Al-Huda
Foundation, NJ U. S. A
the Message Continues ... 4/178
Newsletter for September 2016
Article ... 1 - Article ... 2 - Article ... 3 - Article ... 4 - Article ... 5 - Article ... 6 - Article ... 7 - Article ... 8 - Article ... 9 - Article ... 10 - Article ... 11 - Article ... 12
Taqwa (Piety) Advice of Ahl al-Bayt
By Sayyed Hussain Sheikh al-Islami Tooyserkani
Stages of
Piety
Moralists consider three stages for Taqwa:
a. To safeguard self from the eternal chastisement and from abiding in hell due to
correcting one’s beliefs. When a
human being tries to rectify his
beliefs, to avoid atheism, to
improve his belief in
monotheism, prophet hood, and
the Day of Judgment, to adopt a
right path in Imamate, to
perform obligatory duties, and
to leave the forbidden acts, he
will save himself from
chastisement and fire.
b. To avoid committing sins verbally and practically; such a
meaning of Taqwa is best known
to the people of religion.
c. To safeguard the heart from what keeps it busy away from
truth, from the forbidden,
blameworthy, and permissible
acts. This is the excellent
stage of Taqwa.
The Worth Of
Piety
If Taqwa (piety) is to be assessed, it can be appreciated through
the states of the pious and it
fruits. Nevertheless, if it is
to be evaluated separately,
several verses and narrations
are invoked in order to
understand its importance.
The Lord of the universe has said: “Surely the most honorable of you with Allah is the one among you most careful
(of his duty); surely Allah is
Knowing, Aware.”
If there were no verses other than this in the Quran in honor of
Taqwa, it would suffice us all,
for God has laid down Taqwa as
the highest stage self can
attain.
Elsewhere Allah says: “and
make provisions, for surely the
provision is the guarding of
oneself.”
In another verse, Allah says: “and whoever is careful of (his duty to) Allah, He will make for
him an outlet and give him
sustenance from whence he thinks
not.”
In this connection, there are other verses which will be
mentioned in the following
pages. As for narrations, the
late Koleini has reported
Ya’qoob ibn Shu’aib as saying:
“I heard Imam Sadiq (AS) say:
“Allah has not promoted a
servant from the inferior
position of sin to the superior
position of Taqwa unless He has
made him independent without
having riches and has honored
him without having any family
and kinship and has made him His
friend without having any human
companion.”
Imam Ali (AS) has been reported as saying: “People have not been
recommended to anything greater
than Taqwa, for it is the advice
of we, the Ahl al-Bayt.”
Asked “which act is excellent?”, Imam Ali (AS) said: “Taqwa.”
The commander of the believers has been reported as saying: “With
Taqwa, no act is unworthy. How
can an act be unworthy when it
is accepted?”
Hannan ibn Sadeer has reported his father and Abu Ja’far as
saying: “Some of the companions
of the holy prophet (SAW) were
sitting in a place boasting of
their lineage. Salman al-Farisi
was among them too. At this
moment, turning to Salman, Umar
said: “O Salman! What is your
lineage?” Salman said: “I am
Salman, the son of Abdullah! I
used to be astray. God guided me
through Muhammad (SAW).
I was needy and dependent. God made me independent with the help
of Muhammad (SAW). I used to be
a servant. God set me free by
Muhammad (SAW). This is my
lineage, O Umar!” After a few
moments, the holy prophet (SAW)
entered the place. Salman
informed him of the story. The
holy prophet (SAW) said: Surely,
a man’s lineage is his faith and
bravery. A man’s intellect is
his temper. God Almighty has
said:
“O you men! Surely We
have created you of a male and a
female, and made you tribes and
families that you may know each
other; surely the most honorable
of you with Allah is the one
among you most careful (of his
duty).”
Turning to Salman, the holy prophet (SAW) said: “O Salman! There
is no preference for you to any
one of them save for piety
(Taqwa). Therefore, if you are
more pious you will be better
than them.”
Imam Ali (AS) in Nahj al-Balaghah has commented on Taqwa on
numerous occasions. Some of them
are as follows: “Beware, Taqwa
is like tame camels whose reins
are in the hands of their
riders, leading them to
paradise.”
In a sermon, Imam Ali (AS) says: “O creatures of Allah! I advise
you to have fear of Allah which
is the provision (for the next
world) and with it is (your)
return. This provision would
take you (to your destination)
and the return would be
successful. The best one, who is
able to make people listen, has
called towards it and the best
listener has listened to it. So
the caller has proclaimed and
the listener has listened and
preserved.
O creatures of Allah! Certainly fear of Allah has saved the
lovers of Allah from unlawful
doings and gave drear to their
hearts till their nights are
spent in wakefulness and their
days in thirst. So they achieve
comfort through trouble and
copious watering through thirst.
They regarded death to be near
and therefore hastened towards
(good) actions. They rejected
their desire and so they kept
death in their sight.”
In another sermon, Imam Ali (AS) says: “Know O creatures of Allah
that piety is a strong house of
protection while impiety is a
weak house which does not
protect its people, and does not
give security to him who takes
refuge therein. Know that the
sting of sins is cut by piety
and the final aim is achieved by
conviction of belief.”
Still in another sermon, Imam Ali (AS) has said: “I advise you O
creatures of Allah, to exercise
fear of Allah and obey Him
because it is salvation tomorrow
and deliverance forever.”
On the same topic, Imam Ali (AS) says: “O creatures of Allah! I
advise you to have fear of Allah
because it is the best advice to
be mutually given by persons,
and the best of all things
before Allah.”
Taqwa has been mentioned in another sermon by Imam Ali (AS) as
follows: “He (Allah) has advised
you to exercise fear and has
made it the highest point of His
creatures. You should therefore
fear Allah, Who is such that you
are as though just in front of
Him, and your forelocks are in
His grip, and your change of
position is in His control. If
you conceal a matter, He will
know of it. If you disclose a
matter, He will record it.
For this, He has appointed honored guards (angels) who do not
omit any rightful matter nor
include anything incorrect. You
should know that whoever fears
Allah, He would make for him a
way to get out of troubles and
(grant him) a light (to help
him) out of darkness. He will
ever keep him in whatever
(condition) he wishes, and will
make him stay in a position of
honor near Himself, in the abode
which He has made for Himself.
The shade of this abode is His
throne, its light is His
effulgence, its visitors are His
angels, and its companions are
His prophets.”
In another sermon, Imam Ali (AS) has said: “you should therefore
exercise fear of Allah because
it has a rope whose knob is
strong and its pinnacle is lofty
and invulnerable.”
On Taqwa, Imam Ali (AS) further says: “I advise you, O creatures
of Allah, that you should have
fear of Allah because it is a
right of Allah over you and it
gives a right before Allah, and
that you should seek Allah’s
help in it, and its help in
(meeting) Allah. Certainly, for
today, fear of Allah is a
protection and a shield, and for
tomorrow (the Day of Judgment)
it is the way to Paradise. Its
way is clear and he who treads
it is the gainer.
Whoever holds it guards it. It has presented itself to the people
who have already passed and to
those coming from behind,
because they will need it
tomorrow (on the Day of
Judgment) when Allah will revive
His creation again, take back
what He has given and take
account of what He has bestowed.
How few will be those who accept
it and practice it as it ought
to be practiced. They will be
very few in number, and they are
the people who correspond to the
description given by Allah, the
Glorified, when He says “… And very few of My creatures are grateful!”
Therefore, hasten with your ears towards it and intensify your
efforts for it. Make it a
substitute for all your past
(shortcomings) to take their
place as a successor, and make
it your supporter against every
opponent. Turn your sleep into
wakefulness by its help, and
pass your days with it. Make it
the equipment of your hearts,
wash your sins with it, treat
your ailments with it, and
hasten towards your death with
it. Take a lesson from him who
neglects, so that others who
follow it should not take a
lesson from you. Beware,
therefore; You should take care
of it and should take care of
yourselves through it.
Keep away from this world and proceed towards the next world
infatuatedly. Do not regard
humble he whom the fear of Allah
has given a high position, and
do not accord a high position to
him whom this world has given a
high position.”
In another sermon, Imam Ali (AS) has said: “I advise you, O
creatures of Allah, to have fear
of Allah, for it is the rein and
the mainstay (of religion). Hold
fast to its salient points, keep
hold of realities. It will take
you to the abodes of easiness,
places of comfort, fortresses of
safety and houses of honor on
the Day (of Judgment) when eyes
will be wide open, when there
will be darkness all round, when
small groups of camels pregnant
for ten months will be allowed
free grazing, and when the Horn
will be blown. Then every living
being will die, every voice will
become dumb, the high mountains
and hard rocks will crumble (to
pieces) so that their hard
stones will turn into moving
sand.”
On the topic of Taqwa, Imam Ali (AS) further says: “Certainly the
fear of Allah is the medicine
for your hearts, sight for the
blindness of your spirits, the
cure for breasts, the purifier
of the pollution of your minds,
the light of the darkness of
your eyes, the consolation for
the fear of your hearts, and the
brightness for the gloom of your
ignorance.”
In another sermon, Imam Ali (AS) has said: “Certainly the fear of
Allah is the key to guidance,
provision for the next world,
freedom from every slavery, and
deliverance from all ruin. With
its help the seeker succeeds and
he who makes for safety escapes
and achieves his aims.”
Imam Ali (AS) has been reported as having said: “The fear of
Allah is the chief trait of
human character.”
As a reminder of Taqwa, in a sermon Imam Ali (AS) says: “O
creatures of Allah, I advise you
to have fear of Allah Who has
set examples to you, and Who has
timed for you your lives. He has
given you covering of dress and
He has made abundant for you
your livelihood. He has
surrounded you with His
knowledge. He has ordained
rewards. He has bestowed upon
you vast bounties and extensive
gifts. He has warned you through
far reaching arguments…
Therefore, fear of Allah like
the fear of one who has listened
(good advice) and submitted to
it, and one who has committed
sin and then, confessed and felt
afraid… when he felt fear he
acted virtuously, when he
apprehended hastened (towards
good acts), when he believed he
performed virtuous acts, when he
was asked to take lesson (from
the happenings of this world) he
did take lesson, when he was
asked to desist he abstained
(from evil), when he responded
to the call (of Allah) he leaned
(towards Him), when he turned
back (to evil) he repented, when
he followed he almost imitated,
and when he was shown (the right
path) he saw it.
Such a man was busy in search of truth and got rid (of the
worldly evils) by running away.
He collected the provision (of
good acts) for himself, purified
his inner self, built for the
next world, and took with
himself provision for the day of
his departure, keeping in view
his journey, his requirement and
the position of his need. He
sent ahead of him (good deeds)
for the abode of his stay (in
the next world). O creatures of
Allah! Fear Allah, keeping in
mind the reason why He created
you, and be afraid of Him to the
extent that He has advised you
to do. Make yourself deserve
what He has promised you, by
having confidence in the truth
of His promise and entertaining
fear for the Day of Judgment…
Therefore, O creatures of Allah, fear Allah like the fearing of a
wise man whom the thought (of
the next world) has turned away
from other matters, fear (of
Allah) has afflicted his body
with trouble and pain, his
engagement in the night prayer
has turned even his short sleep
into awakening, hope (of eternal
recompense) keeps him thirsty in
the day, abstention has curbed
his desires, and remembrance of
Allah is ever moving his tongue.
He entertains fear before
dangers. He avoids uneven ways
in favor of clear ones. He
follows the shortest route to
secure his purpose. Wishfulness
does not twist his thinking, and
ambiguities do not blind his
eyes. He enjoys deep sleep and
passes his day happily because
of the happiness of good tidings
and pleasure (of eternal
bounties).
He passes the pathway of this world in praiseworthy manner. He
reaches the next world with
virtues. He hastens (toward
virtue) out of fear (of vice).
He moves briskly during the
short time (of life in this
world). He devotes himself in
seeking (eternal good) and runs
away from evil. During day, he
is mindful of tomorrow and keeps
the future in mind. Certainly,
paradise is the best reward and
achievement, which hell,
punishment, and suffering are
enough. Allah is the best
Avenger and Helper and the Quran
is the best argument and
confronter.”
In another sermon, Imam Ali (AS) has said: “Fear Allah like the
one who prepares himself after
extracting himself (from worldly
affairs) and, after getting
ready in this way, makes effort;
then he acts quickly during the
period of this life, hastens in
view of the dangers (of falling
into error) and has his eye on
proceeding toward the goal, on
the end of his journey and on
the place of his (eventual)
return.”
|
DISCLAIMER:
All material published by Al-Huda.com / And the Message Continues is the sole responsibility of its author's).
The opinions and/or assertions contained therein do not necessarily reflect the editorial views of this site,
nor of Al-Huda and its officers.
HOME - NEWSLETTERS - BOOKS - ARTICLES - FEEDBACK