In The Name of Allah
..:: THE WORLDVIEW OF THE INFALLIBLES: TWENTY AHADITH ::..
May Allah bless Mohammed and his pure progeny.
By Freda Stuffer
Quran and
Abstract:
This article is based on a selection of twenty ahadith or narrations from the twelve Imams, may Allah bless them. These narrations trace the path of salvation through a jungle of deceptive worldly distractions. A believer is not deceived by shiny objects and pleasures of this world. A non-believer or a polytheist, on the other hand, can easily be identified. Polytheists or non-believers are recognized by their excessive attachment to things which are temporary and which disappear at the end of this life.
Keywords:
Azza, Shahadat, Contemporary Cultural Expressions
Introduction:
There are some inherent themes throughout the Islamic narrations and resources that have been passed down to us through the ages. A few of these themes clarify the relationship a true believer has with this world and how he or she is distinguished from a polytheist. A polytheist is a person who spends his or her time enjoying the life of this world and trying to gain earthly power through unjust ways. A polytheist or non-believer does not put their faith absolutely in their creator and spend time worshipping Allah or engaging in activities which prepare them for the hereafter. In other words, a polytheist places his or her faith and values in gaining more pleasures of this world and puts their trust in the false gods of power and money in this life. True believers are not deceived by glamorous lifestyles and money for unnecessary luxuries nor do they submit to tyrannical kings who oppress populations. True, monotheistic believers know that it is Allah who created them, Allah whom they worship, and Allah to whom they will return. They know it is Allah who will question them about what they chose to do with the gifts He blessed them with in this life.
Subject:
Typically, in secular society, a person who is well-off is one with a lot of money and material possessions. However, the
Imam Ali was asked the meaning of being well-off or well-provided for. Imam Ali replied, "Your welfare does not lie in your having enormous wealth and numerous children but it rests in your being highly educated and forbearing and in your being proud of your obedience to Allah. If you do a good deed then thank Allah for it and if you commit a sin then repent and atone for it. In this world there is a real welfare for two kinds of people, one is the person who, when commits a sin, atones for it and the other is anxious to do good as much as possible. (1)
Repentance and doing good deeds, therefore, are two sides of the same coin, in a manner of speaking. If we have not done any good deeds, then repentance is obviously the first step towards making amends. Education on its own is useless without the quality of forbearance. One could be educated to the hilt in all sciences, however, if forbearance is missing from his or her character their education may contribute to their welfare in this life, but not in the next life. In that case there is no real, immortal benefit of being educated at all. Education that really contributes to one’s eternal welfare, that is, in this life and the next, is education that is not separated from the quality of forbearance. In other words, an educated one must also be tolerant in order to obtain real welfare from his or her education. The saying below is also from Nahjol Balagha:
Imam Ali's garment was very old with patches on it. When somebody drew his attention towards it, he replied, " Such dresses, when worn by men of status make them submissive to Allah and kind-hearted towards others and the faithful Muslims can conveniently follow the example ". Vicious pleasures of this world and salvation are like two enemies or two roads running in opposite directions or towards opposite poles, one to the North and the other to the South. Whoever likes to gain the pleasures and pomps of this world will hate austerity in life which is necessary to gain salvation. Reverse will be the attitude of a man desirous of achieving Eternal Bliss. One has to adopt either of the two ways of life, and as they both cannot be brought together, a man has to choose one of them. (2)
Imam Ali (a.s.) says that salvation and the pursuit of worldly pleasures are antithetical. Here is an example of where free will plays a role in Islam. A person can choose to live a simple, undecorated life and get closer to Allah and ultimately his salvation. A person may also choose the main purpose in his or her life to be for getting as many glamorous clothing, fancy houses and flashy cars as possible while they live. Furthermore, this is the immortal choice which will have lasting effects beyond what any of us could imagine. This is the choice that will determine our eternal life, whether we will arrive safely in heaven or enter into the undesired place. This does not mean that the good things of Allah’s creation are forbidden to us, it simply means that spending all our time trying to gain access to more of Allah’s creation with the intention of squandering it needlessly on ourselves is unacceptable. If we are blessed to acquire more of the good things from Allah’s creation than what we need to meet our personal needs, it is a test. The test is that we are then responsible to see that the excess is distributed among others, especially needy Muslims, who really need it.
The second Imam, al-Hasan, peace be upon him, said:
"O' Son of Adam! Since the day you left your mother's womb your life has been on the decrease. Therefore, avail yourself of that between your hands for the hereafter, because the believer takes provisions (from this world) and the disbeliever only takes his leisure (from this world)."(3)
Here we learn the difference between the qualities of a believer and a disbeliever. The believer is busy with activities that benefit himself in this life and the next life. The disbeliever is unconcerned about activities that benefit him in the next life, his main concern is to enjoy this life while it lasts. He, peace be upon him, also said "If you fail to obtain something of worldly benefit, take it as if the thought of it had never crossed your mind at all."(4) This narration implies that worldly benefits are so worthless that if we miss out on any of them we should not spend time being upset about it. Moreover, we should be oblivious to the existence of any worldly pleasure that we do not acquire for some reason.
The third Imam, al-Hussein, peace be upon him, said:
"People are slaves to the world, and as long as they live favorable and comfortable lives, they are loyal to religious principles. However, at hard times, the times of trials, true religious people are scarce."(5) In other words, many people are happy to be religious as long as they are getting what they want in life. However, those same individuals will throw religion behind their backs as soon as they feel a little bit uncomfortable or perceive the loss of worldly pleasure and comfort because of their religious principles. He, peace be upon him, also cited: "Praise to God who created the world and made it a mortal, unstable and uncertain house the residents of which keep changing and under going ups and downs , wretched and miserable are those who are deceived by the fleeting and transient pleasures and attractions of this world."(6) Even though some people may devote all of their time and energy to getting and spending they are still unhappy. Eventually their possessions will let them down because they put their faith into the false gods of the world: money and distractions. A believer is one who, due to the grace of Allah, is not deceived by shiny things and dollar signs."
The fourth Imam, Ali Zaynul Abideen, peace be upon him taught us through Sahifah Sajadiyah, from The Whispered Prayer of the Complainers:
My God,
I complain to Thee
of an enemy who misguides me
and a satan who leads me astray.
He has filled my breast with tempting thoughts,
and his suggestions have encompassed my heart.
He supports caprice against me,
embellishes for me the love of this world,
and separates me from obedience and proximity!(7)
Excessive love of this shifty world is a vice from satan. This prayer shows us how to petition Allah for His nearness and guidance away from the distractions and lies Satan whispers to our hearts. It also helps to inform us that we have the power to ask Allah to change our situations if we wish too. The practice of supplicating Allah teaches us that we have the ability to change Allah’s mind through supplication. This means that our destinies are not mapped out and written in stone from birth. We have free-will in changing our situations through supplication. He, peace be upon him, also taught us through Sahifa Sajadiya, from The Whispered Prayer of the Abstainers:
...dislodge the love of this world
from our spirits,
just as Thou hast done for the righteous,
Thy selected friends,
and for the pious,
those whom Thou hast singled out!(8)
This prayer teaches us that absence of excessive attachment to this world is actually a special favor which Allah bestows on special believers. It also teaches us that we are blessed with the right and free will to ask Allah for the same great favor.
Imam Muhammed Baqir, peace be on him, said:
"I had a companion. The companion regarded the world as small. Thus, I regarded him as great."(9) The fact has already been established that the absence of excessive love for this world is a favor from Allah. Therefore, when the Imam met someone who regarded this world as something insignificant, he recognized that person as one who was great because of his deep closeness to Allah.
Imam Muhammed Baqir, peace be on him, said:
"Allah gives this world to both the righteous and the sinners. However, He gives this religion to His close friends only." (10) The Imam meant something like: Allah gave free will to all people. They can choose to take advantage of the material benefits of this life, even to the point of their own destruction. However, true believers recognize the gifts of this world as a test and are not distracted by them. This recognition is a gift which Allah bestows on those who truly seek His nearness, strive to obey Him, and worship Him out of gratitude.
Imam Jafar Al-Sadiq, peace be upon him, said:
"The desire for the worldly pleasures causes grief and sadness. Abstinence from the worldly pleasures brings about the rest of both heart and body."(11) Greed is an ugly attribute, while its driving passion is based on wanting material things. Greed will let a person down in the end, solely because greed is a form of faith which is placed in a false god. Avoiding or ignoring the loud distractions and shiny objects this world has to offer is a gift and favor from the Unique and true God. In the absence of worldly distractions the spirit can be at peace. When the spirit is at peace, the body and heart find rest.
Imam Jafar al-Sadiq, peace be upon him said:
Mansoor who had been disappointed after using various means and ways, started deceiving public and tried to manifest and show himself as the real heir of Holy Prophet (P.B.U.H.) and one of the persons fit for the post of Islamic caliphate, on the pretext that he is from the lineage of Abbass (Prophet's uncle) and the family of Prophet (P.B.U.H.). But he knew fully well that he did not have the caliber and capability of this and that post only suited the sons of the Prophet (P.B.U.H.) "the Imams (A.S.)."
Imam Sadiq (A.S.) severely and strongly combated against this public deceiving conduct and degraded and disgraced this family through his letters.
One day Mansoor wrote to Imam (A.S.) "why do you not come to see me like the others?" Imam (A.S.) wrote in his response. "We do not possess any thing from the world so that we may be afraid of you for it (loss of it). You too do not possess anything for the justice day and the spiritualism so why must I come to see you?
The next day Mansoor wrote to Imam (A.S.) "Come here to admonish me." Imam (A.S.) wrote replying him, "whosoever be from the people of the world (adorer of world) will not admonish you and whosoever will be the man of the justice day will not come near you."
One of the days Imam (A.S.) was present in the assembly of 'Mansoor'. By chance, a fly started teasing 'Mansoor' and howsoever he tried to make it buzz off it would not and again sat upon his far and head. Mansoor much annoyed as he was, "said to Imam (A.S.), "Why has God created the fly?"
Imam (A.S.) at once replied, "For the reason of disgracing and degrading the powerful tyrants through them."
'Mansoor' became annoyed; he sat comfortably on his place and allowed the Imam (A.S.) to leave.(12)
This hadith shows us exactly the lack of common ground between a believer and a disbeliever. The disbeliever is all concerned about power, and comfort in this life, which we already know is a manifestation of Satan’s influences. The Believer, on the other hand, is not afraid of him because he knows that what he has or does not have is not controlled by the tyrant who sits on a comfortable seat and surrounds himself with material things and uses his power to force his will on the weak. Furthermore, the believer is not afraid of the disbeliever and is not intimidated by the disbeliever'
Imam Musa al-Kadhim, peace be upon him, said:
"The supplies of this world and the religion are difficult. Whenever you extend your hand towards any source of the worldly supplies, you will found out that a sinful has preceded you there. When you intend to obtain a source of the religious supplies, you will not find anyone helping you."(13)
This narration shows the dilemma of being religious. Regarding worldly supplies, a sinful person has no scruples in taking things he wants no matter how dishonest his means were in taking it. So then when a believer goes through honest ways to acquire something it is often no longer available because a dishonest person snatched it through oppressive means without caring about justice. This hadith also relates to the previous one from Imam Hussein. True religious people are scarce when it comes to sacrificing worldly pleasures.
Imam Musa al-Kadhim, peace be upon him, said:
O son, let not God see you committing an act of disobedience against which He warned you, and let Him not miss you in an act of obedience to Him of which He ordered you. Keep serious and do not convince yourself that you are worshipping and obeying God perfectly, because no one can achieve perfection in the fields of worshipping God. Beware of joking because it extinguishes the illumination of your faith and disgraces you personality. Beware of indolence and laziness because they both prevent you from receiving your shares of the pleasures of this world and the world to come.(14)
An analysis of this saying is that laziness is a vice. It contributes not only to the loss of worldly pleasures, it also contributes to loss in the hereafter. This means that although the pleasures and possessions of this world are worthless, believers may not take this as an excuse to resort to laziness. Working to gain our sustenance and take care of our families and the needy people is also a vehicle which moves us towards worshipping Allah, the Unique. In other words, restricting our worship to prayer and fasting is not enough. Every aspect of our activities and lifestyle can and should be a form of worship. This includes seeking knowledge, teaching, working in honest professions and so on. The important thing is that we do not misuse any of the favors Allah blesses us with by squandering it on worldly attractions and things that will not contribute beneficially to our final destination.
Imam Ali al-Ridha, peace be on him, said:
"Everyone's friend is his reason; his enemy is his ignorance."(15)
Working for knowledge in all fields is important. However, Spiritual knowledge is the most important, for without it we do not have access to every faculty of reasoning that Allah blessed us with. Without full development of the reasoning faculties it becomes easy for satan to deceive people into disbelief through love of this world. Therefore ignorance in all fields is our enemy, but partial ignorance that is a result of avoiding or relaxing one’s education in religion is the worst form of ignorance and creates the most havoc, tyranny, war and oppression in the world.
Imam Ali al-Ridha, peace be upon him, said:
"This creature (i.e. man) is lonely in three situations: On the day when he is born in the world and sees it, on the day when he dies and sees the next world and its people, and on the day when he is resurrected and sees the rules which he did not see in the world. Allah, the Exalted, greeted Yahya in these three situations and calmed his fear, saying: And peace on him on the day he was born, and on the day he dies, and on the day he is raised to life. 'Isa b. Maryam greeted himself in these three situations, saying: And peace be on me on the day when I was born, and on the day I die, and on the day I am raised to life. "(16)
Life in this world is founded on loneliness. Not just loneliness but aloneness with no one but God to give us peace. The day we are born, the day we die and the day when we are resurrected. These three experiences are the loneliest moments in the human being's life. These moments are the most profound moments and these three instances show how deeply we should travel into our knowledge of God in this world. If the thought of their aloneness in these three moments does not move a person closer to God-consciousness, that means they are disbelievers who are unjust to themselves.
Imam Muhammed Taqi al-Jawad, peace be upon him, said:
"We are only ladling from this world. He whose belief and religion are the same as his acquaintance will surely accompany the acquaintance everywhere. The life to come is surely the remaining abode."(17) This hadith means we should mostly associate with people whose beliefs and religion are the same as ours because we will accompany our friends everywhere, including in the hereafter. So if we associate with bad people it means we are like them, bad, and will find ourselves in their company in the next life.
Imam Ali Naqi al-Hadi, peace be upon him, said:
"Allah has made this world for testing while He has made the life to come for receiving the result. He has also made the misfortunes of this world the cause of gaining the rewards of the life to come and made the rewards of the life to come as the compensation for the misfortunes of this world."(18) It means something like: the life of this world is like a type of exam, and it is a timed exam. At the end we will see the results of our work, and be awarded according to our deeds. This saying also means that loss, sickness and pain are counted as good deeds for which we did not have to work. so we are rewarded for that too."
Imam Hasan al-Askari, peace be upon him, said:
"You are plunging into decreased deadlines and limited days. He who sows good will harvest delight and he who sows evil will harvest regret. Each cultivator will gain only what he has cultivated. The slow will not gain but his own share. The acquisitive will not catch that which is not his. The source of every advantage is Allah, and the actual protector from every evil is Allah, too."(19)
In other words, this hadith means that we will only receive credit for what we earned. Because Allah is just, He only punishes someone who deserves it, and He rewards only those who cared about pleasing Him while they had the chance to worship and thank Him."
Imam al-Mahdi, may Allah bless him and hasten his return, said:
"I am Mahdi; I am Qaem (the upriser); I am the one who will establish justice on the earth as it has been filled with injustice."(20) Al-Mahdi said that the world is filled with injustice. What is injustice? Injustice is the absence of justice. That means that all over the world the believers will be experiencing a complete lack of justice. They will be oppressed in every corner of the world, by tyrants. Small individual tyrants and big tyrants who have control over massive populations too. When he returns, he will put an end to injustice. Even the tyrants will somehow get justice for what they earned. But the tyrants will not like the justice they get. The believers will be the satisfied ones at that time."
Allah, alone, is worthy of being worshipped!
Conclusions:
The infallible Imams are consistent in their position regarding the fact that this world is a testing ground. Every gift we acquire from His creation is a test from Allah. Free will plays a role, however, this does not mean that we are free to do as we please without consequences. There is one right choice in every situation and all other choices are incorrect. The Qur’an and the Imams teach us which choice is the right choice, and if we choose to take advantage of our blessing of free will by deliberately choosing other alternatives, our end will not be a happy one. Praise be to Allah, the Imams have expounded the methodology and interpretations of Islam as Prophet Mohammed intended it to be done. They have carefully described the difference between a believer and a non-believer. It is the responsibility of each person to conduct a thorough self-examination, in order to find out if we are guilty of the things that identify us as non-believers or polytheists. If we determine this to be the case we must repent with our whole heart, mind, and soul. If it is not the case then we ought to thank Allah and worship him even more profoundly by trying even harder to accumulate good deeds and improve ourselves and our families and the communities we live in. Allah is the Most Generous.
If there is any good in my writing, it comes from Allah. If I have made any mistakes I hope the kind reader will forgive me. I seek only to learn more about Islam and share the results of my learning.
References:
1.& 2. Nahjul Balagha
3. & 4. http://www.ezsoftec
5. & 6. http://www.sibtayn.
7. & 8. Sahifah Sajadiyah, aka The Pslams of Islam
9.& 10. http://www.imamreza
11. http://www.slidesha
12. http://www.almujtab
13. & 14. http://www.maaref-
15. & 16. http://www.imamreza
17. http://www.victoryn
18. http://www.imamreza
19. http://www.imamreza
20. http://www.ziaraat.
Commentary of Holy Qur'an http://al-islam.org/tahrif_quran/
Du'a - http://www.duas.org
Islam - http://www.al-islam.org
Free Islamic Books -http://www.winislam.com
http://www.islamic-message.net/English/index.htm
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