Islamic Ethics chapter2

Islamic Ethics

 chapter2

Anger At Oppressors And Open Sin

One must become angry at oppressors. For example, one must be angry at the cursed Saddam Hussein who crossed the boundaries. It would be enough for the entire Muslim world to be angry at him if his only crime was killing the late al-Sadr and his sister, but now his hands are dirty with respect to thousands of Iranian and Iraqi

.Muslims

One must also be angry at those who create corruption, those who commit sins

.openly

The amount of anger that one has at oppression and sin should be in relation to that form of oppression and sin. Some sins are bigger than others and the level of anger

.for those sins should be more as well

For example, these three sins are different, a woman having a little bit of her hair

outside of her hijāb, a man drinking alcohol openly and

a man killing an innocent person. The first sin is the smallest sin and the last one is the

.biggest

This holds true for seeking revenge as well. For example, you cannot do more than slap one who slaps you or you cannot swear twice at someone who swore at you once. Of course, in any case it is better to forgive. There is a pleasure found in

.forgiving that is not found in revenge

If One Over-Retaliates The Other Person has the Right to Counter-Retaliate

It is against religious doctrine to over-retaliate or to cross the line in getting revenge.

If one slanders another he must receive the religious punishment (hadd) and if one wrongfully hits another he must pay blood-money (dīyah). For example, suppose someone slapped you and your skin became red, but when you retaliated you slapped him and his skin became black. Here, you must pay the amount of gold specified in the

.books of jurisprudence under the section of blood-money

An animal is one who is unorganized in his actions. Animalistic anger is anger that when one seeks revenge he gets whatever kind revenge that he can, even if it is like a

.predatory wolf that kills his prey

As a principle, anger is good, but it must be used in the correct way and to the correct extent. One should be angry at oppression and sin and even should seek the correct

:amount of revenge. The glorious Qurān says the following about this issue

Should anyone aggress against you, assail him in the manner he assailed you.”(1)49..“

You cannot afflict

**********

.2:194- 1

more aggression. First one must know to what level he has been oppressed, then he

.must be careful not to step over the line in retaliation

For this reason there is no characteristic of a believer in the Qurān that says he must

.not ever show anger

The Hereafter Is For One Who Does Not Seek Superiority

Ibn Fahd Hillī said: “Suppose there are two people who are angry and you want to know if they are believers or not. Tell one of them: 'Because of Allah, forget about it.' If he is an unbeliever he will not pay attention to you. But, if you put some money in his

”.hand and say calm down, he will calm down

Most people are examples of the verse: “They are stuck to the material life and

”.belongings and are not interested in the hereafter

Shaykh Bahā'ī said: “Scholars must not forget this verse; “This is the abode of the

Hereafter which We shall grant to those who do not desire to domineer in the

(earth..”(1

The world is not important for him. How do they obtain this level of spirituality? An important point about this verse is that it said 'those who do not desire’ not 'those who do not go after.' In their hearts they do not want superiority; they do not want to become famous, because the one who wants fame or superiority is ignorant. They have yet to understand the reality of this world. They have not gone after the hereafter. It is self-evident that an ignorant person will not benefit from the next

*********

.28:83- 1

world’s positions because: “..Are those who know equal to those who do not know?”(1)

The scholars are the ones who know, they are the one's who always remember Allah.(2) This world will remain more important than the hereafter to an ignorant person. What expectations do you have from him? A person exists to the extent of his knowledge. How will one who has not stepped out of the realm of animals step into

?the neighborhood of the Lord of the universe

One’s Love Of The Hereafter Becomes Clear When One Is Angry Or Lustful

The importance or unimportance that one gives to the hereafter becomes clear when one is angry or lustful. One only thinks of his honor in this life or his worldly position

.when the hereafter is unimportant for him

It should not be left unsaid that Islamic punishment can only be carried out in a courtroom from the ruling of an Islamic judge. If this was not the case there would be mayhem and anarchy. For this reason it is unlawful for one to take revenge from

someone who oppressed him without a judge's consent. He must go to an Islamic

.court or an Islamic jurist to get his right

Lecture 8: Lust Results In The Continuation Of Human Life

point

Lust and anger are two traits, two powers that Allah put inside man. The continuation of mankind is dependent on these two traits. Lust is used to attract benefits and anger is used to keep away loss. If one did not have any lust or desire he would not go after

the things that his body needs. One would

*********

.39:9- 1

.Refer to 3:191- 2

not eat if he did not have a desire for food, and when he does not eat he would die. So,

it is a blessing that one has this desire for food that forces him to struggle to obtain

.something to eat

Sexual desires are also necessary for the prolongation of human life. Nobody would get married if sexual desires did not exist, because married life has its difficulties and bad times. For this reason there must be a desire, a lust in man for him to marry and

.have children. So, sexual desires are necessary for the continuation of human life

Spiritual Growth Is Also Found In Anger and Lust

The social order of man would become destroyed if man did not get angry, if man was indifferent to his property being stolen, to his life being taken or to the life of his loved one's being taken. That person would not do anything; he would not protect his money or his honor. So, anger is necessary to protect him from all sorts of losses that

.he would be faced with

These traits, lust and anger are necessary in this world and are also necessary for the next world. One's religion is also dependent on these two traits. One must choose the middle course in these traits; one must not become, for example, too angry or not

.angry enough. Both becoming too angry or not angry enough are mistakes

Determining the middle course is dependant on the intellect and religious decrees.

One's intellect, when it has grown enough to be able to

.determine right from wrong, and divine laws guide man to finding the middle course

Becoming Too Angry Or Lustful Or Not Angry Or Lustful Enough Is Dangerous

A man who becomes too angry or too lustful or not angry enough or not lustful

.enough will be lower than any animal

The middle course of these two traits is the straight path (sirāt al-mustaqīm).(1) One's state in the hereafter depends on his state in this world. The person who falls off the middle course in this world will fall in the next world as well. Most of the bad things and

(difficulties that happen in this world are because of man's actions.(2

The Middle Course In Eating; Not Being Excessive

One will be healthy if he follows the middle course regarding the desire for food. The middle course in eating is eating the necessary amount and variety of food. The

(Qurān orders us: “Eat and drink, but do not be excessive.”(3

The commander of the faithful, Imām ‛Alī (a) also has given an order in this regard. He said that one should not eat until one is hungry and should stop eating before one is full. If one eats when he is full he will get a digestive disease. This is being excessive.

On the other side not eating enough is not eating anything for 24 hours. For this reason, it has been commanded for a person who is fasting to eat something at night.

.For this reason eating something before dawn has become part of the Islamic culture The poet S‛adī has wrote a poem in this regards: “Do not eat so much so that food

**********

.Refer to 6:153- 1 .Refer to 42:30- 2

.7:31- 3

”.falls out of your mouth and do not eat so little so that you die of weakness

One should not become weak due to lack of eating and one should not eat so much that he would become sick and get digestive diseases. Some have said: “The stomach is the home of all pain.” This was about the amount of food, but about the kinds of

:food

A Colorful Dinner Table And Different Diseases

Never become accustomed to eating all kinds of different food at once. The more kinds of food that man eats the more health problems he will have. He thinks that he will become stronger from eating these different kinds of foods, but it is the opposite.

The different kinds of sweets and fatty foods that one eats bring him closer to getting

.diabetes and other diseases

One who is used to eating different kind of foods must also spend a lot of money. For this reason it is possible for him to commit any crime in order to provide his stomach

with what it wants. But when one is satisfied with whatever is brought to him, when one does not care to eat different kinds of food he will not commit these crimes;

.instead he will fight against his nafs

You have heard how Abu Dharr fought against his personal desires and did not accept Mu‛āwīyah's elaborate dinner invitations or pouches of gold. Instead, he was satisfied

.with barley bread

One who is satisfied is honored. He pays attention to what is allowed and what is

.forbidden

So, being

excessive in eating or not eating enough is when one steps out of the ordinary and necessary amount or varieties of food that the body needs. The middle course is

.eating the necessary amount and varieties of food that the body needs

One Must Follow The Middle Course In Sexual Desires As Well

The middle course must be followed in sexual desires; the desire to touch the opposite sex. One should not refrain from marriage because this has been ordered against. The Prophet of Islam (S) said: “Marriage is a good custom (sunnah) and something that I have done. One who does not act according to my customs is not

(from me.”(1

Refraining from marriage all together is a form of negligence. Allah gave man sexual desires so that man will procreate. There has been a tradition from the Messenger of Allah (S) regarding this as well. He said: “Get married and have children. Increase in population so I can take pride at your being larger than other communities on the Day

(of Judgment.”(2

Being excessive in sexual desires is also a mistake. Suppose one is not able to take care of one woman, he will only cause himself and others pain in getting another wife.

Also, different diseases occur when one performs the act excessively. One's life span

.also becomes shorter when he does this in excess

The Middle Course In Marriage Is Relative

The middle course regarding sexual desires must be adhered to. One should marry according to what the divine law says and according to what man's nature says. After

marriage, one should perform the act according to his

********

.Allāmah Majlīsī, Bihār al-Anwār, volume 103, page 220‛ -1

.Same as above -2

body's ability. The ability of men's bodies differ; likewise the middle course differs from man to man. For some once a week is the middle course, for some twice a week

.and for some once every two weeks

The Spiritual Benefits Of Making A Family

It is necessary for one's soul to make a family. One finds perfection after dealing with the difficulties of marriage and childbearing. As I alluded to before, religious decrees are related to man's nature and instincts. One who acts in excess or refrains from satisfying his desires not only has acting against divine orders but will also suffer spiritual and physical diseases. He will lose the blessings of having a household which

.will perfect him on a spiritual level

Do Not Oppress Nor Be Oppressed

Anger also has a middle course. The middle course of anger is necessary and man

.becomes perfected in it

One must not remain indifferent when his property, loved ones, honor or life is put in danger. It is correct to be angry at these times. As long as one is able, he must not let someone take away the halāl money that he has obtained. The same goes for his

.honor, life and loved ones

The Qurān says: “Do not oppress nor be oppressed.”(1) Do not hit someone without

.reason and do not allow someone to hit you

A sentence from the Bible has been narrated that I do not believe is from divine revelation. There is no doubt that the Bible and the Torah have been tampered with.

They say that Jesus (a) said: “Whenever someone hits

********

.2:279- 1

”.you, turn your cheek so that they could hit the other side as well

This is in opposition to justice and man's nature. Do not kill and do not let someone kill you. Do not hit and do not let someone hit you. Do not fight without a cause, but fight if

.there is a cause

Being Indifferent

Suppose someone is indifferent and says: “They came, what's it to me? They left,

what's it to me? They were killed, what's it to me?” This person is like what the Commander of faithful (a) said: “A person who does not move to fight against wrong,

”.or at least, does not feel angry in his heart, is like a dead man walking

I have previously described what being too angry is and what not being angry enough is. Not being angry enough is being indifferent to someone taking one's property, life,

loved ones or honor. Being too angry is becoming angry when one should not become angry or exceeding the limits of anger even when one should be angry. One must

refrain from both of these cases. I gave examples of both of these cases in the last lecture. I explained that some of the cases where one should not become angry are due to having false expectations. For example, one expects everyone to stand up and treat him with respect when he enters a room, but when one or two people do not

?stand up he gets angry. What kind of expectation was that

The Prophet (S) Did Not Want Respect

It is a

mistake to expect man to respect you. The Messenger of Allah (S), with all of his majesty, said that he did not agree with the way that everyone showed him respect

.when he entered a meeting

The Prophet (S) did not expect others to respect him; he did not consider himself better than others. It is the community's duty to respect him, but he wanted to show that one should not expect others to respect him nor should he consider himself better than others. The Messenger of Allah (S) did not consider himself better than his nation; instead he considered himself their servant. He did not expect anything from them, he was a servant sent by Allah. For this reason, his reward is also with Allah. (1)

Respecting and loving his family, which has been ordered, is for the Muslims; it is a

(benefit for the Muslims themselves.(2

Be Happy If Someone Did Not Treat You Ill

Especially, the religious scholars and seminary students should follow this strategy of

the Prophet (S). One of the great scholars said that a scholar should expect people to throw stones at him when he leaves his house and when that does not happen he should be thankful. A scholar should not expect people to greet him, treat him with respect and kiss his hands. You are a follower of the Prophet (S); you have and heard about how much he has been tortured, how bad he has been treated, how much he

has been hit by stones and bones. Now, I should say: “I am

*******

.Refer to 42:23- 1 .Refer to 34:47- 2

a scholar. I am a sayyid. Respect me.” But, if they do not respect me should I become

?angry

The Prophet (S) And Imāms (A) Did Not Have Expectations

You should not expect others to serve you; instead you should serve mankind. Do not desire to become higher or better than others; instead follow the path of the Prophet

.(S) and the pure Imāms (a

It has been related that, in one of the Islamic wars, the Prophet's companions slaughtered a sheep. Every one of them had a certain job to do. The Messenger of Allah (S) went to collect firewood and they told him: “We are your servants, O Messenger of Allah. Sit down and relax, we will collect the firewood ourselves.” The Prophet responded by saying that he would feel shy from his Lord if he would consider

(himself in a higher position than his companions.(1

We Should Not Expect Greetings And Respect

I am trying to say that the scholars must lower their expectations. They should not expect people to serve them. (Of course, the people have their own duty, they should respect scholars.) For example, a scholar should not expect the people to greet him; instead they should follow the Prophet's (S) example and greet the people. Just like the Prophet said: “There are three things that I will not leave as long as I am alive; one of them is greeting the people before they greet me.” (The second and third things are

(.sitting on the ground and not walking in front of others

Lecture 9: Lust And Anger Must Be In Accordance To One’s Intellect And Divine Decree

point

We said that Allah, with His perfect wisdom, gave man

********

.Allāmah Majlīsī, Bihār al-Anwār, volume 6‛ -1

two powers, lust and anger. If these two powers are in congruence with the third power, intellect, man will be successful. He will achieve bliss in this world and the next.

Man will reach perfection if these two powers are used in the middle course, the course accepted by both the intellect and the divine decrees given to us by the prophets. Man will fall if he acts in excess. He will leave the human world and enter the

.animal world. According to the Qurān he will be even lower than animals

Physical And Spiritual Benefits Found In Food

Eating too little is when all of the necessary food products do not reach one's body. A person who eats too little does not benefit from the good things that Allah created for him. One must benefit from food both materially and spiritually. When one eats halāl food it will both strengthen his body and strengthen his soul. The reason for this is that there is a little bit of Allah's perfection in the food. Man must eat sweet fruit and pay attention to who created the fruit. He should think about the power and wisdom He must have had to make these fruits from water and dirt. He should thank Allah and

increase his love of Him. One should benefit from the delicious food that Allah has

..made. So, one has lost both physically and spiritually if he does not benefit from food

Worshipping One’s Stomach

Eating too much is worshipping one's stomach and going after complete comfort. It is

eating with

out even thinking about it, just like an animal fills his stomach.(1) Excess in the amount of food is eating more than what is necessary and excess in the types of food is eating many different varieties of food without thinking about their physical or spiritual

.benefits and harms. Eating in excess is eating without thinking

One, While Eating, Should Remember That Allah Blessed Him With This Food

One should remember the One who blessed him while he is eating at the dinner table.

It is good to say 'in the name of Allah' (bismillah) before taking every bite of food. One should not eat food that Allah's name has not been pronounced over.(2) The late Sayyid bin Tāūs (r) acted in accordance to this verse with every type of food, even though it is only obligatory to recite the name of Allah when slaughtering an animal. If one intentionally does not say bismillah while slaughtering an animal the animal will fall under the category of a dead body and its meat will be forbidden to eat. The Sayyid acted according to this with all types of food. For example, the Sayyid would not drink milk if the person who milked the cow did not start by saying bismillah or he

.would not eat bread if the baker did not start by saying bismillah

A servant who knows reality, who thanks Allah when eating, is not only aware of Allah

.while he eats, but he is aware of him whenever he is benefited by anything

The Middle Course In Marriage And Anger

One way to be excessive in marriage is not to

********

Refer to 47:12- 1

Refer to 6:121- 2

marry at all. This is against man's nature and the creation of mankind. Men and women marry for social reasons, building a family and procreating. Being excessive

.on the other side is marrying or performing the act more than the necessary amount Anger has also been discussed. When one does not use his anger enough he is indifferent to crimes committed against him. He does not care if his property is stolen,

if his life or honor is taken, or if one of his loved one's life is taken. This same person is indifferent when he sees sin. He does not help the oppressed and does not try to stop

.the oppressor

What is excessive anger? We are going to talk about this; this is a very important subject especially for the general public. Excessive anger destroys one's life in this world and the next. For this reason it is important for all of us to know what it is and

.act according to whatever we understood

The Prophet (S) Never Had Personal Anger

Anger can be excessive either because of how one became angry or how one showed his anger. Anger becomes excessive when one becomes angry at a time when neither the intellect nor the divine decree allows it. An example given earlier is one becoming angry at someone who did not have a choice in what he did. This is against the intellect and against religious law. Another case is when one does not act according to

another's expectations. Why did you have expectations so that you

?would get angry when someone acted against them

The Messenger of Allah (S) never had personal anger directed at someone who acted against what he (S) wanted. The Prophet's eyes were always divine; he would

.become angry at disbelief, corruption and sin

Imām ‛Alī’ (A) And ‛Amr Bin ‛Abd Wudd

Our Imām's also acted like this. Everyone has heard that ‛Amr bin ‛Abd Wudd spat in Imām ‛Alī's (a) face when they were at war. Imām ‛Alī (a) did not kill him at that moment; instead he waited for a little while and then chopped his head off. After people asked him why he hesitated, he said that if he would have killed him at that

.moment he would have been acting according to personal anger which is wrong

Tribalism

Another kind of anger is coming to the aid of some one with whom you have some

kind of relationship even though he is in the wrong. For example, if a person in your family commits a crime and you help him only because he is a member of your family.

.One must help the oppressed not the oppressor, even if the oppressor is one's child Sometimes people help out members of their own gang, even if they are oppressors,

.just because they are from the same gang

Tribalism Is Against The Divine Decree

Imām Sajjād (a) said that negative tribalism is when a person thinks that a bad person from his tribe is better than good people from another tribe.(1) They think that a

.terrible person is good only because he is a member of their tribe or family

Loving One’s Family And Tribalism Are Two Different Things

I

.Shaykh ‛Alī Namāzī, Mustadrak Safīnat al-Bihār, volume 2, page 199- 1

will also mention the point that one must love one’s family. This is a natural feeling that Allah put in man. One must also love one’s friends. He must help his family and his friends, but what is disliked and bad is helping out a friend or a family member even when he is an oppressor. One must help his family and friends, but not in oppression.

One must not differentiate between family members and other people when it comes

.to oppression. One must always act in accordance to justice

Imām Sādiq (a) said: “The army on the right side is just and the opposing army acts in accordance with tribalism.” One must help the oppressed even if one's son is the oppressor and even if his help will hurt his son. One must help the oppressed even if the help that he gives will hurt his own self. The Qurān says the following about this:

(“Stand up for justice… even if it is against your own selves.”(1

For example, suppose one of your friends or relatives got in a fight and he was in the right. Here you should give witness to help your friend or relative. But, if you know that the other person was in the right you must give witness against your friend or relative.

This should not be exclusive to the courtroom, but in any case that you must give witness. One should not forget about the person who is in the right because of

.personal issues

Justice

If

*******

.4:135- 1

man is not just he is an animal. He will not pay attention to who is in the right and who is in the wrong. We must make a pact to pay attention to who is in the right, even if it is

.our enemy

So, the opposite of tribalism is justice. One must become angry at oppression, no matter who is oppressed, and at the oppressor, no matter who he is. Here, one must

.put his personal feelings aside

Lecture 10: Showing Anger with The Tongue, Hand or Heart

point

Sometimes one can be excessive in anger at a time when one should be angry. This is not good, if it occurs. One should become angry at oppression and sin with his tongue,

with his hand and with his heart, but should make sure to act in the correct fashion.

How angry should one become? The different stages of anger using one's tongue

.hand or heart will become clear by giving some examples

Exceeding the limits using the tongue - It is natural that a believer will become angry when someone says something bad to him. In this case, the best thing to do in the

.view of Islam is control one's anger and remain silent

Answer Bad With Good

It would be very good if one could not only refrain from replying with bad language,

but give the person advice in a nice tone using good manners. For example if one would tell him: “You are a respected person whom people look up to. It would be a

shame if your respect would be lowered

”.in their eyes

If a Muslim is able to answer bad language with good language, he should answer bad actions with good actions. For example, you can give someone who needs something what he needs even if that same person did not help you out when you were in need.

If one is able to answer bad with good, his enemies would lose their hatred for him and would become his friends, even better than friends, they would become like

.family members

Of course, not everyone is able to do this. Only the people who have a high level of

.faith are able to do this and benefit from their good habits

The Other Person Will Be Ashamed When You Act Well With Them

At first it is difficult to answer with good words someone who swore at you, but later it becomes pleasurable to do so. Sometimes men, in order to feel better, answer one swear with ten different swears. Not only does this make that person feel worse, he

.gets even angrier and it results in making an enemy

A person who answers bad language with good language, who controls his anger,

who acts like an adult, is the one who will become calm and feel better while the

.person who used bad language will be ashamed and regretful

An Eye For An Eye Limited By The Divine Decree

One can perform one of the following three actions to someone who swears at him.

He can either forgive him and remain silent or answer his bad language with good

language, or if he cannot do any of these he can swear at the person

just like the latter swore at him. For example if someone called him stupid he can reply: “You're the stupid one.” But, he does not have the right to say anything against

.his father, mother or brother

The Qurān says: “..Should anyone aggress against you, assail him in the manner he assailed you.”(1) One is unable to oppress the oppressor to a higher degree of oppression than he was oppressed himself. If one swears twice responding to one

.swear, he has crossed the limits

There is no eye for an eye regarding false accusations. The accused cannot claim that the accuser committed the crime that he says was committed. For example, the accused cannot accuse the accuser of committing adultery in return for a false accusation. What the accused can do is charge the accuser of making false

(accusations and if it is confirmed he will be punished Islamically.(2

The danger here is one losing control of one’s tongue in the state of anger and saying

.more than one is allowed to say which results in becoming divinely responsible But, in any case, one may respond with bad language, if it is not a false accusation, lie or slander and not outside the limits. One's tongue easily goes out of control and the

.only thing there is to control it is the fear of Allah

Dignity And Comfort In Front Of Tribalism

Here we will mention a verse from Surah al-Fath: “When the faithless nourished bigotry in their hearts, the bigotry of pagan ignorance, Allah sent down His composure

upon the

p: 69

2:194- 1

.One can refer to the book “Greater Sins” for more explanation -2

Apostle and upon the faithful, and made them abide by the word of God-wariness, for

(they were the worthiest of it and deserved it, and Allah has knowledge of all things”.(1

The Arabs in the age of Ignorance, in addition to having satanic and animalistic anger,

were more racist and more tribalistic than other nations. According to a prophetic tradition, tribalism was the cause of their fall. Their tribalism made them arrogant,

and because of it they continued to accept the false slogans that their fellow

.tribesmen would say

The unbelievers had this spirit of ignorant tribalism while Allah gave his Prophet and those who followed him peace and comfort so that they had dignity in front of the

.unbelievers

The Peace Treaty Of Hudaybīyah

This verse was revealed about the peace treaty of Hudaybīyah which has been mentioned in Islamic history and is outside of our discussion. The polytheists sent

Suhayl bin ‛Amr to the Prophet (S) as their representative in writing the treaty. The Messenger of Allah (S) recited the peace treaty and the Commander of the faithful (a)

wrote it down. The Prophet said: “Write 'In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the

.Merciful’.” The Commander of the faithful wrote it

Suhayl said: “We do not know the Compassionate, the Merciful. Nothing has reached us about this from our ancestors.” Some Muslims complained and said that the

.sentence must remain as it was

”?The Messenger of Allah (S) said: “What should we write

”.Suhayl said: “Writing: ‘in your name, O Allah’, is common amongst us

;The Prophet said

*******

.48:26- 1

”.’Alī, erase what you wrote and write: ‘in your name, O Allah‛“

This is not something so serious that one should fight over and ruin the peace treaty which is in the benefit of Islam and the Muslims. What loss will those words cause? The principle is that it should be started in the name of Allah; it does not matter with which sentence. Those people had a satanic form of tribalism in their hearts and for

.that reason Allah gave the Muslims peace in their hearts to bear what he said

In Any Case, Muhammad (S) Is A Prophet

The Prophet (S) then said: “Write: ‘This document is between Muhammad, the

”.Messenger of Allah, and Suhayl bin ‛Amr

When it was written, Suhayl said: “We would not have fought you if we thought that

”.you were a prophet sent from Allah

The companions got angry and a fight was about to break out when the Prophet (S)

”.said: “No problem, erase it

”?Alī (a) asked: “O Messenger of Allah (S)! How can I erase your title‛

The Prophet took the document and erased the words 'the Messenger of Allah'

.himself

Muhammad is a Prophet whether they write it or not. Is writing that Muhammad was the messenger of Allah worth fighting over? Is it worth destroying the peace treaty

?over

Do Not Lose Your Calm

A believer is one whose soul and veins are full of piety. A believer always considers Allah to be present and watching everything. His tongue and eyes are in his control

and he does not become angry because of his nafs. If he becomes angry

.it is for Allah

Suhayl bin ‛Amr disrespected the Prophet (S) and the Prophet refrained from getting angry. This is the sunnah of the Prophet (S). One must not lose his calm. One should remain pious. One should not show satanic and animalistic anger at ignorance. One must show dignity and calmness when dealing with ignorant, tribalistic people. The Qurān describes the believers as having the following characteristic: “..When ignorant people address them they say peace (salām).”(1) The Arabic term salām is derived from salama. It means that we do not have any fight with you. We are not like you ignorant people who use such bad language with someone. A Muslim is one with

(whom other Muslims feel safe.(2

Stepping Over The Limits Of Anger

According to the Qurān it is better to forgive someone who slaps you.(3) One should not say that if I forgive him, he will slap another person. It is usual for a criminal to feel

upset and ask for repentance when the victim forgives him. It is better to fight one's nafs and forgive that person rather than seeking revenge. The reason for this is that the revenge must equal the harm that was inflicted and doing that is very difficult. For

.this reason, forgiving the person is closer to piety than seeking revenge

Do Not Bear Oppression At The Beginning

We should also remember the verse of Qurān that says: “Do not commit oppression nor be oppressed.”(4) This is regarding oppression at the first stage. For example,

nobody said let a person who wants to hit you, hit

*******

.25:63- 1

.Shaykh Kulaynī, Usūl al-Kāfī, volume 2, page 234- 2

.Refer to 2:237- 3

2:279- 4

you. Likewise, nobody said to let someone who wants to kill you, kill you. The Commander of the faithful (a) said that someone who does this is like someone who commits suicide.(1) The reason for this is because he did not defend himself even

.though he was able to prevent the other person from killing him

They say that it is better to forgive someone rather than seeking revenge after he has

.hit you. There is a pleasure that is in forgiving that is not found in revenge

The following has been mentioned in the explanation of the verse that says forgiving is closer to piety: there are three things that one can do after being wounded. The first is forgiving the criminal, the second is asking for blood money and the third is physically punishing him. This verdict must be given by the Islamic judge (hākim al-

shari‛). The punishment cannot be any bigger than the wound itself. For example,

Qanbar, Imām ‛Alī's (a) servant was whipping someone as an Islamic punishment. He accidentally whipped the person one extra time and the Imām said that Qanbar must

.be whipped one time by the person who was whipped

It is better to forgive the person because punishing someone equally is difficult. In any case, the best thing to do is forgive the person and the second best thing to do is ask for blood money. But, if someone wants to physically punish the criminal, he must do

.so equally

So, you are not allowed to

*******

.Shaykh ‛Alī Namāzī, Mustadrak Safīnat al-Bihār, volume 2, page 407- 1

slap someone twice who slapped you once. Also, you cannot hit someone who struck you and left a red mark, in such a way so as to leave a black mark. If one does this he

.must pay the extra amount in blood money

Lecture 11: Envy Destroys One’s Health

point

We must understand what creates envy and refrain from it. This sickness is worse than cancer for one's spirit. From the beginning, one must control himself so that he does not become afflicted with this disease that can destroy one's family. Envy starts from becoming angry at the wrong times or becoming excessively angry. Examples of

.these have been mentioned earlier

For example, suppose there are two workmates. One of them gets a promotion and the other one does not. The one who did not get promoted gets angry at the fact that his workmate got promoted but he did not. This anger will result in envy. His envy will

grow and he will wish that his former workmate gets demoted. This form of envy is harmful for one's body and soul. The Commander of the faithful (a) said in the Nahj al-

Balāghah: “It is strange that an envious person does not pay attention to his

.health.”(1) It is true that envy destroys one's physical health

(He (a) also said: “Health comes from a lack of envy.”(2

A man's spirit has many duties including taking care of his body and protecting his abilities. When one becomes envious his spirit only thinks about what he is envious

.about

********

.Imām ‛Alī, Nahj al-Balāghah Fayd al-Islām, volume 2, page 1186, saying number 216- 1 .Imām ‛Alī, Nahj al-Balāghah Fayd al-Islām, volume 2, page 1200, saying number 248- 2

His spirit becomes upset because it feels that it has less than what he is envious

.about. This even has an effect on one's appetite

Envy Does Not Allow Faith To Remain In One’s Heart

Envy also destroys one's soul. The following tradition has been narrated from Usūl al-

Kāfī and other books: the Messenger of Allah (S) said: “Envy consumes one’s faith just like fire consumes firewood.” Have you seen what fire does to firewood? He (S) said that envy does the same thing to one's faith. One will die without faith if envy grows

.inside of him, because envy does not allow faith to remain in his heart

In another tradition, the Messenger of Allah (S) said to his companions: “Beware, a sickness that was in previous nations has been found amongst you. Know that this is a

(terminal disease; it is a disease that destroys your religion.”(1

This was a warning sign that the Prophet gave to his companions at the end of his life.

Envy is what took the followers of the previous prophets off the path of religion and

we saw what envy did to the Muslims after the Prophet (S) passed away. Envy was the reason for the death of thousands of people in the battles of Jamal and Siffīn. Review the history of Islam; you will see that envy was behind every social catastrophe that

.befell Muslims

Envy Kills Scholars

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

,testimony, about the conditions of a witness: “A witness must not be envious. In Islam

******

.Shaykh ‛Alī Namāzī, Mustadrak Safīnat al-Bihār, volume 1, page 251- 1

a witness's testimony is not accepted if he is envious. He is not just. In other words,

envy is one of the greater sins.” Shaykh Jawāhirī used a tradition from the Messenger of Allah (S) to prove that envy is one of the greater sins. The tradition described the sins that would force different segments of society into Hell. One of the things that he

(S) said was: “The religious scholars [will be sent into Hell] because of their envy.” Envy will make those who learn about religion go to Hell if they are not careful and if they

.do not purify themselves

It is better if I relate something while we are talking about this tradition. Tomorrow is the birthday of the ninth Imām, Imām Jawād (a). Before I read a tradition from him I would like to say that the envy that destroys scholars is not exclusive to scholars who study Islamic jurisprudence, instead it encompasses university students and scholars of other fields as well. As a principle, knowledge brings about envy, be it religious knowledge or any other knowledge. This is a warning to anyone who has become knowledgeable in any field. Because of this Imām Khomeini (r) said that a student in

the religious seminary or a student in the university will be dangerous for the society if

.he has not purified his self. His harm would be more than his benefit

The Envious Judge Tries To Give The Imām The Death Penalty

Have you heard about the story of Abū Līlāī, who was a judge during the time

of Imām Jawād? Abū Līlāī was a judge in the Abbasid khalīfa, Mutawakkil's so called Islamic government. He was the head judge and in charge all of the courthouses in the country. A store owner lived close to his house by the name of Zaraqā'. The judge and the store owner were friends. One day the judge went to see Zaraqā' while he was very distressed. The store owner asked: “Your honor, why are you so upset

”?today

The judge responded: “If you only knew what happened to me in front of the khalīfa today. They brought a thief in front of me. They asked me how much of his hand should be cut and I said that the Qurān said that a person’s hand up to his elbow must

.be washed in wudū.(1) So, I said that his hand must be cut from the elbow

The khalīfa asked other judges who were present in the courtroom about their“

opinion and they said that the hand must be cut from the wrist because all considered

.that to be the hand in regards to tayammum

.(The Khalīfa then turned to the Imām of the Shī‛a, Imām Jawād (a“

”Imām Jawād (a) said: “They said what the ruling is

”.The Khalīfa said: “You tell me the ruling as well

”.Imām again said: “They already said what the ruling is

The Khalīfa insisted that the Imām tell him his opinion and the Imām said: “His fingers

(must be cut off because Allah said that the masājid belong to Allah.(2

******

.Refer to 5:6- 1

.Refer to 72:18- 2

Masājid is the plural form of masjid which means parts of one's body that are on the floor when he prostrates. This thief will want to pray and he must put the seven parts of his body on the ground when he prostrates. He must put his two palms on the ground and for this reason they should not be cut. Instead, only his fingers should be

.cut

When the Imām said this, the Khalīfa said; “Excellent!” and immediately ordered the

.thief to be punished in the way that the Imām said

At this time it was like the world fell on my head. How was a 25 year old man ahead of me in knowledge? I'm upset and I will not get over it until I do what I have to do, even

.though I know that whoever helps in the murder of this young man will go to Hell Zaraqā' tried to advice him against it but he did not accept. The next day he went to the khalīfa and asked him: “Do you know what happened yesterday? Instead of suppressing the person whom a large number of Muslims consider as their Imām and

as the rightful khalīfa of the Prophet (S), who consider you to be unjust, you put him forward and strengthened him. Those who thought he was the rightful khalīfa are now saying; 'Didn't you see, even the khalīfa understands that he is higher.' They are

saying that he is better than others. What a big political

mistake you made!” He kept making statements like this to the khalīfa until the latter

.(was convinced about killing the Imām (a). Finally, they poisoned him (a

Understanding Reality Will Not Come From Reading Books Alone

Look and see how many scholars are in danger of this. Mujtahids, doctors, engineers

.and scientists, they are all in danger of this

But, the knowledge that has been praised in the Qurān and traditions is a light that shines in one's heart. An example of this is: “The scholars are the inheritors of the Prophets.”(1) This knowledge, the knowledge of reality, the knowledge of the mortality of this world and the immortality of the next, is not achieved by reading alone. It is a light that is given by Allah to a person who has prepared himself to

.receive it

Lecture 12: Knowledge, Like Property and Social Status, Brings About Arrogance

point

There is an important point that is necessary to tell you religious students and university students about. It is a danger that will ruin all your efforts if not understood.

This danger is arrogance. This danger is found in every group of people, but it is more common amongst scholars. The knowledge that one has in any field can cause arrogance. Arrogance destroys people, just like it destroyed Iblīs. There is a tradition that says that the first sin on earth was Iblīs's arrogance. He fell due to his arrogance

.to a place where everyone curses him

The definition of arrogance, its danger and why it is common amongst scholars will be

.made clear

One is arrogant when he imagines himself to be of

*******

.Shaykh Kulaynī, Usūl al-Kāfī, volume 1, page 24- 1

importance or imagines that he has special characteristics. He thinks that he does not have any needs. He considers himself important because he learned some jargon or he considers himself someone who does not have any needs because he has become rich. Someone is more likely to become arrogant if his social status increases after he has gained knowledge. When one becomes a president of a company he sees

.greatness in himself

Compound Ignorance Makes One Forget That He’s A Servant

The danger of arrogance is that one will leave worship and enter into a state of compound ignorance. Ignorance is when one does not see reality. He considers his imagination to be true, not reality. One reality, for example, is that every existence in every level is less than the existence of the Seal of the Prophets (S). Whoever considers his existence to be dependent, and his existence to be from someone else,

is present and everlasting. But, whoever thinks that his existence is in his own hands must see that he will die even if he does not want to and he will continue to live even if

he does not want to. One will not die until Allah allows him to die, even if he tries to kill

.himself

Not only is his life in someone else's hands, but his death is in someone else's hands as well. Drinking poison and death is from Allah. If Allah wants one to die by drinking

poison he will die, but if Allah does not want this, even if he drinks

.poison he will not die

He Tried To Kill Himself In Two Different Ways, But Survived

I read in an article that a man in New York took a loan for millions of dollars in order to build a skyscraper. The skyscraper was left half way done and he did not have the ability to complete it. Nobody else would give him a loan. Now, he has a huge debt on his shoulders that is increasing daily due to interest and his skyscraper remained half way done and nobody wanted to rent it. He decided to commit suicide by jumping off the top floor. He then thought, maybe I will not die by jumping so it is better to drink poison and then jump off the building. He thought that he would definitely die from one of the two reasons. He drank the poison and jumped, head-first, off the building.

On his way down he crashed into a pole on the building and threw up the poison. So,

he did not die in either way that he had thought he would. When Allah does not want

.something, there is nothing that one can do

We must understand that life is not in our hands, not the start of life and not the continuance of life. Likewise, death is also not in our hands. We have been created,

raised and remain living without choice. Everyone is dependent on Allah and Allah is the only independent existence. Man must have the ability to do whatever he wants to

do. Is he able to bring about

?this ability in himself

Do not say: “I am doing this.” Do you have the ability to do what you want? Your existence is not in your hands for you to be able to say that qualities such as ability are

.in your hands. Lā hawla wa lā quwata illa billah

A Scholar Is Also In Need Of Allah Regarding His Knowledge

One should not consider himself independent, no matter how much knowledge he has. Being dependent is part of man's nature. One must not forget that he is

.dependent as long as he is alive

The place of knowledge is in one's memory. Allah decides how long knowledge remains in one's memory. Fifty years ago, there was a scholar who taught a book called Muttawil. One day when he woke up he forgot how to recite the first chapter of the Qurān. He was in a state of forgetfulness. When he entered the classroom it was as if he had never read the book before, and as if he had never attended school

'before. . He even forgot how to say 'in the name of Allah

The memory stores knowledge like a computer and this memory is one of the proofs that one's nafs is immaterial. The memory holds all information learned, for example the alphabet that one learns in first grade. If one's memory is taken from him he will even forget the alphabet. So, a scholar is still in need of Allah, even in regards to his

.knowledge

A Doctor Who Accidentally Killed His Own Son

A doctor is able to benefit from what he learned if his knowledge remains in his

?memory. But what would happen if Allah didn't want it to remain in his memory The son of a doctor, around 30 years ago, had a fever and the doctor thought that his son had malaria. The doctor treated him as if he had malaria when in reality he had typhoid fever. The medication of typhoid fever and malaria are different. The son died after a few days. There is nobody who would work harder in finding a cure for that

.child other than his father, but everything is from Allah

There was a religious doctor who passed away. He told me: “Sometimes I give someone medication which I am certain will work. Later I see that it did not have a positive effect. Sometimes medication that I thought might work works perfectly.” It is clear that the effect is also from Allah. A doctor, like a mujtahid, is in need of his

.knowledge and for that reason he should not become arrogant

A Scholar Must Be Humble

A mujtahid, a doctor and an engineer must be humble. He should not consider himself

to be different from the laity. Likewise a millionaire must not consider himself different from a poor person. The million dollars that one has did not make him a

?person without needs. Can one's money cure him from an incurable disease

It should not be left unsaid that this is related to the person himself. The mujtahid should not consider his self high and others low. He should not have huge

expectations of respect. But, it

is other people's duty to respect him and hold him high. A scholar in any field must be respected, especially the religious scholars. Many traditions have been mentioned about this, for example, respecting a religious scholar is like respecting the Messenger of Allah (S) just like mistreating a religious scholar is like mistreating the

.(Messenger of Allah (S

(Lecture 13: The Cure of Arrogance, According To Imām ‛Alī (A

point

First one must understand what arrogance is and where it comes from, then he will

.realize how great a sin it is

Arrogance is a state of feeling important, feeling that one has a special place. Reality is taken from him and he only uses his imagination. Everyone, in reality, is nothing.

Every body is from dirt and will return to dirt. One's self is also in real need, his life,

.health and property are not in his hands

The Commander of the faithful (a) says in one of his speeches found in Nahj al-

Balāghah: “O' creatures of Allah! Allah created you without you having a choice and

(takes care of you for as long as you are alive.”(1

Man is naturally needy, low and in reality nothing. Imām ‛Alī (a) said in another tradition: “I'm surprised about the person who is arrogant. At the beginning he was unclean semen and at the end he will be a decomposed body and between these two he is good for nothing.”(2) Right now, under our skin, is najis blood and it is known

.what is in our stomachs and intestines

One Becomes The Measure Of Reality When Arrogance Grows In One’s Spirit

Arrogance is the reason behind many of

*********

Imām ‛Alī, Nahj al-Balāghah Fayd al-Islām, page 183, speech 82- 1

Shaykh ‛Alī Namāzī, Mustadrak Safīnat al-Bihār, volume 2, page 360- 2

the sins that man commits. One will not accept reality if arrogance is left to grow. One will stand against the truth; one will even think that he himself is the truth. He will think that his own opinions and customs are correct; he will not be a servant of Allah anymore. He will not serve Allah's friends (awlīyā Allah). They will be like those who were arrogant and stood up against the Commander of the faithful (a), they either did

.not pay allegiance to him or they disobeyed him after they paid allegiance

?What creates arrogance and what strengthens it

Arrogance Because Of Property Is The Result Of Being Ignorant About Reality

The first thing that creates arrogance is property. The natural result of an increase in wealth is an ignorant form of arrogance. I said that arrogance stems from ignorance,

because a rational person would understand that wealth does not add anything to his existence. There is no difference between him and a poor person, even if he has millions of dollars. But, when his wealth is increases he sees himself better than poor

.people

Have you heard the tradition where the Messenger of Allah (S) was sitting with a rich person and a poor person entered and sat next to his rich brother in Islam? When he sat down the rich person tucked his clothing in and the Messenger of Allah (S)

.protested and asked him why he did that

He immediately became regretful and said that there is something in me that forces

me to do these bad actions (arrogance was in

him). He said that he is regretful for his actions and to make it up he gave half of his

.belongings to his poor brother in Islam

The Messenger of Allah (S) asked the poor person if he accepted that and he said: “No, ”.because I am afraid that if I take it I will do the same thing to another poor person

Being Arrogant Because Of Knowledge Is Dangerous

Knowledge that one obtains from learning in a university, for example, is worse than property when one thinks that he is important because of his knowledge. He looks down on others. It is even worse if he thinks this way about religious knowledge and considers himself to be as the tradition says: “The scholars are the inheritors of the Prophets.”(1) It is dangerous when he thinks that others must obey him due to his

.knowledge

This danger is more evident for religious students than others because in others arrogance shows itself in monetary situations. But, with religious students, arrogance

shows itself in position; his nafs wants to be in a higher position. He says: “I am more knowledgeable than him, I have studied more than he has.” In reality he is worse than the humble illiterate person. Position is in relation to faith and actions. The knowledge that is important is the knowledge of Allah and the last day; it is a light found in one's

.heart that humbles him

I Am The Lowest Of The Lowest

One, no matter how much knowledge he has, is like a drop of water in respect to the

ocean with regard

******

Shaykh ‛Alī Namāzī, Mustadrak Safīnat al-Bihār, volume 2, page 219- 1

to the Imām (a). He will admit this if he is a rational being. Look at what the Imām, who

.is a source of knowledge, who is the holder of all fields of knowledge, does

Imām Zayn al-‛Ābidīn (a) said in Sahīfah al-Sajjādīyah: “I am the least of the least and the lowest of the lowest. I am even smaller than an atom.” The infallible Imām said that he was smaller than the smallest thing in the eyes of Allah. Now, should a person who considers himself to be a scholar arrogantly say that he is better than so and so? Allah's scale is piety. A religious student must not forget that he is needy and incapable. He must not consider himself better than others. He should not consider himself to be part of a special segment of society and the rest of the people to be of

.the laity

I Feel Lower Than You

One would realize the scale is something other than knowledge if he has become a scholar. For this reason he should think that maybe that person who religiously

follows me (taqlīd) will go to heaven and maybe I will go to Hell. His humility grows and

.he sees himself lower than others

The third reason for someone to become arrogant is because of popularity or social status. Sometimes this even comes from family relations, for example one who is from a certain tribe or a certain country looks down at others and even refrains from

.marrying people from other segments of society

Sometimes this

arrogance comes from being a sayyid. A sayyid is someone who is from the Messenger of Allah's (S) lineage. How did the Messenger of Allah (S) act? He would sit on the floor and always be the first to greet someone, even a child. But, such and such

.a sayyid expects others to greet him, only because he is a sayyid

An Undeserving Scholar’s Fanaticism

Shaykh wrote a tradition from Imām Hasan al-‛Askarī (a) in Risā'l, in the section of the single transmission. The Imām described the bad scholar whose harm for the Muslim nation is great. He (a) said: “One of the signs of a bad scholar is fanaticism. The more people who follow him the greater he feels, even if they are corrupt. But, he does not

”.pay attention to someone who does not follow him, even if he is a good person Anybody from any social class who obtains a social position is afflicted with this sickness. He must do something to save himself. A rational person would try to escape

.from having power; he would not accept it unless he is forced to

Wanting To Serve People And Seeking Power Are Two Different Things

It should not be misunderstood, a leader is necessary in Islam. We need judges and mayors. What is meant is that one should not want position, but if it happens he should serve the people. He should not want to be the mayor; he should want to serve

.the city and the Muslims. The danger is when one wants to be in power

The Cure Of Arrogance

The cure of arrogance is being humble. For

example, Prophet Dāwūd became a political leader. He was both a Prophet and a political leader. The following has been taken from the book Man Lā yahdaruhu al-

faqīh: a voice came from the sky: “Dāwūd, you are a good servant, but you make a living from the public treasury.” Dāwūd cried to Allah for forty nights until Allah taught him how to make armor. Then, Dāwūd would make and sell armor for a living. It has been related that he sold every piece of armor for 300 Dirhams. He would give 100

Dirhams in charity, 100 Dirhams to the public treasury and would spend the rest of it

.on himself

Likewise, his son Sulaymān, who had power over jinn, men, birds and other animals,

.would make a living from making and selling baskets

It is understood from traditions like these that a person who has obtained power can fight against arrogance if he makes his living like other people; if he is humble. I will not say; “I'm the president!” or “I'm the one behind the desk!” or “Others must stand

”!when I walk in the room

In a tradition, Imām Sādiq (a) ordered one of his highest companions, Muhammad bin Muslim to take some dates next to the Kūfa Mosque and sell them. Even though Muhammad was part of the upper class in society he, with all of his heart, accepted

.the order. One must fight against arrogance even if it is by selling dates

Practice Not Giving Orders

Another thing one can do is not give

orders because when one gives an order it means that he thinks he is bigger than

.others

Some trustworthy people relate that the late Mīrzā Muhammad Taqī Shīrāzī would even refrain from giving orders in his house. He would not order his wife to bring dinner or clear dishes. He would go without dinner if his family forgot to give it to him.

Of course, I am not saying that it is forbidden. It is not forbidden to give orders, but

.one must practice fighting against his nafs if he wants to be a man