul. And so we
also see, for example, that when a person needs to fulfill his
6 AJ-Majlisi, Bihar Al-Anwar, 58:43.
22
sexual desires, he must take into account the consequences

that may affect the soul. A person cannot fulfill his desires
through impermissible means and be heedless of the poten
tial effects on the soul. An impermissible look, fornication,
or an impermissible touch; these are all actions that lead the
soul into a world of darkness that stifles its growth.
The Benefits of Spirituality

Once we understand the importance of the spiritual aspect
of our being and the role of the soul in a human’s worldly
and other-worldly life, we see that appreciation of this as
pect has a number of benefits. If we appreciate the self and
purify it, our ability to understand the truth and discover
hidden meanings will be greater; as the eye of insight that is
associated with the self will be able to see much more than
the physical eye. If there is a veil covering the eye of insight,
we may not be able to understand the truth and ultimately
reach knowledge of God — that knowledge that would allow
us to reach the paradise of Heaven. And whenever a person
disregards the soul in fulfilling the needs of the body, the
imprisonment of the soul will become harsher — minimizing
the ability of the individual to reach the high potentials of
die soul that could ultimately lead to happiness in both
worlds. An individual who is guided by insight and is
blessed with a clear vision will not be entrenched in this
world, and his path toward God will be easy and clear. And
this is the benefit of taking care of the spiritual aspect of our
being, refining it, and training it well.
23
KTH I CS
The Means to Spiritual Sustenance

One may ask “how can an individual go about spiritual
nourishment — especially with the many claims that are cir
culated about diis issue — in a correct way that would lead to
the greatest growth for the soul?”
Before we tackle this issue, we must mention that attention
to issues of spirituality is not something which is restricted
to Muslims alone. Most religions give special emphasis to
spirituality. In Hinduism, for example, we see a method of
extreme exercises diat lead to some form of transcendence
of the soul. Those who pracdce these exercises attain
knowledge of some truths and begin teaching about them.
We see them giving treatments to some illnesses. Modern
science stresses that there are a large number of illnesses
diat stem from die soul. We may look at those who partake
in these spiritual exercises and find diat what they do is be
yond die bounds of nature. But that is because of our own
spiritual weakness. In truth, these abilities are accessible to
diose who partake in these special exercises. And we see
this with priests in a number of other religions who are able
to use their spirituality to cure some illnesses. And diose
abilities are used by each religion to call people towards it
and for proselytization purposes.
The truth of the matter is that these spiritual exercises or
any system of subjugating the body and controlling the
whims and desires will lead to such abilities. And this may
be taken advantage of, even in satanic ways. These spiritual
effects do not mean that the individual is walking on the
path of God, as these abilities are inherent in the laws and
balances of nature. Any form of the subjugation of the de-
24
Spirit u a i. S u s t e nance
sires will lead to transcendence of the self. But is this the

right form of transcendence? Is this freedom that is granted
to the soul the correct type of freedom? In other words, is
this type of struggle pleasing to God?
Islam provides us with a philosophy diat is different from
all die odiers. We see a number of distinguishing factors in
our faith, the most important of which are as follows:
Firsdy, Islam does not look at subjugadon of the desires and
sclf-purificadon as ways to reach the limited goal of obtain
ing a number of abilities. Radier, self-purification in accord
ance with Islamic teachings is a means to reach closeness to
God and to attain His pleasure. Yes, a person might obtain
such abilities on his journey towards God, but they are not
the goal. Obtaining such abilities or not obtaining them
makes no difference where it matters. Seeking closeness to
God is our principal purpose. Closeness to God is measured
by the extent of one's obedience to God. Spiritual powers
have no bearing in that regard.
Secondly, this allows us to see that Islamic teachings are
comprehensive in all regards. Our teachings place an em
phasis on the spiritual aspect of life as well as on the physi
cal aspect. Our religion does not teach us that self
purification comes from the subjugation of the body
through actions such as refraining of marriage (i.e. celibacy)
or renouncing all worldly pleasures (i.e. monasticism). Even
worship has its own system, process, and times. God says
“ We did not send down toyou the Quran thatyou should be misera
ble.”1 The body has its rights, as does the soul. This creates a
7 The Holy Quran, Chapter 20 [Arabic: Ta-Ha\, Verse 2.
25
Ethics
complete balance between the material and the metaphysical

needs of the individual.
Thirdly, we see that Islam creates a link between knowledge
and education and spiritual nourishment. Spiritual nourish
ment must coincide with knowledge and learning. That is
why we see that the people who are closest to self
purification and spirituality are our scholars who are well-
learned in die religion. As for those who claim to have such
abilities without the requisite knowledge, they have a great
chance of falling into error or turning these acts of spiritual
nourishment into simplistic rituals without realization of
their meaning.
And so we can say that the process of self-purification in
Islam is one of worship and a relationship with God. It is a
process of awareness and not a process of ignorance. This
allows us to understand the meaning of some of the narra
tions that declare “ the reflection of an hour is greater than the wor
ship of afullyear, or “the death ofa scholar is morejoyous to Satan
than the death of seventy worshippersand similar narrations. So
what value does worship have if it is not built on a sound
basis of religious knowledge?
8 Ibn Babawcih, Fiqb AI-Rida, 380.

9 Ibn Al-Sabbagh, Al-FusoolAl-Muhimmafi Marifa Al-Aimma, 2:887.
26
Faith
Is he who founds his building on Godwariness and [the

pursuit of God's] pleasure better-off or he who founds his
building on the brink of a collapsing bank which collapses
with him into the fin of hell? God does not guide the
wrongdoing lot
No Two people will disagree with the fact that the funda
mental element for any modern community is ethics. Na
tions and communities advance through the establishment
of ethics. The more formidable the principles of ethics are
in a community, the more those principles will harness the
potential in that society to advance and make gains for it.
Likewise, when such principles are weakened, there is more
reason to see division and destruction in that very same so
ciety. If we look back in history, we see that the reason for
the decline and fall of certain empires or societies was due
to their decline in ethics and morals. It is true that some
communides may survive such a decline, but those commu
nities will have a weakened foundation. Eventually that
The Holy Quran. Chapter 9 [The Repentance; Arabic: Al-Tawba\ Verse 109.
27
F T II ICS
weak foundation will give out and that community will fall.
This is a divine order to which the Holy Quran points in a
number of verses when mentioning nations or communities
that have fallen. God said,
Have they not travelled through the land so that they may
observe how was the fate of those who were before them?
They were greater than them in might and with respect to
the effects [they left] in the land. But then God seized them
for their sins, and they had no defender against Godfs pun
ishment].2
Other verses point to similar examples of the fall and pun
ishment of such communities due to their moral decay. God
speaks of the punishment descended upon the people of
Lot for their sexual deviation in the following verse: “Then
We poured down upon them a rain [ofstones]. So observe how was the
fate ofthe guilty!*
Punishment was sent down on the people of Madyan for
their deviation and corruption in economic transactions.
Cheating die system and not being truthful to die scales of
weighing products were reasons for God’s punishment. “So
the earthquake seized them, and they lay lifeless prostrate in their
homes!*
And this is die case with other nations — decay in ethics and
morals results in die fall of that nation or community. God
said,
2 The I Ioly Quran. Chapter 40 [The Forgivcr, Arabic: Ghafn] Verse 21.
3 The I Ioly Quran. Chapter 7 |The I Ieights; Arabic: Al-Aaraj\. Verse 84.
4 Ibid. Verse 91.
28
F A I T 11
And when We desire to destixy a town We command its af

fluent ones [to obey God]. Bnt they commit transgression in
it, and so the word becomes due against it, and We destroy
it utterly. How many generations We have destroyed since
Noah! Your Not'd is sufficient as [a witness who is] well
awat'e and percipient ofHis servants' sins.5
In this discussion, we tie the role of faith to building the
foundational code of ethics. In addition, we will discuss the
fundamental difference between the vision of faith in re
gards to ethics and other perspectives on ethics. There are
two fundamental points in discussing the rules and founda
tion on which ethics are built on in the scope of faith: the
role of faith in building the foundation of ethics, and
the ethical foundations and support system in the vi
sion or lens of faith.
Ti-ie Role of Faith in the Foundation of

Ethics
Perhaps the words of the Holy Prophet (s) telling his people
that, ‘7 was sent to perfect the best of ethics,” summarize much of
this discussion for us. The Holy Prophet (s) made evident
that the most fundamental goal of his prophet-hood was to
establish the best of ethics possible through the rules and
laws he will relay and execute. This in fact is the fundamen
tal goal of every prophet who came. On this premise, we see
that faith is a fundamental pillar of ethics. Every virtue you
can possibly think of - justice, generosity, nobility, honor,
etc. - are all founded in faith. Faith is the root of such vir-
5 The Holy Quran. Chapter 17 [The Ascension; Arabic: Al-Israa]. Verses 16-17.
29
ETHICS
tues and ethics. This is due to the fact that faith focuses on
taming the self, monitoring one's behavior, controlling one's
desires and whims, and restricting certain pleasures. All of
these are fundamental rules of ethics. Ethics is manifested
when these tilings are established. When one's selfishness is
restricted, ethics is able to come to fruition. Likewise, gen
erosity spreads through society when selflessness and altru
ism take the place of greed and self-interest. This is the case
with many other virtues as well; sacrifice of something ma
terialistic is usually die factor upon which virtue is contin
gent.
Nonetheless, there needs to be an incentive for a person to
make such sacrifices and for such virtue to be established in
die scope of ethics. If there was not an incentive then why
would a person let go of what is within his reach and what
would bring him happiness and pleasure? Would someone
spend a great deal of money on something that is of very
litde worth? So how is it diat it is expected for one to pro
hibit himself from so many material tilings without having
something of great value in return? We cannot imagine an
yone or anything able to compensate people for sacrificing
in these matters other than God himself. This is understood
through both the material and moral support given to us by
Him in exchange for the sacrifices we make. The following
verses illustrate this point:
The parable of those who spend their wealth in the way of
God is that ofa grain which grows seven ears, in every ear a
hundred grains. God enhances severalfold whomever He
wishes, and God is all-bounteous, all-knowing.6
6 The 1 loly Quran. Chapter 2 |Thc Cow; Arabic: Al-Baqara\. Verse 261.
30
Fait h
What God gives is much greater than what we sacrifice.

“Spend in the way of God, and do not castyourselves with your own
hands into destruction; and be virtuous. Indeed God loves the virtu
ous."1 The reward or compensation here cannot be ascer
tained through a monetary value because the love of God
does not have a price tag. The love and favor of God is
greater than anything and everything, because through that
love a person can attain everything.
The love of [worldly] allures, including women and children,
accumulated piles ofgold and silver, horses of mark, live
stock, andfarms has been made to seem decorous to man
kind. Those an the wans of the life of this world, but the
goodness of one's ultimate destination lies near God. Say,
Shall I informyon of something better than that? For those
who are Godwary then will be gardens near their Lord,
with streams running in them, to remain in them forever],
and chaste mates, and God's pleasure. ' And God watches
FJis servants. Those who say, ‘Our Lord! Indeed, we have
faith. So forgive ns our sins, and save ns from the punish
ment of the Fin. ' [They an] patient and truthful, obedient
and charitable, and they plead for [God's] forgiveness at
dawns.8
This verse points to the fact that people desire material
tilings, as such things have been made appealing to them,
and people work to attain those material things in satisfying
their desires. The verse continues to show the limitation of
self-satisfaction and warning die individual of the presence
7 Ibid. Verse 195.

8 The I loly Quran. Chapter 3 (Arabic: Aallmran\. Verses 14-17.
31
I
K T II ICS
of somediing greater than material gain. The path to attain

ing these blessings is practicing the best of ethics. This is
evidenced by God’s words in describing those who are in
fluenced by what God has for them, over what this world
has to offer, as those who have the best of virtues in pa
tience, honesty, spending righteously, in addition to submit
ting to God’s will through supplication and repentance.
Thus, die role of faith is clear in die establishment of the
fundamental rules upon which ethics are built. Faith limits
the love of one’s self diat misleads, controls and disobeys —
for that disobedience is characteristic of diat self, “indeed
man becomes rebellions when he considers himself without need”** The
great reward and compensation that a person can receive
from sacrificing some materialistic tilings, by way of holding
on to his ethics, can only be brought forth by God. For
God is the one who knows the affairs of the individual,
public and private, what is in his best interest, and what
goes on in his mind — God is aware of all of it.
Ethical Principles
There are a number of fundamental elements upon which
ethics are built for both the individual and society as a
whole. The most important of these elements are: devotion
to God, impartiality in moral conduct, and ethics as a
complete system.
9 The I loly Quran. Chapter 96 |Thc Clot; Arabic: Al-Alaq\. Verses 6-7.
32
F A ITU
Devotion to God
Faith entrenches the understanding and formidable founda
tion of devotion to God as a prerequisite to any successful
aedvity or endeavor, especially moral conduct and ethics.
The sociedes drat hold the features of ethical completeness
are ones soundly built on the correct foundation.
Is he who founds his building on Godwariness and [the
pursuit of God's] pleasure better-off or he who founds his
building on the blink of a collapsing bank which collapses
with him into the fire of bell? God does not guide the
wrongdoing lot.10
There is no doubt diat a person’s deepest honesty stems
from his love and devotion to God. Likewise, a person’s
justice, goodness, honor, generosity, and all other virtues
stem most naturally from the person’s desire to please God
out of love and dedication. “Piefy is [personified by] those who...
give their wealth, for the love of Him, to relatives, orphans, the needy,
the traveler and the beggar, andfor [thefreeing of] the slaves.. ..”n
However, if a person’s motives and intentions are not for
God, then his foundations are weak and everything he
builds on these foundations will fall and result in the per
son’s own collapse. His collapse is not merely figurative, for
he will actually collapse into hellfire. This is because he
chose to build a foundation that was other than devotion to
God - and such a foundation is weak and bound to fall
apart. God draws a comparison between this and the
‘House of a Spider’ in die following verse:
10 The I loly Quran. Chapter 9 |The Repentance; Arabic: At-Tan>ba\. Verse 109
n The I loly Quran. Chapter 2 [The Cow; Arabic: Al-Baqara\. Verse 177
33
E T IIICS
The parable of those who take guardians instead of God is

that of the spider that takes a home, and indeed thefrailest
ofhomes is the home of a spider, had they knownf12
In summary, if we wish for ethics to remain in a community
such that it will strengthen die community and solidify its
pillars; then diese ediics must be built on a solid foundation.
Every foundation is susceptible to collapse, except die
foundation diat is built on devotion to God because every
thing is perishable except God.
He sends down waterfrom the sky whereat the valleys are
flooded to [the extent of] their capacity, and theflood carries
along a swelling scum. Andfrom what they smelt in thefin
for the purpose of [making] ornaments or wares, [then aris
es] a similar scum. That is how God compares truth and
falsehood. As for the scum, it leaves as dross, and that
which profits the people stays in the earth. That is how God
draws comparisons. 13
Impartiality in Moral Conduct

Dealing with people impartially, in your ethical conduct, is
essential for the true establishment of ethics in society. It
would be unediical to be truthful and honest to some peo
ple but dishonest in your dealings with others for no over
riding necessity. Altruism loses some of its essence if it is
only done for the benefit of some, excluding worthy others.
The principles and values of ethics are standard and should
be applied impartially. The Islamic faith relies on the prem
ise that it is a necessity to have ethics implemented in socie-
12 The I Ioly Quran. Chapter 29 |Thc Spider; Arabic: Al-Ankaboot\. Verse 41.
13 'Ilic Holy Quran. Chapter 13 (The Thunder; Arabic: Al-Fuiad\. Verse 17.
34
F A 1 T II
ty without double standards. The Holy Quran emphasizes

this justice, as it is one of the most important moral princi
ples that safeguards nauons and sociedes. It is noted that
the cause for the destrucdon of some nations was their lack
of justice and impartiality. The Holy Prophet (s) has been
narrated to have said, "...those before you wen astray because if
someone noble wen to steal, they let him be; if someone weak wen to
steal, they wouldpunish him... ”14
Islam refuses to implement ethical values forone group
without impartially implementing them for another. Ethics
must be applied impartially across all societies and all peo
ples, unlike the tradition of some groups that apply it when
it is in the interest of their community but not when it con
flicts with their selfish interests. Such groups applied stand
ards and values that were not based on sound ethics when
dealing with others. Take safety and security for example.
God speaks of some groups who definitely provide safety
and security to the people of their own faith, but do not
bother to do the same for others.
Among the People of the Book is he who ifyou entrust him
with a quintal will npay it to you, and among them is he
who, ifyon entrust him with a dinar will not npay it toyou
unlessyou stand persistently over him. That is because they
say, ‘We have no obligation to the non-Jews. ’ But they at
tribute lies to God, and they know [it].15
Islam rejects this type of differentiation in implementing die
universal standard of ethics, and God considers these peo-
14 Al-Tabnrani, Al-Mn'jatn Al-Awsat, 7:273; Al-Bukhari, Sabeeh Bukhari, 8:16.

15 The Holy Quran. Chapter 3 [Arabic: Aallmran\. Verse 75.
35
Ethics
pie to be blatantly lying about Him. “ Yes, whoever fulfills his

commitments and is wary of God—God indeed loves the Godway.”16
Moreover, we find that Islam emphasizes the best of ethics
even if it were to cause you personal loss or detriment. Los
ing one’s personal interest for the sake of upholding justice
and ethics could be seen in die example of being a just and
proper witness.
0 you who have faith! Be maintained ofjustice and wit
nessesfor the sake of God, even ifit should he againstyour
selves or [your] patents and near relatives, and whether it be
[someone] rich or poor, for God has a greater tight over
them. So do notfollow [your] desires, lestyou should be un
fair, and ifyou distort [the testimony] or disregard [it], God
is indeed well awate ofwhatyou do.17
Justice is done when a person bears witness before God for
God’s sake and is not swayed by anyone. He comes forth
with his testimony even to his own detriment, his family’s,
or relatives’. The fact diat a person is poor or wealthy does
not make a difference in regards to that testimony. The
rights of a society7 are dependent on justice, equity, and up
holding testimonies. Faith in God promotes this under
standing in ethics without discrimination. Similarly, God
speaks to the importance of fulfilling promises in contracts
in the following verse: “0 you who have faith! Keep your agree
ments...”18 This verse is unrestricted in its command. It does
not stipulate the obligation to contracts with Muslims or
16 Ibid. Verse 76.

17 The Holy Quran. Chapter 4 [The Women; Arabic: Al-Nisaa\. Verse 135.
18 The Holy Quran. Chapter 5 [The Spread; Arabic: Al-Maeda\. Verse 1.
36
FAITH
non-Muslims. This is the same when it comes to trusts and

judgment:
Indeed God commands you to deliver the trusts to their
[rightful] owners, and tojudge with fairness whenyonjudge
between people. Excellent indeed is what God advisesyon.
Indeed God is all-hearings all-seeing.19
Faith calls people to commit to these ethical principles and
to act in accordance with them. This call is made for both
self-dealing and dealing with others, without discriminadon.
When we look at our world today and see the culture of ma
terialism that leads to double standards in its application of
morals and ethics, it reinforces the idea that communities
built on materialism will eventually fall because of their
weak foundation which was not built on impartial ethics and
faith.
Ethics as a Complete System

One of the fundamental aspects of ethics in our faith is that
ethics, with all of its different elements, forms a complete
system. Faith could not accept some of the virtues offered
by ethics and leave other virtues. Rather, faith considers
them all one system that is unable to be separated and parti
tioned. For as long as the driving force of all these ethical
virtues is God, there would be no meaning in discriminating
or separating between them. Moreover, faith suggests that
all divine legislation and ethical virtues complement one an
other. This is due to the fact that divine legislation is based
on the foundation of ethical virtues; based in mercy and
goodness. He said,
19 The I loly Quran. Chapter 4 |Thc Women; Arabic: Al-Nisaa\. Verse 58.
37
Ethics
Indeed God enjoinsjustice and kindness, and generosity to

wards relatives, and He forbids indecency, wrongdoing, and
aggression. He advisesyou, so that you may take admoni
tion.20
From here we realize that people behaving with some vir
tues while neglecting others is similar to believing in parts of
the Book while disbelieving other parts.
... Do you believe in part of the Book and deny another
part? So what is the requital of those ofyou who do that ex
cept disgrace in the life of this world? And on the Day of
Resurrection, they shall be consigned to the severest punish
ment. And God is not oblivious ofwhatyou do.21
Imam Al-Sadiq (a) beautifully showed this reality when he
said, “The characteristic of ethical virtues is that each virtue is tied to
the other.. .”22
With these formidable foundations, this system of ethics for
the individual or the society will be a reason of strength for
that individual or society. However, when ethics are not
built on such foundations, divine order dictates that such a
community will fall and collapse even with all its seeming
strength and capability. In reality, that fa9ade of strength
may very well be the cause of its demise.
20 The Holy Quran. Chapter 16 [The Bees; Arabic: At-Nahl\. Verse 90.
21 'Hie Holy Quran. Chapter 2 [The Cow; Arabic: Al-Baqara\. Verse 85.
22 Al-Majlisi, Bihar Al-Amvar, 66:375. From: Al-Tusi, Al-Amali, 301.
38
The Good Life
In the name of God\ the most Beneficent, the most Merciful
Whoever ads righteously, [whether] male orfemale, should
he be faithful, We shall revive him with a good life and pay
them their reward by the best of what they used to do.'
In this world we strive to have a good life, filled with com
fort, calm, stability, happiness, and joy. This is very natural.
It is an intrinsic inclination for humanity to want comfort,
convenience, happiness, and stability. The distinction comes
from the means dirough which we attain these things, and
that differs from one person to the other. Most people do
not achieve dieir aspirations, even though they work day
and night to reach them. Instead of reaching ‘the good life/
they take paths that take them astray internally and external
ly. They end up living a life without getting what they truly
wanted. In some cases, they are able to get a hold of some
tools that they think will grant them the happiness, stability
and goodness they sought; but many times, diose very tools
are what cause them hardship and grief turning dieir whole
life upside down. How many people think that money is
The I Toly Quran. Chapter 16 (The Bees; Arabic: Al-Naht\. Verse 97.
39
E Tines
their key to happiness and a good life? They work so hard

diroughout their life to make diat money and watch it pile
up, without realizing diat they have become a slave to die
very tool they diought would serve diem. That money steals
dieir joy, dieir comfort, their health, and their happiness. In
reality, money does not allow diem to enjoy anything at all.
Likewise, how many people diink diat they will reach ‘the
good life’ by attaining power and presdge? Thus, they work
to realize such a life even if it is at the expense of odiers and
their happiness. They will not be able to attain a wholesome
good life, and will in turn prevent it for odiers as well. This
will lead to the worst life and the most miserable living.
Such results are seen in this world. In the afterlife, which is
die true life, such a person will in the same way bring upon
himself his own punishment, pain and suffering. He will not
realize and enjoy any type of life, here or later. Even if
money and power were to give him anything in this life, he
will definitely not realize anydiing in the next for the lack of
his wordi there.
So if money, presdge, power, and authority do not result in
a good life, then what are die tools that the individual can
use to actualize this goal of comfort and happiness in this
life? Likewise, it is vital for a person to think of what will
result in his happiness and comfort in the afterlife while he
thinks of his happiness in diis life. This is because, in reality,
this life does not compare to die afterlife. “The life of this
world is nothing but diversion and play, but the abode of the Hereafter
is indeed Ufe (itself), had they knownT2
2 The I loly Quran. Chapter 29 |The Spider; Arabic: Al-Ankabout\. Verse 64.
40
The Good Li fe
What are the tools that allow us to realize die good life both
in this world and the next?
There is no doubt that a person is not able to reach the
tools for happiness and stability without guidance and di
vine care. God created us. He knows us better than we
know ourselves. He knows our potential, what is in our best
interest, and what could destroy us. Thus, we would be
gravely mistaken to embark on our journey towards happi
ness without consulting divine teachings and guidance. Per
haps one of the reasons for our failure to reach true happi
ness is that we take on paths that we think will bring us sta
bility and happiness, but in reality go against our own inter
ests. This is due to the fact that we may choose to have tun
nel vision and limit our capacity.
God provides us with a group of fundamental elements up
on which a good life may be founded. The most important
of these elements are three: faith, submission to God, and
contentment.
Faiti-i
Of the most significant elements to a person’s stability and
ensuring a wholesome life, is faith. Faith makes a person
connected with everything. Faith connects one to his soul,
his innate, his surroundings, and his entire world. Faith is
the essence of stability in a person’s life. Narrations from
Ahlulbayt (a) point to this truth. Abu Hamza asked Imam
Al-Baqir (a) about the verse in the Holy Quran that states,
41
K i ll ics
“It is He who sent down composure into the hearts of the faithful.. .”3
The Imam (a) answered by saying, “It isfaith.”4
Thus, faith is tranquility and stability - two parts of having a
good life. From this background it is essential to discuss a
few more points:
How doesfaith bring a good life?
We believe that humanity was created for servitude, utmost
devotion to God Almighty - die source of excellence in its
entirety. Hence, all of mankind's tools and utilities, physical
or spiritual, have die purpose of serving that primary goal.
These tools and components have needs. On a physical lev
el, people are in need of food, water, clodies, sexual release
and odier basic needs. People have spiritual needs as well,
which go beyond just the physical senses, that are to be ful
filled on a spiritual level just the same.
God provided guidelines and limitations as to what will al
low a person to fulfill both his physical and spiritual needs.
This is all within a solid specific framework created for the
human being to achieve and realize his purpose, which is
through servitude and worship of God. Thus, if any defect
or mistake take place on a physical or spiritual level, like eat
ing forbidden foods, drinking alcohol, or having non-marital
sex, they result in a defect in one's servitude. Whenever
such a defect is to take place, a person is unable to fully en
gage with his innate nature. Rather, it is necessary for a per
son to walk this straight path in pursuit of that noble goal of
reaching happiness and a good wholesome life. Such a path
3 The Holy Quran. Chapter 48 | The Victory; Arabic: A!-Fatb\. Verse 4.

•* Al-Kulayni, Al-Kafi, 2:15
42
The Good Life
does not deviate from reason and common sense, which

God created for us to embark on the journey to reach our
happiness. Faith comes forth to push us in that direction
whereby a life of happiness is realized.
There is only one to be worshipped and that is God. Hu
manity is in servitude of God and moves in die path of
God’s will. All of the components of the human being are
engaged, both the physical and die spiritual, with what God
has ordained in the system He created. By that, a person will
live a life of comfort, happiness and stability.
The Holy Quran illustrates and clarifies this point via exam
ple, which is one of die frequcndy used methods used in the
Quran to deliver an idea to the reader, in die following
verse:
[It is] an Arabic Quran, without any deviousness, so that
they way be Godway. God draws an example: a man
jointly owned by several contending masters, and a man be
longing entirely to one man: are the two equal in compari-
son? All praise belongs to God! But most of them do not
know/
Human beings were created for servitude and thus must fall
in line with that purpose as servants to their Creator. As
mendoned earlier, all the components of the human beings
were made to engage with this fundamental reality. If we are
to refuse our servitude to God, dien we will inevitably be
come servants to someone or something else. In surveying
any human being on Earth, it is impossible to find someone
who is not actually in servitude to God or something else.
5 The Holy Quran. Chapter 39 [The Crowds; Arabic: Al-Ziimai\. Verses 28-29.
43
Ethics
By ‘something else/ it could be one's self, whimsical desires,

power, money, or anything else. People who say that such a
person is ‘free’ are kidding themselves. True freedom is not
realized until a person is in complete sendee to God and
only God. Odienvise, a person is still a slave to his desires,
whims, and ignorance.
When a person believes and has faidi in God, he is able to
live in a state of stability and tranquility because he does not
work for anydiing but the sake of God. And thus, all of the
tools before him work seamlessly to achieve diat noble goal.
Without such faith, however, a person falls victim to die
conflicting interests of die other ‘gods’ to which he is en
slaved. Thus, he lives in a troubled state of instability, mis
ery, and being torn away from what is innate and common
sense. He loses the most important element of a good life —
stability.
The type offaith that brings a good life

What is the faith that allows a person to realize a good life?
Is superficially observed faith enough to realize this goal?
Here we must address two fundamental issues and two sig
nificant points:
The required faidi here is not theoretical in nature — if it is
appropriate to use such a description. Rather, it is the faith
referenced by the narrations of the Holy Prophet (s) and his
Household (a) . The Holy Prophet (s) said, “Faith is not
through demonstrations and wishful thinkingrather, faith is what is
concluded in the heart and confimed in action.”6
6 Al-Saduq, Ma’aui Al-Akhbar, 187.
44
The Good Life
The Commander of the Faithful (a) said, “The Holy Prophet

(s) told me: 'Oh AH wife.’ To that I said, What shall I writeV Pie
said, Write in the Name of God the Beneficent the Merciful. Faith is
what is revered in the hearts and confirmed in the deeds.”7
Thus, the faith that is required is the one that produces up
right conduct or is confirmed by upright conduct. True faith
is one that is owned by one whose actions are completely in
sync with the conviction in his heart. The following verse
professes this truth in its indication that righteous deeds and
faith result in a good happy life. “ Whoever acts righteously,
[whether] male or female, should he be faithful, We shall revive him
with a good life and pay them their reward by the best of what they
used to do.”*
Thus, theoretical faith or faith that is in one’s heart alone is
not enough to result in a happy life. Faith without action
does not actualize true servitude to God. A state of en
gagement with one’s inner soul will not be realized, and that
person will remain a prisoner to his psychological troubles
frustrating his life only further.
Faith has levels and degrees. The more a person increases in
his degree of faith, the closer he becomes to reaching ‘the
good life.’ The heart increases in its light and shines with
what mandates the feelings of happiness. Imam Ali (a) said,
“Faith appears as a flash of light in the heart. When faith increases
theflash of light also increases.”9
7 Al-Majlisi, Bihar Al-Amvar, 50:208.

8 '11k* I Ioly Quran. Chapter 16 |Thc Bees; Arabic: Al-Naht\. Verse 97.
9 AI-Radi, Nabj AI-Balagha, 4:59.
45
Ethics
Another narration of Imam A Li’s (a) words goes into some

more detail. “Faith appears as a flashing white light in the heart.
When one'sfaith increases in gnatness, that whiteness in the heart also
becomes greater. If one'sfaith is to be complete, his heart will whiten in
its entirety. »io
When a person increases in his faith he also increases in his
servitude to God, actualizing the true benefit from all of his
faculties and energies in this journey. By that a person is
able to realize a great deal of being truly engaged with one’s
inner self.
Submission to God
In life, a person can experience two types of problems or
hardships that he possibly may not understand causing him
more difficulty- and discomfort. Those are:
First: the necessity of restraint and commitment to the obli
gations and commands ordained by God. There is a big
portion of this that a person may not completely under
stand, or may only know its superficial benefit. That in turn
could make us feel constrained by these ty^pes of commands
and responsibilities. If we choose not to commit to these
responsibilities we feel like we have fallen out of God’s fa
vor by being disobedient. Beyond that guilt, there are many
negative effects we experience by leaving obedience even
before we die and move on to the next life. Nonetheless, if
we do commit to following God’s commands and fulfilling
our obligations we may feel a sense of being restricted or
constrained. We may tend to feel that our freedom is being
io Al-I lindi, KanÂl-'Amal, 1:406, Tr. 1734.
46
The Good Life
infringed upon and the more we restrict ourselves with

God’s rules, the less free we become.
Second: we face many problems and tribuladons in our lives
that may seem like an annoyance and cause frustration for
us. We find no clear explanadon for these frustradons and
we do not know their cause or reason. Generally, we tend to
believe that happiness comes with the absence of any prob
lems in our lives. Thus, when we see problems taking place
and frustradons arise, we do not feel that we have a good
stable life.
Every religious legisladon and divine obligation given to us
has a purpose of bringing forth a benefit or deflecting some
type of harm to the individual. God is no need of our wor
ship and servitude, he does not benefit nor is he harmed by
people’s quantity or quality of worship. The sole beneficiar
ies of servitude in relation to God are the servants them
selves - us. Whether we worship God or not, the benefit or
detriment only affects us, not God. The problems and tribu
lations we face are either caused by our own hands or given
to us as a test of opportunity to show our nature to God.
These tests are opportunities for us to increase our level or
station both for this life and the next.
We are not capable of turning our feelings of fatigue, hard
ship, and difficulty in regards to these two issues to feelings
of happiness, goodness, and contentment unless we channel
them through submitting ourselves to God. We must
prompt ourselves to see the reality that God only wants
what is the best for us. He does not order us to do anything
except that it is in our best interest. He does not test us ex
cept that such a test is good for us. By that we can realize
47
ETHICS
true contentment. We can realize complete faith in God,

because submitting to Him is die sign of faidi and the great
est reflection of it. This sign is die distinction of a believer.
Abi Abdillah (a) was asked how does one know diat some
one is a believer. To diat the Imam (a) responded, “By sub
mission to God, and contentment in what he experiences in both times
ofjoy and times ofindignation.”n
The Holy Quran denies the designation of faidi to those
people who do not submit to the rule of God and His
Prophet.
Bnt no, byyour Lord! Thy will not believe until they make
you a judge in their disputes, then do not find within their
hearts any dissent toyour verdict and submit infull submis
sion.'2
All in all, submission to God in all matters will result in ex
periencing ‘the good life.’ This servitude to God results in
true faith and the highest levels of it. When a person is in a
state of objection to God’s will, he is not able to change his
reality, rather he will stay living in pain and strain. On die
other hand, with submission to His will and contentment, it
naturally mandates the feelings of tranquility and comfort.
Not to forget, such servitude to God results in being re
warded by God both in this life and the next. Divine Wis
dom means diat God’s commands are based on real bene
fits to be gained and real harms to be avoided, both in this
world and the Hereafter. All of these elements play into die
natural result of reaching the goal of happiness and living a
good life.
11 Al-Kulayni,2:63.
12 The Holy Quran. Chapter 4 |The Women; Arabic: Al-Nisaa\. Verse 65.
48
The Good Life
In many supplications taught to us by Ahlulbayt (a), we ask

God to grant us contentment in everything that God gives
us. For example, in ‘Ziyarat Ameen God’ - a ziyara that is
well known and attributed to our Holy Imams (a) - we find
tli is phrase: “O’ God, make me selfassured with jour magnitude,
and content withjour judgment..
The narrations of Ahlulbayt (a) clearly indicate that submit
ting to God and delegating the fate of your affairs to Him
mandates psychological comfort for the individual, which is
one of the most important elements to living a happy life.
Imam Al-Baqir (a) told Jabbir Al-Ju’fi, .Allowjoitrselfpsy
chological comfort with delegation [ofjour affairs to God].. .”13 In
another narration, Imam Al-Sadiq (a) was noted to have
said, “Theperson who delegates his affair to God, is in eternal comfort
and a state of durable lasting lining... >>14
Contentment
Contentment is of the greatest causes of comfort in this life
and the afterlife. It has been reported that in some of the
exegeses of the Holy Prophet (s) and his Ahlulbayt (a) that
they explained die following: The good life comes with con
tentment. The author of Mujamma’ Al-Bayan explained the
verse “ We shall revive him with a good life.. .”15
One of the meanings a/e: the good life, lawful sustenance, as

narrated from Ibn Abbas and Saeed bin Jubajr and
Ataa. The second meaning: it is contentment and accepting
13 Al-I larrani, TobafAt-‘Oqool, 285.

14 Misbab Al-Sbaree’a, 175 (the book is attributed to Imam Al-Sadiq (a)).
15 The Holy Quran. Chapter 16 [The Bees; Arabic: Al-Nab^. Verse 97.
49
Ethics
what God has ordained, as narratedfrom Al-Hassan (a)

and Wahab, which was also narrated from the Holy
Prophet (sa)...16
This has also been narrated from die Commander of the
Faidiful (a) when he was asked about the same verse men
tioned above. To diat he said, ‘7/ is contentment.”'1
We find this emphasis on contentment because generally
many people are discontent with what tiiey have. No matter
how much tiiey attain, they still want more. Imam Al-Sadiq
(a) said, “...If the son ofAdam had two valleys filled with gold and
silver, he would still wish for a third one. 0 ’ son ofAdam, your stom
ach is a sea and a valley - nothing willfill it up but the soil. >>18
Some people always feel this sense of lacking or deficiency,
for no matter how much they get they continue to want
more. This sense of deficiency adds to their troubles and
makes diem worry over dieir share in this life. They will
work day and night to gather their wealth or climb the lad
der of power, becoming so fixated and causing themselves
spiritual ailments. Greed, envy, bullying, and infringing on
other people's rights are all natural effects of discontent
ment. Each one of these spiritual ailments causes pain.
Thus, they convince diemselves that they will not feel any
better unless they get richer. They do not realize that true
richness is an internal feeling of stability that we call con
tentment. A person who is content is rich, and because of
that richness he feels happiness. Without contentment that
same person is poor, no matter how much money he has.
16 Al-Tabrasi, Mujanm/a’ Al-Bayan, 6:198.

17 Al-Radi, NahjAl-Batagba, 4:51.
18 Al-Saduq, Man La Yahdnmh Al-Faqib, 4:418, Tr. 5912.
50
The Good Life
Narrations of Ahlulbayt (a) confirm this idea that the true

richness that causes happiness is contentment, not money
or wealth. Imam Ali (a) said, “7 requested richness and onlyfound
it through contentment. Through contentment you will find rich
ness. .. >>19
God advised Prophet David (a) as follows: “O’ David, I have
placedfive things in Jive, and people look for them in five other things
but do not find what they are looking for... I have placed richness in
contentment. People look for richness in money, but they will not find
it...”*'
In summary, richness is without a doubt one of die causes
for comfort, happiness, and a good life. But richness, in ac
cordance to our noble traditions, is something that comes
from within. It is an internal state that a person has, when
ever he is in that state he feels rich. Without that internal
stability, he feels impoverished even if he owns the entire
world. There is no doubt that poverty is a cause for human
suffering. A person cannot feel the goodness of life in a
state of poverty. But poverty here is not measured by
wealth, it is measured by contentment. It is true that a hu
man being has natural physical needs and if they are not ful
filled then die person may not function widi the best judg
ment. But when the bare minimum of one’s needs are met,
contentment is the key to richness, and discontentment nat
urally mandates destitution. Contentment, submission to
God, and faith are the three fundamental elements to secur
ing a good and happy life.
19 Al-Majlisi, Bihar A l-A nwar, 66:399, Tr. 91.

20 Al-Milli, VddatAl-Da'ee,, 166.
51
I
i
Struggle Within
As for those who strive in Us, We shall surely guide them
in O/tr ways, and God is indeed with the virtuous.1
Before we begin our discussion about the topic of “struggle
with the self’ and the reality of this great struggle that the
Prophet (s) called “the Greater Jihad,” we must point to a
few key concepts as an introduction:
A Breakdown
First, each individual, throughout their existence, passes
through a number of stages. Perhaps the shortest of diese
stages is life in this world. If we were to look at the rado of
life in the womb to life in this world, and compare it to the
rado of the life in this world to life in the hereafter, we find
that the rados are very divergent. No matter how long a
person may live on this world, the value of life on this world
is nothing compared to life in the hereafter - after all, the
life of the hereafter is boundless and eternal. And because
'I Tie Holy Quran. Chapter 29 |Thc Spider; Arabic: Al-Ankaboot\. Verse 69.
53
IL Til 1 c s
this comparison is so dramatic, God described this world as

one of play and distraction. God says, “The life of this world is
nothing but diversion andplay, but the abode ofthe Hereafter is indeed
Life (itself, had they knownt*2
God also tells us how insignificant the pleasures of this
world are compared to those of the hereafter — “Areyou
pleased with the life of this world instead of the Hereafter? But the
wares of the life of this world compared with the Hereafter an but in
significant. No matter how long and hard people may work
to secure their life in this world, in the end everyone will
pass to die odier world where dieir happiness is contingent
on dieir path and life in this world.
Second, true happiness is attained only in the eternal hereaf
ter, and only in attaining closeness to God and His pleasure.
That is the highest level of achievement and success, as the
Holy Quran clearly states:
God has promised the faithful, men and women, gardens

with streams running in them, to remain in them [forever],
and good dwellings in the Gardens of Eden. Yet Godys
pleasure is gnater [than all these]; that is the gnat success\4
This stature cannot be attained by any individual except
through his choices in this life and the constant struggle to
attain closeness to God (SWT). Indeed, nothing in the here
after can be attained except through struggle in this world.
God reminds us of this truth in his Holy Book:
2 Ibid. Verse 64.

3 The f Ioly Quran. Chapter 9 |TTic Repentance; Arabic: Al-Tawba\. Verse 38.
4 Ibid. Verse 72.
K
\ 54
Struggle Within
Has he not been informed of what is in the scriptures of

Moses, and of Abraham, who fulfilled [his summons]: that
no bearer shall bear another's burden, that nothing belongs
to man except what he strives for, and that he will soon be
shown his endeavor, then he will be rewardedfor it with the
fullest reward.5
One cannot reach closeness to God or attain His pleasure
except through the great struggle of this world. Rather,
God’s guidance and his direct blessings and direction can
not be achieved except through this struggle. “As for those
who strive in Us, We shall surely guide them in Our ways, and God is
indeed with the virtuous ”(}
Third, every individual must go through this struggle with
die great enemy; die one who promised to ambush us at
every corner and on every path that leads towards God. We
read in the Quran the story of our enemy Satan, as he
speaks to God:
I will surely lie in wait for them on Your straight path.
Then I will come at them from their front and from their
rear, andfrom their right and their left, and You will not
find most ofthem to be grateful.7
This enemy will not stop. He will take any measure to de
prive mankind of the great happiness that God wanted for
them. Alongside him is a greater enemy; the self and its de
sires. God describes the state of mankind thus: “Yet I do not
absolve my [own carnal] soul, for the [carnal] soul indeed prompts
3 The l loly Quran. Chapter 53 |The Star; Arabic: AI-Naj/n\. Verses 36-41.
6 The Holy Quran. Chapter 29 |Thc Spider; Arabic: Al-Ankaboot\. Verse 69.
7 The Holy Quran. Chapter 7 (The Heights; Arabic: Al-Araj\. Verses 16 and 17.
55
B tii i cs
[men] to evil, except inasmuch as my Lord has mercy. Indeed my Lord

is all-forgmng, all-merciful!”8 Indeed, the narrations of the Holy
Household of the Prophet have told us about the great dan
gers of the self. It is narrated that the Prophet (s) even said
“Your worst enemy isyour self that is withinyou.”9
The process of struggle is continuous and will not stop for a
single moment. From die time diat a person reaches the
point of maturity and religious obligation to die point that
he or she passes to the next world, no one can desert this
batdefield. There is no truce that can be reached with this
enemy. This batde differs from all the rest diat are waged
between men. In odier wars, all parties will find time to rest,
a truce might be reached, and even a peace treaty may be
signed. In tiiis batde, all this is impossible. Any pause in the
batde will only mean defeat. Any truce is an even greater
defeat. For this reason, the Prophet (s) called this the greater
struggle.
Indeed, this struggle is greater in both hardships and in re
wards. In a normal war, die greatest that can befall anyone is
death - and death is merely a transition from one world to
another. But in the case of the great struggle for self
purification, a defeat could mean a life in God's wrath. Fur
thermore, there is no choice of retreat in the greater strug
gle, as any retreat will only mean defeat.
Fourth, although this is a dangerous and vigorous batde, we
should all keep in perspective the following two points:
8 'ITic I loly Quran. Chapter 12 [Joseph; Arabic: YouseJ\. Verse 53.

9 Al-Majlisi, Bihar Al-Anwar, 67:36.
1
‘ 56
i
Struggle Within
Firstly, we should at all times remind ourselves of the weak

ness of these two enemies. Satan is an especially weak ene
my, as he can never gain control over anyone unless that
person willingly gives up control to him. God refers to the
weakness of Satan on many occasions in His Holy Book,
such as in the verse “Those who have faithfight in the way of God,
and those who are faithless fight in the way offake gods. So fight the
fiends of Satan; indeed the stratagem of Satan are alwaysflimsy. »io
God also tells us that Satan has no power over us: “Indeedas
for My servants yon do not have any authority over them, except the
perverse who followyon,”n and “ ‘Asfor My servants, yon shall have
no authority over them.* Andyour Jôrd suffices as trustee.”12 Satan
even admits this himself, as is narrated in the Holy Quran:
When the matter is all over, Satan will say, \Indeed God
made yon a promise that was true and I [too] made yon a
promise, but I failed yon. I had no authority overyon, ex
cept that l calledyon andyon responded to me. So do not
blame me, but blame yourselves. / cannot respond to yonr
distress calls, neither can yon respond to my distress calls.
Indeed I disavowyonr taking me for [God*s] partner afore
time. There is indeed a painfulpunishmentfor the wrongdo
ers. *l}
As for die second enemy - the sinful self - there is an ex-
cep don to its deviance. The sinful self “indeed prompts [men] to
evil, except inasmuch as my Lord has meny. Indeed my Lord is all-
forgiving^, all-merciful.”™ To enter into this exception of mercy,
10 The Holy Quran, Chapter 4 (The Women; Arabic: Al-Nisaa\, Verse 76.
n The I Ioly Quran, Chapter 15 (The Stoneland; Arabic: Al-Hi/r], Verse 42.
12 The Holy Quran, Chapter 17 [The Ascendance; Arabic: Al-lsraa\, Verse 65.
13 The I Ioly Quran, Chapter 14 [Abraham; Arabic: Ibrahim|, Verse 22.
14 The Holy Quran, Chapter 12 [Joseph; Arabic: Yousej\, Verse 53.
57
Ernies
the self must take the right stand in this great batde between
truth and falsehood.
Secondly, we must realize that there is a means to reach a
decisive victory in this batde, and diat is through seeking aid
and having reliance on God (SWT) during die batde. If a
person was to connect to this infinite source of power that
is incomparable to any odier, victory will surely be on his
side. The Holy Quran is filled with promises of victory for
whoever wants closeness to God and does indeed take the
side diat God desired for him in diis batde.
God says: “As for those who strive in Us, We shall surely guide
them in Our ways, and God is indeed with the virtuous.”15 He also
says:
Whoever is way of God, He shall make for him a way out
[of the adversities of the world and the Hereafter] and pro
videfor himfrom whence he does not count upon. And who
ever puts his trust in God, He will suffice him. Indeed God
canies through His commands. Certainly, God has or
dained a measure [and extent]for everything.16
Keeping diese points in mind will allow us to better under
stand the reality of the struggle that we all face.
The Parties
Scholars of ethics have characterized the struggle as a pro
longed war between the forces of good and the forces of
evil. The struggle has also been characterized as a war be
tween the soldiers of God and the soldiers of Satan. If an
15 The Holy Quran, Chapter 29 (The Spider; Arabic: Al-Ankabootj, Verse 69.
16 The Holy Quran, Chapter 65 (Divorce; Arabic: Al-Talaq\, Verses 2 and 3.
58
-
Struggle Within
individual’s faculties choose the side of good led by the

sound intellect, they are the soldiers of God. But if the fac-
uldes stand on the side of evil led by the force of ignorance,
they become die soldiers of Satan. When the faculties stand
on die side of good and virtue, they are also called the sol
diers of the intellect, as the intellect is the leader of those
forces. Otherwise, they become the soldiers of ignorance, as
ignorance is the leader on that side of the batde.
Therefore, we must seek to understand the reality of die
intellect and ignorance as the leading forces in this batde.
For diis reason, we see such an emphasis in narrations on
the importance of understanding these forces — Imam Sadiq
(a) said “know the intellect and its soldiers, and ignorance and its
soldiers, andyou will be guided”'1
The Intellect
Scholars of ethics have differing perspectives on the reality
of the intellect. However, a general understanding of the
intellect can be derived from the following two roles:
The first role of the intellect is that of awareness and dis
cernment. And it is this intellect that separates mankind
from other animals. The intellect is what allows us to learn
the empirical sciences and to engage in logical argumenta
tion. It also allows us to discern and differentiate between
good and evil.
So the intellect is what allows us to discern and differentiate
between good and evil and understand cause and effect, and
balance considerations and consequences. And for that rea
son, we say that a reasonable person - someone who uses
17 Al-KulayniÂt-Kop, 1:21 (The Book of Intellect and Ignorance).
59
Ethics
reason and intellect - is the person who foresees the ends

and consequences of any matter. And this is what distin
guishes us from other animals. A reasonable individual does
not look at the immediate satisfacuon of an action only, but
will see and think about other consequences beyond that.
How many good tasting drinks do we see on the market
that can cause us illness? And how many bad tasting drinks
do we see that can be the cure for our illnesses? Each indi
vidual uses his reasoning ability to judge which of these
products to drink and when.
And because of this great capacity to reason that is given to
us through our intellect, it is said the intellect is the key to
both paradise and hellfire. And this idea has reached us in a
number of narrations, such as the narration of Imam Baqir
(a) describing the creation of the intellect:
When God mated the intellect He gave it the ability to
speak. He then asked it to comeforth and it did. He asked
it to go back and it did. He then told it <by My Honor and
Glory, I have not mated anything more beloved to me than
yon, and I have not completed you except in those that I
love. Indeed, I commandyou and prohibit you, and I will
punishyou and rewardyon.18
When Imam Sadiq (a) was asked about the intellect, he re
plied “it is [the tool] which is used to worship the Merciful [Lord]
and earn his paradise. >>19
This ability to distinguish between good and evil, and be

tween virtue and vice, bears a great mark on humanity. So
is Ibid. 1:10.
>9 Ibid. 1:11.
60
Struggle Within
much so, that it is a foundation for legislation, such that a

person who does not have the ability to reason — a person
who is “insane” or “mentally incompetent” — is not held to
the standards that are imposed by law. In the same way,
God’s commands also revolve around the intellect and sani
ty of the individual. So it is that ability to reason that allows
us to gain closeness to God and to acquire a good character.
One may wonder “if the intellect is the tool that brings us
closer to God, then why do we see so many rational indi
viduals, such as scientists and engineers, who have not
gained an understanding and a closeness to God?” The an
swer will be understood through our discussions on the
second role of the intellect and the reality of ignorance.
The second role of the intellect is that of driving actions in
accordance with reason. The intellect does not simply sup
ply us with knowledge of different options that we can
choose. But to be a rational individual, you must not only
understand these choices, but also choose good over evil.
So reason is a combination of both knowledge and action,
as will be clear in our discussion of ignorance.
ignorance
Some may think that ignorance is simply lack of

knowledge, so that a person who does not know something
is called ignorant. In reality, “ignorance,”21' as was discussed
in the narrations, is a positive concept — it asserts the exist
ence of something — rather than a negative concept that on
ly asserts the lack of knowledge. Ignorance is the opposite
of intellect. Ignorance, in fact, is a state of knowledge with-
20 Arabic: al-jahl
61
ethics
out action. It is a state of the self that drives a person to

choose what is evil and harmful over what is good and ben
eficial. It is a state of the self that drives a person to suc
cumb to carnal desires.
This meaning is clearly found in the narrations of the Holy
Household of die Prophet (s). Imam Sadiq (a) was asked
“what is intellect?” He replied “// is a tool usedfor the worship of
God and earning a place in Paradise.” The Imam was asked
about the oppressors and whether they had an intellect. He
replied “trice and Satanic wit. They are similar to the intellect, but
they are not a form ofintellect.”1'
So what people casually call “intellect” is not the same intel
lect that is described in the narrations of the Prophet (s) and
his Holy Household (a). Not anyone who has a form of wit
or cunning possesses this intellect. On the contrary, if a per
son has some knowledge but does not act in accordance
with it, then that person has reached the peak of ignorance.
That ignorance will lead to hellfire no matter how many re
ligious slogans the person has memorized. Imam Ali (a) de
scribes such a person as the most ignorant; he says:
While the other kind of man [as opposed to the believer] is
he who calls himself learned but he is not so. He has gleaned
ignorance from the ignorant and misguidance from the mis-
guided. He has setfor the people a trap made of the topes of
deceit andfalsehood. He takes the Quran according to his
own views and bends the truth to suit his passions. He
makes people feel safe from great sins and takes lightly the
most serious crimes. He says that he holds back in the face
21 Al-Barqi, Al-Mahasin, 1:195, Tr. 15.
62
StrucglE WI THIN
of doubtful matters while he is plunged in them, and he says

that he keeps alooffrom innovations while he is actually
immersed in them. His shape is that of a man, but his
heart is that of a beast. He does not know the door ofguid
ance to follow nor the door of misguidance to keep aloof
therefrom. These are the dead [minds with] living bodies.
So we realize that the use of the word “intellect” in the nar
rations of the Holy Household is different from its use in
the studies of philosophy and logic, where the term is meant
to describe the ability to perceive. Hence, our scholars of
ethics characterize the intellect as both an ability to distin
guish between good and evil, and a force that drives to
wards good and away from evil.
The Virtues
With that framework in mind, we are able to see an insepa
rable connection between the intellect and a number of vir
tues. This is reinforced in a number of narrations, such as in
the words of Imam Ali (a):
Gabriel (a) descended on Adam (a) and said ‘Oh Adam, I
have been commanded to give you the choice between one of
three options, so choose one and leave the others.y So Adam
replied (0h Gabriel, what are the three choicesV Gabriel
answered \intellect, modesty, and faith\ Adam said 7
choose the intellect.y So Gabriel turned to modesty andfaith
and told them ‘go and leave him. ’ They replied ‘Oh Gabri
el, we have been commanded to be with the intellect wherever
it goes.y He said ‘it is up toyouy and ascended to the Heav-
■>2
ens:
i
-
22 Al-Kulayni, Al-Kaji, 1:10 (The Book of Intellect and Ignorance).
63
a
Ernies
Because the intellect is a force that recognizes good and

drives the individual towards it, it inevitably will lead the
individual towards modesty. A rational individual will no
doubt gravitate towards an ethic of modesty that would de
ter him from falling into vice. So alongside the intellect that
drives towards what is good, modesty will be there to deter
the individual from sin.
Another virtue that will accompany the intellect is that of
faith. Faith and piety will drive the individual closer to what
is good and will also deter him from falling into sin. As one
scholar of ethics characterizes it, faith is ‘“the straight path'
that will take anyone traveling on it closer to virtue and
away from vice. [Faidi] is knowledge of the totality of fac
tors that brings a person closer to the Lord and aedng on
His commands, as well as knowledge of the totality of fac
tors that lead the individual away from God and not falling
into what has been prohibited.”23
Therefore, any individual who maintains a true intellect will
earn many more virtues that will light up his path to happi
ness and contentment and aid him in Iris struggle with the
self. In this struggle with ignorance and its soldiers, modesty
and faith will always be on the other side. With every degree
of ignorance comes a degradadon in degrees of modesty
and faith.
As for communides that are entrenched in evil and corrup

tion, you will not see them have eidier of these virtues. The
dissolution of ethics and the rampant social corruption will
drive an individual to a point where all modesty is lost, even
2J Al-Mazandarani, Sharh UsoolAl-Kaft, 1:73.
64
Struggle Within
if that person has reached a high level of knowledge. So the

intellect is something very different from mere knowledge,
as is clear from the words of the Holy Household. Societies
that have high scientific and technological achievements will
remain ignorant societies from our perspective because they
lack the forces that drive towards good and that deter from
evil and corruption. These societies that lack modesty and
faith do not differ in their ignorance from the ignorance of
Arabia before Islam, where faith, modesty, and the drive
towards virtue were nonexistent.
Ti-ie Battleground
After understanding the reality of the two opposing forces
in this battle for self purification, let us look at the remain
ing faculties of the human self. On the one hand, these fac
ulties serve as the battlefield as the forces of intellect and
the forces of ignorance are fighting for control of these fac
ulties. On the other hand, these faculties can serve as troops
in this battle for whichever side has gained control over
them. These faculties can either lead to the greatest of suc
cesses if they are controlled by the forces of the intellect, or
they could lead to the ultimate defeat if they are controlled
by the forces of ignorance. As for the faculties, they are as
follows:
Desire
Desire is faculty of great importance within the human

self. There are two essential acts that are undertaken by this
faculty.
=!
65
-s
E T 11 1 C S
Appetite. The first act undertaken by the faculty of desire is

to satisfy the appetite for food and drink. The act of eating
is essential to human life, both physiologically and socially.
If we did not consume any food, we would not be able to
sustain our bodies and continue to live in this world. And
because the body is a tool through which the soul acts, the
soul’s worldly actions depend on tire living body. Therefore,
a healthy diet is essential not only to sustain the living body,
but also for tire continued activity of the soul in this world.
Furthermore, our natural desire to satisfy our appetite is a
means to reflect on and appreciate the blessings of God be
stowed upon us through food and drink.
Yet this faculty does not have the ability to reason. Its only
goal is to consume. It does not distinguish between balal
and barcwjy or between little and plenty, or tire effects that
each of these would have on the body and the self. It only
seeks to be satisfied and nourish the body through con
sumption. Therefore, there must be another faculty that
controls this one and organizes its affairs; or else it would
cause many problems for the individual on both a physical
and a metaphysical level. And here lies the role of the intel
lect in regulating and supporting this faculty, so that it only
acts in a way that is beneficial to the body and the soul. We
see many narrations that emphasize the importance of food
and its effect on tire human body and soul. The body is
connected to the human soul and the soul, at the level of
the body, develops along with it. Therefore, if the body is
nurtured with pure balal food, the soul will also be purified.
But if the body grows on impure and haram food, that will
lead to the impurity and corruption of the soul.
66
S T R U G G 1- E W I T H I N
The narrations that pertain to food focus on a number of

diings:
1. The effects on the body, which consequendy has an
effect on the soul; especially since the body is the
primary tool for the soul’s physical acdons: That is
why we see an emphasis on refraining from overeat
ing because of the negadve effects it has on the
body, and, consequendy, on the soul. The Com
mander of the Faithful Imam Ali (a) in his will to his
son Imam Hasan (a) said “Oh son, wouldyou like me to
teach you Jour characteristics that will allowyou to live with
out need for medicine?' Imam Hasan (a) replied “Yes,
Oh Commander of the Faithful” Imam Ali said “Do not
sit at a table to eat except whenyou are hungry. Always leave
the table whileyou still crave thefood. Chew well. Ifyou want
to go to sleep, use the restroom first. Ifyou follow this advice,
you will not need medicine.”1* Imam Ali (a) also said “be
ware of addiction to satisfying the appetite fully, for it riles
ailments and blings about illnesses ”25
2. The effects on the soul due to diet: There is a num
ber of narrations that point to the effects that food
can have on the self and die role that it can play in
stifling spiritual growth. It is narrated that the
Prophet (s) said “do not killyour hearts with overeating
and overdrinking, for the heart dies much like a plant if
overwatered. »26 It is also narrated that the Prophet (s)
said “do not satisfyyour appetite fully such that the light of
24 Al-Saduq, Al-Khisal, 229.

25 Al-Nuri, Mustadrak Al-Wasa'el\ 16:221.
26 Al-Tabrasi, Makarim Al-Akblaq, 15.
67
li T 11 ICS
knowledge inyour hearts is extinguished. Whoeverprays with

a light stomach isjoined by the heavenly maidens”11
3. Emphasis on the purity and permissibility of the
food, as that has a great effect on die movement of
the soul towards God: It is narrated that the Proph
et (s) said “whoever eats halalfood, an angel hovers over his
head and prays for him until hefinishes his meall”28 It is al
so narrated diat the Prophet (s) said “whoever eats hal
alfoodfor forty days, God will enlighten his heart”10 He (s)
also said “worship combined with eating haram food is like
building a stna ture over sand. »30
So we see that food is integral to self-purification. The de
sire for food is a blessing given by God, without which we
cannot sustain a suitable body for the soul to use.
Sexual Desire. The second act undertaken by die faculty of
desire is to satisfy sexual impulses. This desire is integral for
the continuity' of the human race and the advancement of
societies. It is also a means for humans to appreciate the
physical beauty of God’s creation. However, it must always
be under control, as it does not distinguish between halal
and haram. It seeks gratification and satisfaction by any
means possible. Therefore, the intellect must be in control
of tiiis desire so that it is only used within the bounds of
religious guidelines that guide and reinforce the intellect.
There is a great deal of narrations that address this desire
from a number of aspects - including the importance of
27 Al-Majlisi, Bihar Al-Anwar, 63:331.

23 Ibid. 66:314.
29 Ibid. 100:16.
30 Ibid. 81:258.
68
Struggle Witii in
allowing permissible means of satisfaction of this impulse,

the religious guidelines regulating it, the manners and tradi
tions associated with it, and warning of satisfying this desire
dirough impermissible means. The teachings of our religion
stress the importance of safeguarding this faculty through
marriage and the need to satisfy the desire through legiti
mate means. This not only aids the reproductive purpose of
sexual desire, but also has its own rewards in the hereafter.
Religious teachings regard early marriage as a tradition that
must be preserved, as has been related in the narration of
Imam Sadiq (a):
The wife of Othman ibn Mayoun came to the Prophet (s)
and said <
oh Messenger of God, Otbman spends his days
fasting and his nights worshipping. * The Messenger of God
left angered carrying his shoes and came to Otbman and
found him praying. When Otbman saw the Prophet (s) be
cut short his prayers and turned to the Prophet (s). The
Prophet (s) told him (0h Otbman, God did not send me as
a messenger to preach monasticism. Rather He sent me with
an uptight, easy, and tolerant religion. Ifast and pray, but
I am also intimate with my family. So whoever loves my in
nate nature let him follow my tradition, and matital rela
tions are of my tradition.j/
We should also point out the solemn warnings against al

lowing this desire to have full reign and freedom. It is
enough to point to fornication as one method of fulfilling
this desire through impermissible means, and the effects
that such actions can have on the individual. Our texts con-
tain many references to this, including God’s words “Do not
Al-Kulayni, At-Kaft, 5:494.
69
K T II I CS
approach fornication. It is indeed an indecency and an evil way”*2

Imam Sadiq (a) also says:
The fornicator possesses six traits, three of them are in this
world and three an in the hereafter. In this world, fornica
tion removes the light of the face, begets poverty, and hastens
death. Asfor the hereafter, it will incur the wrath of God, a
terriblejudgment, and an eternity in he!fire. ”
Indeed, without life-changing regret and repentance, forni-
cauon is spiritually lethal. Imam Kadhim (a) also said “beware
offornication, for it eliminates blessings and nullifies faith.” 4 And
there are many other narrations in regards to fornication
and other impermissible methods of fulfilling this desire. Of
course, if one repents sincerely, God’s mercy extends to
those willing to receive it.
Controlling the Desires. In summary, the faculty of desire
is one of the most important faculties in the human self and
it must be under the control of the intellect. Whenever a
person is able to control it, it will become a force that drives
him toward excellence and elevation. It will lead to the vic
tor}7 of the forces of God over the forces of Satan within
the human soul. However, if a person is not able to control
this desire and allows it to reign freely, that will lead him to
succumb to a level that is lower than that of savage beasts
with no intellect; this amazing power of the intellect with
which we humans have been endowed and were asked to
place all faculties under its control.
32 The I Ioly Quran, Chapter 17 [The Ascension; Arabic: At-Israa], Verse 32.
* Ibid. 5:542.
70
Struggle Within
One might ask “If these desires are so hard to control - as

we see the much of the world living in a state of sin - why
did God not create us without it so that we can be com
pletely obedient to Him?”
God’s wisdom has dictated the creation of three categories
of being: one with an intellect and no desire and those are
the angels; one with desires and no intellect, and those are
the animals; and one with both desires and an intellect and
that is us humans.
Whenever a person is able to allow his intellect to control
his desires, he is elevated to a status that is higher than the
angels - that is the status of the prophets and the righteous.
However, if a person allows his desires to take control, he
will slip and descend into a status that is lower than that of
the animals. God says in his Holy Book, “Doyou suppose that
most of them listen or exercise their reason ? They an just like cattle;
indeed' they are further astray from the way. So the purpose of
humankind is to become better than the angels and to reach
higher levels, and that can be reached dirough subjection of
the desires to the intellect. When a person struggles to puri
fy himself and faces his desires and temptadons, this strug
gle will take him higher through the levels of closeness to
God. It is a means to reach God. Therefore, die existence
of these desires is itself a blessing from this perspective,
alongside the physical ends diat are reached through the
desire.
35 I he Holy Quran, Chapter 25 [Arabic: Al-Furqan], Verse 44.
71
E rii ics
Anger
Anger is one of the important faculties within the human
self, and it has a great deal of influence on the individual.
The Significance of Anger. The issue of anger is one that
is given great attention widiin the faith. Anger is a force
which, if controlled by the intellect, can push an individual
further towards excellence. However, if the force of anger is
not controlled, it can lead to great harm for the individual
and everything around him. One look at the history of
mankind will clearly show this, as we see petty disputes lead
ing to the deaths of millions of individuals. We find that
most of these atrocities were driven by anger. Human life is
so dear to God, as He says:
That is why We decreedfor the Children ofIsrael that who
ever kills a soul, without [its being guilty of] manslaughter
or corruption on the earth, is as though he had killed all
mankind, and whoever saves a life is as though he had
saved all mankind. Our apostles certainly brought them
manifest signs, yet even after that, many of them commit ex
cesses on the earth.36
Yet this force of anger has led to the death of so many of

mankind. The words of God and the narrations of the
Prophet (s) and His Holy Household (a) are meant to direct
our attention to the great importance of this force and die
grave danger that it can pose.
It is narrated that Imam Sadiq (a) said:
* The Holy Quran, Chapter 5 |Thc Banquet, Arabic: Al-Ma'ida|, Verse 32.
72
Struggle Wi tii i n
A nomaci came to the Prophet (s) and said 7 live in the de
sert and l would like to learn fromyou the best of wisdom. *
The Prophet replied 7 commandyon to never become angry. ’
The nomad asked the same question three times [and re
ceived the same answer]. Finally the nomad said 7 will nev
er ask about anything else. The Prophet (s) has given me
the best of commands. ' My father [Imam Baqir (a)] would
also say What is worse than anger? A man would get mad
and reach a point where he kills a soul with disregard to its
sanctity or defame a chaste woman.1,7
This is a clear indication that anger is a key to vice. Rather,
as is narrated from Imam Sadiq (a), anger is “the key to all
evil”™
The narradons also indicate that rage is a satanic impulse.
The state of loss of temper that takes a person out of his
sound mind is a satanic state. However, the force of anger is
not satanic in its entirety. Rather, it is rage that is a soldier of
Satan. It is narrated that the Commander of the Faithful (a)
wrote to Harith Al-Hamadani “beware of rage, as it is a great
soldier of Satan.”10 Imam Baqir (a) also confirmed that rage is
a satanic vice, as it is narrated that he said “Rage is an ember
that Satan places in the sons of Adam, so that if a person becomes
enraged his eyes become red and his veins bulge, and Satan enters his
body.
Controlling Anger. The narrations emphasize the im
portance of controlling anger as a means of taking it from a
37 Al-Kulayni, AI-Knft, 2:303.

38 Ibid.
39 Al-Radi, Nabj Al-balagba, 3:131, Letter 69.
40 Al-Kulayni, Al-Ktifiy Volume 2:304.
73
Ethics
malicious force to one of good and one that drives a person

towards happiness. The Prophet (s) and his Holy Progeny
(a) have taught us the importance of controlling our anger,
and the importance of keeping this force and passion under
control. Their teachings can be split into three categories:
First, the importance and the positive effects of controlling
anger. It is narrated that Imam Sadiq once said:
The Prophet (s) once passed by a group of people lifting a
boulder. He asked them what they wen doing. They said
that we use this to know who is the strongest and most pow
erful among us. So the Prophet (s) said 'wouldyou like me
to tellyou who is the strongest and most powerful amongst
you?’ Thy replied Yes, oh Prophet of God. ’ The Prophet
(s) said ‘the strongest and most powerful is the one who,
when content, his contentment would not cause him to fall
into sin or nice. If he were to become angry, his anger would
not stop him from saying the truth. If he has power, he will
not take anything that is not righfully his.
It is also narrated that the Prophet (s) once said, “the most
powerful is not the one who can beat others in wrestling. "Rather the
most powerful is the one who can maintain control of himself during
anger.”*1
Second, the negative effects of not standing up to anger and

being controlled by it. It is narrated that Imam Ali (a) said,
“bad temper is a strike of insanity. Whoever goes through it must feel
regret. If he does not regret, then insanity has taken hold of him.”43 It
Al-Saduq, Ma'ani At-Akbbar, 366.

42 Al-I larrani, Tohaf.At- 'Oqool, 47.
43 Al-ftadi, NabJ Albabgba, 4:57, Saying 255.
74
I
Struggle w i t i-i in
is also narrated that he said, “whoever becomes controlled by bis

anger and bis desires has stooped to the ranks of the beasts.’,44
Third, curing the problem of anger. Anger takes a person
away from his normal demeanor and allows him to lose
control of himself. Therefore, the person must be able to
take control again through his actions. It is narrated that the
Prophet (s) once told Imam Ali, “Ob Ali, do not be angry. If
you wen to become angry,, sit down and think about the power ofyour
Lord oner his subjects and His benevolence towards them. If someone
tellsyou \''beware of God,’ discardyour anger and go back to your be-
nevolenee.”45
The cure to anger is the remembrance of God, His power,
and His patience. The cure to anger is a theoretical one. Al-
lama Majiisi says, “Know that the cure to anger is either
theoretical or practical. The theoretical cure comes through
remembrance of the verses and narrations that disparage
anger and praise patience, forgiveness, and benevolence.
Think of your expectation for God’s mercy and his patience
towards him. »46
The practical cure consists of taking actions that distract die
person from his anger and allow him to take back control of
himself. This cure has been conveyed to us in the narrations
of the Holy Household of the Prophet (s). The narration of
Imam Baqir (a) says, “A man may become angy and never regain
his temper until he sees hellfin. Ifa man were to become angry, let him
sit down immediately, as that will drive away the evil of Satan.... ”47
44 Al-Nuri, Mustadrak Al-Wasa'el, 12:13.

45 AI-1 larrani, TobafAl-'Oqool, 14.
46 Al-Majlisi, Bihar At-Anwar, 70:270.
47 Al-Kulayni, AI-Kaft, 2:302.
75
Ethics
Abu Thar also narrates that the Prophet (s) once said, “If a
man became angry while he is standing, let him sit down and his anger
will subside. Else, let him lay down.”48
Constructive Anger. Not all anger is bad or prohibited.
There is one type of anger that arises out of different cir
cumstances. Anger normally arises because of satanic whis
pers and takes the individual outside the bounds of good
conduct. Good anger, on the other hand, arises from the
intellect and drives the individual towards his humanity ra
ther than away from it. It drives the individual towards a
higher and sublime understanding. It is anger tiiat is con
nected to God. It is driven by devotion rather than mad
ness. It is led by the intellect rather than ignorance. It is a
force of anger that drives the individual towards reform of
himself and what is around him. This type of anger is loved
by God. This is the type of anger that would overcome the
Prophets and righteous, as they do not become angry for
this world — they only become angry for the sake of God. It
is narrated that Imam Ali (a) said of the Prophet (s), “he
would not become angryfor this world. But if he were to become angry
for the sake of truth, he would become unrecognisable and he would not
stop until he ensures that truth prevails ”49
It is also narrated that Prophet Moses (a) asked God, “oh

Lord, who are Your people who are in the shadow ofyour throne on
[the Day ofjudgment]? So God revealed to him:... and those who are
angered by the violation of what 1 have made sacred, much like a tiger
when wounded. „50
■*® Al-Rishahri, Miân Al-Hikma, 3:2269.

49 Ibid.
w Ai-Amili, Wasa’tlAl-Sbia, 11:417.
76
Struggle Within
It is also narrated that when Muawiyya exiled Abu Thar

from the land of Sham, a number of people accompanied
him until he said his farewells and advised diem,
Oh people, combine withyour prayer andyourfast angerfor
the sake of God if He was disobeyed in this world. Do not
seek thefavor ofyour rulers through the displeasure of God.
If they commit whatyou know to be evil, distanceyourselves
from them and look down upon them, even ifyon had to
face punishment, deprivation, and exile until God in His
Majesty and Gloty is pleasedf
The Positive Role Anger Can Play. If anger is controlled
by the intellect, it can have a number of positive influences
within the individual's self.
Firstly, anger plays a huge role in an individual's capability
to defend, not only himself, but his family, wealth, nation,
and religion as well. Anger gives rise to fervor and devotion
that drive us to protect our families and our faith. Through
the force of anger, an individual may be able to attain some
of the highest honors. Without it, you would not be able to
attain the honor of defending your family or your country,
or the higher honor of defending your faith. However, an
ger does not know the difference between halal and haram. It
does not know boundaries and it cannot determine the right
way to act. If it is not controlled, it is only goal is to destroy.
That is why it must be strictly controlled by die intellect.
The intellect is the tool that is able to transform it from a
blind and reckless force to a disciplined and orderly passion.
That is why God has set strict guidance on reclaiming your
51 Al-Mufid, Al-Amali, 163.
77
Ethics
rights. He says, “So should anyone aggress againstyou, assail him

in the manner he assailedyou, and be may of God, and know that
God is with the God-wary”*2
Secondly, anger can be used as a passion to balance the pas
sion of desires. Desires are unique in that they are stubborn
and persistent. Hunger and sexual drive are insistent issues
that may cause the intellect to lose control at times. Even
some believers might at times lose control and succumb to
the power of desires to fall into sin. Some might find them
selves powerless against these desires. Here comes the role
of anger that is unique in its intensity and how quickly it can
calm down. That is why scholars of ethics emphasize the
use of anger as a means to counteract desires. When a per
son’s fervor and devotion are used to counter his regressive
desires, he will be able to quell them quickly. As Plato once
said, “How difficult is it for a person who is entrenched in
desires to be virtuous? A person who i thought and desires
do not prefer balance must seek the aid of the force of an
ger that gives rise to fervor and devotion to overcome the
desires.”53
Thirdly, anger can be used to reach a number of noble char

acteristics. Anyone who is able to use the force of anger to
quell his desires will have taken a great step towards self
purification. Similarly, a person who uses the force of anger
to defend his honor, wealth, family, nation, or faith will
have reached a great status of noble character. On the other
hand, someone standing up to the negative implications of
this force and containing his wrath reaches a great status
52 The Holy Quran, Chapter 2 |Thc Cow; Arabic: Al-Baqara\, Verse 194.
53 Al-So'adat, 1.62.
78
Struggle Within
and will have attained plentiful rewards and a close position

to God. This is what our Imams (a) tell us in their narra
tions. Imam Baqir (a) is narrated to have said, “whoever is able
to contain his rage when he was in a position to unleash it, God will
fill his heart with faith and security on the Day ofJudgment.”54 It is
also narrated that Imam Sadiq (a) said, “there is no dose that can
be swallowed by a servant more beloved to God than a dose ofanger; a
man would swallow it due to benevolence or patience as it hangs in his
heart”*
Illusion
The scholars of ethics have defined the faculty of illusion as
“die force that derives all sorts of ploys, ruses, and other
means to reach a goal through fraud and trickery.”56
This faculty has a great danger within the human self, as it is

the faculty that may drive an individual to find all sorts of
tricks to reach an end. It is not able to distinguish between
truth and falsehood or between good and evil. It only wish
es to reach its goals - “die end justifies the means.” And so
illusion is regarded as a dangerous tendency within the hu
man self, as it can be a double-edged sword that can be used
for either good or evil. If it becomes controlled by anger,
the individual becomes a tyrant who attempts to reach his
personal goals and satisfaction by means of corruption and
tyranny. He will use illusion and deception for his personal
gains. If this force falls under the control of the desires, we
will see the individual scheming to satisfy his desires by any
means possible.

55 Ibid. 2:111.
56 Al-Naraqi, Ja/r/i’ Al-Sa'adat, 1:62.
79
li T 11 1 C S
Many people think tliat using this faculty to get what you
want is just the smart tiling to do. In fact, the Quran has
been clear in its warnings against the dangers of illusion, and
that its improper use will only result in harm for the person
misusing it. It may allow a person to reach his goals in the
short run, but truth will quickly appear and people will see
through the illusion. Only what is right will remain; as the
Holy Quran says:
They had sworn by God with solemn oaths that if a wamer
were to come to them, they would be better guided than any
of the nations. But when a wamer came to them, it only in
creased their distance [from the tmth], due to their domi
neering [conduct] in the land and their devising of evil
schemes; and evil schemes beset only their authors. So do
they await anything except the precedent of the ancients? Yet
yon will neverfind any change in God's precedent, andyou
will neverfind any revision in God's precedent. '7
It is also narrated that the Commander of the Faithful (a)

said, “whoever deceives others, God will turn his deception against
him:™
Some may, due to their misperceptions, try to apply a false
standard to The Commander of the Faithful (a) and
Muawiyya. They would say that Muawiyya was a cunning
politician who was able to reach what he sought, while The
Commander of the Faithful (a) did not have this characteris
tic. Anyone who draws such a comparison is trying to con
demn The Commander of the Faithful (a) but is not able to
do so — rather he has only praised him. True, The Com-
57 'I*hc I Ioly Quran, Chapter 35 [The Originator, Arabic: Fa/ir], Verses 42, 43.
58 AJ-Wasiti, Vyoon Al-Hikam walMam'e^ 435.
80
Struggle Within
mander of the Faithful (a) will never practice acts that were
forbidden by God in the Holy Quran, or those that the
Prophet (s) warned against. How could Imam Ali (a) prac
tice trickery and deception for the sake of this fleeting
world? Yet he himself proclaims that Muawiyya’s ways are
no secret to him, and that Muawiyya is not more cunning
than him. He says:
By God, Muawiyya is not more cunning than I am. He be
trays and corrupts. If treachery was no vice, I would have
been the most cunning of men. But every betrayal is a cor
ruption and every corruption is disbelief. Each traitor car
ries a banner that identifies him on the Day ofJudgment.
God is not tricked by deception nor is he overpowered with
force.59
The Prophet (s) and the Immaculates (a) have emphasized
that decepdon will always revert back and harm whoever
practices it. In essence, whoever practices deception is chal
lenging God to undo his schemes. And so God will deal
with him with His cunning - “they plot and God devises, and
God is the best of devisers.”**' God also says in the Holy Quran,
“Thy devised a plot, and We [too] devised a plan, but they were not
aware. So observe how was the outcome of their plotting, as W? de
stroyed them and all theirpeople. „61
Cunning is not Inherently Evil. Cunning is not an inher
ently evil characteristic. It is a vice when it is controlled by
desires or by anger, such that it only plans towards sin.
However, if cunning is under the control of the intellect and
39 Al-Radi, Nahj Al-balagha, 2:180, Sermon 200.

60 The Holy Quran, Chapter 8 (The Spoils of War; Arabic: Al-Anja\, Verse 30.
61 The Iloly Quran, Chapter 27 [The Ants; Arabic: Al-Na//il\, Verses 50, 51.
81
E*r hics
is used for good and virtue, it would be a praiseworthy

characteristic. And we see diat God describes Himself as
the best of devisers in die Holy Quran because His cunning
is aimed towards the best outcomes and dirough correct
means. So whenever a man uses his cunning to reach closer
to perfection through legitimate means, to reach a higher
status and closeness to God, diis cunning becomes a force
for God and a soldier of the intellect. Conversely, if cunning
is used to attain die fleeting pleasures of this world and to
oppress others, it becomes a vice that only brings evil to
wards the individual.
It is important to point out that cunning is a powerful force
within the human self. Through it, an individual can plan
and manage the affairs of his life and attain whatever he
needs for a decent life, assuming that he does not overstep
the bounds of religion and morality. If we were not able to
use this faculty, we would have been an easy prey for the
simplest of beings and we would not have been able to
manage our lives.
Believer Beware. The believer must not be envious of the
deceitful who is able to get what he wants through trickery.
These momentary gains will fade away soon. Even if they
last for years on this Earth, that is nothing compared to the
eternity of the hereafter. What riches was Muawiyya able to
reap through his trickery? Where has it all gone now? Where
is he now? How can we compare the few years of worldly
pleasure to the eternity of hellfire?
On die other hand, the Commander of the Faithful lives in

an eternity of grace. His remembrance lives on and will con
tinue to live on. He lives on because he preferred truth over
82
Struggle wit i i in
all else. He followed the commands and words of God ra

ther than the way of deception.
A believer must be of utmost caution of God’s cunning.
How many times does God give a person the bounties and
blessings of this world, only to have that person fall into the
trap of the love for this world? Whenever we receive a
blessing, we must beware not to fall into that trap.
Imam Ali (a) said, “Ob people, let God see you afraid of bis bless
ings, f?iuch like you are averse to bis matb. Whoever is blessed with
plenty and did not see that as a bait, he hasfallen into [false] security
while danger is overhead'*2 It is also narrated that Imam Sadiq
(a) said, “ifyou see a person searching for the defects in others and
forgetting his own defects, know that he has been deceivedT63
Not every blessing diat a person receives is truly a blessing;

some may be a trap in disguise. We must beware of these
traps at times of contentment even more dian at times of
trials and tribulations. In times of trials and tribulations, die
test should be clear. In dmes of contentment, the blessings
themselves may be trials in disguise.
A person may busy himself with searching for defects in
others with disregard for his own defects. A person may
judge everyone but himself. A person may begin placing
people in heaven and hell in accordance with his desires,
without looking at himself and his defects. That is a sign
that the person has fallen into a trap and failed a divine test.
Whatever genius and cunning an individual may have, he
will not be able to outsmart God. The only way to avoid
62 AI-Radi, Nabj Al-Balagba, 4:83, Saying 358.

63 Al-I Iarrani, TobafAl-'Oqooi 364.
83
Ethics
God’s cunning is through his mercy. We ask God to have

mercy on us by not devising traps where we may unwittingly
fall. Therefore, it is important to always beware of God’s
cunning and ask him for his mercy. God wants die best for
us. He is not out to get us. But we give ourselves the short
end of the stick when we turn away from God.
Ti-ie Batite
The faculties within the human self are all blessings from
God. Without them, we would not have been able to live
out our lives, let alone move closer to God on the path of
perfection. However, each of these faculties has its own
motives and it seeks to attain them by any means.
The desires seek to fulfill their hunger and lust. Whenever
the desires take control over a person, he becomes like cat-
tie with no worry other than food and drink — “They arejust
like cattle; indeed’ they arefurther astrayfrom the way.”M Imam Ali
(a) says of such people, “whoever takes as his sole concern what
»65
enters his stomach, his worth is equal to what is excreted by it.
Anger seeks to attack, harm, and destroy whatever stands in
its way. If anger controls a person, he becomes a wild and
bloodthirsty beast. If anger takes hold, people become will
ing to kill even the prophets and the righteous. God says:
Certainly, We gave Moses the Book andfollowed him with
the apostles, and We gave Jesus, the son of Mary, manifest
proofs and confirmed him with the Holy Spirit. Is it not
that whenever an apostle brvughtyou that which was not to
64 The Holy Quran, Chapter 25 (Arabic: Al-Furqan\y Verse 44.

65 Al-Wasiti, Vjoon Al-Hikam walUam'e^ 436.
S4
Struggle Wi t 111 n
your liking, you would act arrogantly; soyou would impugn

a group [of them], and slay [another] group?6
God also says, “Say, Then why wouldyou kill the prophets of God
formerly, shouldyou be faithful?”61 Such a person will bring cor
ruption to die Earth and will be worse dian the beasts, as he
has odier faculties to aid his anger.
The faculty of illusion seeks to devise plans and can deceive
others. If it gains control over a person, he becomes a Satan
ic being. The Quran has described these people as devils:
That is how for evey prophet We appointed as enemy the
devilsfrom among humans andjinn, who inspire each other
with Jlashy words, deceptively. Hadyour Lord wished, they
would not have done it. So leave them with what they fabri-
cat,"-
The goal of die intellect is to control die other faculties
within the human self. The intellect is what drives the indi
vidual closer towards purity and closeness to God. The in
tellect is dius a force for die divine as long as it remains in
control of the other faculties. However, if it falls under die
control of any of the other faculties, it loses its benevolent
characteristic - die intellect in that state transforms into ig
norance.
Each of these faculties that exist within the human self
seeks its own satisfaction and fulfilment. They are compet
ing and battling amongst themselves, and each of diem has
its soldiers in diis batde. Scholars of ethics have character-
66 The Holy Quran, Chapter 2 (The Cow; Arabic: Al-Baqara\, Verse 87.
67 Ibid. Verse 91.
68 The Holy Quran, Chapter 6 [The Catde; Arabic: At-A/t’a///\, Verse 112.
85
ETHICS
ized the battle as such: “God has given die intellect its sol
diers, and allowed die other faculties to make use of the
soldiers of ignorance and Satan. The batde that takes place
is thus a batde between die soldiers of God the Merciful
and die soldiers of Satan. This batde is described as the
Greater Struggle. >>69
The Support Lines

The role of the intellect is to control the other faculties, to
create balance between them, and to drive them on the padi
of excellence towards God. But will intellect be able to
claim victor)' in this batde without the assistance of a Divine
Legislator?
The intellect and religious teachings can be likened to the
road and the source of light for the wayfarer. For a person
to reach his destination, he has to have a path to walk, as
well as a source of light that will allow him to see the path.
The intellect is die light source and religious teachings are
the path. I cannot reach my destination without having the
two of them. The intellect lights the way by controlling die
faculties and leading them on the path. But the intellect
cannot lead if it does not know the path. God, therefore,
draws the path for us through His means of guidance — the
Quran, the Prophet (s), and die Holy Household (a) - so
that the intellect can lead the faculties to the ultimate goal.
In a sermon about the intellect and its role, Imam Sadiq (a)
explained:
69 ;\J-Haidari, Al-Tarbiya Al-Koohijya, 173.
86
Struggle \v i t h i n
If he was told (<does the intellect suffice the servants so that

they are not in needfor anything else?” He would say “a
person who is cognisant of the indications of his intellect -
which has been given to him by God as a strongfoundation,
an adornment', and a guide — would know that God is the
Truth and that God is his Lord. He would know that his
creator has a capacity to love and hate, and that He has
[commands that can be met with] obedience or disobedience.
Yet, his intellect could not lead him to that [detailed code of
commands]. He would know that he would not reach it by
any means other than seeking knowing, and that his intel
lect cannot aid him in this endeavor without knowledge.
Therefore, it became an obligation on the person of intellect
to seek the knowledge and education without which he
would have no strongfoundation. ”°
The intellect realizes that there are obligations that the crea
tor has ordained and that there are things that the creator
dislikes. However, the intellect alone cannot discover aL
these limits. Therefore, diere must be a guide that draws all
these boundaries and gives the intellect a path where it can
lead the individual. The intellect also plays a role in discov
ering the defects and distortions that may exist in any pro
posed path — because, as we know, there have been many
who have tried to distort the message of die Prophet (a) and
to misrepresent his teachings.
Each faculty of the human self tries to achieve its own
goals, despite the chaos and corruption diat it might cause.
Therefore, there must be a set of laws that bind these facul
ties and draw boundaries for their actions. The intellect
70 Al-Kulayni, Al-Kafi, 1:29, Tr. 34.
87
Ethics
alone cannot put all this in place - it can control and limit
die faculties, but it lacks detailed laws concerning when to
bind them. So there must be a set of laws that draws the
boundaries for the faculties and dieir proper use.
In this great batde, the intellect faces a great opponent. At
times, the intellect may be defeated without knowing that it
was defeated. If the intellect falls under the control of one
of die odier faculties, and becomes captive to diem rather
dian being their leader, it has faced a great defeat. It may fall
victim to the faculties and work solely to serve them with
out even realizing it. God says, “Say, Shall we informyou who
an the biggest losers in their works? Those whose efforts are misguided
in the life of the world, while they suppose they are doing good.”'1]
The role of religion in this process is as a measure for the

intellect’s ability to remain steadfast on the path or deviation
away from it. The Commander of the Faithful describes the
role of the Prophets as showing the path that the intellect
must take — he says:
From [Adam's]progeny God chose prophets and took their
pledge for his revelation and for carrying Flis message as
their trust. In course of time many people perverted God's
trust with them and ignored His position and took compeers
along with Him. Satan turned them away from knowing
Him and kept them aloof from His worship. Then God
sent His Messengers and series of His prophets towards
them to get them to fulfil the pledges of His creation, to re
call to them His bounties, to exhort them by preachings to
7i The Holy Quran. Chapter 18 |Thc Cave; Arabic: AI-KahJ\. Verses 103,104.
88
Struggle Within
unveil before them the hidden virtues of the intellect and

show them the signs of His Omnipotence72
We should point out here the importance of having an im
maculate guide at all times. The batde within the human self
does not stop — it has been ongoing in every human since
the time of Prophet Adam (a) until today. And since the
intellect alone is not enough to reach the ultimate goal that
God desires for us, there must be a guide at all times that
supports the intellect. This is not restricted to die time of
the prophets and the messengers, but extends to our time as
well. It is also not limited to matters of delivering Divine
law, but encompasses channeling Divine mercy to us from
God. Therefore, an immaculate guide must at all times be
present on the Earth to be God’s proof over his creadons
and their guide towards God’s path. We believe that this
guide today is the Twelfth Imam from Ahlulbayt (a). There
is no problem that our Immaculate Imam (a) is in occulta-
don at the moment, as his role does not require an apparen
identity that people can recognize openly. We may not be
able to benefit from him by direct physical access, but we
believe that he delivers his graces to us dirough his many
means. The Immaculate Imams (a) have put in place the
mechanisms that allow us to follow on dieir path and safe
guard our communities from deviance. The system of
Twelver Shia Islamic law, experdy deduced by our upright
jurists, sprouts from the teachings of die immaculate guides.
Moreover, it is reported that Prophet Muhammad (saws)
described how people would benefit from the hidden Imam
72 Al-Radi, Nabj Al-balagha, 1:23, Sermon 1.
89
Etiiics
just as the earth benefits from the sun even when clouds
conceal it.73
Disciplining ti-ie Troops

One of die great blessings of God - alongside the blessing
of the intellect - is that of a perfect system of worship diat
plays a significant role in disciplining the faculties within the
human self. As we mentioned earlier, diese faculties play an
essential role in the struggle within as they become troops
controlled by whichever side that comes to control diem.
We will point out a number of important points in this re
gard:
Firsdy, the Holy Quran references the role of worship in
disciplining the self and achieving a state of piety - God
says: “Recite what has been revealed toyou of the Book, and maintain
the prayer. Indeed the prayer restrainsfrom indecent and wrongful con
duct, and the remembrance of God is surely greater. And God knows
whatever [deeds]you do.”14 The role of prayer is to reduce the
excesses that a person may fall into and guide him back to
the path of God. God also clarifies the role of fasting — “O
you who have faith! Prescribedforyou isfasting as it was prescribedfor
those who were before you, so thatyou may be God-wary.”15 Thus,
fasting creates a level of God-wariness that allows the indi
vidual to control his faculties and safeguard them from fall
ing into sin. And there are many verses that carry similar
meanings.
73 Al-Saduq, Ikmalal-Din, 1:253

74 1 he I loly Quran, Chapter 29 11 he Spider; Arabic: Al-Ankaboot\, Verse 45.
75 The I loly Quran, Chapter 2 [The Cow; Arabic: At-Baqara], Verse 183.
90
Struggle Within
We can clearly see the role of worship in disciplining the self

when we see its effect on our selves. We find that when we
fast and refrain from food, drink, and sexual activity, we
train our desires to become used to limitations in this sense.
I discipline myself by not giving it what it wants; so it knows
diat it cannot have whatever it desires. The Immaculates (a)
have emphasized this dimension of fasting — that it is not
simply refraining from food and drink. Fasting draws the
boundaries for all of die faculties of the human self. Imam
Sadiq (a) is narrated to have said, “fasting is not from food and
drink so that a man simply does not eat or drink. Rather, ifyon fast
let your hearing, sight, longue, stomach, and privates all fast. Safe
guardyour hands and privates, andprolongyour silence.. ..”76
Through this great worship, a person is able to tame and

control the self that strays towards evil. It trains the faculties
of the self to be disciplined, in addition to purifying the sou
of any sins and transgressions. Refraining from food and
drink and safeguarding the faculties create a state of purity
and enlightenment in die heart. That strengthens the intel
lect and allows it to take control and leadership of the facul
ties.
Worship also strengthens the social fabric through creating
an environment diat builds stronger bonds between mem
bers of the community. As we engage in communal wor
ship, we collectively move closer to God. Group prayers
and fasting during the Holy Month of Ramadhan, for ex
ample, play an essential role in strengthening die bond of
brotherhood between mankind. All this has the effect of
having love and harmony pervade the community. This will
76 Al-Amili, Wasa'elAl-Sbia. 7:118.
91
Ethics
limit the power of anger and deception through the sense of

God-wariness. This will transform these faculties from ones
that are working to undermine die individual’s development
to ones diat are guided by die intellect to serve his devel
opment.
92
Benevolence
Indeed God enjoinsjustice and kindness, and generosity to

wards relatives, and He forbids indecency, wrongdoings and
aggression. He advisesyou, so that you may take admoni
tionJ
The foundation of a solid and upright life was not solely
built on the acts of worship. Though some forms of wor
ship, like prayer and fasting, have their grace, virtue, and
great role in bringing one closer to God, they are not the
only tools that a person has to better his relationship with
God. Likewise, they are not the only tools that can be used
to build a tight virtuous community where a person can be
closer to God. In much of the teachings of Ahlulbayt (a),
we notice pointers to other types of activities that a person
should practice in order to complete his faith. Thus, simply
performing the acts of worship does not render a person
religious, or committed to his faith. There are many people
who are wanton and immoral but are committed to superfi
cial acts of worship like prayer and fasting. Does that mean
The Holy Quran. Chapter 16 (The Bees; Arabic: At-Naht\. Verse 90.
93
Ethics
that they are actually benefiting from those prayers and fast
ing? The Commander of die Faithful (a) said:
How many people fast and do not gain anything from their
fasting except hunger and thirst? And how many people rise
[for their prayer] and do not gain anything from that but
lack of rest and fuss. The sleep, as well as the eating and
drinking, of the intelligent (God-conscious) person isfar bet
ter.2
The Imams of Ahlulbayt (a) provided us with the guidance
to identify what it means to be people of the religion, be
yond superficial acts of worship. Imam Ali (a) said
The people of religion have signs that they can be identified
with: truth in their conversation, holding trusts, fulfilling
their promises, keeping family ties, being merciful to the
weak, lack of over indulgence in sexual activity, enjoining
the good, positive temperament, upright character, andfol
lowing knowledge that will bring one closer to God — blessed
they ar'e and blessed be theirfinal destination.3
Many of us assess others’ religiosity based on their perfor
mance and participation in acts of worship. As soon as we
see one of these people do something in disagreement with
religion, we hold all religious people accountable for that
person’s mistake. This is really unfortunate, because the ini
tial assessment was wrong. Religion is not the external form
of worship alone. Religion is worship, societal interaction,
ethics and morals, organization and administration of social,
economic, and political affairs, amongst other things.
2 Al-Kadi, Nahj Al-Balagha, 4:35, Tr. 145

3 Al-Majlisi, Bihar At-Anwar, 4:35, Tr. 145.
94
Benevolence
A religious person is one who commits to the guidelines of

religious law in every aspect, he does not pick and choose
out of convenience. This is what differentiates Islam from
other religions and ideologies. Islam does not accept such
discrimination, whereby a person commits to some aspects
of the faith without the rest of its parts. Rather, Islam has
reproached this type of lack of commitment as shown in the
following verse:
Then thereyou were, killingyourfolks and expelling a part
ofyourfolksfrom their homes, backing one another against
them in sin and aggression! And if they came toyou as cap
tives, you would ransom them, though their expulsion itself
was forbidden yon. Whatl Do you believe in part of the
Book and deny another part? So what is the requital of
those ofyon who do that except disgrace in the life of this
world? And on the Day of Resurrection, they shall be con
signed to the severest punishment. And God is not oblivious
of whatyon do.4
To not commit to die worships as God has ordained is con
sidered to be transgressing the limits he has placed. Like
wise, lack of commitment to proper dealing and conduct is
considered to be transgressing those same limits. Regarding
such limits, on die matter of die time of fasting God said:
You are permitted on the night of the fast to go into your
wives: they are a garmentfor you, andyou ate a garmentfor
them. God knew that yon would betray yourselves, so He
pardonedyou and excusedyou. So now consort with them
and seek what God has ordained for yon, and eat and
4 The Holy Quran. Chapter 2 (The Cow; Arabic: Al-Bnqara\. Verse 85.
95
Et ii i c:s
drink until the white streak becomes manifest to you from

the dark streak at the crack of dawn. Then complete the
fast until nighfall, and do not consort with them whileyou
dwell in confinement in the mosques. These are God's
bounds, so do not approach them. Thus does God clarify
His signsfor mankind so that they may be Godway.5
On the matter of divorce and the rights of the spouse:
[Revocable] divorce may be only twice; then [let there be] ei
ther an honorable retention, or a kindly release. It is not
lawful foryou to take back anything from what you have
given them, unless the couple fear that they may not main
tain God's bounds; so ifyou fear they would not maintain
God's bounds, there is no sin upon them in what she may
give to secure her own release. These are God's bounds, so
do not transgress them, and whoever transgresses the bounds
of God—it is they who are the wrongdoers 5
This is a clear proof that God sees religion as a whole not to
be partitioned. There are matters that are considered essen
tial in religion, and that is not merely superficial worship.
Rather, in reality every commitment to the commands of
God is worship and servitude. Of course, trying one’s best
to commit to faith is better than not committing to faith at
all. Facing challenges with commitment does not warrant
abandoning commitment altogether. But the emphasis
should be aimed at progress toward genuine, holistic com
mitment to God’s spiritual prescription for us. That is how
the prescription can do its job and how we can please God.
5 Ibid. Verse 187.

o Ibid. Verse 229.
96
B ENEVOLENCE
God has provided a significant concept in the life of a be

liever, and that is the concept of benevolence, or ‘doing
good/ This concept is very broad and encompasses a num
ber of meanings. Still, we can say that in this context of eth
ics it relates to all the aspects of religious commitments:
worship, social interactions, and transacdons.
Ti-ie Meaning of Doing Good

From both die Holy Quran and the noble narradons we
find diat doing good has a broad understanding that en
compasses many meanings.
One meaning is perfecdon in one’s work and intendon, as
evidenced by a narradon from Omar bin Yazid who said, “I
heard Aba Abdillah (a) say, 'If a believer perfects his work, God
will reward his deeds by 700 times.. ”7
Another meaning comes as sincerity of intention toward
God in all our work, and fearing Him as a result of being
aware of His watching over what we do. The explanation of
what it means to do good has been given by the Prophet (s)
in his explanation of the following verse: “ Yet excuse them and
forbear. Indeed God loves the virtuous”* He explained diat the
meaning of doing good is, “to worship God as ifyou see Him;
and ifyon cannot see Him, he seesyou.”9
A third meaning of ‘doing good’ refers to any and every
good deed a person does. In many verses of the Holy
Quran, God follows die mentioning of a good deed carried
7 /VI-1 Iuwayzi, Noor Al-Tbaqaloyn. 1:181.

8 The Holy Quran. Chapter 2 |Thc Cow; Arabic: Al-Baqara\. Verse 112.
9 Al-I Iuwayzi, Noor Al-Tbaqalay. 1:553.
97
liTII ICS
out by a human being with, “God loves the good-doers.”

An example of this is: so pardon then/ and turn away; surely
God loves those who do good (to others)”1® Also, when He said,
“...then they are careful (of their duty) and do good (to others), and
God loves those who do good (to othersJ.”11 This is the case in
dozens of other verses. A good-doer is one who practices
benevolence - who does ‘good/ Thus, every good deed and
righteous action is looked at by God as benevolence, or ‘do-
ing good/ and the person who carries out the action is
good-doer.
A fourth meaning of doing good is specifically mentioned as
doing good onto others without reciprocity. This person
meets good with what is greater, and meets evil with what is
lesser. He does good onto odiers voluntarily without good
being done to him first.12
There are numerous narrations that indicate God’s com
mand to do good and its necessity. In the following verse,
God makes this clear: “Indeed God enjoins justice and kindness,
and generosity towards relatives, and Heforbids indecency, w/vngdoing,
and aggression. He advises you, so thatyou may take admonition.”13
Doing good equates to justice and giving to the near of kin.
We know the importance of justice, given its station as one
of the pillars of faith and stems from the oneness of God.
Imagine how important justice is when it is Divine Justice
that explains the need for matters as important as Divine
Judgment and Prophet-hood. A sound mind sees that jus-
>0 Ilic I loly Quran. Chapter 5 [The Spread; Arabic: Al-Matda\ Verse 13.
n Ibid. Verse 93.
t2 Al-Tabatabaci, Tafsir Al-Miân, 12:332.
13 The Holy Quran. Chapter 16 (The Bees; Arabic: A/-Nab/\. Verse 90.
98
Benevolence
tice should be done. This is because jusdce is good. And

why should good be done? That is self-evident. Doing good
is a worthy goal in and of itself. But doing good also has
practical benefits similar to how justice has practical bene
fits. Justice is important in building, advancing and safe
guarding society, and so is doing good. This will become
clearer when we discuss the role of doing good in safe
guarding society.
Through the mentioned meanings of benevolence, it be
comes clear that doing good is the ethical aspect that relates
to all types of religious commitments. This is regarding wor
ship-related activities, social transactions, and the general
relationship between the individual and God. It is also relat
ed to the relationship between individuals themselves, re
garding their dealings with one another, their rights and ob
ligations. Moreover, it is connected to humanitarian matters
like lifting oppression from the weak, aiding the poor, par
doning wrongdoers and other related issues.
The Importance of Doing Good

Some propose the following idea: God sent down His law,
His Holy Book, and the teachings of His Greatest Prophet
(s) — everything needed to provide order to the affairs of
humanity. He made clear the limitations of the acceptable
and die prohibited, and what was obligated and what was
not. Is adhering to these guidelines enough to establish a
godly society ruled by virtues in all sense of die word? An
other way of posing the question, is it possible to establish a
society based on law and not based on benevolence?
To answer these questions, we say the following:
99
Ethics
It is not possible to build a complete and happy society

based solely on law — as in the “limitations” as described in
religious law. The law shows us our rights and obligations.
The scholars of law say, “the eyes of justice are blind,” illus
trating that they do not see beyond facts and rights; and
thus, they give each his due right. This is extremely im
portant in building and maintaining a righteous and stable
society. If law did not exist, people would have transgressed
against each other and societies would turn into hotbeds of
tension and endless fighting grounds that will not end ex
cept with corruption and ruin. Law has a huge role in safe
guarding society. Nonetheless, is the law alone enough? The
Islamic vision to safeguarding society calls to linking the law
with benevolence. Islam is perhaps the only system in to
day’s age that links the two. It makes clear the rights of each
individual, while calling on people to do good. This is not
only in situations of conflict but in every aspect of life. Here
are some examples:
Benevolence in Marriage
Much importance is placed on family in Islam. The family
unit is essential to building a righteous society. Each family
member’s rights and obligations are known and identified in
Islam. However, the religion did not commit people simply
to die limitations of rights and obligations in the family unit;
rather, it called for acting on mercy and love. “And of His
signs is that He createdforyou mates from your own selves thatyou
may take comfort, in them, and He ordained affection and mercy be
tweenyou. There are indeed signs in thatfor a people who reflect.”14
H The Holy Quran. Chapter 30 [The Romans; Arabic: Al-Room\. Verse 21.
100
Benevolence
In addition, the Holy Prophet (s) and Ahlulbayt (a) have

made clear statements as to the rights of both husband and
wife. However, we notice that there is a repeated call to be
nevolence and doing good toward one another. There are
many narrations that encourage the husband and father to
treat his wife and family with benevolence, respectively.
Even in times of dispute we notice that the religious legisla
tor makes clear who is in the right, but at the same time the
legislator calls for commitment to ethics and morality in ac
tion. The wisdom behind some rulings goes back to the out
look of empathy and ethics. An example of this is found in
the following verse:
Ifyou desire to take a wife in place ofanother; andyou have
given one of them a quintal [ofgold], do not take anything
away from it. Wouldyon take it by way of calumny and
flagrant sin?! How couldyou take it back, when you have
known each other, and they have taken fromyou a solemn
covenant?15
The ruling in the above verse basically states that for a con
summated marriage, whatever bridal gift you have given
your wife, no matter how much, you cannot take back any
of it during divorce. There is a moral lesson, a wisdom be
hind the ruling to be understood as one contemplates upon
this verse. The relationship between husband and wife is
more profound than to have die spouses deal with one an
other in such a way.
A clear example encouraging benevolence as opposed to
striedy taking one’s legal rights comes forth with the ruling
15 Ibid. Verses 20 and 21.
101
Ethics
mandating paying half of the bridal gift when the divorce

involves an unconsummated marriage.
And ifjon divorce them before you touch them, and yon
have already settled a dowry for them, then [pay them] half
of whatyou have settled, unless they forgo it, or someone in
whose hand is the marriage tie forgoes it. And to forgo is
nearer to Godwariness; so do not forget graciousness among
yourselves. Indeed God watches whatyou do.16
Here, God shows the rights of each spouse and the religious
restrictions placed in such a case. However, he concludes
the verse by stating diat it is better to forgive, let go, and
not forget the virtue and favor between you.
Islam makes clear the limitadons and restrictions, but it goes
further and raises the bar to have people commit to more
than just meeting basic standards or limits. That extra push
is benevolence - doing good to one another - which plays a
tremendous role in bringing the members of a family closer
to each other. Family life is not a job. We are not employ
ees that clock in and clock out when we are done with our
shift. That is not the way family life works. We have to feel,
be empathetic, and treat others with goodness. When we do
that we can make it through family life with the accompany-
ing struggles, pain, and hardships.
Benevolence with Barents
What is most interesting about our relationship with our

parents, in the context of this discussion, is that it differs
from many relationships in their framework of responsibil
ity and religious restrictions. The ethical sentiment in die
16 The Holy Quran. Chapter 2 (The Cow; Arabic: Al-Baqara\. Verse 237.
102
B EN EVOLENCE
relationship between parent and child is found in this verse:

“ Your Lord has decreed that you shall not worship anyone except
Him, and [He has enjoined] kindness to parents.”17 This moral
sentiment in dealing with our parents is not limited to reli
gious rights and obligations of the parent versus the child or
the like. Rather, what is expected in this relationship is to
give benevolendy - financially, emodonally, and in service.
While benevolence is encouraged in other relationships,
there is a special emphasis on benevolence in one’s relation
ship with his/her parents. “Lower the wing of humility to them,
mercifully, and say: My Lord! Have mercy on them, just as they reared
me when I was [a] small [child]/”18
I ask: is there a law in tiiis world related to the parent-child
relationship (rights, obligations, etc.) that is founded on be
nevolence? Current positive laws (i.e. man-made laws) have
relied on the lessons derived from die human experience.
The greatest legal theorists, who have derived diose laws,
have not been able to find a solution for the worsening so
cial problem of the breakdown of family structure. This is
especially true when such family structures are built solely
on a legal basis. Whenever they tried to close a gap in die
laws, they find many other gaps open in return. So even
with all the advancements and great experiences that man
kind has seen on Earth, we are still incapable of creating
laws that are harmonious with humanity. Islam, however,
has promoted a different sentiment in relationships between
children and their parents - it is that of benevolence.
17 The Holy Quran. Chapter 17[ 1'he Ascension; Arabic: At-lsraa). Verse 23.
18 Ibid. Verse 24.
103
Ernies
"Benevolence in Relationships
It is clear to us from our Islamic teachings, that with all the
rights, responsibilities and obligations we have towards
people, God has always called on us to do good onto oth
ers. We can see diat in the following areas:
Disputes. When people are in an adversarial state or in a
dispute of some sort, die slogan “reconciliation is better” is
raised. Each should be given his due right — falling suit with
the religious limitations and each is entided to his full right.
Still, God encourages us to loosen our hold on our rights in
order to accomplish that reconciliation.
The well-off and the opulent among you should not vow that
they will not give [any longer] to the relatives and the needy,
and to those who have migrated in the way of God, and let
them excuse andforbear. Doyon not love that God should
forgiveyou? God is allforgiving all-merciful19
This verse points to the reality that we must treat one an
other with benevolence and goodness, before we expect
God to treat us with His forgiveness as opposed to his firm
justice. Who of us would be able to enter paradise if God
wished to treat us on the basis of His justice, not on the ba
sis of His generosity, and mercy? So long as we are in need
of God’s benevolence and generosity, we should behave in
line with God’s etiquettes and treat others within the
framework of goodness. This is all in regards to disputes,
arguments, and demanding rights.
How to Interact with Enemies. In regards to the admin

istration of society we rarely find piece of legislation that
|9 The Holy Quran. Chapter 24 [The Light; Arabic: At-Noor]. Verse 22.
KM
Benevolence
calls for benevolence toward all members of society in all of

their diversity. Such goodness is not intended exclusively for
one religious group over others. Do you know of a religion
diat calls its people to be friendly towards dieir enemies?
“Good and evil [conduct] are not equal. Repel [evil] with what is best.
[Ifyou do so,] he between whom andyou was enmity, will then be as
though he we/e a sympatheticfriend”2®
Civic Relationships. In the matter of governance, Islam
gives citizens who do not believe in the faith the same rights
enjoyed by those who are considered followers of the gov
ernor and his faith. Islam promotes the oudook diat people
are equal in creation and mercy is mandatory across all
members of society, regardless whether or not they are
Muslim. The Commander of the Faithful (a) advised his
governor of Egypt, Malik Al-Ash tar the following:
Habituate your heart to mercy for the subjects and to affec
tion and kindness for them. Do not stand over them like
greedy beasts whofeel it is enough to devour them, since they
an of two kinds, eitheryour b/vther in religion or one like
you in creation... So, extend to them yourforgiveness and
pardon, in the same way asyou would like God to extend
Hisfo/giveness andpardon toyou.21
Dealing with One Another. The Holy Quran is very
straightforward with regards to doing good to others. In
one verse, referring to a particular group of those of differ
ent faiths, the Quran says:
20 The Holy Quran. Chapter 41 (Arabic: Fnssilot\. Verse 34.

21 Al-Radi, Nahj Al-Balagha, 3:84, Letter 53.
105
I£th ics
God does not forbid you from dealing with kindness and
justice with those [polytheists] who did not ?nake war
against you on account of religion and did not expel you
fromyour homes. Indeed God loves thejust.22
If God orders us to behave in such a way with people of
another faith, then how should we interact with our fellow
believers and amongst ourselves? Thus, diere is no doubt
that benevolence is what we should intend and strive to re
alize in our lives. We should strive for doing good not just
to uphold rights and obligations, but to bring to life true
happiness and die advancement of our society. Those things
will only come to fruition with benevolence and goodness.
And ultimately, we should be benevolent because diat is a
wordiy goal in and of itself. God is with the person who
does good as he says, “Indeed God is with those who an Godwaty
and those who an virtuous”22 God also mentions in another
verse, “Asfor those who strive in Us, We shall sunly guide them in
Our ways, and God is indeed with the virtuous”2* And how can
one not be comforted and advance forward when God is by
his side.
22 'I*hc I Ioly Quran. Chapter 60 (Arabic: Al-Mmntabana\. Verse 8.

23 The Holy Quran. Chapter 16 |The Bees; Arabic: Al-Naht\. Verse 128.
2-* 'Ilie I Ioly Quran. Chapter 29 | The Spider; Arabic: Al-Ankabout\. Verse 69.
106
The Little Time We Have
Did W? not openyour breastforyou and relieveyou ofyour

burden which [almost] brokeyour back? Did We not exalt
your name? Indeed ease accompanies hardship. Indeed ease
accompanies hardship. So when yon are done, appoint, and
supplicateyour Lord.1
This amazing chapter in the Quran, though very short, con
tains some very important studies of knowledge - specifical
ly in essential matters of theology. We are particularly inter
ested in what is mentioned in the verses “So when you are
done, appoint, and supplicate your Lord.”2 These two verses
point to a significant meaning and a reality to which we
must pay attention, and that is die issue of ‘free-time’ and
how to benefit from the time we have in our lives without
wasting it. If we are to look at our reality, we would find
that no matter how many years we live, they will only ac
count to a few simple moments. How fast do our days and
nights pass by? Days turn to mondis and months turn to
1 The Holy Quran. Chapter 94 [Arabic: Al-Sharh). Verses 1-8.

2 Ibid. Verses 7 and 8.
107
Ethics
years, without us even feeling it. Imam Ali (a) points to this
when he says, “Howfast are the hours in the day, and the days in a
/nonth, and the months in a year... and how fast the years are in a
lifetime.”3
The Value of Life

We were created in this world for the purpose of being test
ed and tried. Each and every moment in our lives is calcu
lated in value and recorded. God created this world as an
abode for work and action, without judgment in it. But after
diis life, there is no work for a person to carry out. This is
what is expressed by die words of the Immaculates (a) when
they say that today (this world) is action and no judgment,
while tomorrow is judgment and no action. This is a reality
that we need to come to terms with. Another reality to un
derstand is that no matter how high of a station we have in
closeness to God, we cannot extend the length of our lives
in this world. The Holy Prophet (s) said, .. life is limited. No
one willgo beyond what has been ordainedfor him, so work befo/v time
is npr4
The Commander of the Faithful (a) points to this truth
when he said,
So, hasten towards (good) actions and dnad the suddenness

of death, because the return of age cannot be hoped for, as
the return of livelihood can be hopedfor. Whatever is missed
from livelihood today may be hoped tomonvw with inc/ease,
but whatever is lostfrom the ageyesterday, its return cannot
3 M-Radi, Nabj Al-Batagha, 2:128, Sermon 188.

4 Al-Majlisi, Bibar At-Anwar, 74:179
108
The Little Time We Have
be expected today. Hope can be only for that which is to

come, while about that which is passed there is only disap
pointment.5
The conclusion that we reach here is that die happiness of
die individual, and his future, are ded to what he has bene
fited from this life that God has given him. It is possible
that an individual will not be able to understand the feeling
of loss that follows not taking advantage of this life for what
will benefit him in the afterlife, until he sees the actual result
himself. At that moment, he will feel it because he will be
living in that state of great regret.
Turn penitently to Him and submit to Him before the pun
ishment overtakes yon, whereupon you will not be helped,
follow the best ofwhat has been sent down toyou fromyour
Lord, befote the punishment overlakes you suddenly while
you are unaware. Lest anyone should say, Alasfor my neg
ligence in the vicinage of God! Indeed I was among those
who ridiculed. 6
The Holy Prophet has been narrated to have said:
On the Day of Judgment, twenty-four cabinets will be
openedfor each day of life that person lived — representing
the number of hours in a dcry. One cabinet will be filled
with light and happiness. He in turn is struck with so much
joy and happiness that if such joy were to be dispersed
amongst the people of hell they would be in awe distracted
from the pain of the fire. That cabinet represents the hour
when he was obedient to God. Then, another cabinet is
5 Al-Radi, Nabj Al-Balagha, 1:226, Sermon 114.

6 The Holy Quran. Chapter 39 (Arabic AI-Zumar\. Verses 54-56.
109
KT IIICS
opened — it is dark, has afoul smell\ and is bonifying. He

in turn is struck with so much panic and dismay that if
such dismay were to be dispersed amongst the people of heav
en it would nun their bliss. That cabinet represents the hour
when he was disobedient to God. After that, the other cabi
nets are opened for him. He sees them empty — filled with
nothing that would please or disappoint him. Those an the
hours that he spent sleeping or being busy with things that
wen pennifted (but did not hold value one way or the other).
He is overcome with a feeling of sonvw and loss for the op
portunities he missed. He could have filled those days with
good deeds beyond description. And from this an God’s
words, it will be a day of privation [and regret]. y 8
Every moment in our lives is a moment closer to our grave,
getting closer to the end of our life. The time we have in our
hands is a trust and a responsibility we have to uphold. All
of our actions are based on time. We need to know the val
ue of our lives and benefit from every moment in that life.
We should strive to make every moment count for us and
prioritize what is more important. Time is the only account
we can bank on to ensure our well-being and happiness.
Free Time
Some people face the problem of feeling tight on time, as
they try to race with time to accomplish their goals and ob
jectives. Such a person constandy tries to use his time to his
advantage and benefit from it. However, there are others
7 The I loly Quran. Chapter 64 (Arabic: Al-Taghabun\. Verse 9.

8 Al'Majlisi, Bihar Al-Anwar, 7:262.
110
The Little Time We 11 a v e
who complain of another problem. This particular group

feels they always have free-time, and do not find anything to
fill their time. This is possibly one of the worst situations
for a person, because such a person is simply wasting away
his life. A person who complains of free-time loses himself
and furthers himself away from God. Free-time is one of
die things upon which God greatly frowns. A person should
always have something to do, whether it be for this life or
the next. The Holy Prophet (s) said, “God looks down on the
person who does not fill his time with work for this life or the after
life,.”9
We should turn to Islam’s oudook in filling one’s time,

whereby God has created mankind and sees that humanity
should not live in a state of Tree-time,’ which translates to
time-wasdng. A person should live his life in a way where he
is striving toward God, moving from one struggle to anoth
er and overcoming them. There should not be wasted rime
so that God would frown upon this person. The following
verse is clear that when a person goes through a trial and
tribulation, after passing such a trial one should continue to
busy himself with worship and work: “So when you are doney
appoint, and supplicate your Lord”10 Thus, the way of God is
that of work, dedication, and effort. Here it is important to
note some comments on this subject:
Free Time Com/pts the Individual

Free-time, or not using one’s time, plays a big role in per
verting the individual. Free-time brings people closer to fan-
9 Ibn Abi Al-I ladced, Sbarb NabjAl-Bnlagba% 17:146.

10 The Holy Quran. Chapter 94 [Arabic: Al-Sharh). Verses 7 and 8.
Ill
I£ T II ICS
tasizing and what is associated behaviors, in that he be-

comes detached from reality. Imam Ali (a) describes this
when he says, “From free-time comes boyishness.”n The Imam
(a) here is referring to the ignorance of youthfulness and the
heedlessness that comes with it. Even a balanced person can
fall into this in die state of free-time. If he was busy instead,
he would not find himself falling into ignorant playfulness
and boyishness. Another narration from Imam Ali (a) points
to this: “If work is stressful, then in the same way, free-time is corrup
tive”12
We feel uptight when we are bored and are not filling our
time with what will benefit us. Thus, it is a natural inclina
tion for us to strive to fill our time, to work, and to busy
ourselves. A person will fill his time with things that will
benefit him or tilings that would harm him, or at least will
not bring him benefit. There are negative consequences to
filling his time and they will affect him either directly in this
life or in the afterlife. This is important to remember.
Where is Free Time in the Divine Plan?

In some societies and cultures, there are long periods of
time off given to people — especially the youth and teenag
ers. In this time a lot of experimentation with the wrong
things can take place. On a general level, youth, teenagers,
and students find themselves with a lot of time on their
hands. A specific example of this is the long summer vaca
tion students have every year. If kids are not filling this time
with beneficial things that will help them grow and advance,
11 Al-Wasiti, ‘Ujoon Al-Huhn wat-Mawa'e^ 471.

12 Al-Majlisi, Bibar Al-Arnvar, 74:419.
112
The Lit rle Ti m e \ve II ave
there is no doubt they will fall into free-time. That free-time

will turn into useless activities that will likely bring them no
benefit or may even harm diem.
In God’s perspecdve, mankind is His greatest creation.
Thus, his creation did not come in vain. Mankind was creat
ed for a high and noble purpose. It only makes sense that
our lives follow suit with our God-given purpose. There
fore, we should utilize every moment we have to work to
wards that goal and strive towards our destiny and our rea
son for creation. Free-time and the lack of filling our time
are a hindrance and waste of our energy - making our being
vain, which is opposed to our God-given purpose. Our nar
rations emphasize God’s heavy disapproval with people
who waste their time. An example of this is die saying of
Imam Al-Kadhim (a): “God dislikes the savant who sleeps all the
lime, and the servant that wastes his time.”13
Mankind was not created for sleep; sleep has its role just lik
food and drink — they are used by a person to maintain •.
healthy life. This does not mean a person is to turn his life
into sleep and laziness because we were not created for that.
Likewise, we were not created to be bored and waste our
time either. That free-time and wastefulness drag a person
into pastime, perversion, and becoming farther from the
essential goal for mankind’s creation. And thus, we notice
diis relevant passage in the supplication of Imam Zain Al-
Abidecn (a), ‘Makarim Al-Akhlaq\
0 God, bless Muhammad and his Household. Spate me
the concerns that distract me. Employ me in the matters
n Al-Saduq, Men Lui Yabdunthu Al-Faqib, 3:169.
113
I£ T 11 ICS
that You will ask me about tomorrow. And let me pass my

days in thatfor which You have created me. ,.14
How to Fill Your Time

We discussed the importance of filling one’s time and not
letting it pass in vain. Now let us turn to how we should
actually go about filling our time in a beneficial way.
First, it is essential to categorize our time and prioritize our
tasks and activities for their suitable times in the day. We
need to prioritize based on importance and time sensitivity,
because life does not allow us to accomplish every single
little thing we may list. It would be extremely useful to put
together a daily schedule of the tilings we need to accom
plish. This should be applied to work, making a living, fami
ly matters, worship, enriching one’s cultural experience and
knowledge base, etc. Therefore, by scheduling one’s days
and prioritizing tasks a person can truly take advantage of
his time instead of wasting away the precious hours of his
life.
Second, it is also important to avoid busying ourselves with
games and entertainment with the excuse that we need to be
entertained in order to fill our time and let time pass. Of
course, there are types of entertainment that are fine for us
to have - as long as they are within the boundaries of reli
gious law. As human beings we need downtime with some
fun and entertainment in order to get through the difficul
ties of life. It helps us push through our hardships and en
courages us to move forward. However, to be always busy
i4 Imam Zain Al-Abideen (a)* Al-Saheefa Al-Sajjadiyya, Dua Makarim Al-Akhlaq.
114
The Little Time We iI \ve
with games and entertainment is not becoming of us. Hu

manity is greater and more purposed than to waste life away
on entertainment and games. The Commander of the Faith
ful (a) said, “Know that this world is the place of trial. Whoever here
wastes any hour ofhis time will regret it on the Day ofJudgment.”15
Third, we must understand that the best tilings to fill our
free time are the things diat please God and bring us closer
to Him. An example of this is worship, whereby we feel the
sweetness of not being busy with other things. This kind of
beneficial free time, in turn, is desirable. Imam Ali Zein Al-
Abideen (a) said in one of his supplications, “Let me taste,
though some of Your boundless bounties, the flavor of havingfee time
to do what You love, and striving in what btings me closer to
You...”16 Another example is seeking knowledge that will
benefit us bring us light and closeness to God. Beyond wor
ship and seeking knowledge, it can be anything with a
worldly benefit and a connected benefit to the afterlife.
Fourth, it is vital for parents to be concerned with filling
their kids’ free-time wisely. Parents should not leave their
children to tend to that problem on their own, because it
could be the cause of their children straying away from God
and getting into trouble or simply being vain. This is a re
sponsibility that parents have towards their kids. Raising
children mandates following up with your kids to fill their
time and make sure that they are benefiting from the activi
ties they are doing, instead of wasting their life away.
15 Al-Radi, Nahj At-Bnlagha, 3:116, Letter 59.

16 Imam Zein Al-Abidccn (a), Al-Saheeja Al-Sajjadiya, Supplication 146: Mis Sup
plication on the Day of Arafa.
115
Ethics
Finally, there should be a focused effort by the believers for

studying and providing solutions to the problem of free
time that affects so many youth. Programs and projects that
bring awareness to these problems should be initiated. The
problem must be addressed by all of us collectively, to en
courage a lifestyle diat fills the time of our sons and daugh
ters with matters that will help diem grow, nurture their
minds, and benefit them, their community, and dieir nadon.
116
The Prophet (s)
/// the name of God, the most Beneficent, the most Merciful
There is certainly a good exemplarforyon in the Apostle of

God—for those who look forward to God and the Last
Day, and remember God much. 1
Ti-ie Role Model

The day of the passing of the Grand Prophet Muhammad
(s) was a great tragedy for die human race, as mankind lost
the greatest individual to ever walk the Earth — rather, lost
the greatest creation of God. His noble spirit and sacred
essence that God has favored over all creadon with no ex
ception and given it the highest of status departed this
world on the twenty-eighth of die month of Safar. What
great tragedy did that day bear? With his death, die time of
divine inspiration and revelation ended. The Commander of
the Faithful would eulogize him saying
May myfather and my mother beyour ransom [0 Messen
ger of God!] Your death marked the end oj what had not
The I loly Quran. Chapter 33 |Thc Parties; Arabic: At-Ab%ib\. Verse 21.
117
Btimcs
ended with the death of other prophets; the end ofprophet-

hood' prophecyy and heavenly messages. Your [tragedy] is so
unique [in its gravity] that [remembering] it has become a
source of consolation for [tragedies concerning] all others;
andyour [tragedy] is so encompassing that all an inflicted
by it equally. Ifyou had not ordered endurance andforbade
impatience, we would have run out of our store of tears. Our
ailment would have not subsided and this grief would not
have ended. And that would have been too little [relative to
the tragedy ofyour loss]. But this [death or sadness] is a
matter that cannot be reversed nor is it possible to push it
away. May my father and my mother be your ransom; do
remember us beforeyour Lord and take can ofus.
His tragedy is far greater than any other tragedy. The calam
ity that befell this nadon with his death cannot be compared
to any other calamity. Who else can be described as “a mer
cy to die worlds?” Not only a mercy to his followers, but to
all mankind. Not only a mercy to mankind, but to all crea
tion. God says in His Holy Book “We did not sendyon but as a
mercy to all the nations ”2 The scope of this mercy is boundless,
reaching even the greatest of angels:
It is narrated that the Prophet (s) asked Gabriel at the time
of revelation of this verse Paveyou benefited at allfrom this
mercy?’ [Gabriel] answered fes. I was fearful of the Day of
Judgment, but J felt safety in your presence when God n-
vealed to you the following verse in my praise: 'powerful
and eminent with the Lord of the Throne.
2 The I loly Quran. Chapter 21 fl'he Prophets; Arabic: At-Anb/aa). Verse 107.
3 The I loly Quran. Chapter 81 11 he Winding; Arabic: AJ-Takweer]. Verse 20.
4 Al-Majlisi, Bihar At-Anwar, 16:306.
118
Til e Prophet (s)
It is also narrated that the Prophet (s) said “/ am a mercy gifted

[to all creationj”0
Therefore, the Prophet (s) is a mercy of God that has been
sent to save mankind. The Prophet (s) was the one tasked
with bringing faith to all mankind, so they are all within the
scope of this mercy. However, the believer will benefit from
this mercy whereas the non-believer may not. The Prophet
(s) is like doctor who has offered to treat anyone who
would be willing to receive the treatment. He is a mercy to
all. Whoever comes to him to receive his treatment has ben
efited from this mercy. Whoever refuses to receive his
treatment has deprived himself of that mercy. His actions
do not limit the scope of the mercy; the mercy remains en
compassing of all.
Benefiting from His Example

We must strive to benefit from this divine mercy in all iti
aspects. The happiness of mankind and salvation from the
pits of darkness that we may fall into can only be attained
through the mercy that is the Grand Prophet (s). We must
abide by his teachings and guidance. We must study die de
tails of his life; his acdons, his words, and his radficadon of
others’ acdons. All these are manifestations of God’s com
mands. The most important means by which we can benefit
from the blessings of this divine personality is through tak
ing him as an example and a role model. This is a Quranic
concept that God has stressed upon in His words; “There is
certainly a good exemplarforyou in the sApostle oj God—for those
5 Ibid 16:115.
119
Ethics
who look jonvard to God and the bast Day, and remember God
much.”6
The Prophet’s (s) Actions

The traditions of die Prophet (s) consist of much more than
his words, they also include his actions and his ratificadon
of others’ acdons. His (s) traditions are die main source of
Islamic teachings after the Holy Quran. Generally, every
one of his acdons is thus as much a tradition diat must be
followed as his words. The Prophet’s (s) commands are giv
en verbally at times; he may command an individual to un
dertake a certain action. But at times, his commands may
come in the form of actions diat are indistinguishable in
dieir indication from verbal commands. For diat reason, the
study of the Prophet’s (s) actions is of utmost importance
for any scholar of Islam.
In addition, the actions of the Prophet (s) do not differ or
lag behind God’s wishes. The All-Wise God sends prophets
to be role models and to be trusted as deliverers of the Di
vine message. This requires exemplar)7 character, in words
and action, in line with God’s will. God chose certain indi
viduals whom He knew would do this freely, out of devo
tion to God. The Prophet’s (s) words are not spoken of fal
lible whim, but radier are words inspired and emanating
from God, the Lord of Honor and Majesty. “Nor does he
speak out of desire: it is just a revelation that is revealed [to himf,7
And because his actions are as important as his speech, die
Prophet’s (s) actions must be identical to God’s wishes and
6 The I Toly Quran. Chapter 33 |Thc Parties; Arabic: Al-Ah%ib\. Verse 21.
7 The I Ioly Quran. Chapter 53 |Thc Star; Arabic: At-Najmj. Verses 3, 4.
120
The Prophet (s)
in harmony with His will. Otherwise, people may reasonably

lose confidence in the Prophet’s integrity and the goal of
sending the Prophet as an exemplary role model would not
be accomplished, Abiding by his verbal commands has its
effects on a person’s closeness to God. Modeling our be
havior after his example has the same effect. Moreover, we
find that the Immaculate Imams (a) warn against separating
between the two. As the narration of Imam Sajjad (a) says,
“indeed\ the people that an most detested by God are those thatfollow
a leader's words bat do notfollow his actions”* Chanting slogans is
not nearly as important as living up to them. We must make
sure that our actions conform to die teachings of the
Prophet (a). Whoever takes the Prophet (s) as a role model
must strive to observe both his words and his acdons.
The Immaculate Prophet (s) - who is a perfect leader and
guide towards God, and the individual who knows God
best — knows best die methods for attaining closeness to
God. Therefore, his acdons are die perfect example of what
drives an individual closer to God. We cannot imagine dia
the Prophet (s) would take any acdon that would take him
away from God, or that he would possess any characterisdc
that would distance him from God. He is the most perfect
individual. He is the best of creadon. So taking die Prophet
(s) as a role model could only lead to closeness to God. Ra
ther, it is die best mediod and the shortest path to reaching
that closeness. And that closeness is die greatest goal for a
human and the means to true happiness, away from the
darkness that surrounds human life.
8 Al-Kulayni, At-Kafi, 8:234.
121
E T HICS
It is also interesting to note that the command in the holy

verse was absolute and unrestricted. This means that we
must not only take the Prophet (s) as our role model when
it comes to die greater things in life, but also in every simple
step along die way. So we see that the Commander of the
Faithful instructs us to follow the model of the Prophet (s)
in the greatest of issues:
Patience is an obligation upon the [special group] vested
with authority because of God's statement to His Prophet
(s) So be padent just as the resolute among the
aposdes were padent.' God has also made this an obli
gation upon His friends and those obedient to Him when
He said There is certainly a good exemplar for you
in the Apostle of God—for those who look for
ward to God and the Last Day, and remember
God much. >910
We are also instructed to follow die Prophet’s (s) example
;n the simplest of things. Imam Sadiq (a) says, “When the
5rophet (s) would pray the evening prayer; he would ask for waterfor
his ablution and his Siwaak11 to be put covered near his head [as he
rested]..”'2 The Imam (a) would continue to describe how
the Prophet (s) would pray Salat Al-Layl. Then the Imam (a)
recited the holy verse, “There is certainly a good exemplarforyon
in the Apostle—”13 This may seem as a simple tiling if taken
at face value, yet the Imam (a) still instructs us to follow the
9 The I loly Quran. Chapter 33 |The Parties; Arabic: Al-Ahyib\. Verse 21.
•o Al-Tabrasi, Al-lhtijaj, 1:356.
11 Siwaak or Miswaak is an oral hygiene instrument made from the twigs of a
certain species of tree commonly found in the Middle Cast.
12 AJ-Amili, Wasa’elAl-Sbia, 1:356.
13 The 1 Io,y Quran- Chapter 33 |Thc Parties; Arabic: Al-Ab%ib\. Verse 21.
122
Tn e Propiiet (s)
Prophet’s (s) example in this regard. There may be wisdom

with value beyond measure even in the seemingly simplest
of acts.
We Can All Follow His Example

Three conditions must be fulfilled before an individual truly
models their behavior after the Prophet’s (s).
First, the intention of seeking closeness to God should be
the primary reason for following the teachings and the ex
ample of the Prophet (s). A person who does not seek
God’s mercy will not have the necessary motivation to take
the Prophet (s) as a role model. Without the intention of
seeking the pleasure of God and closeness to Him, we can
not imagine that anyone would be following in the footsteps
of the Prophet (s).
Second, the individual must believe in the hereafter, or else
will not be able to take the Prophet (s) as a role model. If a
person does not believe in a Day of Judgment, he/she will
not even think to model his behavior after the Prophet (s),
as he will not see any need for it. For indeed, in every step,
the Prophet (s) showed the path of excellence for the Here
after as well as for this world. Even what seem to be matters
of this world, such as business transactions, can have a spe
cial spiritual dimension in the Prophetic tradition.
Third, the individual must be in constant remembrance of
God. Remembrance plays a great role. If a person has not
built his heart with the remembrance of God, he/she will
not be able to walk in the Prophet s (s) footsteps. We must
drive away Satan and light our paths with remembrance so
in
Ethics
that we can truly follow the Prophet’s (s) example. As Abu

Thar said, “I entered the mosque one day while the Prophet (s) was in
it... He said to me: 'Read the Book of God and remember Him pro
fusely. It will be a remembrance foryou in the heavens and a light for
yon on Earthf4 Imam Ali (a) also said, “the remembrance oj God
enlightens the insight and comforts the conscience.”15
An individual who wishes to follow the example of the

Prophet (s) needs a source that shows him the Prophet’s (s)
example. He needs somediing diat keeps Satan away so diat
he does not slip. Both of these can be achieved through re
membrance of God.
So to follow the Prophet’s (s) example, you need diree
diings: the intendon of seeking closeness to God, and the
belief in the hereafter that drives an individual to follow die
Prophet’s example; and die remembrance of God as the fuel
diat allows the individual to push forward on this path.
Lessons From His Life

We are in utmost need, especially in these dire circumstanc
es that humanity is passing through, to mendon the qualities
of die Prophet of Islam (s). Without the right prescription
for physical, spiritual and intellectual well-being, humanity is
heading towards the edge of a cliff. The true teachings of
Islam and the example of the Grand Prophet of Islam,
Prophet Muhammad (s), are the recipe for success on all
levels. We will point out a few of die illustrious examples of
his life here.
14 ,\1-Saduq, Af-KI)isalt 525.

is Al-Wasiti, Vjoon Al-Hikam wa Al-Mawa't^ 255.
124
Till- Propiikt (S)
His Worship
It is impossible for us to imagine a creation that is more

subservient to God than the Prophet (s). The virtue, honor,
and status of a human go back to their worship and their
knowledge of God. The Prophet (s) is be best of creation
because he is the most subservient to God. It is enough to
point out that all Muslims bear witness in their prayers that
Muhammad is the servant of God, even before recognizing
him as the Messenger of God.16 Even Imam Ali ibn Al-
Hussein, who was known as “the Best of Worshippers” at
tested to the Prophet's (s) status in worship. He (a) was
once asked about his own worship as compared to the wor
ship of his grandfather the Commander of the Faithful. The
Imam (a) replied, umy worship as compared to the worship of my
grandfather is much like the worship of my grandfather if compared to
the worship ofthe Messenger of God (s).”n
An even clearer indication of this can be seen in God's con
versation with the Prophet (s) about die Prophet's (s) wor
ship. God says, “Ta Ha! We did not send down toyou the Quran
thatyou should be miserable, but only as an admonition to him who
fears [his Lord]”™ It is reported that Imam Al-Kadhim (a)
narrated die following on behalf of his forefathers,
The Commander of the Faithful said: Indeed, the Messen
ger of God (s) stood [in prayer] for ten years on the tips of
his toes, until his feet wen swollen and his face becameyel
low. Fie would spend the entire night [in prayer]... until
16 In the Tasbabbtid part near the end of prayer, Muslims read some variation of
the following; “I bear witness that there is no God but God and that Muham
mad is Mis Servant and 1 lis Messenger.”
17 Al-Majlisi, Bibar Al-Anwar, 41:149.
18 ITic Holy Quran. Chapter 20 (Arabic Ta Ha\. Verses 1-3.
125
Ethics
God told him Ta Ha! We did not send down to you

4920
the Quran that you should be miserable.
Oh, how we need to turn to God with our worship so diat
he can light our path and rescue us from our present state.
If die Prophet (s), who is die best of all creadon without a
doubt, performs such astonishing acts of worship, then it is
imperative for us to follow his example. Let us take him as a
role model so that our relationship to him can play its role
in driving us closer to God.
His Patience
The Prophet (s) had great patience that was astonishing at
all levels. He was patient in his worship. He was patient with
tragedy. He was patient in his delivery of the message of
God. He bore what no other man had to bear. He (s) said,
and he is surely die most truthful, “no prophet was harmed to
the same extent that I was harmed”1' His patience with his peo
ple was truly astonishing. With all the harm that they did to
him, all their mockery of him, and dieir stance against his
message of truth, we see him turn towards God and pray
“Oh God\ forgive my people, for they do not know.”12 Moreover, he
would live with all those who would harm him, knowing of
all the harm that they would cause him and his family. He
knew all this, but it did not have any effect on the way he
dealt with them, and they did not feel any change in die
Prophet’s (s) relationship with them.
>9 The Holy Quran. Chapter 20 [Arabic: Ta Ha]. Verses 1,2.

20 Al-Huwayzi, NoorAl-Tbaqalqyn, 3:367.
21 Al-Majlisi, Bihar Al-Amvar, 39:56.
22 Ibn Tavvuus, Iqbal AMmat, 1:385.
126
The Prophet (s)
We see the most astonishing feats of patience accomplished

in the most difficult of situations. It is enough to cite die
testimony of Imam Ali (a) when he says, “7;/ the most vigorous
moments oj battle ive would seek the protection of the Messenger of
God (s). No one would be closer to the enemies than him”2*
We have the utmost need to draw inspiration from the pa
tience of die Prophet (s) in these difficult times.
His Meny
What can we say about the mercy of the Prophet (s) when
God the Exalted addresses the Prophet (s) with die follow
ing: “We did not sendyou but as a meny to all the nations”1* What
testimony can be greater than this? What can we add to the
great description that God gave to His Prophet (s)? It is
enough to mention the great pain that he would go dirough
for die sake of the nonbelievers. Mercy would encompass
him as he would call to God. They would reply with violen
force. God would comfort his Prophet (s) with the follow
ing words: “These are the signs of the Manifest Book. [Willyou]
imperilyour life [out of distressfor their sake] when they refuse to be
lieve?'1* When God sees the great deal of suffering that the
Prophet (s) went through to spread the message and how he
was hurt when they did not answer his call, He would tell
him not to worry about their disbelief and He would com
fort him with the following:
Is someone the evil of whose conduct is presented as decorous
to him, so he regards it as good, [like one who is truly virtu-
23 /VI-Radi, Nahj Al-Balagha, 4:61.

24 The Holy Quran. Chapter 21 |Thc Prophets; Arabic: AI-Anbia). Verse 107.
25 The Holy Quran. Chapter 26 fthe Poets; Arabic: Al-Sbu'ara\. Verses 2, 3.
127
Ethics
o/ts?] Indeed God leads astray whomever He wishes, and

guides whomever He wishes. So do notfretyourself to death
regrettingfor them. Indeed God knows best what they do.26
This is a clear call to the Prophet (s) not to let himself go in

grief for the unbelievers.
These examples of the Prophet’s (s) great character should
suffice for now. We must seek to follow his example in
these issues and take him as our role model. We are in criti
cal need for merciful hearts that would encompass anyone
that may be different or disagree with us. We are in need for
patience in calling for the truth and for the path of God.
The driving force that pushes one along on this sacred path
is the force of worship and utmost dedication to God Al
mighty.
We end with a few words of the Commander of the Faithful
(a) encouraging us to follow the example of the Prophet (s):
Therefore, one shouldfollow His Prophet, tread in his foot

steps and enter through his gate. Otherwise he will not be
safefrom ruin. Certainly, God made Muhammad (s) a sign
for the Day ofJudgment, a conveyor of tidingsfor Paradise,
and a warner of retribution.
He left this world [indifferent towards bounties] but entered
upon the next world in safety. He did not lay one stone up
on another (to make a house) till he departed and responded
to the call of God. How great is God's blessing in that He
blessed us with the Prophet as a predecessor whom we follow
and a leader behind whom we tread.
26 The Holy Quran. Chapter 35 [The Originator; Arabic: Faafir]. Verse 8.
128
Imam Hussain’s (a)
Renaissance
In the name ofGod, the most Beneficent, the most Merciful
Imam Hussain (a) wrote to his brother Muhammad ibn Ali

stating,
In the Name of God the Beneficent the Metvifnl... From

Hussain son of AH to Muhammad son of Ali and those
near him from the children of Hashem... whoeverfollows
me will be a martyr and whoever does not will not realise
victoiy.'
Ashura, this eternal holy saga, remains a university through

out the centuries. The seekers of truth take from it lessons
and morals that they need in their time and place. This saga
has boggled the minds of writers and researchers, indeed it
has intrigued all people as to why this university is so spe
cial. Possibly one of die most beautiful answers to this in
trigue comes from the words of one of our high scholars
about Imam Hussain and his cause:
Ibn Qawlawiya, Kamil Al-Ziyarat, 157.
129
Ethics
The cause of Hussain (a) is the same cause of the Holy

Quran. This cause is not limited to the time when it was
sent, but rather renews in every age and treats and cures the
problems of each era. He is alive and provides rejuvenation
like the sun and the moon, just like it has been narrated by
the Ahlulbayt (a), Hussain (a) is himself the speaking
Quran. We must understand bis cause and movement so
that we are able to accept its revelation and inspiration in
every era.2
Writers, researchers, lecturers, and intellectuals still, to diis
day, speak of Imam Hussain (a) and his renaissance. They
continue to discover lessons and morals from his move
ment, and thus his remembrance continues to be renewed.
We can understand how Imam Hussain (a) was victorious
through his martyrdom because he was able to defeat his
enemies and wipe them out from the remembrance of his
tory. He continued to sit on the throne above all conquerors
through the establishment of his moral values and the ac
complishment of his goals.
God has given Hussain (a) a special place in the souls of the
believers whereby the soul does not tire from his remem
brance no matter how frequent. Rather, the lamentation on
ly increases whenever we remember him and attend the
gatherings of his commemoration. The renaissance of
Hussain (a) brought forth rich intellectual thought in several
dimensions. The reason for this renewal in commemoration
is that the individual who knows and seeks God will,
through this renaissance, find the clearest paths of guidance
and connection to God. Politicians and policy makers will
2 Al-Hakccm, Thawrat Al-Hussain (a), 60.
130
Imam Hussain's ( a ) Renaissance
find the pinnacle of political tactics, strategy, and matuntv.

Brave men and women will see in this eternal saga the
greatest heroism and braver}7 witnessed by historv. Leaders
will witness the keenest show of leadership evidenced by the
greatest sacrifice made by any human being. In his even’
move, Imam Hussain (a) was reviving the cause of his ulti-
mate role model, Prophet Muhammad (s), within an un
precedented set of challenging variables. In ever}7 field, we
find that the rise of Imam Hussain (a) formed a fundamen
tal ground of teaching and instruction for diat particular
field. But there is one particular dimension that demands
special attention because it is a focal point of Prophet Mu
hammad’s (s) message. Hence, we must turn to it and try to
understand it further. I am referring to the ethical dimen
sion in Imam Hussain’s (a) movement. Let us discuss it in
the following points.
Ethics in Imam Hussain’s (a) Movement

This dimension was a working essential element in Imam
Hussain’s (a) movement because the primary goal of die
movement was to shock and reawaken the moral conscience
of the community. Probably one of die root causes of the
absence or death of one’s conscience is a defect in die ediics
of the community. A community that is built on ethics and
lives in accordance with ediics is a community that is alive
in its conscience, and dius cannot be defeated. A communi
ty7 diat has left its ethics, however, is a dead community7 no
matter how large it becomes and how great its resources.
This ethical dimension is in fact one of the most important

elements of all prophetic missions. The Holy Prophet (s)
131
Ethics
considered teaching ethics as a focal point of his mission,

“Indeed, I have been sent to perfect the best ofethics.”*
The most effective way to conquer and control a communi

ty is by killing its moral conscience. And that does not hap
pen except by ridding die community of its principles, val
ues and ethics. For a community diat lives by the principles
of honesty, loyalty, sacrifice, courage and generosity is one
that cannot be dominated, controlled or conquered. You
cannot play or toy with such a community. But when such a
community loses diese principles and values, it is moral
conscience dies along with any motivation to live a noble
life. And in that case, such a community will accept anything
in order to ensure its interests, desires and wants.
The focus of the Umayyads was to destroy the morals and

ethics of the Islamic community. This is evidenced by
Yazid’s first speech upon becoming Caliph after his father
Muawiya, lining people in through time off, money, relaxa
tion and luxury:
...Muawiya used to take you on expeditions through the

seas... and I will not be takingyou on such expeditions...
and keepyou in the lands ofthe Romans during the winter,
and 1 will not keep any ofyou in such lands in such harsh
times... and be wouldgiveyouyourpayments in thirds, but
I willgive that toyou in whole lump sums.
3 AJ-Majlisi, Bihar At-Anwar, 16:210.

4 Al-Hakecm, Thawrat Al-Hmsain (a), 141. Citing: Ibn Katheer, AI-Bidaja mil-
Niha)'a, 8:153.
132
I m am Hussain’s ( a ) Renaissa n c: e
And even clearer than this example are the words of Ibn
Ziyad, Yazid’s governor in Kufa, as he packaged die argu
ments to people to go out and fight Imam Hussain (a):
Youfound the Umayyads asyour hearts please. And this is
Yaîd, you know him as one with a good, solid\ praisewor
thy path... he honors people and makes them rich with
wealth... he increasedyour sustenance hundredsfold... he
is now ordering me to giveyou all these riches and takeyou
out to wage war on his enemy Hussain... so listen to him
and obey this command.5
Imam Hussain (a) would describe this painful reality that
turned the Muslims from people who sought God and
fought for His cause to people who are bought and sold
with money. This was due to the fact diat they lost dieir
moral conscience, their will and and sold dieir afterlife for
their limited pleasures in diis world. The Imam (a) would
tell his companions:
People are slaves to this world and religion is only words on
their tongues. They hold on to it so long as their means of
living are secured. But if they are tested with tribulation the
true believers will be less... Yon see what has come upon us.
This world has changed and become cornrpted. What was
commonly known as right has withered away. Nothing is
left but. a trace like the last few droplets oj an empty cup
and a lowly life like a tainted unwholesome pasture. Doyou
not see that truth [and righteousness] are not being acted
upon [and abided by]? And thatfalsehood is not being dis
couraged? So let the believer longfor meeting God. Fori do
5 Ibid. Citing: Al-Muqarrnm, MaqtalAl-Hussain (a), 198-199.
133
Ethics
not see death [for God's sake] except as happiness, and life
with these oppressors except as weanness.6
From the aforementioned passages, die Imam (a) places his
thumb on die wound. The corruption of ethics and the lack
of moral values are die reasons diat many Muslims stopped
caring about religion and focused their attention only on
matters of this world.
The Holy Quran and the noble narrations point to die im
portance of the ethical dimension of the life of the commu
nity, its advancement, and its happiness. The verses and nar
rations discuss the extent of harm that is brought to man
kind by losing ethics. It moves people away from the
grounds of nobility diat God established for us. Further
more, that loss changes individuals from servants of God to
servants of this finite world, which will experience an end to
its pleasures through its mere death.
In the movement of Imam Hussain (a), and his blessed re
naissance, there was a focus on establishing a number of
ethical principles. The goal was to broadcast these principles
through the movement of Imam Hussain (a) and die effect
it would have on the people in all of its dimensions. Similar
ly, these ediical principles were established in such a manner
diat they can be pointed to by humanity, across all the gen
erations, and benefit from the light that is the movement of
Hussain (a).
6 M-Muqarram, MaqtalAl-Bussain (a), Pg. 192-193. Citing; Al-Tabari, Tareekb Al-

Tabari, 4:305; Al-Andalusi, A/-Uqd At-Farred, 2:312; and Al-Asbahani, blulliyat
Al-Awliya\ 2:39.
134
f m a m Hussain’s ( a ) R e n a i s s a n c e
Practical Examples in His Movement

It is not possible to confine all of the ethical principles that
Imam Hussain (a) practiced and established dirough his
blessed renaissance. However, we can point to some of the
most important principles that no community should ne
glect. By holding on to the following principles and values,
our communities can advance, move forward, and work
along the godly path that God wished for humanity.
Honesty and Transparency

Honesty in our dealing with one another is among die most
significant ethical principles that Imam Hussain (a) estab
lished. From die beginning of his movement, the Imam (a)
did not give people false hope in spoils of war, well-being,
or victory. Instead, he went against the norm of most politi
cal leaders who only cared for rallying die masses without
regard to the reality facing the people, their conscience, and
their intentions. Imam Hussain (a) was clear from the very
beginning in die first announcement of his movement be
fore leaving Mecca:
Praise be to God, everything is by His will, there is no
strength save in God, and praise be upon His Messenger.
Death is to the son ofSudani like a necklace is to the neck
of a young lady. 0* how I long for my forefathers, like the
longing ofJacob to Joseph. Sind I will meet the best of ends.
Whoever would sacrifice his heart for us and is determined
to meet God, let himjourney with usfor I am departing to-
monvw morning God willing.7
7 Ibid. 166.
135
Ethics
Imam Hussain (a) did not trick anyone or force anyone to

go on his journey with him. He did not use die methods of
die Umayyads in forcing people to fight or buying people’s
loyalty to militarize them and have them become soldiers.
Honesty and transparency are the features that distinguished
Imam Hussain (a) and his companions from the rest of
people. Initially, there was a huge group of people that fol
lowed Imam Hussain (a) thinking diat he was going to take
over the governance, as much of the matters were estab
lished for him completely. But then came the news of Mus
lim Ibn Aqeel, the ambassador of Imam Hussain (a) to
Kufa. The people of Kufa had betrayed him, had him exe
cuted and ultimately broke dieir promise to support the
movement of the Imam (a). Imam Hussain (a) did not keep
this news from the people; rather, he shared it with them.
He gave them the choice to stay or leave. Those initial large
numbers dwindled down to a small group of loyal compan
ions.
Imam Hussain (a) could have launched an all out marketing

campaign to gain recruits by promising diem riches and
wealth. But that was not his character - he was honest with
his men. As the heir of the Holy Prophet (s), there was no
doubt he would establish diese ethical principles and deal
with reality instead of fraud and deception. This was the
difference between Ahlulbayt (a) and the military diat stood
against them. Probably one of the hardest stands that Imam
Hussain (a) had to make was on the night of the tentii of
Muharram. He gathered his companions and family mem-
bers and said:
136
I m a m Hussain’s (\) Renaissa n c: e
/ do not know of any companions better than my compan

ions, nor afamily more pure and tooted than my own. May
God rewardyou on my behalf 1 see that the day they will
transgress against us is tomorrow. I give you leave to take
off in the night, there is no blame or fault on you ifyou
leave. The night has shrouded yon, so ride into the night.
Let each one ofyou take a member of my household [as a
guardian] and disperse in the lands and cities. May God
rewardyon all These people ask forme, notforyou... and
if they get to me they will be loo preoccupied to go after any
one else]
So the Imam (a) gave his companions and family members

permission to leave him and did not force diem to stay with
him; rather, he relieved them of their dudes towards him.
But even with that, we find that this small honorable group
refused to leave the Imam (a) and was determined to live
and die beside him. Through this honorable stand, Imam
Hussain (a) proved to us the necessity of leaders to live with
their populace in a state of honesty and transparency. The
leaders must not take advantage of their followers and sup
porters without their knowledge of the reality. Likewise,
leaders must not take dieir followers for granted. This is
extremely important in the validity of die movement and its
advancement.
Sacrifice
Islam has given great focus to sacrifice and considers it
among the noblest of ethical principles. It is enough diat we
see the Holy Quran point to this ethical virtue when God
8 Ibid. 513.
137
liTH I CS
commends the Ansar for their stance with the Muhajireen

and the sacrifices they made. God said:
[They an as we//]for those who wen settled in the land and
[abided] in faith befon them, who love those who migrate
toward them, and do not Jind in their breasts any privation
for that which is given to them, but prefer [the Immigrants]
to themselves, though poverty be their own lot. And those
who an saved from their own gned—it is they who an the
felicitous?
The history of Islam is filled, from its very beginning, with
wondrous stories that show that this particularity was pre
sent in the midst of the Muslims. Many of them espoused
this honorable moral trait. However, the weakening of ethi
cal principles came as a result of abandoning the teachings
of Prophet Muhammad (s) and turning away from the right
eous guardians of the faith - Ahlulbayt (a). The many con
quests that were undertaken and the inducement in wealth
and worldly pleasures could not cover up the moral decay
that had set in. Ethics were further weakened by the Umay-
yads’ role in dissolving and ultimately eliminating the Mus
lims’ adherence and identification with moral virtues. This
specific trait was weakened just like other ethical virtues
were weakened.
The school of Ashura came to reestablish this virtue,

whereby Ahlulbayt (a) struggled in this pursuit with Imam
Hussain (a) and his companions at the forefront of this
struggle. They sacrificed themselves for the sake of raising
the word of God. As one poet says in Arabic, “Giving one-
9 'Hie Hob’ Quran. Chapter 59 |The Reckoning; Arabic: Al-Hasht\. Verse 9.
138
I m a m Hussain’s ( a ) R n s aissancb
self [as a sacrifice] is the epitome of generosity.” This is in

addition to some of the phenomena that human beings
cannot fully comprehend and that can only be produced by
that holy household — Ahlulbayt (a). That household was
the one that sacrificed for three consecutive days, as it fed
die poor, the orphan, and the prisoner and remained hun
gry. This is the household that birthed die likes of Al-Abbas
(a), this hero who sacrificed for his brother and master
Imam Hussain (a). He would head to the banks of the Eu
phrates river only to fill a satchel of water to quench the
thirst of the women and children who had been without
water for three days. Finally arriving, he kneeled down to
take a sip of water. With all of his thirst and dehydration, he
remembered die thirst of Imam Hussain (a) and the rest of
the family. As he let die water go, it is reported that he said
to himself:
0 self compand to Hussain you an nothing... and after
him mayyou not live another day... this is Hussain coming
close to his death... andyou wish to drink the cold pun
water? By God this is not an act ofmyfaith.
Abbas did not drink in consolation of his brodier Al-
Hussain (a) and his family. Who could compare to the sacri
fice and consolation of Al-Abbas (a) whereby he would pre
vent himself from drinking because his brodier did not
drink? He put his brother before himself and proceeded to
return to the camp to get him water. Unfortunately he did
not reach Hussain (a) or his family because he was killed by
the treachery of Yazid’s soldiers. This is one of many illus
trations of sacrifice in the movement of Imam Hussian (a)
and his companions.
139
Ethics
Chivahy
Of die most noble and honorable virtues of Imam Hussain
(a) was chivalry. He illustrated die highest forms of chivalry
in his blessed revolution, which can be summarized in the
following:
Imam Hussain (a) gave water to his enemies and their hors
es. The battalion of Al-Hur Al-Riyahi was ordered to stop
the Imam (a) in Karbala before reaching Kufa. This battal
ion, loyal to Yazid, reached Imam Hussain (a) in such a dire
state of thirst and dehydration. And they had come to stop
die Imam (a). Nonetheless, when Imam Hussain (a) wit
nessed the thirst of his enemies, he ordered his companies
to give water to the soldiers along widi their horses. Who
could compare to this show of chivalry? A man sees his en
emies in such a weak state, knowing their plans against him,
and with that he chooses to quench their thirst.
Al-Hur Al-Riyahi was responsible for much of the suffering
diat Imam Hussain (a), his companions, and family initially
endured in Karbala. Regardless, the Imam (a) welcomed Al-
Hur’s repentance to God when he came forward on die
Day of Ashura asking for forgiveness. On that day, Al-Hur
looked at the two camps and saw Heaven and Hell. Pacing
back and forth, pale in the face, he made up his mind and
made his way to the camp of Imam Hussain (a) — he chose
Heaven. Coming down from his horse, with his head bowed
in shame, he called out: “O’ God to you I turn, so accept
my repentance. I have frightened die hearts of your loved
ones and the children of your Prophet. O’ Aba Abdillah, I
140
I m a m Hussain’s ( a ) Renaissance
am rependng... is there repentance for me?” Imam Hussain

(a) replied, “Yes. God will acceptyour repentance”^*
This was the heart of Hussain (a). This was the heart so dear
to the Messenger of God (s). A heart full of mercy, even to
those who stopped him in Karbala. How could Hussain (a)
be any other way, when God made him the spiritual heir to
die one sent as a Mercy to all Mankind?
Imam Hussain (a) was adamant on not starting the batde.
He did not permit any of his companions to launch any ar
rows or spears at the enemy until the enemy launched first.
Omar ibn Saad released die first arrow saying, “Witness for
me before the Prince (Yazid) diat I was the first to cast his
arrow!” At that point, Imam Hussain (a) permitted his com
panions to respond. This was a true stance of chivalry and
honor. Imam Hussain (a) could have easily taken preemp
tive measures and killed a number of Omar ibn Saad’s sol
diers; however, he refused to do anything of the like. His
objective was to establish value and virtue and he made a
point not to be the one who started die fight. Value and
Virtue were victorious on that day.
The Imam (a) continues to establish and consolidate these
moral values like loyalty, sacrifice, bravery, and nobility,
amongst others. He is able to do so due to the eternal na
ture of his movement and renaissance. As long as he is re
membered, these virtues and values will also be remem
bered. The memory of Hussain (a) will remain as long as
this world exists. This is one thing that makes die words of
Imam Hussain (a) so true: “Whoever does not follow me will not
10 Al-Muqarram, MaqtalAl-Hussain (a)y 182.
141
Ethics
realise victory..What victory is greater tlian being eternal in

memory and principle? Thus, these ethical virtues and godly
principles will remain forever in his remembrance. Let every
human being live in the love of Hussain (a) as he longs to
follow his example of values and ediics.
142
The Death of
Conscience
Then your hearts hardened after that; so they ate like

stones, or even harder. For there ate some stones'from which
streams gush fotth, and there ate some of them that split,
and water issuesfrom them, and there ate some thatfallfor
thefear of God. And God is not oblivious ofwhatyou do.1
As we stand before the details of the tragic memory of

Ashura, we find ourselves before a batde diat has escaped
the measures of any other batde. One of the distinct charac
teristics of this batde was the brutality that was used against
Imam Hussain (a), his companions, and his holy family. His
tory does not speak of a greater tragedy, nor do we hear of
any actions that have shamed humanity like the crimes that
were carried out against die family of the Holy Prophet (s)
and their companions. There are numerous illustrations of
diese crimes written by historians. It is possible to point in a
general sense to some of the illustrations of die horrid
The Holy Quran. Chapter 2 |The Cow; Arabic: Al-BaqaraJ. Verse 74.
143
ETHICS
crimes executed by die enemies of God against His Mes

senger and humanity. They became a notorious gang diat
are damned by God, his angels, history, and everyone who
has an atom's worth of humanity in their hearts. They dis
graced humanity through their crimes that will forever be
etched in history. Some of die many disgraceful crimes diat
took place are briefly illustrated in the following.
Imam Hussain (a), his companions, and family members
were all banned from drinking water. The women and chil
dren suffered from dehydration for over three days. They
had committed no crime for which to be punished. This
painful image is crowned with Imam Hussain (a) going out
into the batdefield with his newborn child. He holds his
child up high for the entire camp of the enemy to see. He
tells them, “If the adults have a sin [to answerfor], then what is the
sin of the children?* They refused to give him water. So, he
told them to take the newborn baby and give him water
themselves. To that request, the army fell into a dispute.
Some of the soldiers expressed some compassion and said
that they should give water to the baby. The others, howev
er, remained cold and screamed out rejecting the request of
the Imam (a). Omar ibn Saad ordered Harmala ibn Kahil
Al-Asady, “End the dispute of our soldiers.” As one of the
best archers in the army’s ranks, Harmala understood the
message. He took an arrow and aimed it, not at Hussain (a)
but at the newborn child. With that arrow he slaughtered
die youngest son of the Imam (a). As the child’s blood
flowed from his neck, Imam Hussain (a) caught the rivers of
144
The Death of Conscience
red in the palm of his hand and cast the blood into the sky.
“No/ one drop everfell” said Imam Al-Baqir (a).2
What pains the heart even further is die illustration of how

Imam Hussain (a) himself was killed. It is difficult to put
pen to paper and remember the atrocity in its detail. They
were not satisfied with just killing him. Rather, they rode
their horses over his body ensuring that the hooves of their
Arabian steeds pounded his blessed chest. They severed his
head from his body and placed his head on a spear.
They burned the tents of Imam Hussain’s (a) family, know
ing that all the men had been killed, except for the ailing son
of Imam Hussain (a). All that remained were women and
children. They terrified the children and had them running
between the flames that lit the tents in that callous desert.
Every scene is more tragic and heart-wrenching than th
next. The more we see the more we are shown the reality
that these people’s hearts were dead and their conscience
lost.
Even some of the enemies themselves could not hold their
tears back when witnessing some of these scenes. The ene
mies’ ferociousness did not differentiate between young or
old. Anas Al-Kahili (ra) was an elderly man who came to
support Imam Hussain (a) in his movement. Because of his
frail body he used to wrap his turban around his waist to
help straighten his back in an effort to stand firm against the
enemies. When Imam Hussain (a) looked at him, the Imam
(a) cried. Anas was not spared. Mercy was not shown to
young men, a nursing baby, veiled women, or little girls ei-
2 Al-Muqarram, Maqtal Al-Hussain (a), 272.
145
ETHICS
ther. What kind of human beings were on the other side of

the battlefield and what kind of hearts did they have? They
are a manifestation of the verse, “Then your hearts hard-
ened...”3
Soldiers who stood on the other side of the batdefield

themselves described the committed heinous crimes-
Hameed bin Muslim, for example. As the Arabic saying
goes, “With your own words, I condemn you.” Another
significant portion of the narrations come from the
Ahlulbayt (a) whose truthfulness is undoubted by any Mus
lim.
Were those who committed such heinous crimes inflicted
with spiritual and psychological diseases bringing them to
carry out their crimes? Throughout history, in the present
and the future, we will find these examples of people whose
consciences are dead and hearts emptied of mercy and
turned to stone. What are the reasons that caused diese
people to lose their humanity?
The Holy Quran points to this reality of dead and hardened
hearts through a number of frank and direct verses.
Damnation is not limited to those who participated in the
massacre of Imam Hussain (a) and his companions. Our
pure Imams (a) supplicate to God in condemning and
damning those who participated, those who were pleased,
and those who followed the path of the killers of Imam
Hussain (a). Take this passage from Ziyarat Warith for ex
ample, “So, may Cod curse the people who killedyou. And God
curse the people who persecutedyou. And God curse the people who
3 'flic I loly Quran. Chapter 2 |'I*he Cow; Arabic: Al-Baqara\. Verse 74.
146
The Death of Conscience
wen pleased when they had heard of /ha/”4 Also in Ziyarat

Ashura:
May God condemn and damn the people who killed jmu
May God condemn and damn the abettors who instigated
and had a part in your murder. I turn to you and God\
away from them, their henchmen, their followers and their
fiends. O’ Aba AbdU/ah, I pray and invoke God to send
blessings upon yon. I am at peace with those who make
their peace withyon; I am at war with those who go to war
against you, till the Day ofJudgment... I ask God, who
honoredyou above others, to be genetons towards me on ac
count ofyou, and give me the opportunity to be with the vic
torious Imam (a) from the Household of Mohammad
(s)...5
Those who fought Imam Hussain (a) on the battlefield had

an emotional connection to the Imam (a), but that still did
not stop them from killing him. There must be explanations
and reasons for how the enemies killed Imam Hussain (a) in
such a gruesome manner. By understanding these reasons,
we can help prevent the death of moral conscience.
What is the Conscience?

The Holy Quran ties the destiny of the human being, his
personal and his social life with the movement of the indi
vidual's heart. The different positions and situations in
which we found ourselves are associated with and tied to
this heart. The Quran describe the various roles die heart
■* Al-Shaccd Al-Awnval, Al-Ma~ar, 124.

5 Ibid. 179.
147
ETHICS
takes and how it affects the life of the individual in each of

those roles.6
The heart can be referred to in the spiritual aspect which

God created in the human being. In it several central attrib
utes and functionalities exist, like braver}', generosity, envy,
love of others, and other attributes both positive and nega
tive. Likewise, some positive and negative actions present
themselves here like giving one the benefit of the doubt as
opposed to having ill thoughts of others based on uncertain
assumptions. These actions and attributes are affected by
will power and freedom to choose, rising and falling, ad
vancing and curtailing.7
On this basis, every time we exert effort in developing,

growing and disciplining ourselves, our heart is strength
ened and the positive attributes come forth. Similarly,
whenever we neglect disciplining and developing ourselves,
our heart experiences a decline until it reaches a state of be
ing completely sealed, locked, or dead. From a magnani
mous creation of God, we become creatures of so little
worth we are valued less than animals, “Do you suppose that
most of them listen or exercise their reason ? They are just like cattle;
>>8
indeed, they are further astray from the way.
Our humanity is actualized through our hearts. Our physical
bodies do not give us our humanity; rather, it is our heart
that distinguishes us from the rest of the creation. Whenev
er a creation is one that holds a living conscience, a heart
beating with life, filled with goodness and justice, then that
« A]-I lakccm, Thmrat AI-Hâin (a), 103.

" Ibid- 104.
Chapter 25 [Arabic: Al-Furqan\. Verse 44.
& The I Ioly Quran.
148
I n li l) e a tii o i< Conscience
is a favored and honored creation. But if this conscience

dies and the heart is stone, then the person is lower than
animals. In fact, he is considered to be similar to an mam-
mate object, as the Quran describes:
Thenyour hearts hardened after that, so that they were like
rocks, rather worse in hardness; and surely there are some
rocks from which streams burst forth, and surely there are
some of them which split asunder so wafer issues out of
them, and surely there are some of them which fall down for
fear of God, and God is not at all heedless ofwhatyou do.9
Howthe Conscience Dies

We can summarize the reasons for the death of conscience
into two primary issues, from which stem a number of oth
er topics and discussions. The two primary issues are the
following: rebelling against God’s will and the love of thi
world.
'Rebelling Against God's Will

Mankind is the creadon of God, created with a special and
pardcular system. This system is peaceful and serene in its
essence; however, it is subject to change and deviation. This
system is what we describe as the innate nature, which die
Holy Quran emphasizes protecting because it is essential to
one’s humanity.
So setyour heart as a person ofpure faith on this religion,
the original nature endowed by God according to which He
9 The I Ioly Quran. Chapter 2 [The Cow; Arabic: Al-Baqara\. Verse 74.
149
Ethics
originated mankind (There is no altering God's creation;

that is the upright religion, but most people do not know.)10
By staying in line with the boundaries and restrictions that

God ordained, we are able to live by the dignity of our in
nate nature. We are bound to enjoy a live conscience and a
calm heart. Whenever we leave these boundaries and re
strictions, however, our hearts become defected. Looking
back in history, we realize that the hardening of the hearts
that the Children of Israel experienced was due to their re
fusal of and rebellion against God’s laws. The Holy Quran
discusses this in some of its chapters, underlining that the
movement of the heart - in its rise and decline — is linked
strongly to the extent of one’s commitment to God’s laws
and restrictions. Take the following verse for example:
When Moses said to his people, (0 my people! Whj doyou

torment me, when you certainly know that I am God's
apostle toyou?' So when they swerved [from the right path],
God made their hearts swerve, and God does not guide the
transgressing lot.11
Aberration and deviation from the religious guidelines result

in the aberration and deviation in the movement of the
heart - one can turn to the verses that discuss how the
hearts are sealed and locked to expound on this point.
Note that this deviation does not take only one form, rather
we observe it increase and decrease. Thus, the levels of
faith, disbelief, and hypocrisy take stages and levels as well.
These stages are determined by the extent of adherence, or
io The Holy Quran. Chapter 30 |Thc Romans; Arabic: At-Room|. Verse 30.
it The Holy Quran. Chapter 61 [Arabic: At-SajJ\. Verse 5.
150
Tut Death of Consci I-: N c li
lack thereof, to the religious guidelines God established for

us. The less we adhere to these guidelines, the greater the
effect it has on our hearts. Those who went forth to batde
Imam Hussain (a) transgressed in the greatest sense by
eventually killing the grandson of die Holy Prophet (s).
With their own free will, they rejected God’s mercy. They
sealed their hearts off from Divine Mercy with their own
hands. The fact diat these individuals chose to follow the
likes of Yazid and Ibn Ziyad, fought the holy family of the
Prophet — whom God ordained their love as part of the
faith — and committed the most heinous crimes and grue
some acts of torture against Imam Hussain (a), collectively
caused the ultimate death of their hearts, their conscience,
and an undeniable mark of disgrace for humanity.
The hove of this World

The second essential issue that causes the death of the heart
and the lack of conscience is indulging in the love of this
world. Within this, we find immersion in its desires and
pleasures, and an attachment to entertainment, money, and
children away from the remembrance of God. These points
evidently branch out from the fundamental issue here - the
love of the world. The Holy Quran beautifully discusses this
topic and the effects of the love of the world on the heart.
Take the following verse:
Have you seen him who has taken his desire to he his god
and whom Cod has led astray knowingly, set a seal upon
his hearing and heart, and put a blindfold on his sight? So
151
Ethics
who willguide him after God [has consigned him to error]?

Willyou not then take admonition?12
In another verse:
That, because they preferred the life of the world to the
Hereafter and that God does not guide the faithless lot.
They an the ones God has set a seal on their hearts, their
hearing and their sight, and it is they who an the heedless.13
The calm and tranquil heart is one that is not distracted

from the remembrance of God, and thus will not experi
ence a dead conscience. Instead, that person will live in the
grace and love of God. The individual who is immersed in
the love of this world, however, will experience an ultimate
loss. The Holy Quran warns us of this reality, emphasizing
that we should not allow material and worldly things be a
reason for our distance from God and lack of obedience to
His laws. “0 you who have faith! Do not let your possessions and
childnn distractyou from the remembrance of God, and whoever does
that—it is they who an the losers”™ In another verse, God says:
Say: Ifyour fathers and your sons, your brethren, your

spouses, and your kinsfolk, the possessions that you have
acquind, the businessyoufear may suffer; and the dwellings
you anfond of, an dearer toyou than God and His Apos
tle and to wagingjihad in His way, then wait until God is-
sues His edict, and God does not guide the transgressing
lot.15
12 The Holy Quran. Chapter 45 |Arabic: Al-]atbija\. Verse 23.

13 The Holy Quran. Chapter 16 |Thc Bees; Arabic: Al-Nabt\. Verse 107-108.
,4 The Holy Quran. Chapter 63 |Thc Hypocrites; Arabic: Al-Munaftqo0n\% \
erse
9
' 15 The J loly Quran. Chapter 9 [ The Repentance; Arabic: Al-Tawba\. Verse 24.
152
I I! I: 1) li ATM OH CONSCI I£ N C li
We must take the greatest precaution to ensure that the love

of power, money, and the rest of what is associated with the
love of this world, do not get the best of us. If we do not
keep our guard up, we will definitely be at a loss since it will
be more difficult for us to stay committed to the com
mandments of God.
Indulging in the pleasures and desires of this world played a
major role in killing the conscience of the community,
which inadvertendy was transformed to a group of beasts
that oppressed and killed the grandsons of die Holy Proph
et (s). Take Omar ibn Saad, for example. On the Day of
Ashura, after Ali Al-Akbar (a) was killed, Imam Hussain
said to Omar: “... May God severyour kin asyou have severed my
kin and did not honor my relation to the Messenger of God [my grand
father]:9
He, Omar, was the son of Saad ibn Abi Waqqas — die con
queror of Iraq and one who was considered to be of the
companions of the Holy Prophet (s). The primary reason
that led Omar ibn Saad to lead the army that killed Imam
Hussain (a) was his greed. He was infatuated with the prom
ise of Yazid to rule over the lands of ‘Rey’ (parts of modem
day Iran). On the Day of Ashura, Omar ibn Saad launched
die first arrow against the camp of Imam Hussain (a) and
called out, “<cWitness for me before die Prince (Yazid) diat I
was the first to cast his arrow!” And it was in this manner
that Omar ibn Saad threw away all of principle in pursuit of
his desire to rule over the lands of Rcy. He became the killer
of Imam Hussain (a). He ordered his soldiers to trample on
his beheaded body with their horses. He caused the greatest
153
MT HICS
tragedy tliat humanity has ever witnessed. He did this all

because he sought to fulfill a worldly desire.
We must be weary of falling in die love of diis world and

indulging in its desires and pleasures. We must take caution
and be mindful, lest we stand at a fork in the road of our
journey one day and choose a path of falsehood instead of
the path of righteousness.
154
Clash of Faith in
Society
In the name of God\ the most Beneficent, the most Merciful
We earned the Children of Israel across the sea, whereat

they came upon a people cleaving to certain idols that they
had. They said, (0 Moses, make for ns a god like the gods
that they have. ’ He said, Yon are indeed an ignorant lot.
What they are engaged in is indeed bound to perish, and
what they have been doing shall come to naught.y He said,
\Shall I find yon a god other than God, while He has
gracedyon over all the nations?]
It is easily noticeable that the Quran speaks about the Chil
dren of Israel in many of its verses. That is because in their
society many exhibited contradictions, despite the many
prophets and apostles that were sent to them in hopes of
creating a vitreous community based on die principles of
faith. No matter how many blessings God bestowed upon
them, many remained ungrateful. No matter how much
God honored them and favored them, many remained at-
Thc Holy Quran. Chapter 7 |Thc Heights; Arabic: MA'raf. Verses 138-140.
155
ETHICS
tached to this world and its material bounties and disregard

ed the moral and metaphysical aspects of life. Therefore, we
see a great number of verses and chapters in the Holy
Quran speaking of die Children of Israel. On another note,
die Quran is providing us with examples of die erroneous
conceptions that that society bore so diat we can learn from
their mistakes.
Yet, we must ask diis important question: is the nation of
the Prophet Muhammad (s) - the nation of Islam and the
Quran - immune of diese dangerous illnesses? Are we im
mune to the illnesses that drive mankind away from God
and towards sin and deviance?
Before we answer this question, we must make clear this
fact: God, the High and Glorious, does not have any special
relationship to any of his creatures. “He neither begat, nor ms
begotten, nor has He any equal”1 All of His creatures are at an
equal footing in creation. It is only their sincere obedience
to Him that draws some closer to him. Some, such as
prophets and divinely appointed Imams, have a type of im
munity, and that was earned by virtue of their sound choices
and not arbitrarily granted to them by God.
We must also point out that amongst God’s methods is die
use of trials and tests for all of humanity so that the good
can be distinguished from the evil. Therefore, tribulations
that might have befallen the nations of the past may befall
nations of the future. The trials experienced in other socie
ties can become a test for our societies. We see that die
Quran presents a great number of parables from the nations
2 The I loly Quran. Chapter 112 [Arabic: Al-lkblas\. Verses 3, 4.
156
Clash of Faith in Society
of the past so that it can warn us against falling into the

same illnesses and misery that had afflicted them. One of
die most severe of these illnesses is the illness of deviadon
away from divine values and the deterioradon of human
morals.
If we were to examine the reality of our lives, we would see
that we are living with these dangerous illnesses that have
extensive effects on our lives. How many of us teach our
children the value of worldly belongings without teaching
them the values of Islamic faith? How many of us rebel
against noble traditions until we disconnect from even our
religion? How many of us are embarrassed to practice our
faith in front of others and would rather neglect religious
rituals than go through that flawed sense of embarrassment?
How many other examples can we think about where we
neglect or abandon our faith for some worldly reason?
When we reflect on our present situation, we find a number
of reasons for which we fall prey to such illnesses.
Ignorance
Ignorance plays a large role in this struggle, as it shields our
sight from reality. When the Israelites ask, in a Quranic
verse, for an idol to worship, God attributes this request to
ignorance. They foolishly mixed up worshiping God and
worshiping a man-made idol. An ignorant individual is not
conscious of the truth and does not see reality clearly. Who
ever is ignorant of where true happiness lies, and is ignorant
of his true position in the world, will certainly cling to mate
rialistic values in his actions and character. That is because
materialistic pleasures are more tangible in die eyes of one
157
ETHICS
with that worldview and oudook. They are tire ‘quick fix/
no matter how short-lived, and no matter the detrimental
consequences that follow so quickly and surely.
A person who does not know die meaning of worship or

the happiness that it brings and does not see the good in
divine principles will certainly live a materialistic life. He will
see happiness in his material wealth, worldly knowledge, and
social status. We see that the majority of us will do the im
possible to have our children attend the best of schools and
universities so that they can live a successful and comforta
ble life. We see this as one of our primary responsibilities
towards our children.
All of this is great for our children. But it cannot come at
the cost of their true and eternal happiness. A good educa
tion and a luxurious life must not be made goals in and of
themselves. They are a means to achieving happiness. But
without even the simplest of knowledge in faith and ethics,
all of this would be for naught. Whoever puts great efforts
in providing his children with a great education in arts and
sciences but does not provide them with a solid base in reli
gious knowledge and ethics has committed a grave mistake
and an offense against his children. What good would these
tools for a prosperous worldly life be if we are not equipped
with the tools to attain eternal happiness? Our children need
an education in Quranic ethics. Parents should raise their
children to exhibit virtuous characters and Quranic princi
ples.
If our society was built on the principles of knowledge and
character, it will not fall into the traps of ignorance that 1 ead
to such illnesses. We would not have put secular education
158
Ci*asif oi- Faith in Society
at the forefront and completely disregarded any religious

education. We see that God has placed a great deal of em
phasis on religious education as it creates the necessary bar
rier against sin. Whenever a person learns more about his
faith, he becomes more resilient against the influence of
false precepts and deviance. Whenever a person learns the
Quran and becomes tied to it, following the teachings of the
religion becomes easier.
Weakness
Weakness is one of the important reasons that make an in
dividual live in a state of disharmony between the reality of
life and his religious teachings. Such an individual will try to
“fit in” in his environment, even at the cost of his own faith
and principles. How many of us miss their mandatory pray
ers when they are traveling? Some may not feel comfortable
praying on a plane because they feel that everyone on that
plane will look down on them — and that is not the case.
How many loosen their standards of modesty because the
environment around them is not a modest one? How many
fall into sin and deviance due to their weakness and inability
to stand up to peer pressure and social pressures?
Some may reject the teachings of die religion under the
guise of modernization and progress. Yet, they take only the
worst that modern and progressive societies have to offer
and reject the values that so-called progressive societies
maintain and that coincide with our principles. If a person
truly wants to be “progressive,” let him abide by the stand
ards of citizenship; let him exhibit a strong work ethic and
respect the law. Rather we see that some individuals adopt
159
Ethics
the worst that modern society offers and reject all the wor
thy values that it adopts.
A believer should not live such a state weakness. He must
have a sense of belonging and a relationship with a higher
power - the absolute power of the Almighty, Honorable,
and All-Wise God. We see that whenever an individual feels
a sense of belonging to someone or something that is more
powerful, they feel a sense of strength that comes along
with that belonging. So what would a person feel when he
has a sense of belonging to God, the fairest of judges, Lord
of the heavens and the Earth, the Honorable, the All-Wise?
How can an individual who has established a relationship to
such a power ever feel weakness? “Yet all [honor] belongs to
God and His Apostle and the faithful but the hypocrites do not
know.'*
He describes anyone who thinks that they can attain honor

by any other means by saying, “those who take the faithless for
allies instead of the faithful. Do they seek honor with them? [If so,]
indeed all honor belongs to God.'*
There is a beautiful narration attributed to Imam Sadiq (a)
describing the honor of the believers, where he says:
God empowered the believers in everything except that they
be dishonorable [or dishonored]. Haveyou not heard God's
words, 'Yet all [honor] belongs to God and His
Aposde and the faithful'? The believer is honorable
and is not dishonorable. A believer is more honorable than
3 The Holy Quran. Chapter 63 [The Hypocrites; Arabic: Al-Munaf,qoon\. Verse 8.

4 'fhe Holy Quran. Chapter 4 [The Women; Arabic: Al-Nisaa]. Verse 139.
160
Clash of Faith in Society
a mountain. /[ mountain can be chipped away with pick

axes, but a believer'sfaith cannot be chipped away *
Materialism
A side effect of weakness is attachment to this world and
submergence in its pleasures. Whoever sees his personal
benefit in this world will not bear parting with it, and will
grow more and more attached to it. It will take him further
away from realizing the truth of the hereafter. We see our
Imams (a) indicating that “the love of this world is at the head of
evey sin.”6 It is also narrated that the Commander of the
Faithful (a) said, “love of this world nuns the mind, blocks the heart
from listening to wisdom, and merits a great punishment.”7 There are
many more narradons that warn of undue attachment to
this world, drawing our attention to the fact of the eterna
nature of the hereafter.
This does not mean that we cannot enjoy any of die pleas
ures of this world and all the blessings that God has created
in it. Rather, religion has called for us to enjoy the blessings
of God and aim to live in comfort. The true share of value
in this world lies in it being an investment into the eternal
life ahead of us. When we lead our lives in this world with
the right behavior and intention, whether in times of work
or responsible leisure, that is a key to paradise in the Hereaf
ter. God says:
5 Al-Kulayni, Al-Kaft, 5:63.

6 Ibid- 2:315.
7 Al-Nuri, Mustadrak al-Wasa'd\ 12:41.
161
Ethics
Seek the abode of the Hereafter bj weans of what God has

given you, while notforgetting your share of this world. Be
good [to others]just as God has been good to you, and do
not try to cause corruption in the land. Indeed God does not
like the agents ofcorruption/
u yhe | j0ly Quran. Chapter 28 |Thc Parables; Arabic: Al-Qasas\. Verse 77.
162
I
Sin
It is narrated that the Commander of the Faithful (a) said,
I am amazed by how people look after what they eat infear
of illness, but they do not safeguard themselves from sin in
fear ofheliftreJ
Perspective
Amongst the issues that are widely agreed upon by society is
the posidon that everyone should avoid things that cause
harm to the body. Whoever rejects this is not considered
reasonable, as no reasonable person would willingly subject
himself to harm and illness. That is why people commonly
use the idiom “prevention is better than cure.” That is be
cause a person may go through a lot of suffering to finally
be cured of an illness, where all that suffering could have
been averted if the illness was prevented. I do not think any
reasonable person would argue against this.
;\1-I larrani, TobafAl-'Oqool, 204.
163
Ethics
We know that human life is not limited to life in this world.

Rather, mankind has been promised eternal life. The body is
only a temporary means of physical activity for die everlast
ing soul. The body will die and the soul will remain. The
soul will experience a number of different worlds until it
reaches eternal bliss or punishment. Therefore, preserving
the body only serves to preserve a temporary affect. Death
is something that is bound to befall every person. Still, a
person should look after their body so that they do not live
in suffering and illness.
With all this in perspective, we must mention another point.
The soul - die eternal aspect of our life — can become ill
just like the body. Rather, the illnesses that befall the soul
are more severe and have harsher consequences than those
that affect the body. An illness that comes over the body is
temporary, no matter how long it lasts; it will die out with
die death of the body. However, the illnesses diat overcome
the soul may be everlasting just as the soul is everlasting.
The most severe consequence that a disease can cause is
death, which is merely a passage from one world to the
next. Whereas a disease of the soul could lead to conse
quences as severe as an eternal abode in hellflre. Therefore,
prevention of illnesses to the soul should be given greater
attention dian any illness that may affect the body.
Among the most important causes of these spiritual diseases
are sin and deviation. As such, we should point out a few
methods that will allow a person to safeguard himself fr om
diese illnesses.
164
Sin
Remembrance of God
First, the remembrance of God is one of die most im
portant methods for preventing and curing these spiritual
diseases. A person should live with the constant realization
of God’s presence and in a state of addiction to the remem
brance of God. If a person’s heart lives on the remem
brance of God, he will not fall into sin. God’s remembrance
will safeguard against a number of diings as it drives away
Satan. And there are many narrations that emphasize this
point. For example, it is narrated that Imam Ali (a) said,
“remembrance of God drives away Satan”2 And from the suppli
cations of Imam Sajjad (a), “andyou made for ns an enemy that
plots against us... so defeat his power over us with Your authority, so
thatyou imprison him awayfrom us though our constant supplications
and so that we are safeguarded by Yonfvm his plots.”3
Satan is a primary factor in die deviation of mankind and
their falling into sin, but remembrance of God will drive
him away. This will leave Satan no avenue by which he can
whisper to an individual or drive him to deviation, making
the individual safe from these sins.
In addition, a primary cause for our sin is heedlessness —
that is, heedlessness and negligence of die heart. Due to
heedlessness, the self begins to whisper and drive die indi
vidual into sin. Here, remembrance plays the role of bring
ing the self back to life and standing in the way when it may
fall into heedlessness. Remembrance will allow the self to
2 Al-Wasiti, Vyoon Al-Hikam walMawa'e^ 055

3 Imam Zcin Al-Abid.cn (a), ^Soh,eJaAlS^ Suppllcation 25.
165
Ethics
stand in the face of these whispers. It is narrated that die

Prophet (s) said:
God said IfI know that what overtakes a servant ofMine
is My remembrance, I transfer his desires towards asking
Me and conversing with Me. IfMy servant was such and he
wanted to become heedless, I will intervene between him and
heedlessness. Those an my true close servants. Those are the
true hems. *
This is how remembrance stands in the way of the primary

causes of sin. Satan and die whispers of the self are the two
primary factors for falling into sin and deviance. Remem
brance of God stands in the way of these two. It repels Sa
tan and it does not allow a person to fall into negligence and
heedlessness.
It is through remembrance diat a man may live a good life,

free of the sins that would take him to a severe punishment
and that would ruin this worldly life as well. Sin is not only a
problem for the hereafter. Radier, it has its effects on an
individual in this life as well. The Quran addressed lack of
remembrance of God and its effects on an individual:
But whoever disregards My remembrance, his shall be a
wretched life, and We shall raise him blind on the Day of
Resurrection. He will say, My Lord! Why have You raised
me blind, though I used to see?9 He will say: ‘So it is. Our
signs came to you, butyou forgot them, and so you will be
forgotten today.0
4 ,\j-I IillitVddalA/-Da’ee,235.
5 The Holy Quran. Chapter 20 [Arabic: TaHa\. Verses 124-126.
166
Sin
Not remembering God is a cause for living a wretched life

in this world, as the individual will be submerged in desires
and sin that take him to a deteriorating psychological state,
regardless of the punishment in the hereafter.
Remembrance of Death
We see that one of the important causes for an individual’s
falling into deviance and committing of sins is an excess of
debasing hope and a feeling diat death is a distant tiling. By
debasing hope, I mean negative hope that hinders one’s
progress, making the person procrastinate and make poor
choices in the present. A human being tends to get caught
up in this world, behaving as if he/she will live here forever.
A person who is heedless of death will seek to fulfill all of
his desires, even the debasing ones, and continue to build
and collect for this world as if he will live in it for eternity.
A narration of Imam Sadiq (a) refers to this reality, as it
says, “God has not mated anything that is so cetlain and without
doubt, but that is perceived to be a doubt with no certainty about it,
like death ”6 Mankind lives as if death is a mere possibility,
when it is in fact a certain reality and an inevitable truth. If a
person is able to remind himself of this inevitability, and the
prospects of retribudon after death, he will without a doubt
distance himself from deviance. He will be far from com
mitting sin because he knows that this life is fleeting and
that he must face die inevitable end of this worldly life,
along with the permanent consequences in the hereafter.
6 Al-Saduq, Al-Khisal\ 14.
167
Ethics
So we see that God placed great emphasis on the visitation

of graves and cemeteries, reflecting upon dieir significance,
and learning from the lessons of those who have passed.
Cemeteries are reminders of the inevitable end. When you
visit a grave, you will realize where you will certainly end up.
You will begin preparing for this new home, knowing that
every moment you live is a moment closer to that transition.
The Prophet (s) emphasized the importance of remember

ing death because of its importance in this journey. It is nar
rated that he (s) said, “intensifyyour remembrance of the destroyer
of desires.” He was asked who this destroyer of desires is, he
replied, “Death. The best of believers is the one who remembers death
the most, and who is most prepaidfor it.”1
Choosing Friends
It is an indisputable fact that friends and companions can
iffect an individual in many ways. In fact, there may not be
anyone who can affect an individual as much as a friend. It
is narrated that Imam Ali (a) said, “afriend is the closest of those
who are close.”8 Therefore, one of the most important causes
of falling into sin is befriending people of sin and deviance.
The Holy Quran stresses this truth in a number of verses,
such as the following:
Some of them mil turn to others, questioning each other.
One of them will say, indeed I had a companion who used
to say, “Areyou really among those who affirm that when
we have died and become dust and bones, we shall be
7 Al-Nuri, Mustadrak Al-Wasael, Volume 2, page 100.

8 AJ-Wasiti, Vjoort AI-Hikam a>a Al-Mawa’e^ 50.
168
SIN
brought to retribution ?*” He will say, Will you have a

look V Then he will take a look and sight him in the middle
of hell. He will say, jBy God, yon had almost mined me!
Had it not been for my Lord's blessing, I too would have
been among those mustered [in hell]!0
These verses give us an example of an individual who was
not influenced by his friends.
There is another example that die Quran mentions, showing
the effects of listening to bad friends:
It will be a day when the wrongdoer will bite his bands, say
ing 7 wish I hadfollowed the Apostle *s way! Woe to me! I
wish I had not taken so and so as afriend! Certainly he led
me astray from the Reminder after it had come to me, and
Satan is a deserter ofman.40
Moreover, the Quran tells us that friendship must be built
on a basis of piety and faith, and that would be a friendship
with lasting effects that will reach the hereafter. Every other
type of friendship will change to enmity on Judgment Day.
God says, “On that day, friends will be one another's enemies, except
for the Godway.
9 The Holy Quran. Chapter 37 [Arabic: al-Saffat\. Verses 50-57.

10 The Holy Quran. Chapter 25 [Arabic al-Furqan\. Verses 27-29.
n The Holy Quran. Chapter 43 [The Ornaments; Arabic: al-Zukhmj/[. Verse 67.
169
Repentance
/// the name of God, the most Beneficent, the most Merciful
[Acceptance of/ repentance by God is only for those who

commit evil out of ignorance and then repent promptly. It is
such whose repentance God will accepts and God is all
knowing, all-wise. But [acceptance ofj repentance is not for
those who go on committing misdeeds: when death approach
es any of them, he says, 7 repent now. ’ Nor is it for those
who die while they atofaithless. For such We have prepared
a painfulpunishment}
God’s Mercy
God’s wisdom has dictated diat His door be open for who
ever wishes to reach him. He did not prohibit anyone from
turning to Him and returning to obedience and worship.
His mercy on his creadons has dictated that He never cut
off the ropes of hope to anyone undl the last moments of
their life so that they may come back to Him.
, The Holy Quran. Chapter 4 |Thc Women; Arabic; A!-Nisaa\. Verses 17, i8.
171
Ethics
God is the creator of mankind. He is the one who has

granted him so many blessings. His love to this servant who
is His creation cannot be measured or described. He does
not want anything but the best for His servants. He wants
them to journey to the destination of paradise for which
they were created. This paradise is theirs if they walk die
padi of virtue and play their role in this world as God pleas
es. God has therefore placed many opportunities through
which an individual can attain God’s pleasure. One of the
greatest of these opportunities is the ability to repent. God
has opened diis door of mercy for His servants so they
could enter it whenever they please, so long as die oppor
tunity remains. If they take diis opportunity, they gain His
pleasure. As a narration of Imam Baqir (a) describes:
God Almighty's pleasurefor a servant's repentance is great
er than the pleasure ofa man who has lost his caravan and
his supplies in a dark night and then found them. God's
pleasure for the repentance of a servant is greater than the
pleasure ofthat man who hadfound his caravan.2
Repentance Brings Closure

Committing a sin creates a form of psychological instability
for the sinner. When a person rejects belief in die truth and
deviates from the path, he goes against his innate nature.
This person lives with a focus on worldly pursuits, sinking
deeper into greed and worry over losing the limited physical
pleasures. Such an individual lives in a state of anxiety, in_
dulging in all the toxic practices this world has to offer,
2 M-Kulayni, Al-fotf1’ 2:435‘

172
REPENT A N C E
hopelessly trying to find peace and tranquility in a turbulent

sea. ihe more he/she drinks, the thirstier he/she gets be
cause this water is salty. A deviant individual cannot live in
psychological stability. God Almighty says, “But whoever disre
gards My remembrance, his shall be a wretched life.”3 Other verses
describe the wretched life of a sinner who had gone astray
from the path of God and became a slave to worldly de
sires. Here comes the role of repentance in restoring a state
of stability and true contentment for mankind. It brings
hope to a person’s life, so that each individual is able to rec
tify his actions. An individual cannot walk on God’s or
dained path without the combination of hope and fear
equally, so that he refrains from what harms him and is at
tracted to what is good for him.
Imagine diat God had not opened the gates of repentance
for His servants, and had decreed that whoever disobeys
Him cannot return to the fold of His obedience. This may
be a cause for further deviance away from his command*
Such an ideology allows for greater deviance, as each person
who commits even a single sin may lose hope in God’s for
giveness.
The Holy Quran comes to show us that the path of repent
ance is open to all, and that losing hope in God’s mercy is
one of the greatest sins an individual can commit. God says:
Say [that God declares,] ‘0 My servants who have commit
ted excesses against their own souls, do not despair of the
mercy oj God. Indeed God willforgive all sins. Indeed, He
is the All-forgiving, the All-merciful. Turn penitently to
3 The Holy Quran. Chapter 20 (Arabic Ta Ha|. Verse 124.
173
ETHICS
Him and submit to Him before the punishment overtakes

you, whereiponyou will not be helped.1
Some imagine that opening the doors of repentance justifies

future sins because they can be followed by repentance.
That is a flawed idea for many reasons. Moreover, one can
not guarantee he/she will live past the sin in order to re
pent. Furthermore, even if one is sure he/she will live past
die moment of sin, he/she cannot guarantee a true state of
heart in which the fire of regret can burn away the sins. Re
pentance is not lip-sendee. It is about sincere regret and a
change in one’s ways.
The doors of repentance are open because of God’s mercy

and wisdom. Sin is not an excuse for individuals to sin even
more, as some may think. If we break one jar, it does not
justify breaking the others. Repentance further brightens up
the dark skies for the sinful, urging them to have hope and
come back to the path of righteousness without breaking
any more jars. Otherwise, the psychological state of a sinful
person may lead him/her to despair, God forbid.
Stages of Repentance
Repentance is the return of a servant to God. When a per
son sins, he leaves the circle of obedience and servitude to
God. Repentance is return to that circle of obedience.
God says, “Rally to Godin repentance, O faithful, so thatyou may
befelicitous.”5
I loly Quran. Chapter 39 (Arabic Al-Ziimai\. Verses 53, 54.

4 The
, Ioly Quran. Chapter 24 |The Light; Arabic: At-Noor]. Verse 31.
5 The
174
Repent a n c: e
Some may wonder “if repentance is a return to the obedi

ence of God, does it apply to the prophets and their im
maculate successors?”
God created mankind in complete dependency in all as

pects. A human cannot benefit himself or do any good in
dependently. We are all in need of God, and we must all
turn to Him. This is evident for anyone who has sinned. As
for the prophets and their immaculate successors, they nev
er choose to fall out of God’s favor. They do not commit
forbidden deeds. Hence, whatever we hear or read about
them falls within a span of actions that God is pleased with.
However, some actions are more pleasing to God than oth
ers. There may come a time where a righteous individual
feels he may have distanced himself slightly from God due
to his actions, and so he seeks repentance to get closer to
God. But even that may not be the case. Sometimes the
very nature of servitude to God Almighty makes the hum
ble servant feel like even his best of deeds are so little be
fore God’s majesty. This drives the servant to cry out from
the core of his being seeking God’s forgiveness for his in
herent shortcomings. This is not the same sense of repent
ance that an actual sinner would seek. In one verse of the
Quran, God turns to Adam with special mercy. God says,
ccTben Adam received certain wordsfrom bis Lord' and He tamed to
Him clemently. Indeed He is the All-clement, the All-mercifulIf
this verse implies that Adam (a) was seeking repentance as
well, it is surely not the repentance of a disobedient sinner
but rather the repentance of one overcome by a sense of
servitude, seeking more of God’s favor. Adam received spe-
6 The I roly Quran. Chapter 2 |Thc Cow; Arabic: Al-Baqara\. Verse 37.
175
ETHICS
cial words from God - those words being the names of the
Prophet Muhammad (s), the Commander of the Faithful
Imam Ali (a), Lady Fatima (a), Imam Hasan (a), and Imam
Hussain (a) as our narrations indicate — these would be the
intercessors through whom God would bestow further fa
vor upon Adam (a).
The Conditions of Repentance

Misdeeds through Ignorance
There are two types of sinful individuals who may outward

ly seem to repent: one who is sincere and regrets his mis
deeds at the very core of his being, turning to God whole
heartedly; and another who is insincere, has not really
changed at heart, but puts on the act of one who turned
back to God. The former individual qualifies for God ac
cepting his repentance while die latter individual does not.
God says, “Indeed those who turn faithless after theirfaith, and then
advance in faithlessness, their repentance will never be accepted, and it
is they who are the astray”1
Furthermore, one may argue there is an indicator that im
plies a greater likelihood of sincerity when a person repents.
This indicator goes back to the factors that drove a person
to sin in the first place. There may be an individual who is
otherwise one of upright character, but in a moment of
heedlessness, his carnal desires get the best of him. Yes, tiiis
well know that his action is sinful and diat
ZTm tothe free will not to sin, but he feels weak because
o{ the temptation. So he sins. On the other hand, there may
Holy Quran. Chapter 3 |Arabic: Aallmran|. Verse 90.

7 The
176
R I- p K N T A NCE
be another individual who chooses to sin simply as a chal

lenge to God Almighty. This individual knowingly and con
sciously chooses to disobey God because he belitdes God’s
commands and chooses to take the path of evil in spite of
God. Both individuals have sinned. Bodi are morally re
sponsible and liable for punishment. But is there not a dif
ference between die two? If die former individual repents,
then he can cry out to God the way we see that Imam Sajjad
(a) teaches us in one of his supplicadons,
O' my Lon/! I did not disobey You when / did because / re
jected Your divinity or because J belittled Your commands
or that I was daringly challenging Your punishment or that
I did not appreciate Yourforewarning. Yet the mistake has
occurred, and my self misled me and my sinful desires won
over me and my misery helped me to it and Your protective
veil over my sins lured me.8
As for the latter individual, can he make die same claim?
Would a sincere repentance ever even come out of such an
individual? One diing is clear: die drive behind this person’s
sin seems to make it less likely that he would sincerely re
pent.
Haste in Repentance
Some may think that because the door of repentance is
open, there is no need to hasten in repentance. They would
say: so long as we have dme to live on, let us take our share
of the pleasures of this world, and then we will repent when
we get older. This is a naive perception of repentance and it
may even have a hint of mockery towards God and his
» Al-Tusi, Misbab Al-Mutahajjid, 589.
177
Ethics
commands. However, “It is God who derides them, and leaves

them bewildered in their rebellion”**
True repentance is the one that die person performs in sin
cerity, asking God for forgiveness and with full regret for
his disobedience. If a person continues to sin and only turns
to repentance when he is no longer able to commit that sin,
we cannot always call diis person repentant. He is not re
pentant unless he is turning back to God with sincerity and
regret. Who is to say that our repentance would be truly sin
cere after all the rust of sins has enclosed our hearts? Who is
to guarantee that we will live until the next blink of an eye
such that we can delay repentance? So we cannot keep
pushing off repentance. Repentance must come sincerely
and soon, before it is too late. As God says
B//t [acceptance oj] repentance is not for those who go on
committing misdeeds: when death approaches any of them,
he says, 1 repent now. * Nor is it for those who die while
they are faith/ess. For such We have prepared a painful
punishment.10
9 The Holy Quran. Chapter 2 [Yhc Cow; Arabic: Al-Baqara]. Verse 15.
10 The Holy Quran. Chapter 4 [Yhc Women; Arabic: At-N/saa]. Verses 17,18.
178
Why We Sin
Indeed W? presented the trust to the heavens and the earth

and the mountains, but they refused to undertake it and
were apprehensive of it; but ?nan undertook it. Indeed he is
most unjust and ignorant
We can divide mankind into two primary categories: those
who have accepted God, His messengers, His Holy Scrip
tures, and His angels; and those who have disbelieved in
God. Those who believe in God can be further classified in
two categories: those who have believed in all of the mes
sengers and all the Holy Scriptures; and those who have be
lieved in only some of diem. The Muslims are those who
have believed in God, His Prophet Muhammad (s), and did
not reject any of God’s guidance. But we still see a great
disparity between the members of this group in regards to
the applicadon of God’s commands. There are those who
commit sins, knowing that what they are doing is in disobe
dience to God and crosses die boundaries diat He has
drawn. uThese are God’s bounds, so do not transgress them, and
The Holy Quran. Chapter 33 |The Parties; Arabic: A/-Ab*ah]. Verse 72.
179
E THICS
whoever transgresses the bounds of God—it is they who are the wrong
doers”2 So why does a believer fall into sin? Why do we
cross die boundaries diat God has drawn? Why do we devi
ate from the path that He has shown us?
In this chapter, we wish to shed light on die reasons for
which an individual might deviate from the path and com
mit a sin. Even though the factors may be many, we will
suffice with enumerating die most important of these fac
tors that the Quran tells us drive humans to be “oppressive”
[of himself and others].
It is important to keep in mind diat these factors cannot
force an individual into sin, albeit these factors can make sin
more or less tempting. At the end of the day, an individual
has the free will to make the right choice even if that means
he/she has to struggle and swim against the ddes. That is
why a person is held morally responsible.
Ignorance
The first cause of deviation and sin is ignorance. Ignorance
plays a great role in drawing the individual outside the
boundaries that have been set by God. This is a fact diat has
been emphasized by the Quran in a number of verses, in
cluding: “Indeed he is most unjust and ignorant”1 So what does
ignorance mean? Or what is a sinful individual ignorant of?
Ignorance of the Self
One of the main reasons that drive a person outside the

boundaries that have been set by God to deviate and to
2 The Holy Quran. Chapter 2 [The Cow; Arabic: At-Baqara]. Verse 229.
3 The Holy Quran. Chapter 33 [The Parties; Arabic: Al-Ab%ab\. Verse 72.
180
Why We Sin
commit sins is ignorance of his own reality and his position

in this world. The individual who has full comprehension of
his place in the universe will not accept for himself to cross
the boundaries that God has set. Mankind is among the
greatest of God's creations in His eyes. Man was the crea
tion for which God made His other great creations pros
trate towards:
When jour Lord said to the angels, Indeed I am going to

set a viceroy on the earth,' they said, Will Yon set in it
someone who will cause corruption in it and shed blood,
while we celebrate Yourpraise andproclaim Your sanctityV
He said, Indeed I know whatyou do not know.' And He
taught Adam the Names, all of them; then presented them
to the angels and said, Tell me the names of these, ifyou
are truthful * They said, "Immaculate are You! We have no
knowledge except what You have taught us. Indeed You ate
the All-knowing, the All-wise. * He said, *0 Adam, inform
them of their names,' and when he had informed them of
their names, He said, "Did I not tellyou that I know the
Unseen of the heavens and the earth, and that I know
whateveryou disclose and whateveryou conceal?' And when
We said to the angels, ‘Prostrate before Adam, * they pros
trated\ but not Iblis: he refused and acted arrogantly9 and he
was one ofthefaithless.4
So Satan disobeyed God when he refused God's commands
and did not prostrate to Adam. And Satan knew of the great
position that God gave to mankind, and he purposely be
came a force of deviation for die human race — as the
Quran tells of Satan’s state of mind: “Said he, Do Yon see this
4 The Holy Quran. Chapter 2 ffhe Cow; Arabic: Ai-Btiqara\. Verses 30-34.
181
Ethics
one whom You have honored above me? If You respite me until the
Day of Resurrection, I will surely lay my yoke on his progeny, [all]
except afew. *>5
The Quran further outlines the great status that has been
given to mankind in a number of verses. God says:
Do you not see that God has disposed for you whatever
then is in the heavens and whatever there is in the Earth
and He has showered uponyou His blessings, the outward,
and the inward? Yet among the people are those who dis
pute concerning God without any knowledge or guidance or
an illuminating scnptnre.6
Therefore, the position of mankind is great in the eyes of
God. When someone is ignorant of this great status, he is
more likely to demean himself through committing actions
that are not suitable with a human being’s true position and
stature. Because of this ignorance, man is more likely to
demean himself to the position of cattle that care only for
their desires - “They an just like cattle; indeed, they are further
astray from the way
When an individual knows his position and his status, he is
more likely to behave in a way that is befitting of that stat
ure. Perhaps that is why we see that society condemns a
person of high social status or position acting in an inap
propriate manner more severely than they condemn the
same actions coming from a person of lower social position.
If you were to ask why one was condemned so severely and
5 The Holy Quran. Chapter 17 |The Ascension; Arabic: Al-Israa\. Verse 62.
6 'Hie Holy Quran. Chapter 31 [Arabic: Luqman\. Verse 20.
7 The Holy Quran. Chapter 25 [Arabic: Al-Fnrqan\. Verse 44.
182
Wiiv we Sin
the other not as severely, the reasoning that you are given is
that one of a more esteemed status is held to a higher stand
ard. A person who values his social status should act with a
sense of responsibility towards his status; he should only act
in a manner that befits his status.
The Quran puts a great deal of emphasis on die need for
the individual to know himself, and die importance of rea
son and reflection in reaching self-knowledge. One will see
the value of the gift diat God has given and will realize that
every aspect of his/her being is in utter need of God Al
mighty. At every level of our being, we are die property of
God. When a person comes to know himself, he will act in
a way that is suitable with his position. The Quranic verses
that describe the concept of knowing oneself are many -
among them is the verse saying, “7// the earth are signsfor those
who have conviction, and in your souls [as well]. Willyou not then
perceive?'*
The Commander of the Faithful (a) emphasizes through his
teachings the importance of self-knowledge and that an in
dividual can achieve the greatest rewards dirough diat self-
knowledge. Me said, “die greatest victory is attained by one
who is successful in gaining self-knowledge,”9 “whoever
comes to know himself will know others more, and
“whoever comes to know himself will struggle against it.”11
8 The Holy Quran. Chapter 51 fl*hc Winds; Arabic: Al-Dbarijat\, Verses 20,21.
9 Al-Wasiti, ‘Uyoon Al-Hikewj wa Al-Mawa'e^ 497.
«o Ibid. 438.
» Ibid. 453.
183
Ernies
Moreover, Imam Ali (a) made clear that the path to know
ing God goes through self-knowledge. He said, “whoever
>>12
knows himself knows his Lord.
A person that knows himself and knows his place in die
world will be able to deal with anything based on that
knowledge and stature, and is unlikely to knowingly take any
unsuitable action. Ignorance is one of the most important
factors that drive a person into deviance and sin, and self-
knowledge is the method for safeguarding against diis fac-
tor.
Ignorance of Consequences
The other form of ignorance that can lead a person to devi
ate and transgress against the boundaries that have been set
by God is ignorance of the consequences of these transgres
sions. These consequences do not stop at the individual, but
they spill over into society and even into his material sur
roundings. Mankind is an integral part of the wider universe.
He affects and is affected by his surroundings. Each indi-
vidual’s actions affect him and his society, and that is a sim
ple reaction that is understood by all. However, the Quran
emphasizes the effects of an individuaFs actions on his
physical surroundings. The Quran states, “Whatever affliction
that may visityou is because of whatyour hands have earned, and He
excuses many [an offense ofyours]”™ The Quran also says, “Cor
ruption has appeared in land and sea because of the doings of the peo
ple }s hands, that He may make them taste something of what they have
done, so that they may come back.”u Likewise, good actions have
12 Ibid. 430.
13 ']'he Holy Quran. Chapter 42 (The Consultation; Arabic: Al-Shoora]. Verse 30.
14 The Holy Quran. Chapter 30 [The Romans; Arabic: Al-Room\. Verse 41.
184
Why Wt Sin
an effect on this world. So repentance, for example, is a rea

son for increase in wealth and offspring and is also a cause
for rainfall. God says, “Plead toyour Lord forfo/giveness. I//deed,
He is all-forgiving. He will sendforyou abundant rainsf/v/n the sky,
and aidyou with wealth and sons, and provideyon with gardens and
p/vvideyou with streams”xb
We see that an individual's ignorance about the conse
quences of his acdons in this world — let alone the greater
consequences of these acdons in the hereafter where eterni
ty may be spent in punishment or in bliss — allows him to
dare and be excessive in his sins and deviadons. But if we
were to realize the consequences of sins in this world, we
would stand against anyone who wishes to sin and try to
stop them personally. That is because the consequences of a
sin do not stop at the sinner, but flow over to others around
him. If we were to realize this, we would enjoin what is
good and forbid what is evil on a regular basis — not only
because we want to protect the individual from die conse
quences of his actions, but because we are defending our
selves against die overspills that might occur.
Materialism
Another important factor that drives individuals towards sin
is love of die world and attachment to it. As the Immaculate
Imams (a) have told us, love of diis world is at die root of
all evil. Some level of attachment to this world is a tendency
caused by a number of desires and instincts that God has
created in mankind. Without a love for food, mankind may
15 The I loly Quran. Chapter 71 (Noah; Arabic: Nooh\. Verses 10-13.
185
Ethics
not have been able to safeguard his body from starvation.

Without a sexual drive, mankind may not have reproduced
especially with all die challenges of rearing children. Some
level of attachment to wealth may be to provide for one’s
own needs as well as die needs of one’s offspring. Without
anger, mankind may not have been able to defend them
selves, their families, and their communities. Therefore, all
these instincts are imbued in man for his own good and for
die good of die world surrounding him. God made the in
tellect die leader of diese faculties and allowed it to control
diem so they do not become excessive. God describes die
love of this world’s pleasures:
The love of [worldly] allures, including women and children,
accumulated piles ofgold and silver, horses of mark, live
stock, and farms has been made to seem decomts to man
kind. Those are the wans of the life of this world, but the
goodness of one's ultimate destination lies near God.16
However, when a person allows one of these faculties to

take hold of his/her life by displacing the intellect, he/she
becomes very attached to this world and it becomes very
hard to overcome diis attachment. This creates a disturb
ance in the human system. This is in addition to the fact
that die path to paradise in the hereafter is a path that
sometimes entails struggle against these desires and facul
ties.
Whoever wishes for a prosperous hereafter must take a
stance against debasing desires and must limit desires to the
boundaries drawn by God. That involves a great deal of ef-
16 The Holy Quran. Chapter 3 [Arabic: Aaltmran\j. Verse 14.
186
Why We Sin
fort, fatigue, and suffering - it is, after all, what the Prophet
(s) describes as the “Greater Struggle.” Indeed, falling prey
to these faculties is a natural tendency of an individual act
ing impulsively out of physical instinct. But it is when the
intellect is in the driver's seat that a free spirit realizes
his/her true position in this world and struggles to live up
to a higher standard than mere physical satisfaction. The
Prophet (s) says, “[the path to] Paradise isfilled with troubles and
[the path to] he/fire isfilled with [satisfaction of desires7
Humankind generally seeks comfort and dislikes suffering —
and so we are attracted to this world and its pleasures. That
is fine so long as it falls in line with the path to paradise. But
when this world becomes a cause for deviation, it no longer
serves its true purpose for us as moral beings, and thus we
must struggle for higher principles. If we seek to satisfy our
desires without heeding the consequences which do not be
fit the innate nature with which God has imbued us, then
that is die wrong direction. If we disregard die fact diat
these actions do not fall in line widi the order that God has
ordained for the world, and we see the outbreak of war, dis
ease, and other catastrophes as a result, then we have no
one to blame but ourselves. If we fail to remind ourselves of
what is greater dian all of this - the punishment that God
has prepared for those who transgress against die bounda
ries that He has drawn - then what else will wake us up?
One may ask, “if it is diese faculties diat make an individual
lean towards being so attached to this world, then why
would God instill them in die human self? Would it not be
better diat He would create us without these desires?”
17 Al-Radi, Al-Majaât Al-Nabcimjya, 387.
187
Ethics
Earlier, we referred to the possible wisdom in having these

desires to maintain human life. The key to the answer is in
realizing whose actions we are questioning — God’s actions.
If we know God Almighty, we know that God lacks no per
fection. God is beyond all weaknesses, all deficiencies. His
wisdom is absolute. One may ask, “why did God not create
us as angels?” The answer is the same. God’s wisdom has
dictated that He create a being with an intellect and with no
desires, and those are the angels. His wisdom also dictated
that He create a being with an intellect and desires so that
these beings can overcome those desires with their intellect
and become better than the angels. That being is mankind.
The experience of die angels is different than that of hu
mankind. In God’s wisdom, it is best to have both types of
beings exist and make them aware of God in their own dis
tinct experience.
Therefore, we see that God emphasizes that we should not
be too attached to this world and its beauties. Instead, we
should live with the realization that the hereafter is better
and longer-lasting. We cannot even begin to imagine the
difference between the fleeting pleasures of this world and
the everlasting bounties of the hereafter. We can enjoy the
pleasures of this world within the guidelines God prescribes
as spiritually healthy, and then for eternity we will enjoy un
ending satisfaction, God willing.
Weakness of ti-ie Will

There are many people who know that they are deviating
and know the consequences of their deviance. They have
heard everything covered above. But they still End diem-
188
Why We Sin
selves deep in sin. They cannot stop themselves from com

mitting these sins. Rather they do not even try to escape this
reality. They are either happy with their current situation. Or
they fear others that may stop them from changing or ridi
cule them if they did change. Or for whatever other reason
that keeps them in their wretched state. Sometimes, the in
dividual knows he/she is in a wretched state and he/she
does not like it, but he/she still sins. Why? Because, this in
dividual simply does not choose to muster the will to do
what is right.
This is compounded by the fact that daring to fall into devi

ance has die effect of weakening the will even further! This
weakness can deprive a person of priceless opportunities.
This is indicated in die narrations of the Immaculate Imams
(a), such as the following narration of Imam Sadiq (a). He
(a) says, “God may deprive some of His [generally good servants]
>>I8
from salat al layl [in order to alert them not tofall into sin again].
A man may be preoccupied throughout the day with seeking
the bounties of this world with complete negligence of the
hereafter. He will not be able to block his mind from think
ing about sin. So we still see him entrenched in sin despite
his constant pledges to leave them. He continues to pledge
because he knows their ill effects. But he continues to fall
because of his weak will.
The will that is required of a man is that he becomes deter
mined and takes a decision to leave sin, become obedient to
God, and rectify what has passed of his life. This requires a
number of steps, including:
18 AI-Kulayni, At-Kn/i, 2:272, IV. 16.
189
Ethics
First, refraining from committing sins, especially those that

cause the loss of will. For example, scholars of ethics tell us
that the sin that depletes the individual’s will the most is
listening to forbidden singing.19 Many people may underes
timate the gravity of this sin or try to minimize its conse
quences. But it has such a dangerous consequence; die loss
of the will and determination to avoid deviance.
Second, worship in solitude. When an individual is alone, he
will not fall into insincerity in worship, such as worshipping
for the sake of attention or to gain a social status. This is
especially recommended at night, when no one knows that
he is worshipping. A man would worship God in solitude at
night and ask God to forgive his sins, conceal his defects,
and accept his repentance. At that point, God would praise
this worshipper to His angels as described in some of our
narrations.
Third, holding onto the Holy Prophet (s) and his Holy
Household (a) as intercessors, as they are the medium and
the path to God. Through them God showers mercy and
guidance to the worlds. Moreover, the intercession is a reali
ty that happens when we obey God by following them.
They were the ones showing the true way to God’s favor.
God the Exalted has commanded us to take the path to
Him - “0 you who have faith! Be wary of God, and seek the means
of recourse to Him...."20 Furthermore, when we ask God by
invoking the remembrance of these true servants of God,
God may choose to forgive us and answer our prayers as a
19 Al-Haidari, Al-Tarbija Al-Koobijya, 235.

20 The Holy Quran. Chapter 5 [The Spread; Arabic: Al-Maeda\. Verse 35.
190
Why We Sin
way to honor them, even if we would not have deserved it

on our own merit.
191
*
Pleasing God
When the matter is all over,; Satan will say, Indeed God
madeyou a promise that was true and I [too] madeyou a
promise, but Ifailedyou. I had no authority overyon, ex
cept that I calledyou andyou responded to me. So do not
blame me, but blame yourselves. I cannot respond to your
distress calls, neither can you respond to my distress calls.
Indeed I disavowyour taking me for [God’s] partner afore
time. There is indeed a painfulpunishmentfor the wrongdo
ers. v
People often find themselves living in a state of conflict be

tween the commands and promises of God and the promis
es of Satan. The promises of Satan are nothing but lies, by
the words of Satan himself. In trying to implement the laws
of God, one experiences hardship in opposing die whims of
the self and avoiding one’s adverse surroundings. Much of
what Islamic law prescribes does not mesh well with the
whims of the undisciplined or contaminated soul’s tenden
cies and desires. We live in the midst of a group of re-
The Holy Quran. Chapter 14 (Abraham; Arabic: Ibrahim]. Verse 22.
193
Ethics
stricdons, with ever}7 restriction facing one of our many de

sires. This is coupled with the challenges of meeting the
demands of everyday life which is even more difficult when
living in a society that does not help a person in always
making righteous decisions. Rather, the individual is often
faced with a society that advocates not committing to the
religious law with the excuse of individual freedom. They
argue that ‘you only live once/ and should live life to the
fullest by experiencing all the world has to offer in pleasure
and desire.
With all of these challenges, it would be beneficial to ad
dress the ways that can help individuals live in accordance
with what pleases God, to persist against the difficulties, and
to effectively resist temptations, desires, and prohibited
pleasures. Among the ways to help us in this pursuit are die
following: reasoning and reflection, taking the Prophet (s)
and Ahlulbayt (a) as role models, and friendship through
God.
Reasoning and Reflection

Reasoning and reflection, or contemplation, are fundamen
tal tools referenced in the Holy Quran. They are necessary
in understanding one’s strengths and weaknesses and how
:o navigate problems and provide solutions. The Quran
considers the outcome of reasoning and reflection to be the
arrival at a higher point of maturity and awareness in each
situation.
Indeed in the creation of the heavens and the earth and the
alternation of night and day, there an signs for those who
possess intellect. Those who nmember God standing, sitting
194
Pleasing God
and lying on their sides, and reflect on the creation of the

heavens and the earth [and say], ‘Our Lord\ You have not
created this in vain! Immaculate are You! Save usfrom the
punishment ofthe Fire.2
In the above verse, those being referenced reflect on the
creation of the skies and the Earth arriving at die conclu
sion that this creation has not been made in vain or without
a purpose. This creation has been made by divine wisdom;
and thus, one stands from this noble realizadon to beseech
God for protecdon and to keep one close to Him and away
from His displeasure and punishment.
A person who reflects on God’s creadon and the various
signs of God will come to the level of knowing God. He
will feel God’s greatness and understand how small he is as
a creature without Him. This is an essendal stage in a per
son’s growth and advancement. It can elevate him above the
calls of Satan, and allow him to transcend the status of ani
mals that only care for fulfilling their hunger and carnal de
sires.
This thought is in addidon to the premise that reasoning
and reflection on the signs of God includes reflecting on
our own selves — which is among the greatest of God’s
signs.
“ Doyou suppose thatyou an insignificant, while within you lies the
greater universe?’ These are die famous words attributed to
Imam Ali (a).
All of this makes us realize die system of life and die uni
verse, along with our role in it. We begin to differentiate
2 'Fhc Holy Quran. Chapter 3 (Arabic: Aallmran]. Verses 190-191.
195
Ethics
between die highness, eminence, and greatness in the calling

of God and the lowness, vanity, and indignity in the calls of
Satan. Remember diat Satan’s goal is to bring us down to
die lowest level of indignity and humiliation by calling us to
disobey God and turn away from our noble purpose. When
we examine some societies around the world in their sys
tems and ways and living, we can observe advancement in
technology and industry. However, with that can come the
price of being indulged in materialism and an increasing
trend of vanity in die culture of die community. Technolog
ical advancement is usually spearheaded by such communi
ties, whether we like it or not, but die cost it has on die
moral fabric of the society is undeniable. There is a sort of
emptiness that exists in such communities diat are just
completely indulged in materialism, as an effect of some of
their advancements. You cannot go without giving such
communities their due respect for their advancement of
humanity in science and technology, but at the same time
we must be weary of some of the associated effects. When
the goal becomes simply this world, with no sight of the
hereafter, such work and advancement goes in vain and be
comes utilized for illegitimate uses. Those taking that path
look at life as a destination for pleasure, amusement and
obscenity. That perspective is coupled with the belief diat a
person should not be tried, challenged or tested with tribu
lation. This results in the individual hurting himself and
possibly hurting the people around him. When God, die
hereafter, and accountability for one’s actions are removed
from the equation of life - the outcome is not promising.
196
Pleasing God
Thus, contemplation plays a fundamental role in bringing us

to understand our relationship with God. It opens our eyes
to realize the necessity in following God’s prescription for
us in obeying his guidelines and refraining from his prohibi
tions. Therefore, contemplation stands amongst die greatest
forms of worship in proximity to God, because it is the
gateway to other specific acts of worship and delving deeper
into understanding God. There are a number of narrations
that discuss its significance as follows:
Imam Al-Rida (a) said, “Worship is not simply praying andfast
ing; rather, worship is contemplating about God.”*
The Commander of die Faithful (a) said, “Contemplation calls
for righteousness and acting upon it”4
Imam Al-FIassan (a) said, “J adviseyou with piety and contempla
tion, for contemplation is the parent (cause) ofevery good thing.”5
Taking the Prophet (s) as a Role Model

The secret to the success of any theory is the practical im
plementation of that theory or vision. Many can put forward
a theory of rules and values for people to follow, but such a
system will not come to fruition without actual implementa
tion. It goes widiout saying diat die one who legislates such
a system would need to be the first to commit to its rules
and values. If not, then why would anyone else be expected
to adhere to such a system?

4 Al-Kulayni, At-Kafty 2:55 .
5 Al-Rishhari, Miân Al-Hikina, 3:2463.
197
Ethics
One of the fundamental reasons for die success of Islam

was its proposidon in coherent ideas, rules, and values.
Even more essential to that was the individual who came
forward with the message of Islam, as he adhered to every
tenet of the faith in all of its detail and specification. Thus,
diere was no plausible excuse to refuse adopting die vision
of Islam and its divine regulations, because the human rep
resentative of die religion, with his free will, perfecdy mod
eled his behavior for the people to follow. The Holy Proph
et (s) and the Immaculate Imams (a) held diis perfect essen
tial standard in leading die people through action and adher
ing firmly to every code of God. The Holy Quran calls us to
take the Prophet (s) as our example, “There is certainly a good
exemplarforyon in the Apostle of God—for those who look forward
to God and the hast Day, and remember God much.”6
Some may come forward and say the following: The Proph
et (s) and the Immaculate Imams (a) are infallible and are
unable to fall into sin. Thus, we cannot be like them and act
as they did.
In answering this objection, it is important to consider the

following points:
First, the individuals chosen to be Prophets (s) and Im

maculate Imams (a) are not forced robots. They have the
ability and free will to choose their course of action. They
may choose to act, and they may not. Essentially, it is up to
them, as it is in the case of all beings with free will. Howev
er, in God’s eternal knowledge and wisdom, He knew that
these individuals were the best of His servants, for when
6 The Holy Quran. Chapter 33 |Thc Parties; Arabic: Al-Ab*aab\. Verse 21.
198
V LEASING God
tested diey would exercise their free will best of all. For that
qualification, God chose them and protected them with
profound knowledge. As such, they see die reality of sins to
be so hideous that they would never choose to commit
them. They are humans, facing similar challenges as other
humans face, but they freely make the best choices. The fact
that God chose them reveals to us that they do not fall into
sin. But God would not have chosen them without the
knowledge and wisdom diat they were the ones qualified on
their own merit, widi their own free will, as opposed to eve
ryone else.
This is one way of thinking of it.
Second, it is not expected of us to be just like the Prophet
of God (s) in every aspect. It is not even possible for us to
reach the status of the Prophet (s) and the Immaculate
Imams (s), for no matter what we reach, we reach it by fol
lowing their example, and dius they remain a step ahead of
us. God chose them. They are the standard. What is ex
pected, however, is that we take them as our role models
and dieir lives as a template for us to follow. The Imams (a)
acknowledged diat others would not be able to reach dieir
degree of devotion. For example, the words of die Com
mander of die Faithful (a) tell us:
Remember that every follower has a leader whom he follows
and from the effulgence of whose knowledge he takes light.
Realise that your Imam has contented himself with two
shabby pieces of cloth out of the (comforts of the) world and
two loaves for his meal Certainly, you cannot do so but at
199
Ethics
least support me in piety, exertion, chastity and upright

ness...7
Thus, what is expected of us is to conduct ourselves as best
as we can in accordance with the path of the Immaculate
Prophet (s) and Imams (a).
Third, our Immaculate Prophet (s) and Imams (a) were able
to raise a group of companions who embodied the greatest
traits of excellence in worship and asceticism in the world.
Take for example Salman Al-Farisi, Abuthar Al-Ghafari,
Ammar ibn Yassir, Miqdad, and others of the noble com
panions. Even if we are unable to reach a status close to the
status of the Immaculate Imams (a), then it may be still
plausible for us to reach a level close to the levels of Salman,
Abuthar, Ammar and Miqdad. These individuals were not
the chosen Immaculate Imams; nonetheless, they reached
the success they attained through their hard work and dedi
cation to obeying and pleasing God.
In summary, taking the Holy Prophet (s), Ahlulbayt (a), and
their righteous companions as our role models has a huge
role in helping us fully commit to the standard to which
God holds us. Moreover, when we delve into the stories of
their lives we can find a true guide for us on our journeys in
the examples they set.
Good Friends
Friendship has a tremendous effect on the life of the indi
vidual. The people we befriend and with whom associate
have a definite influence on the way we lead our own lives.
7 Al-Kadi, NahJAJ-Balagha, 3:70, letter 45.
200
P I. BASING G O D
This reality is one that Islam identifies and acknowledges.

Not only do friends influence and affect us, but our charac
teristics and morals can be known by simply looking at the
friends we have.
Another reality to acknowledge is the fact that the path to
God is one accompanied by tests, trials, hardship, and tribu
lation. Sure, the resulting value of eternal bliss and potential
closeness to God Almighty is more than worth it. But even
if we lose focus of that, when we live out our lives in the
company of righteous people, these hardships can be easier
to overcome.
When we go back to the Holy Quran and the noble tradi
tions, we notice that God emphasizes diat we choose right
eous friends and brothers diat help us adhere to God’s law.
Similarly, God warns us of the consequences of taking dis
honorable friends — which could be a reason for a person’s
punishment in hell. The following verse describes the grief
and regret of the one who had a wanton and vile friend, “7/
will be a day when the wrongdoer will bite his hands, saying. I wish I
hadfollowed the Apostle's way! Woe to me! I wish I had not taken si
and so as afriend?*
God illustrates to us the alternative situation where a perso*
who is a believer had a bad friend, but by God’s grace tha
person was not corrupted:
Some of them will turn to others, questioning each other.
One of them will say, Indeed I had a companion who used
to say, ‘Areyon really among those who affirm that when
we have died and become dust and bones, we shall be
8 The l Ioly Quran. Chapter 25 (Arabic: At-Furqan\. Verses 27-28.
201
Ethics
brought to retribution V" He will say, Will you have a

look V Then he will take a look and sight him in the middle
of hell. He will say, "By God, you had almost ruined me!
Had it not been for my Lord's blessing, I too would have
been among those mustered [in hell]!0
From these verses we see the significant influence our
friends can have on our misdeeds. Our narrations in turn
call us to befriend righteous people and take brothers as
friends through God, because a friend through God will
help us on the path to God. This is a person whom we be
friend on the basis of the principles God wants for us. Our
friendship through God is thus a friendship with one rec
ognizing these principles and striving to achieve them for
the sake of getting closer to God. A friend through God
reminds us of God, especially if we forget Him, and sup
ports us in contemplating about God.
Imam Ali (a) said, “Befriend intellectuals, sit with scholars, and
defeatyour camal inclinations, and thusyou will be in the company of
the friends of God.”]0 He also said, “The greatest goodness and
righteousness is in befriending people of understanding and prevention
(ofsin).”u
Imam Al-Sadiq (a) said, “Look and see those who do not bringyou
closer to your religion; do not hold them in high regard and do not de-
sire those people's companionship. For everything other than God is
perishing and abysmal in its end. »12
9 The Holy Quran. Chapter 37 (Arabic: Al-SajJat\. Verses 50-57.

10 Al-Rishhari, Miqan Al-Hikma, 2:1584.
11 AJ-Wasiti, ‘Ujoon Al-Hukm wal-Mawae^ 112.
12 AJ-Qummi, Qinb At-hnad, 51.
202
P LEASING G O D
God points to this when he says, “0// that day, friends will be
one another's enemies, exceptfor the Godwary.”13
13 The Holy Quran. Chapter 43 |The Ornaments; Arabic: Al-Zukbmj\. Verse 67.
203
Piety
In the name of God’ the most Beneficent, the most Merciful
Look! The friends of God will indeed have no fear nor will
they grieve - those who havefaith and are [pious]. For them
is good news in the life of this world and in the Lienafter.
(There is no altering the words of God.) That is the great
success}
Ti-ie Meaning of Piety

Speaking of piety is very difficult, as we cannot encompass
all that can be said about it in a single sermon or book. That
is especially true given the fact that God has placed unparal
leled emphasis on the issue of piety, due to its great signifi
cance.
Before we enter into the topic, we should tackle a number
of points:
First, mankind was not created to simply move out of exist
ence after a period of time. Rather, mankind was created to
live on beyond diis physical life. It is narrated that the
The I loly Quran. Chapter 10 [Jonah; Arabic: Younus]. Verses 62-64.
205
Ethics
Prophet (s) said, “you were not mated to cease to exist, ratheryou
were mated to subsist. You ate sin/ply movedfrom one realm to anoth
er”2 The true happiness or suffering of an individual de
pends on how he behaves, and his actions are the cause for
where he ends up in die hereafter. He is eidier wretched in
dais world and die next, or he attains excellence in both of
them.
Secondly, an individual cannot reach a state of happiness
and bliss except by acdng in accordance with a set of gen
eral guidelines. These guidelines determine the padi that a
person takes and his destination. A society may try its best
and use reason and experimentation to put in place guide
lines, processes, and laws diat it hopes will achieve happi
ness for all. However, due to the shortsightedness and the
inexperience of the human race, we constandy fall into cata
strophic errors. You may pass a law today only to find out
after some time the grave errors that it contains. This is
normal in die course of human existence. Mankind is not
capable of understanding all the details of life, and that al
lows for the constant error. Even if a society accomplishes
the mission of placing an adequate set of standards for
physical wellbeing, those standards will only encompass life
in this world and will not extend to the hereafter because of
our profound ignorance about that world. How many laws
we see implemented that may be beneficial for this world,
but are a plague for the spiritual life of the community?
Thirdly, all manmade laws must be executed in some way.
The official human executive system is never able to im
plement the laws to their fullest extent, despite the power
2 AJ-Saduq, At- Itiqadatfee deen Al-l/namiyya, 47.
206
Piet y
and authority it may have. The executive authority cannot

make everyone within society respect and obey die law. The
greatest countries in the world today, with all their power,
resources, insdtudons, technology, and methods are unable
to eliminate crime. Murder is rampant. Drugs are wide
spread. Many people still break the law, if not in public then
at least in private.
This does not mean these insdtudons are weak or have
failed. There is a missing link in these systems. This missing
link is what we refer to as virtue — a disposidon to behave in
the right way and to maintain a moral character. This virtue
is what stops corruption and oppression. Virtue must be
transformed from an abstract concept to concrete charac
teristics embedded in members of the community. This
would allow die community to see the truth and respect
humanity, justice, dignity, mercy, sacrifice, and other benev
olent characteristics that man can carry. It is these character
istics that allow individuals and the community as a whole
to live a life of excellence.
Fourthly, virtuous character alone does not lead to true
happiness in the afterlife. Rather, it must be coupled with an
understanding of monotheism — die belief diat the world
has One Eternal Lord who is omniscient and omnipotent.
He created things in the best of manners, but not because
He is in need of them. He is the All Sufficient, the Inde
pendent. He will call mankind back to Him for judgment.
He will reward die benevolent amongst us for his righteous
207
Ethics
deeds. He will punish the corrupt for his corruption. We

will live for eternity either in bliss or in punishment.3
Fifthly, if a moral character is combined with an under

standing of monotheism, the individual will only aspire for
God’s pleasure. The individual would seek to walk die padi
that God has created for him, because he knows that God:
1. Has no dependency whatsoever, yet all need Him.
“0 mankind! You are the ones who stand in need of God,
and God—He is the All-sufficient, the All-laudable”* !
2. The laws and codes set by God are put in place in
the best interest of mankind, in diis world and the
hereafter. “Ifyou do good, you will do good to your [own]
souls, and ifyou do evil, it will be [evil] for [your soul as
well].”5
3. There is no doubt that mankind will reach true hap
piness through following diese laws that are set by
God and not deviating away from them. This is be
cause the source that put them in place cannot make
a mistake. He is all encompassing of this world and
the next. His is omniscient and knows the best in
terest of every individual. Indeed, He is the All
Compassionate and All Merciful. He is more inter
ested in their happiness than they are.
This shows us the importance of piety and why God

stressed it so often.
3 Al-I laidari, At-Taqwafee al-Qnran, 32.

4 The I loly Quran. Chapter 35 |The Originator; Arabic: Fatir]. Verse 15.
3 The Holy Quran. Chapter 17 |Thc Ascension; Arabic: Al-lsraa\. Verse 7.
208
PI ET\
Piety, then, is what protects an individual from what may

cause punishment. This means not only refraining from eve-
rything that is forbidden, but refraining from some things
that are permissible in and of themselves as well. As the nar-
radon states “The permissible is evident and theforbidden is evident.
But whoever plays on the edge will surely fall over [into the forbid
den/.”6
Someone might ask, “why do we teach people to be afraid

of God? Would it not be better to have people worship
God out of love and not fear? Would it not be better to live
a life full of hope and happiness without fear of anything?”
The answer to this quesdon is two-fold.
I
Firsdy, love is a principle that has a great importance within
die system that we outlined above. It allows people to ac
cept God’s commands and act in accordance with His will.
Islam is a religion of love, and it depends heavily on the ap
peal to one’s sentimental nature and connecting the individ
ual to God through love. However, die Islamic concept of
love is not a simple emodonal drive that is devoid of action.
Love, according to die Quran, is something diat should be
linked to acting as the beloved wishes, “Say, ‘Ifyou love God,
then follow me; God will loveyou andforgiveyouyour sins, and God
is allfo/giving, all-merciful9,1
Moreover, we find from the words of the Immaculate
Imams diat religion is about love. It is narrated that when
someone asked Imam Baqir (a) about the love of the
6 Al-Asfahani, Mufradat Gbareeb Al-Qnran, 531.

i The Holy Quran. Chapter 3 (Arabic AalImran]. Verse 31.
209
Ethics
Household of die Prophet (s) and the role that it plays in

salvation, he would reply “is religion anything but love?*
So the sentimental and emotional aspects are among the
aspects diat Islam addressed. They were embodied in the
command to love die Prophet (s), as he said, “none ofyou has
faith until I am more beloved to him than himself and my household is
more beloved to him than his own household. ” Love for the family
of die Prophet (s) is an obligation ordained by God; He
says, “Say, 1 do not askyou any rewardfor it except the love of [my]
relatives. *j9 And there are many more examples that empha
size love in obedience to God’s commands.
Secondly, if the type of love mentioned above is purely
emotional and does not extend into practicality then that
type of love has proven to be a failure. Empty claims of
love and misguided hopes for salvation do not cut it. The
result of such a devaluation of religion has been widespread
disobedience to die commands of God. Those with such
notions have knowingly or unknowingly renounced the true
values of die religion ironically, including die value of love.
Emotional love alone does not lead to the betterment of
mankind. It must be coupled with a profound reverence of
and lively devotion to God. An analogy that illustrates diis
point can be found in childrearing. Although there is a great
deal of mutual love between a child and his parents, it
would be a mistake for the parents to remove all forms of
reverence and devotion from the child. The child must both
love and honor his parents. This sense of respect and honor
helps guarantee proper conduct even when love alone does

9 The Holy Quran. Chapter 42 [I he Consultation; Arabic: Al-Sboora\. Verse 23.
210
Piet y
not cut it, such as when love is in conflict with the child’s
desires. Love is not always strong enough to make a child
drink his medicine. An instilled sense of reverence for one’s
parents, a profound sense of respect and honor, can make it
more likely for the child to take an action despite his desires.
Mankind overall is similar in the reladonship with God Al

mighty. Weak emotional love alone is not likely to stop us
from disobeying God’s commands as we seek to satisfy our
desires. There must be a sense of reverence and devotion
coupled with love that will make one careful not to cross
the boundaries drawn by God.
The Effects of Piety

As we discussed, God has put in place laws and teachings
that are in the best interest of mankind. Some of this guid
ance may be meant mainly for this Earthly life, meaning that
we see its effects directly on our lives in this world. Other
commands of God may be meant mainly for the hereafter
and have no apparent effect in diis world. We would be
tasked with these commands because this life is where we
earn our place in die hereafter. Some divine commands may
deal with bodi worlds, and dieir effects are observable in
this world and the hereafter. If we are not able to see the
effects in this world, that would be because of our own ig-
norance and shortsightedness. One of the things that have a
great effect in both worlds is piety. It leads to true success in
this world and eternal bliss in the next. God says, “The
friends of God will indeed have no fear nor will they grieve - those who
21!
Ethics
have faith and an [pious]. For them is good news in the life of this
>5 10
world and in the Hereafter....
Tliere are a number of effects of piety that can be experi
enced in this world. We will list a few of diem below.
The Good Life

One of die important effects of piety is “the good life.” Pie
ty allows you to live a good, content life in this world and
die next. God says, “Whoever acts lighteously, [whether] male or
female, should he be faithful, We shall nvive him with a good life and
pay them their nward by the best of what they used to do.”u
God has promised those who are righteous a “good life,”

meaning that He will grant them a different caliber of life
dian the one diey share with others. God grants them this
form of life through His support, as the Quran says:
Yon will not find a people believing in God and the Last
Day endeanng those who oppose God and Flis Apostle even
though they wen their own parents, or children, or brothers,
or kinfolk. [For] such, He has written faith into their
hearts and stnngthened them with a spirit from Him. Fie
will admit them into gardens with streams running in them,
to remain in them [forever], God is pleased with them, and
they an pleased with Him. They are God's friends. Hook!
Thefiends of God are indeedfelicitous!12
10 The Holy Quran. Chapter 10 [Jonah; Arabic: Younus\. Verses 62-64.

n The Holy Quran. Chapter 16 [The Bees; Arabic:Al-Naht[. Verse 97.
12 The Holy Quran. Chapter 58 (The Argumentation; Atvbxz.AI-Mujadala]. Verse
22.
212
P I Li I Y
This spirit from God has been mentioned in a number of

narrations, including the following narration from Imam
Kadhim (a):
God, the Exalted and Majestic, has supported the believer

with a spirit from Hi///. This spirit will co///e to [his sup
port] whenever he is righteous and pious. It departs hi///
whenever he sins or transgresses. It is with hi/// and it is
///ovedjoyously by his benevolence, but it subsides into the
earth when he transgresses. Servants of God, look after
God's blessings by reformingyourselves, andyon will elevate
inyour certainty [of the truth], andyon will attain a ///ost
valuable treasure. May God have mercy on a person who is
on the verge ofdoing good and does it, or who is on the verge
ofdoing evil but abstainsfrom it.13
The good life is not about physical luxury, wealth, or satis
faction of desires. It is a life of peace, tranquility, and true
happiness that most people lack. Among the most wide
spread ailments today are those of anxiety and stress, de
spite the technological advances and widespread luxuries in
many parts of the world. Many people do not enjoy a good
life. Rather, they live a life of despair and face the pain of
psychological ailments.
On the other hand, a pious believer lives a good life that is
filled with contentment with what God has given. He is tru
ly content deep down even if tragedies and catastrophes be
fall him. The pious believer lives a higher caliber of life, one
with knowledge and ability to see reality as it truly is. This
believer differentiates between that which truly lasts forever,
'3 Al-Kulayni, Al-Kafi. 2:268.
213
Ethics
and that which perishes moment by moment. The believer's

heart turns away from diat which perishes and latches on to
his True Lord. Then this person only wishes to be near God
and only fears to be distant from God. The pious believer
finds himself enjoying a pure, everlasting life, cared for
completely by His Caring Lord. This believer sees die beau
tiful masterpiece of the Benevolent Creator. Nothing is ugly
except what God sees as ugly — committing sins.14
We all long for this life that saves us from anxiety, stress,
and fear of the unknown. And die reason for this despair is
evident - it is the unwillingness to remember God. God
says, “But whoever disregards My remembrance, his shall be a
wretched life.”15
Knowledge
Scholars of logic categorizes knowledge into two types: ac

quired and presential. There are a number of differences
between the two categories. One important distinction is
that with acquired knowledge one knows reality through a
mental image. This mental image is gained by an individual
through the process of learning. With presential knowledge,
on the other hand, one knows reality direcdy. The person
senses, feels and is aware of the reality in question direcdy,
because that reality is present to the individual. This type of
knowledge is not attained through a process of learning, for
it is not a thinking mechanism. One example of this type of
knowledge is sensing my hunger while I am hungry. Anodi-
er example is sensing my own presence. Presential
knowledge is about feeling/sensing my own presence or
14 AJ-Tabatabaci, Tafsir Al-Miân, 12:342.

15 The Holy Quran. Chapter 20 [Arabic:Tz Ha\. Verse 124.
214
Piet y
something present to me. However, right when I think of

that feeling as an idea, through a mental image, it is acquired
knowledge, not presential knowledge.
One of the effects of piety appears in knowledge. Piety has
an impact on one’s insight. God says, “Be way of God and
God will teachyou”™ God also says, “0you who havefaith! Ifyou
are way oj God, He shall appoint a critenonforyou, and absolveyou
ofyour misdeeds, and forgive yon, for God is dispenser of a great
grace.”'1 While this may be related to presendal knowledge,
as we will hint later, it clearly has an impact on one’s ac
quired knowledge at the very least. Indeed, piety removes
the dark barriers of lowly desires and worldly temptations
from one’s heart, allowing a person to see the truth with
greater clarity upon contemplation. Piety allows a person to
taste the pleasure in a deeper awareness of reality and sheds
light on the guaranteed routes to achieve the sacred goal of
getting closer to God Almighty. Piety, thus, leads a person
to awareness and clarity.18
The word “criterion” in the above verse was translated from
the Arabic Furqan, which means differentiating and discern
ing between matters. In this context, the “criterion” is that
which distinguishes between righteousness/truth and false
hood, whether that be in beliefs - proper faith vs. deviant
beliefs — or in actions — good/obedience vs. evil/sin. A pi-
ous person will not fall prey to confusion between what is
true and what is false, especially when it comes to faith. The
pious individual will be strong in faith and in applying the
ic The Holy Quran. Chapter 2 |Thc Cow; Arabic: AtBaqara\. Verse 282.
17 The Holy Quran. Chapter 8 |The Spoils of War; Arabic: A/-Anfaat[. Verse 29.
18 Al-Shirazi, Al-A/ntbat, 18:97.
215
Ethics
faith. He will discern between what is good and what is

wicked.
If a person has piety, the barriers of lowly desires and
worldly hopes will be removed. Then a person will see clear
ly that he/she must learn his/her obligadons further. This
will drive a person to learn the laws on transactions and dif
ferentiate between which dollar is legitimate and which is
not.
As for the reality of the dollar beyond the believer’s respon
sibility, that is a different issue. Does piety lead to such
knowledge of the reality? If yes, where is the evidence of
that? If no, then do all of those without such knowledge
lack piety? That is far-fetched.
Yes, there may be a certain caliber of piety that has different
effects, such as being aware of some of the unseen. That is
subject to God’s wisdom. But this does not mean that with
out such an effect one lacks piety altogether.
According to some scholars, knowledge from piety can be
of an even higher caliber than described earlier. This is
knowledge that cannot be attained through studying books
or through experimentation. Rather, the soul is prepared to
witness this reality through profound degrees of piety that
open up one’s spiritual senses. The scholars who describe
this say that it has been referred to in the Prophetic tradi
tions. For example, it is narrated that the Holy Prophet (s)
said, “Each heart has a pair of eyes and a pair of ears. If God wishes
216
Piet y
go°d for a servant', He opens the eyes of his heart so that he sees the
metaphysical [realms]. >>19
This knowledge, then, would be of the same type that God
mentions in the Quran, when He says, “The one who had
knowledge of the Book said\ 7 will bring it toyou in the twinkling of
an eye. *,2° Or in die verse, “[There] theyfound one of Our servants
whom W? had granted a mercy from Ourselves, and taught him a
knowledgefrom Our own.”1'
Escapefrom Troubles
An individual in diis life faces a great deal of trials and tribu

lations. These trials and tribuladons have dieir philosophy,
and die topic could be addressed elsewhere. We will allude
to a few concepts here to help explain the effects of piety.
We especially want to make clear diat much of the tribula
dons one faces go back to die individual’s own misdeeds.
God says, “ Whatever affliction that may visityou is because of what
your hands have earned, and He excuses many [an offense of
yours].”22
God also says, “And lest—if an affliction we/e to befall them be
cause of what their hands have sent ahead —they should say, 1Our
Lord! Why did You not send ns an apostle so that we might have fol
lowed Your signs and been among thefaithful?"25 He also says, “So
the evils of what they had earned visited them, and asfor the wrongdo-
19 Al-I faidari, Al-Taqwa fee al-Quran, 67. Citing: Al-Tabrizi, Tafseer Al-Muheety
1:272.
20 The I Ioly Quran. Chapter 27 |The Ants; Arabic: Al-N<w/t\. Verse 40.
21 The I Ioly Quran. Chapter 18 (T he Cave; Arabic: Al-KahJ|. Verse 65.
22 The Holy Quran. Chapter 42 [The Consultation; Arabic: At-Shoora\. Verse 30.
23 The Holy Quran. Chapter 28 fllic Stories; Arabic: At-Qasas\. Verse 47.
217
Ethics
ers among these, the evils of what they earn shall be visited on them
and they will notfrustrate [God]”2*
There are other verses that often tell us that die causes of
these tribulations go back to us. Of course, there are excep
tions. Tribulations that befall a person even though he/she
has committed no sin are not the ones being referenced in
such verses. For instance, the tribulations that befell the
Prophets (s) and Immaculate Imams (a) were meant to ele
vate their status even higher, not as an effect of sin, God
forbid.
Sometimes we seek materialistic means to escape these trials
and tribulations. Even so we may not be able to escape
these troubles. But the answer is very simple. Piety is the
true answer for our troubles, and not any material means
that we might seek. This truth was declared by God in the
Holy Quran. He says,
Whoever is way of God\ He shall make for him a way out

[of the adversities of the world and the Hereafter] and pro
videfor himfrom whence he does not count upon. And who
everputs his trust in God, He will suffice him. Indeed God
carries through His commands. Certainly, God has or
dained a measure [and extent]for everything:5
Therefore, the means to escape troubles and difficulties are

through piety. Moreover, the blessings that we account for
and those that we do not account for, come through piety.
This is not myth or folktales. These are the words of God.
He says, and He is die All Truthful, “and who is truer in speech
24 'JTic I Joly Quran. Chapter 39 |The Crowds; Arabic: Al-Zomar]. Verse 51.
23 The I loly Quran. Chapter 65 (Divorce; Arabic Al-Talaq\. Verses 2,3.
218
P I ETY
than God?>2() I do not exaggerate when I say that many of us

have gone through some sort of difficulty, at rimes financial
and at rimes otherwise. We would search and search for a
way out of these difficulties. It is only when we turn to God
with sincerity for a few moments that a solution for the
problem appears from places we would not have imagined.
Therefore, one of the most important ways to relieve your
self of troubles and difficulties is through piety. The words
of the Commander of die Faithful (a) in this regard are
beautiful. He says, “if the heavens and Earth were interwoven over
a servant [such that he was buried in hardship and difficulty] then he
acted out ofpiety before God, God would create an exitfor hi///."27
Piety and the Family
Piety has a great effect on the offspring. Its effects do not

stop at the individual, but may impact one’s lineage — not
only the direct children but even further down through the
bloodline. The Quran refers to this in the verse, “Let those
fear [the result of mistreating orphans] who, were they to leave behind
weak offsprings would be concerned on their account. So let them be
wary of God, and let them speak repright words”2* This verse
speaks to those who have mistreated orphans. It tells us that
if we are impious in treating die orphans, die same might
befall our children. To protect diem, we need to be pious of
God.
Impiety is a cause for troubles and difficulties for die indi
vidual and his children and grandchildren. One may ask,
26 The Holy Quran. Chapter 4 [The Women; Arabic: At-Nisaa]. Verse 122.
27 Al-Radi, Nabj At-Ba/qgba, 2:13, Saying 130.
28 The Holy Quran. Chapter 4 |Thc Women; Arabic: Al-Nisaa]. Verse 9.
219
Ethics
“what did the children and grandchildren do to bear the

consequences of die individual’s impiety?” “How could this
be when God says, ‘and no bearer shall bear another's burden £9?”
Sin, oppression, and impiety are like diseases. They cause an

illness to die individual, and the effects of this illness may
be seen in die offspring, even though diey are wholly inno
cent. Sins have an effect that is programmed in die system
of creadon. Much like germs may spread illness, so do sins.
Knowing diis should be a cause for us to be pious. A sin
that we may commit does not affect us only, but it affects
those who may be dearest to our hearts - our children.
Similarly, piety is a reason for safeguarding the offspring.
We read in the Holy Quran the parable of die Prophet Mo
ses (a) and the righteous servant of God.
So they went on until they ca??ie to the people of a town.
They asked its people for food, but they refused to extend
them any hospitality. There they found a wall which was
about to collapse, so [the righteous servant] erected it. [Mo
ses] said, Triadyou wished,you could have taken a wagefor
it.*
To this question, the righteous servant answered:

‘Asfor the wall, it belonged to two boy orphans in the city.
Under it there was a Inasure belonging to them. Theirfa
ther had been a righteous man. So your Lord desired that
they should come of age and take out their treasure—as a
mercy fromyour Lord. I did not do that out of my own ac-
29 The Holy Quran. Chapter 6 (The Cattle; Arabic: AI-An'am], Verse 164.
30 The Holy Quran. Chapter 18 |Thc Cave; Arabic: Al-Ktibj\. Verse 77.
220
Piet y
cord. This is the interpretation of that over whichyou could

not maintain patience.,j/
Piety and the Community
Nations place great importance on growing communities,
developing human resources, and solving social problems.
Mankind tries to solve any problem through empirical sci
ences. We do not reject the fact that empirical sciences have
played a great role in the advancement of humanity. How
ever, all these technological and scientific advances have not
put a stop to social problems, destruction, climate change,
and food and water shortages. With all its advancements,
science cannot solve all of humanity’s problems.
The Quran gives us the ideal answer to all these problems.
The solution is piety. “If the people of the towns bad been faithful
and [pious], We would have opened to them blessingsfrom the heaven
and the earth. But they denied; so We seized them because ofwhat they
used to earn.”32
3i The Holy Quran. Chapter 18 [The Cave; Arabic: Al-KahJ\. Verse 82.
« The Holy Quran. Chapter 7 (The Heights; Arabic: At-A>raj\. Verse 96.
221
Tests and Trials
IJ wounds afflict yon, a like wound has already afflicted

those people; and We make such vicissitudes rotate among
mankind, so that God may ascertain those who have faith,
and that He may take witnessesfrom amongyon, and God
does not like the wrongdoers.1
Trials as a Divine Method

Trials and tribulations are among the divine methods that
have been surrounding humanity since their first days on
this Earth. No one was safe from them. Whether a divine
prophet, a righteous believer, or a sinful nonbeliever, all of
humanity must pass through these trials. Creation is based
around these trials and tribulations, as they are the means
that God has set for the refinement and filtering of each
individual’s heart and soul. God tests us on whether we
obey his commands or disobey them. Everything in this
world of life and death, wealth and poverty, health and ill-
Thc I loly Quran. Chapter 3 (Arabic Ant Imran]. Verse 140.
223
Ernies
ness, youth and ageing, all were set as tests for mankind. It
is these tests that separate between good and corrupt indi
viduals. The level of tribulations is tied to die level of faith
that die person has in his heart. The more a person believes,
die harder the trials. An individual’s state in the hereafter is
decided in diis world, and it differs from one person to the
other. It is determined through diese trials and tribulations.
This relationship between belief and trials is evident in the
narrations of the Immaculate Imams (a). It is narrated, for
example, diat Imam Sadiq (a) said, “the individuals thatface the
most intense tribulations an the prophets, then those that follow them
[in rank], then the next bestfollowed by the best after that”2
Even by earthly standards, this is a normal phenomenon.

The individual who wishes to take on an important or nota
ble position must pass a number of examinations to which
others may not be subjected. The higher the position, the
more necessary the qualifications. For example, a person
must pass a number of exams and acquire some level of ex
perience before being licensed as a physician. The same idea
applies to the system created by God. With patience
through trials and tribulations come great rewards from
God Almighty. When God loves a servant, He wants that
servant to gain more rewards, so He tests the servant with
these trials and tribulations to gain the greater rewards.
A Problem and a Solution

Some may ask, “a person has to go through an examination
because the other side does not know what this person
224
T Ii S T S A N D T R I A 1, S
knows. It is a method for me to determine the capacity of a

person when I do not know what his capacity is. But God
does not need to examine us because He is Omniscient — he
knows how we would do in these examinations. So why test
us? And why test His prophets and his most righteous serv-
ants?”
The answer can be seen in Imam Ali's (a) words. He ex

plains the following verse, “yourpossessions and children ate only
a test ”* he says:
The matting of the verse is that He tests them with wealth

and children to identify those who ate ungrateful for the
blessing and those who are content with their sustenance.
Even though He knows them better than they know them
selves, but [He tests them] so that the actsfor which an in
dividual deserves punishment or reward appear.4
God knows that a person would freely choose good or bad,
and thus deserve reward or punishment. In this line of
thinking, then, the person would not deserve die punish
ment, for instance, until he/she actually chooses the bad
with his/her own free will. The tests to which God subjects
an individual are not meant to fill a void in God's
knowledge about the extent of diat individual's faidi and
good deeds. Rather, diey are so diat the connecdon between
deserving His reward and punishment and between the in
dividual's deeds becomes apparent. God knows the human
self better than die individual knows himself. He does not
need to be shown anything - He is exalted far beyond such
a claim. Rather, any trial or test is meant to give each indi-
3 The I loly Quran. Chapter 8 (The Spoils of W ar; Arabic: At-Anfat[. Verse 28.
4 Al-Radi, Nabj Al-Ba/tigha, 4:21.
225
Ethics
vidual a grade he/she deserves as compared to all others.

When a crime is committed, for instance, that is when the
specific punishment for that crime is deserved. Similarly,
when an accomplishment is actually made, that is when the
specific reward for that accomplishment is deserved. God is
die All-Just. Otherwise, each individual would argue against
God when he sees diat God has punished him/her for an
evil that he/she did not actually commit! Therefore, God
created these tests so diat we can compete amongst our
selves for reward or punishment.
Trials and their Effects

There are a number of effects that are connected to the tri
als of this world. If we understand these effects, we will
reach the realization that trials and tribulations are a blessing
from God, opportunities to be successful in overcoming
these tribulations and passing these tests.
Tribulations an an Honor
When we go back to die narrations of the Holy Household

of the Prophet (s), we see in their words an indication that
tribulations are an honor that God grants only to die believ
ers. The problem is diat many of us think that God does
not honor any of us. We do not draw the connection be
tween His love towards us and all die blessings He grants us
through trials. We also do not see that when God grants us
material objects, that can sometimes be an occasion for us
to show our true colors - colors that may be dark and ugly,
God forbid.
226
T e s t s a n d Trials
It has been attributed to Imam Sacliq (a) that the Prophet

Muhammad (s) said:
... And God has not praised any of His servantsfrom the
time of Adam (a) to Muhammad (s) except after putting
him through trials, and having the servantfulfill his obliga
tion of servitude towards Him. Hence, the honors of God
[that He bestows on His servants], in reality are the ends -
the beginnings ofwhich ate tribulation...5
It is also narrated that Imam Sadiq (a) said:
God, in His Honor and Gloty, has servants on Earth who
are the most sincere of His servants. Whateverprecious gifts
descend from the heavens, He diverts away from them.
Whatever tribulation is ordained, He diverts towards them.6
It is from this perspective that we understand the words of
Lady Zeinab (a) as she was speaking in die courtyard c
Yazid. She explains diis truth in her words as he gloats i
what he perceives to be a victory over Imam Hussein (a).
She said:
0 Yaîd! Do you think that we have become humble and
despicable owing to the martyrdom of our people and our
own captivity? As you have blocked all the paths for us,
and we have been made captives and ate being taken from
one place to another; do you think that God has taken
away his blessings from us? Do you think that by killing
the godly personsyou have become great and respectable and
the Almighty looks atyou with specialgrace and kindness?
5 Misbab al-Shariab, 184 (Attributed to Imam al-Sadiq (a)).

6 Al-Kulayni, Al-Ktifi, 2:253.
227
Ethics
For this reason and on account of this incorrect thinking

you have become elated and arrogant. You have become
boastful becauseyou have seen that the matters have taken a
turn in yourfavor. You have, however, forgotten what God
says:
Ljet thefaithless not suppose that the respite that We grant
them is goodfor their souls: We give them respite only that
they may increase in sin, and there is a humiliating pun
ishmentfor them. * 8
Thus, one must understand the morals of this reality that
Lady Zeinab (a) mentioned, and which die narrations of the
Holy Household (a) have emphasized. Simply seeing drat
one person has been given more material benefits than the
other or that one nation is more materialistically prosperous
than another does not mean that the ones who have been
given more are closer to God. Ratiier, a reasonable individ
ual, if he sees that he is living a well-off and luxurious life
without any trials and tribulations, should realize that he has
distanced himself from God. God is generous with all his
servants. If a person is undeserving of the rewards of die
hereafter, and seeks out die pleasures of diis world, then
God will not deprive him of the pleasures of diis world. The
Quran actually tells us that if it was not for the fact that be
lievers may be led astray by envy or other vices, God would
have given more to the nonbelievers in this world. God
says:
Were it not [for the danger] that mankind would be one
community [all being led astray], We would have made for
7 'ITic Holy Quran. Chapter 3 [Arabic: Aallmran\. Verse 178.

8 AJ-Majlisi, Bibar At-Anwar, 45:133.
228
Tests and Trials
those who defy the All-beneficent, silver roofsfor their houses

and [silver] stairways by which they ascend\ and [silver]
doorsfor their houses and [silver] conches on which they re
cline, and ornaments ofgold;yet all that would be nothing
but the wares of the life of this world, and the Hereafter is
for the [pious] nearyour Lord9
So with this understanding of the verse, if it was not for the
fact that the believers may be tempted into disbelief, God
would have given the unbelievers - out of His generosity -
houses of silver and other materialistic objects. But all of
this would fade at deadi and the unbeliever would be trans
ported to an eternal abode in hellfire, experiencing the dark
reality that he/she brought upon him/herself.
Tribulations are a Reminder

We live in this world in a state of constant struggle to fulfill
our needs and not succumb to our desires. We struggle to
stay within the boundaries that have been drawn for us by
God. Even the believer lives in this state of struggle that the
Prophet (s) called “the Greater Struggle.” At many times,
we find ourselves following our desires and taking comfort
in the materialisdc pleasures of this world. We try to fulfill
all of our whims and desires, as we grow fardier and farther
away from God. The relationship between our negative at
tachment to diis world and our connection with God is an
inverse relationship. The more we become attached to and
fixated on this world, die farther we distance ourselves from
God. So God - die All Kind, All Compassionate, and All
Merciful - is kind enough to grant us reminders in die form
’ The I Ioly Quran. Chapter 43 |The Ornaments; Arabic: Al-ZMn,j\. Verses 33-
35.
229
Ethics
of tribulations. They allow us the opportunity to come clos

er to Him. God describes how He deals with some who go
astray in the verse, “We shall surely make them taste the nearer
punishment prior to the greater punishment, so that they may come
back. »u>
God, in His mercy, grants us die opportunity to go back to
Him. He tests us widi tribulations that are meant to remind
us and bring us back to the padi of God. God uses these
tribulations to allow us to escape the punishment of the
hereafter, which cannot be compared to any other punish
ment. The pains of this world are nothing compared to the
punishment of the hereafter.
This reality was also explained by die Commander of the
Faithful (a) in some detail, when he said:
God tests his servants with tribulations when they act
wrongly by decreasing their crops, constraining blessings, and
sealing the coffers of [His] bounties. [He does so] so that
whoever is willing to repent may repent, whoever is willing to
journey [awayfrom deviance] may make thejourney, whoev
er is willing to remember may remember, and whoever is
willing to be deterred may be deterred. ”
Therefore, the wisdom behind these trials and the great ef
fect of die tribulations are bringing us back to the path of
God. They are to remind us of His great blessings upon us.
So that whoever wishes to journey away from sin and devi
ance can embark on that journey. This is the great blessing
that comes with any tribulation.
io The Holy Quran. Chapter 32 |'ITie Prostration; Arabic: Al-Sajda). Verse 21.
230
T K STS AND T RIALS
Trials are a Filterfor Our Deeds
Trials are also a means by which our deeds arc filtered.

Mankind is a sinful race. If God wanted to judge us based
on every single one of our actions, only a small number of
people would End salvadon. The most righteous would be
saved and the rest would all be taken to heilEre. However,
God, in His love and compassion towards His sen-ants,
wishes to ease die load of these sins on us through tribula
tions in this world. There is an amazing narradon by Imam
Sadiq (a), narrated to us by Yaqoub bin Younes. He says:
/ heard Jaafar ibn Muhammad (a) say, 'Indeed
damned is a body that is not afflicted every forty
days.” I asked\ 'damned?” He answered\ "damned!”
When he saw the great impact that his words had on me, he
said to me, 'Oh Younes! Affliction may be a
scratch, jab, stumble, catastrophe, leap, the tearing
of a shoe, or something similar. Oh Younes, a be
liever is dearer to God than to allow forty days to
pass without his sins being sifted away, even if it
was with a bout of sadness for which he does not
know the cause. By God! One of you would put
Dirhams in his hands and weigh them to find diem
lacking. He would be worried by that. Then he
would weigh them again to find that it is the cor
rect amount. This would be a cause for the release
of some of his sins.,y/
11 Al-Nuri, Alustadrak Al-Wasa'ei 2:59.
231
Ethics
Trials Allow us to Rise in Status

Excellence and ascension to reach closer to God are the
goals of a believer, which he will pursue throughout his life.
Mankind lives in dependency and weakness. Whenever an ?
individual ascends in closeness to God, he gains greater lev
els of excellence. Trials play an important role in an individ
ual’s journey towards excellence and closeness to God.
When a man is faced with tribulation because of his mis
deed, it is a sign for him to back off such an action. It helps
alert die person to move toward an act of excellence as op
posed to a state of falling into sin. The prophets and the
righteous believers are faced with trials as a means for them
to rise in status. This is why prophets are the ones who are
confronted with the most difficult tribulations, then the
righteous believers, then others in accordance to their simi
larity to the prophets. Whenever a person rises in status
with God, the more tribulations he will face, allowing him
to rise further in status. One of the companions of Imam
Sadiq (a) says:
I asked Abu Abdillah (a) about God's words ‘Whatever

affliction that may visit you is because of what
your hands have earned.>i2 Doyou think that the trag
edies that befell Ali (a) and his household an due to what
their hands have eamed} when they an the Immaculate
Household of Purity? He saidy ‘The Messenger of
God (s) would repent to God and ask for His for
giveness a hundred times a day, while he was with
out any sin. God singles out his close servants for
>2 The I loly Quran. Chapter 42 (TTic Consultation; Arabic: Al-Sboora\. Verse 30.
232
T \i s T S AND T R I A L S
tribulation and rewards them for it without any

guilt on their part.,yi
Dealing with Tribulations

Knowing that trials are a divine method that befall believers,
we should still pray and supplicate to God and ask for
health on all levels and ask that tribulations that would
harm our faith be driven away. This is because we may not
be able to pass the trials that are sent our way, so we ask
God not to subject us to them. However, if a person is
faced with trials and tribulations, he should not be hopeless
or go outside the bounds that were drawn by God. Instead,
he should submit to die will of God and pray that He repel
these tribulations and grant him health and safety. He
should know that any ordeal has a resolution, and that diffi
culties are mixed with ease and blessings that will come to
him. That is the express meaning of the verse, “Indeed ease
accompanies hardship. Indeed ease accompanies hardship.”14 God
asks us to endeavor towards excellence despite any hard
ship, adversity, or setback. As He says in die following vers-
es, “So when you an done, appoint, and supplicate jour Lord”15
After you overcome the hardship that itself contains ease
and blessings, you should not slow down and forget your
obligadons and your goal. You should continue to tread on
despite all of the hardships, as this is die path of God that
we must all set as our goal and strive towards widi all our
effort.
13 Al-Kulayni, Al-Kafi\ 2:45.

14 The Holy Quran. Chapter 94 fllic Consolation; Arabic: At-Sbarb]. Verses 5, 6.
15 Ibid. Verses 7, 8.
213
t:
Fear of God
When the Greatest Catastrophe befalls — the day when

wan will remember his endeavors and hell is brought into
view for those who can see — asfor hiw who has been re
bellious and preferred the life of this world, his refuge will
indeed be hell. But as for hiw who is awed to stand before
his Lord and restrains his soulfrom [following] desires, his
refuge will indeed be paradise.'
When we study the life of Prophet Muhammad (s) and his

Honorable Household (a) — those whom God removed all
impurity from — we see an underlying characteristic that
they all possessed. They were all fearful of God. The
Prophet (s), in his perfection and holy attributes, is die best
of God’s creadons. Yet we see that he stands before God in
fear and performs all types of worship. He would pray until
his feet would get swollen, until God by His mercy told him
“Ta Ha! We did not send down toyou the Quran thatyou should be
miserable”2
1 The Holy Quran. Chapter 79 (Arabic Al-Na^’at\. Verses 34-41.

2 The Holy Quran. Chapter 20 [Arabic: Ta Ha]. Verses 1,2.
235
Ethics
When we observe the lives of the Commander of the Faith

ful (a) and the rest of die Immaculate Imams (a), we see diat
they stand before God with so much fear that their faces
would turn pale and their bodies would tremble. So if diis
is the condition of the most beloved to God and die closest
creations to Him, what should our state be? Let us reflect
on our position seriously. Do we fear God? Why do we not
fear Him like they do? How can we bring ourselves to be
like them? What are the incentives for fearing Him? What
are the signs of this fear of God?
There are many questions that can be posed, and we will try
■
to answer a few so that we are better able to follow the ex

ample and the model of die Prophet (s) and his Holy
Household (a), as God has commanded us. “There is certainly
a good exemplarforyon in the Apostle of God—for those who look
fonvard to God and the bast Day, and remember God much.'*
God’s Closest Creations

Why do we not reach the level of fear of God that these
divine personalities had reached, despite the fact that we are
sinful and deviant, and they are immaculate and perfect?
Should we not be more fearful because of our sin, disobedi
ence, and deviance? Yet we go about our lives in this world
as if we have no reason to fear God and die hereafter.
This all goes back to our knowledge of God. Whenever an

individual becomes more knowledgeable of God, His Maj
esty, His Might, His Power, His Honor, and all of His
boundless attributes, he will grow more and more fearful of
3 The Holy Quran. Chapter 3 [Arabic: Al-Ah%ab\. Verse 21.
236
I; EAR O F (I () D
God. God states this in the Quran, when He says, “Only

those of God's seminis having knowledge fear Him."3' This was
emphasized in the narrations of the Household of the
Prophet (s). It is narrated that the Prophet (s) said, “whoever
was won knowledgeable of God was won feaful of GodT5 It is also
narrated that Imam Baqir (a) (or Imam Sadiq (a) in some
manuscripts) related the following about the wisdom of the
family of Prophet David, “Ob son ofAdam! Your heart has be
come [cold], asyou have g/vwn forgetful of God's Majesty. Ifyou were
knowledgeable of God and aware of His Majesty, you would remain
feaful of Him ”6 And there are many more narrations illus
trating the same concept.
This is a very natural reladonship and we see it in our per
sonal lives. If we lived under die rule of a tyrannical gover
nor, we would see that the closest people to him are die
most fearful of him, and will take any opportunity to please
him. As for those who live far away from the tyrant’s pres
ence and do not know about his tyranny, they will not nec
essarily fear him in die same way. The same analogy can be
applied to our fear of God.
Yet some may still pose die following argument. “If these
righteous servants are so knowledgeable of God, they must
know of His wisdom, mercy, and justice. So dicy will not
fear him like a tyrannical king, but diey will feel safety in his
mercy and justice.”
•» 'fhe Holy Quran. Chapter 35 {Arabic: Fa/ir\. Verse 28.

5 Al-Rishahri, Miqm Al-Hibm. 3:1888. Citing: Al-Majlisi, Bihar Al-Anwar,
67:393.
6 Ibid. 1:835.
237
Ethics
Those who are closest to God will fear Him because of a

sense of shortcoming. They will fear that diey have not ful
filled their duty of worship. They will know that they have
not and will never be able to repay even die most minute of
God’s blessings. They know that every time they thank him,
diey have done so through the means of one of his bless
ings for which they must diank Him. Thankfulness itself is a
blessing for which we must be thankful. The righteous will
see that they are incapable of fulfilling their duty of worship
towards God. This feeling of shortcoming will create a
sense of fear in their hearts. This helps us understand the
great deal of supplications that have been narrated to us
from our Immaculate Imams (a), where they speak of short
comings and guilt. It is not a feeling of guilt that we feel be
cause of our sins. Rather, they feel guilt because they know
that they are not able to fulfill diis duty to God.
So if our Great Prophet Muhammad (s) — and he is certainly
the best of creation — and his Holy Household (a) live in
this state of fear, balanced with the hope for God’s Mercy,
what should our state and our position towards God be?
Fearing God
If being fearful of God is so important, how can we become
fearful of God?
Knowledge of God
As we said, knowledge of God is the primary factor for fear

of Him. Therefore, we must work tirelessly to gain
knowledge of Him. The more we know of Him, the more
238
I; li A R O F G O D
fearful we will become of Him. “Only those of God's servants

having knowledgefear Him."1
Reflecting on the Hereafter
Of the things that help us become fearful of God is reflec

tion on death and the hereafter. Let us reflect on the hor
rors that we will see from the day our soul departs our bod
ies to the time of reckoning. Let us reflect on the punish
ments diat have been prepared for the deviant and the diso
bedient. Let us reflect on the consequences of our actions.
If every individual puts a side a few moments of his day to
reflect on these things, he will no doubt begin to fear God.
This is related in one narration of Imam Sadiq (a) as he
speaks of the wisdom of the family of Prophet David (a):
Oh son ofAdam! How doyon speak ofguidance whenyon
are incapable of waking up to [the reality oj] death. Oh son
ofAdam! Your heart has become [cold], asyou have grown
forgetful of God's Majesty. Ifyou were knowledgeable of
God and aware of His Majesty, you would remain fearful
ofHim and hopeful of His promises. Woe toyou! How can
yon not rememberyourgrave, andyour loneliness in if?s
The Commander of the Faithful (a) describes die need for

us to be proactive when it comes to death and die hereafter.
He says:
Hasten toward death in its pangs (by doing good acts) and
be prepared [or it before its approach, because the ultimate
end is the Day ofJudgement. This is enough preaching for
7 The Holy Quran. Chapter 35 |Arabic Fa/ir\. Verse 28.

s Al-Majlisi, AniAl-Hyat, 1:423. Citing: Al-Tusi, Al-Amali, 203, Tr. 27.
239
I
Ethics
one who understands and enough of a lesson for one who

does not know.
What idea doyou have, before reaching that end, of the nar
rowness ofgrave, the hardship of loneliness, fear of the pas
sage towards the next world, the pangs offear, the shifting of
ribs here and there (due to narrowing of the grave), the deaf
ness of ears, the darkness of the grave, fear of the promised
punishment, the closing of the receptacle of the grave and the
laying ofstonesf
These are all horrors of die grave, and everything that
comes after is much, much more. Reading such narrations
and similar verses from die Quran reinforces the fear of
God.
Realising God's Oversight
Realization of God’s oversight over us plays a role in

strengthening our feeling of fear of God. When we reflect
>n our lives in this world and realize diat diere is someone
who is overseeing all of our actions and keeping track of all
of our sins, we will become wary of disobedience. We will
be fearful when we realize that God’s knowledge is all-
encompassing and that he wall punish deviance. Many of us
observe the laws because they feel that they are under sur
veillance and will be punished if they break the law. When a
state is weakened and law enforcement becomes feeble, we
will End that many people will no longer respect die law.
They will feel safe to break the law because they see that the
state cannot enforce its laws.
9 Al-Radi, Nabj Al-Ba/agha, 2:131, Sermon 190.
240
I* li A R OK GO D
But God Almighty is never weakened, and His knowledge is

All-Encompassing. The narrations emphasize that we must
live in a state of realization of God's oversight. We must
observe his commands in public and in private, as He is al
ways watching. We may not commit sin in public because
we fear our peers. We fear for our social status. We fear the
law. Not because we fear God. A person who is fearful of
God will obey him in public and in private. It is narrated
that the Prophet (s) said, “[fear] God as ifyou see Hi///. [Kj/ow
that a/tbough]you do not see Hi///, He surely seesyou. ;>in
The narration emphasizes the importance of fearing God as
if we see him. Who of us dares to break the law when we
arc in the presence of the police? If an individual has blind
ed his eyes from seeing God, he must know that God does
see him. “[God] knows whatever there is in land and sea. No leaf
falls without His knowing it, nor is there a grain in the darkness oj
the earth, nor anything fresh or withered but it is in a zz/anifest
Book:711
How audacious are we to act with awareness of our com
munity and our peers, but in heedlessness of God? It is nar
rated that Imam Sadiq (a) said:
Fear God as ifyou see Fli///. Ifyou do not see Hi///, know
that Fie sees you. Ifyou think that Fie does not seeyou, you
have disbelieved. Ifyou know that He sees you, but you
have committed sins, hiding the/// fro/// the people, and open-
>0 AJ-Rishahri, Mi^pn Al-blikma, 1:825. Citing: Al-Majlisi, Bihar At-Anmir, 67:7.
» 'llic I loly Quran. Chapter 6 [Vhe Cattle; Arabic: Al-An'am\. Verse 59.
241
Ethics
ly doing them before God, you have considered Him as the

lesser [in significance] ofall who may look untoyou.12
The Benefits of Fearfulness

Fearfulness of God has many important rewards. Some of
them are rewards diat concern this worldly life, while others
concern the hereafter.
Distance from Sin

One of the most important rewards of fearfulness of God is
distance from sin. For the fearful, these sins are like pieces
of trash that cling to the body if committed. Who would
want to sit with himself, let alone others, if he knows that
he is covered in dirt and reeks of rubbish? Sins form a layer
of dirt over the soul that reeks stronger than any material
impurity. Fear deters you from these impurities. The Com
mander of the Faithful (a) said, * fear is the prison ofthe self away
from sin, and its deterrence awayfrom disobedience.”13
Knowledge
Fear of God is one of the paths to knowledge — not the

knowledge that can be attained through study and observa
tion, but the type of knowledge that God communicates
directly to the believers and guides them to His path
through. This type of knowledge only comes through obe
dience of God and fear of Him. This knowledge gives the
individual who acquires it many abilities. It is the knowledge
that allowed the righteous servant of God to bring the
12 Al-Rishahri, Miân Al-Hihna, 1:824. Citing: Al-Majlisi, Bihar Al-Amvar;

67:355.
>3 Ibid. 1:828.
242
!•'ear of God
throne of Bilqees, Queen of Sheba, to Prophet Solomon (a)

in less than the blink of an eye.14 This knowledge is only
given to those who fear God, so that they only use it for
what pleasures Him.
In reality, this type of knowledge is a knowledge without

ignorance. It is narrated that the Prophet (s) said, “ifyou were
to fear God the rightfulfear due to Him, you would he granted the
knowledge that has no ignorance alongside it. Ifyou knew God the
rightful knowledge that is due to Him, the mountains would be moved
byyour prayers. ”15
Prestige in the Eyes of Others
One of the effects of die fear of God is that God grants his
fearful servant a high presdge in the eyes of others. It is said
that Imam Sadiq (a) said to Mo’alla ibn Khonais, “0/;
Modlla, gain honor through God and God will grant you honor.”
Mo’alla asked, “how is that done, oh grandson of the Mes
senger (s)?” Imam Sadiq (a) replied, “fear God, and [God wilt
make] everything elsefear you...>>16
It seems that fear of God is directly linked to fear of odiers
for the individual who fears God. If a person fears God,
God will make everything fear him. If a person does not
fear God, God will fill his heart with fear of everything. It is
narrated that the Prophet (s) said, “whoeverfears God, God will
make everything fearful oj him. Whoever does not fear God, God will
make himfearful of everything.”17
w Sec: The I loly Quran. Chapter 27 |The Ants; Arabic: At-Namt\. Verse 40.
15 Al-Rishahri,MiânAt-H/k///a, 1:828. Citing: Al-Hindi, Kan-Al-A'mat 3:142.
16 Ibid. 3:5240. Citing: Al-Majlisi, bibar At-Anwar, 68:48.
17 Ibid. 1:829. Citing: Al-Majlisi, Bihar At-Anwar, 67:289.
243
Ethics
When a person becomes fearful of God, he will realize

God’s power and glory. Everything else will be nothing in
his eyes. A person who knows God will see that nothing has
any value in the face of God’s majesty and might. When a :
person only fears God’s power, he will not fear anything
else. Whoever fills his heart with fear of God, he will not be
able to fear anything but Him.
Safelyfrom the Greater Fears
When we see the horrors of the Day of Judgment and we

are unsure where we will spend our eternity — how great of
a fear will that be? However, God has promised security in
the hereafter to anyone who is fearful of Him in this world.
It is narrated that he Prophet (s) said:
God in His Highness and Glory said: By My Honor and
Majesty, I will not combine two fearsfor any ofmy servants,
nor will I grant them two sanctuaries. Jf he did notfear me
in his worldly life, I will make him feaful in the herecfter.
If he was fearful of me in his worldly life, I will grant him
safety in the hereafter.'8
Claiming the Two Gardens
One of die rewards of fearfulness of God is the prize of the

two gardens, as God has promised in the holy verse: “For
him who stands in awe of his Ford will be two gardens.”'0 This is
why the Prophet (s) gives the following advice to Abadiar
Al-Ghafari:
Oh Abatbar, God, the Honorable and Majestic, says: ‘1

will not combine two fearsfor any of my servants, nor will I
18 AJ-Majlisi, Bihar Al-Anwar, 67:379.

19 The I Ioly Quran. Chapter 55 [The Merciful; Arabic: Al-Fuihr//an\. Verse 46.
244
I- EAR O F G O D
grant them two sanctuaries. If he did not fear me in his

worldly life, I will ?nake him featful in the hereafter. If he
wasfearful of me in his worldly life, I willgrant him safety
in the hereafter. ” Oh A batbar, if a man had the deeds of
seventy prophets, he would still look down upon [his own
deeds] and fear that he would not be safe on the Day of
Judgment. Oh Abalbar, a servant will see his misdeeds on
the Day ofJudgment and say [to God] “surely I wasfearful
of You, ” so He would forgive him. Oh Abalhar; a man
would perform a good deed and rely on it, and then commit
sin, and he would come to God [on the Day ofJudgment]
as one of the wretched. Another man would commit a sin
and become terrfed ofit, and he would come to God on the
Day of Judgment in safety. Oh A batbar, a servant may
commit a sin and [God would grant him] paradise because
of that sin [...]. That sin would always be in his mind; he
would repentfrom it and escape it towards God until he en
ters paradise. Ob Abathar, the practically intelligent one is
the person who convicts himself and works in preparation
for what is to come after death. Thefeeble is the one whofol
lows his [lowly] self and its desires and wishes from God [to
fulfill his empty] wishes.20
20 Al-Tusi, Al-A/fuili, 530.
245
Bibliography
Religious Scripture
'file Holy Quran
Other Sources
Al-Amili, Muhammad ibn Al-Hassan. Wasa'el Al-Sbia. Beirut: Daar
Ihya Al-Torath Al-Arabi.
Al-Andalusi, Ahmad Ibn Abdrabbuh. Al- Uqd Al-Famed.
Al-Asbahani, Abi Na’eem. Hulliyat A/-Awliya\ 1988.
Al-Asfahani, Al-Hussain ibn Muhammad. Mufradat Gbareeb Al-Qnran.

Qum, 1983.
Al-Barqi, Ahmad ibn Muhammad. Al-Mabasin. Tehran: Daar Al-

Kutub Al-Islamiya, 1950.
AI-Bukhari, Muhammad ibn Ismail. Sabeeh Bukbari. Beirut: Daar Al-

Fikr, 1981.
Al-Haidari, Kamal. Al-Taqwa fee al-Qnran. Qum: Daar Al-Sadiqain,

2001.
—. Al-Tarbiya Al-Roohiyya. Qum: Daar Al-Sadiqain, 2000.
Al-Hakeem, Muhammad Baqir. Tbawrat Al-Hussain (a). Najaf, 2008.
Al-Harrani, Al-Hassan ibn Ali. Tobaf Al-'OqooI. Qum: Muasasat Al-

Nashr Al-Islami, 1983.
Al-Hilli, Ahmad ibn Muhammad. Vddat Al-Daee. Qum: Maktabat

Al-Wijdani.
247
ETHICS
Al-Hindi, Ali Al-Muttaqi. KanÂl-Awal. Muasasat Al-Risala, 1989.
Al-Huwayzi, Abd Ali. Noor Al-Tbaqalayn. Qum: Ismailian.
Al-Kulayni, Muhammad ibn Yaqoub. Al-Kafi. Tehran: Daar Al-

Kutub Al-Islamiya, 1968.
Al-Majlisi, Muhammad Baqir. Ain Al-Hayat. Qum: Muasasat Al-

Nashr Al-Islami, 2000.
—. Bibar Al-Amvar. Beirut: Al-Wafaa, 1983.
Al-Mazandarani, Muhammad Salih. Shark UsoolAl-Kafi. Beirut: Daar

Ihya Al-Torath Al-Arabi, 2000.
Al-Mufid, Muhammad ibn Muhammad. Al-Awa/i. Qum: Jama’at Al-

Mudarriseen, 1982.
Al-Muqarram, Abdulrazzaq Al-Mousa\vi. Maqtal Al-Hussain (a).

Qum: Daar Al-Thaqafa li Al-Tiba’a wa Al-Nashr, 1990.
Al-Naraqi, Muhammad Mahdi. Jami' Al-Sa'adat. Najaf: Al-Nu’man.
Al-Nuri, Mirza Hussain. Mustadrak Al-Wasa'el Beirut: Mu’asasat Aal

Al-Bavt li Ihya’ Al-Torath.
Al-Qummi, Abdullah ibn Jaafar Al-Himyari. Qurb Al-lsnad. Beirut:

Mu’asasat Aal Al-Bayt li Ihya’ Al-Torath, 1993.
Al-Radi, Muhammad ibn Al-Hussain. Al-Majaât Al-Nabawiyya.

Qum.
—. NabjAl-Balagha. Beirut: Daar Al-Ma’rifa.
Al-Rishahri, Muliammad. Mi~an Al-Hikma. Daar Al-Hadith, 1995.
Al-Saduq, Muhammad ibn .\li. Al- ‘ltiqadat fee deen Al-Jmamiyya. Bei
rut: Daar Al-Mufid, 1993.
—. Al-KJ)isal. Qum: Jama’at Al-Mudarriseen, 1982.
—. lh/ialal-Din. Qum: Muasasat Al-Nashr Al-Islami, 1984.
—. Ma'ani Al-Akbbar. Qum: Muasasat Al-Nashr Al-Islami, 1942.
—. Men La Yahduruhu Al-Faqih. Qum: Jama’at Al-Mudarriseen.
Al-Shaeed Al-Awwal, Muliammad ibn Makki Al-Amili. Al-Maâr.

Qum, 1989.
248
Bibliography
Al-Shirazi, Nasir Makarim. Al-Amtbal.
Al-Tabarani, Suleiman ibn Ahmad. Al-Mu'jam Al-Awsat. Daar Al-

Haramain, 1995.
Al-Tabari, Muhammad ibn Jareer. Tareekb Al-Tabari. Beirut, 1983.
Al-Tabatabaei, Muhammad Hussain. Tafsir Al-Miân. Qum: Jama’at

Al-Mudarriseen.
Al-Tabrasi, Ahmad ibn Ali. Al-Ibtijaj. Najaf: Al-Nu’man, 1966.
Al-Tabrasi, Ameen Al-Deen. Mujamma' Al-Bayan. Beirut: Al-A’lami,

1995.
Al-Tabrasi, Radi Al-Deen. Makarim Al-Akblaq. Manshurat Al-

Shareef Al-Radi, 1972.
Al-Tabrizi, Muhsin. Tafseer Al-Mubeet Al-Atbam wa Al-Bahr Al-

KJridam.
Al-Tusi, Muhammad ibn Al-Hassan. Al-Ama/i. Qum, 1993.
—. Misbab Al-Mutabajjid. Beirut: Fiqh Al-Shia, 1991.
Al-Wasiti, Kafi Al-Deen Al-Laithi. ‘Ujoo/i Al-H/kam wa A/-Mawa’e~.

Qum: Daar Al-Hadith.
Ibn Abi Al-Hadeed Al-Mutazili. Sbarb Nabj AI-Balagba. Beirut: Daar

Ihya Al-Torath Al-Arabi, 1965.
Ibn Al-Sabbagh, Ali ibn Muhammad. Al-Fusoo!Al-Mithimmaji Marifa

Al-Aimma. Qum: Daar Al-Hadith, 2001.
Ibn Babaweih, Al-Hassan. Fiqb Al-Rida. Mashhad, 1985.
Ibn Katheer, Ismail. A/-B/da)'a wal-Nibaya. Beirut: Daar Ihya Al-

Torath Al-Arabi, 1988.
Ibn Qawlawiya, Jaafar ibn Muhammad. KamilAl-Ziyarat. Qum: Mua-

sasat Al-Nashr Al-Islami, 1996.
Ibn Tawuus, Ali ibn Moussa. IqbalA l-A mat. 1980.
Imam Zain Al-Abideen (a). Al-Saheefa Al-Sajjadijya. Qum: Muasasat

L
I
Al-Nashr M-Islami.
249
Ethics
Misbah al-Shariab. Beirut: Al-A’lami. (Attributed to Imam al-Sadiq

(*))•
250
L

Ethics - God Society and Me - Sayyid Ali Al-Hakim

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Ethics - God Society and Me - Sayyid Ali Al-Hakim

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Ethics - God Society and Me - Sayyid Ali Al-Hakim

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

LESSONS in ISLAM

GOD, SOCIETY, AND ME

Sayyid Ali Al-Hakeem

Sayyid Ali Al-Hakeem

To our Prophet (s).

before. Although no translation can do justice to the Holy

Praise be to God, Lord of the Worlds. May God send His

know?* Only those who possess intellect take admonition.**' God

1 The Holy Quran. Chapter 39 [Arabic: Al-Zumat\. Verse 9.

addition to addressing all other relevant worldly and other­

grief, because they were heedless to the consequences that

Destined for Paradise

virus, a person who carries sin can be rightfully prevented

out any distinction. There would be no meaning for sacri­

Divine monitoring prevents humanity from completely leav­

the effects of heedlessness are even more detrimental to a

The Reasons Behind It

6 Al-Barqi, Al-Mahasin, 96.

son, as be advised him: O mj son! Do not ascribe any partners to

BeJ'rieruling people who are wicked and ivanlon

7 'I*hc Holy Quran. Chapter 31 [Arabic: Lnq/uanJ. Verse 13.

world. And do not obey him whose heart We have made

14 Al-Kulayni, Al-Kafi, 3:270.

wish to escape. Thus, heedlessness is actuated and in it they

Hearts, Ears, and Eyes

other than obedience to God, dien the existence or inexist­

and natations of the Holy Quran. And whoever is disobe­

The Death of the Heart

17 Al-Saduq, Ala’ani Al-Akhbar, 399.

mander of the Faithful, Imam Ali (a), said: “Whoeverhas been

19 Al-Wasiti, ‘Ujoo/i Al-Hikam iva At-Mawa'e^ 504.

23 Al-Wasiti, Vjoon Al-Hikam wa AI-Mawa’e^ 385.

Indeed We created wan from the drop of a mixedfluid so

1 The Holy Quran, Chapter 76 [Man; Arabic: A/-Insan\, Verses 2 and 3.

Wmat Makes Us Human

“Certainly We created man from an extract of clay. Then

miss. Then We mated the clinging mass as a fleshy tissue.

The soul is a metaphysical and simple being, yet it holds po­

6 AJ-Majlisi, Bihar Al-Anwar, 58:43.

sexual desires, he must take into account the consequences

The Benefits of Spirituality

The Means to Spiritual Sustenance

sires will lead to transcendence of the self. But is this the

7 The Holy Quran, Chapter 20 [Arabic: Ta-Ha\, Verse 2.

complete balance between the material and the metaphysical

8 Ibn Babawcih, Fiqb AI-Rida, 380.

Is he who founds his building on Godwariness and [the

And when We desire to destixy a town We command its af­

Ti-ie Role of Faith in the Foundation of

What God gives is much greater than what we sacrifice.

7 Ibid. Verse 195.

of somediing greater than material gain. The path to attain­

The parable of those who take guardians instead of God is

Impartiality in Moral Conduct

ty without double standards. The Holy Quran emphasizes

14 Al-Tabnrani, Al-Mn'jatn Al-Awsat, 7:273; Al-Bukhari, Sabeeh Bukhari, 8:16.

pie to be blatantly lying about Him. “ Yes, whoever fulfills his

16 Ibid. Verse 76.

non-Muslims. This is the same when it comes to trusts and

addition to addressing all other relevant worldly and other

out any distinction. There would be no meaning for sacri

Divine monitoring prevents humanity from completely leav

other than obedience to God, dien the existence or inexist

and natations of the Holy Quran. And whoever is disobe

The soul is a metaphysical and simple being, yet it holds po

And when We desire to destixy a town We command its af

of somediing greater than material gain. The path to attain

Indeed God enjoinsjustice and kindness, and generosity to

Firstly, we should at all times remind ourselves of the weak

This ability to distinguish between good and evil, and be

As for communides that are entrenched in evil and corrup

We should also point out the solemn warnings against al

Thirdly, anger can be used to reach a number of noble char