COPIED WEB ARCHIVE 22.7.201
| SAYINGS OF IMAM REZA (A.S.) II | for everyone |
Among his wise sayings are the following:
"God abhors hearsay, the loss of one's funds (through foolishness), and excessive questioning."
"To be courteous to people is to cross half the way to achieving wisdom."
"The mind of a Muslim is not complete except after he acquires ten merits:
"Silence is one of the gates of wisdom. Silence wins the love of others. It is an indication of everything good."
"Everyone's friend is his reason; his enemy is his ignorance."
"Among the habits of Prophets is cleanliness."
"One who is blessed with plenty must spend generously on his family."
"If you mention someone who is present, use a kunya (surname) for him, and if he is absent, mention his full name."
"Time will come when one's safety lies in ten things nine of which are in staying aloof from people, and the tenth in staying silent."
"Whoever scrutinizes his behaviour wins; whoever does not loses. Whoever fears consequences will live safely. Whoever learns a moral from others achieves insight, and whoever achieves insight achieves wisdom, and whoever achieves wisdom achieves knowledge. One who befriends the ignorant will be worn out. The best of wealth is that which safeguards one's honour. The best of reason is one's knowledge of his own self. If a true believer becomes angry, his anger does not cause him to abandon righteousness; when he is pleased, his pleasure will not tempt him into wrong-doing, and when he achieves power, he does not take more than what rightfully is his."
"If one's attributes become plentiful, they will relieve him from having to win praise by mentioning them."
"Do not pay attention to the view of someone who does not follow your advice for his own good. Whoever seeks guidance from the appropriate source will never slip, and if he slips, he will find a way to correct himself."
"People's hearts are sometimes coming towards you, sometimes keeping away from you; sometimes they are active, sometimes they are relaxed. If they come along, they will achieve wisdom and understanding, and if they stay away, they will be exhausted and worn out; so, take them when they come to you and when they are active, and shun them when they stay away or are relaxed."
"Accompany with caution the person who has authority over you; be humble when in the company of a friend; stay alert when facing an enemy, and mingle with the public with a smile on your face."
"Postponement is detrimental to the fulfillment of desires. Fulfillment is the gain of the strict. Wastefulness is the calamity of one who can afford it. Miserliness tears up honour. Passion invites trouble. The best and most honourable of virtues is to do others favours, to aid the one who calls for help, to bring the hope of the hopeful to reality, not to disappoint the optimist, to have an ever increase of the number of friends when you are alive, and the number of those who will cry when you die."
"The miser one is never restful. The envious is never pleased. The grumbling is never loyal. The liar has no conscience."
"One who struggles to satisfy the needs of his family shall have more rewards than those who make jihad in the Way of God."
"God abhors hearsay, the loss of one's funds (through foolishness), and excessive questioning."
"To be courteous to people is to cross half the way to achieving wisdom."
"The mind of a Muslim is not complete except after he acquires ten merits:
God accepts his good deeds, he is trustworthy, he sees as plentiful what little good others do for him, while seeing his own abundant good as little; he does not fret from being asked for favours, nor does he feel tired of constantly seeking knowledge; poverty reached in order to please God is better for him than wealth accumulated otherwise; to be subjected to power while trying to serve God is better in his regard than achieving power over his foe, and obscurity he prefers over fame."
Then he said, "And the third one..., do you know what the third one is?" It was said to him, "What is it?" He said, "Whenever he meets someone, he says, `He is better than me and more pious.' People are two types: a person better than him and more pious, and one who is more evil than him and more lowly. If he meets the one who is more evil than him and more lowly, he would say to himself `Maybe the goodness of this (statement) is implied, and it is better that he hears such a compliment, while my own goodness is apparent and it is detrimental to me.' And when he sees someone better than him and more pious, he would humble himself before him trying to raise himself to his level. So if he does that, his glory will be higher, his reputation will be better, and he will become distinguished above his contemporaries."
"Silence is one of the gates of wisdom. Silence wins the love of others. It is an indication of everything good."
"Everyone's friend is his reason; his enemy is his ignorance."
"Among the habits of Prophets is cleanliness."
"One who is blessed with plenty must spend generously on his family."
"If you mention someone who is present, use a kunya (surname) for him, and if he is absent, mention his full name."
"Time will come when one's safety lies in ten things nine of which are in staying aloof from people, and the tenth in staying silent."
"Whoever scrutinizes his behaviour wins; whoever does not loses. Whoever fears consequences will live safely. Whoever learns a moral from others achieves insight, and whoever achieves insight achieves wisdom, and whoever achieves wisdom achieves knowledge. One who befriends the ignorant will be worn out. The best of wealth is that which safeguards one's honour. The best of reason is one's knowledge of his own self. If a true believer becomes angry, his anger does not cause him to abandon righteousness; when he is pleased, his pleasure will not tempt him into wrong-doing, and when he achieves power, he does not take more than what rightfully is his."
"If one's attributes become plentiful, they will relieve him from having to win praise by mentioning them."
"Do not pay attention to the view of someone who does not follow your advice for his own good. Whoever seeks guidance from the appropriate source will never slip, and if he slips, he will find a way to correct himself."
"People's hearts are sometimes coming towards you, sometimes keeping away from you; sometimes they are active, sometimes they are relaxed. If they come along, they will achieve wisdom and understanding, and if they stay away, they will be exhausted and worn out; so, take them when they come to you and when they are active, and shun them when they stay away or are relaxed."
"Accompany with caution the person who has authority over you; be humble when in the company of a friend; stay alert when facing an enemy, and mingle with the public with a smile on your face."
"Postponement is detrimental to the fulfillment of desires. Fulfillment is the gain of the strict. Wastefulness is the calamity of one who can afford it. Miserliness tears up honour. Passion invites trouble. The best and most honourable of virtues is to do others favours, to aid the one who calls for help, to bring the hope of the hopeful to reality, not to disappoint the optimist, to have an ever increase of the number of friends when you are alive, and the number of those who will cry when you die."
"The miser one is never restful. The envious is never pleased. The grumbling is never loyal. The liar has no conscience."
"One who struggles to satisfy the needs of his family shall have more rewards than those who make jihad in the Way of God."
| SAYING OF IMAM REZA (A.S.)- I | for everyone |
Imamam Reza (A.S.) was asked once who the best of believers are; he said,
"They are the ones who are excited with expectation when they do a good deed, who pray for God's forgiveness when they commit a bad one, who show gratitude when they are granted something, who are patient when they are tried, who forgive those who anger them."
He (A.S.) was asked once, "How did you start your day?" He answered, "With a shorter life-span, with our deeds being recorded, with death round our necks, with Fire behind our backs, and we do not know what will be done to us." He (A.S.) said, "Wealth is not accumulated except by five means: extreme miserliness, a long-standing optimism, an overwhelming care, a boycott of the relatives, and a preference of this life over the life to come." |
| Maxims of Imam Reza (AS) | for everyone |
Maxims of Imam Reza (AS)
Imam Ar-Reza (peace be upon him) said:
The character of faith is achieved only when the believer enjoys three qualities from his Lord, the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), and the leader –the Imam- (peace be upon him). The quality that he should learn from his Lord is the concealment of secrets, the quality that he should learn from the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) is the courteous behavior, and the quality that he should learn from the leader (peace be upon him) is steadfastness against poverty and distress.
Imam Ar-Reza (peace be upon him) said:
It is obligatory upon the wealthy to improve the standard of living of his family.
Imam Ar-Reza (peace be upon him) said:
Praying and fasting is not the true worship. The true worship is the pondering over God.
Imam Ar-Reza (peace be upon him) said:
Cleanness is one of the prophets’ customs.
Imam Ar-Reza (peace be upon him) said:
Perfuming, hairstyling, and polygamy—these three matters are within the customs of the apostles of God.
Imam Ar-Reza (peace be upon him) said:
The honest has not betrayed you, but you have trusted the betrayal.
Imam Ar-Reza (peace be upon him) said:
When God wants to do an action, He seizes the minds of the servants and does that action perfectly. Then, He gives them their minds back. Therefore, they wonder how and when such an action occurred.
Imam Ar-Reza (peace be upon him) said:
Silence is one of the doors of wisdom. It yields amicability and leads to every goodness.
Imam Ar-Reza (peace be upon him) said:
Every unnecessary act requires surplusage.
Imam Ar-Reza (peace be upon him) said:
The elder brother is as same as the father.
Imam Ar-Reza (peace be upon him) said when he was asked about the lowly ones:
The lowly are those who possess things that engage them from God.
Imam Ar-Reza (peace be upon him) used to dust the letters and say:This is unproblematic. When he wanted to list his affairs for memorization, he (peace be upon him) used to begin with ‘In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. I will remember, inshallah.’
Imam Ar-Reza (peace be upon him) said:
When you want to mention a present person, you should use his surname, but when you refer to an absent person, you should use his name.
Imam Ar-Reza (peace be upon him) said:
The friend of any individual is his mind and his enemy is his ignorance.
Imam Ar-Reza (peace be upon him) said:
Endearment to people is half of intelligence.
Imam Ar-Reza (peace be upon him) said:
God surely hates gossips, squandering, and asking -for financial help- from the enemies.
Imam Ar-Reza (peace be upon him) said:
A Muslim’s mind is imperfect before he enjoys ten characters—good is expected from him, evil is far away from him, he regards others’ little good deed as great favor and regards his great favor as little, he is not disturbed by people who ask him to settle their needs, he does not feel tired of seeking knowledge all his lifetime, he prefers poverty for God’s sake to richness, prefers humility with God to honor with His enemies, and prefers obscurity to fame. The tenth character! Do you know what is it?
They asked, ‘What is it?’
It is to regard anyone as better and more pious than him. He classifies people into two kinds; either better and more pious than him or eviler and lowlier than him. If he meets one of those who are eviler and lowlier than him, he wishes the good of that man might be hidden, and this will be better for him, while his own evil is apparent, and this will be worse for him. When he meets one of those who are better and more pious than him, he behaves modestly so that he may join him. If he does so, his glory will be lofty, good deeds will be acceptable, and his reputation will be good. Besides, he will be the master of people.
As a man asked him about the exegesis of God’s saying: “God is Sufficient for the needs of whoever trusts in Him,” Imam Ar-Reza (peace be upon him) said:
Trusting in God is of various grades, one of which is to trust in whatever He does to you totally. You should satisfy yourself with whatever occurs to you, since you believe that God will not fail to bestow upon you with His good and custody and believe that everything is subject to His estimation; therefore, you should trust in Him by charging with Him whatever befalls you. Another grade of trusting in God is to believe in the unseen acts of God that you cannot comprehend, entrust their comprehension to Him as well as His custodians on them, and rely on him in such acts as well as others.
Ahmed bin Najm asked Imam Ar-Reza (peace be upon him) about the self-conceit that invalidates one’s actions. The Imam answered:
Self-conceit is of various grades, one of which is that when the evil deeds seem to be attractive and virtuous; hence, the doer becomes self-conceited because he thinks he is doing well. Another grade of self-conceit is to believe that God owes you a great deal because you believed in Him. In fact, you owe God a great deal because He guided you to believe in Him.
Al-Fadhl related: I told Abul-Hasan Ar-Reza (peace be upon him) that Younus bin Abdurrahman claimed that knowledge is an acquired thing. The Imam (peace be upon him) answered:
No, it is not. This is inaccurate. God gives knowledge (or faith) to whomever He wishes. He fixes it with a group and deposits with others. God will never seize it from those with whom it is fixed, but he will seize it from those with whom it is deposited.
Safwan bin Yahya said: I asked Imam Ar-Reza (peace be upon him) whether knowledge is given to the servants out of efforts that they themselves exert. He answered negatively. I also whether they will receive any reward due to their knowledge. The Imam (peace be upon him) answered:
God has given them knowledge out of His grace and will reward them for it out of his grace, too.
Al-Fudhail bin Yasar said: I asked Imam Ar-Reza (peace be upon him) whether the acts of the servants (of God) are created or not. He answered:
By God, the acts are created (the planning for the acts, not their bringing into being).
The Imam (peace be upon him) then added:
Faith precedes Islam in one degree and God-fearing precedes faith in one degree. Conviction is the ever-best thing that has been given to sons of Adam –human beings-.
In his indication to the best servants, Imam Ar-Reza (peace be upon him) said:
The best servants (of God) are those who feel delighted whenever they do a good deed, seek God’s forgiveness whenever they commit an evildoing, thank God whenever they obtain something, behave steadfastly whenever a misfortune befalls them, and pardon whenever they are enraged.
As he was asked about the limit of trusting in God, Imam Ar-Reza (peace be upon him) answered:
The limit of trusting in God in to fear nobody except Him.
Imam Ar-Reza (peace be upon him) said:
The banquet of wedding ceremony is a recommendable tradition.
Imam Ar-Reza (peace be upon him) said:
Faith stands on four supports—trusting in God, satisfaction with His acts, submission to His commandments, and entrusting Him with all the affairs. The virtuous servant said (as the Quran relates):
I entrust God with my affairs. God is Well Aware of His servants. God protected him against their evil plans.
Imam Ar-Reza (peace be upon him) said:
Regard your relatives even by (providing them) a mouthful of water. The best form of regarding your relatives is to save them from your evil. God says:
Do not make your charities fruitless by reproachfully reminding the recipient of your favor or making them feel insulted.
Imam Ar-Reza (peace be upon him) said:
Forbearance and knowledge are within the signs of understanding. Silence is one of the doors of wisdom. It yields amicability and leads to every goodness.
Imam Ar-Reza (peace be upon him) said:
The reward of the one who seeks earnings just for meeting the needs of his dependants is greater than the reward of the fighter for God’s sake.
Someone said to Imam Ar-Reza (peace be upon him): “How is your morning?” He answered:
I begin my day with a descending lifetime and recorded deeds. Death is inevitable for us, Hell is behind us, and we do not know what will happen to us.
Imam Ar-Reza (peace be upon him) said:
You should not have any hope, whether for a worldly or a religious affair, in those who lack five characters: original lineage, generous quality, sedate manner, noble personality, and God-fearing.
Imam Ar-Reza (peace be upon him) said:
Victory is always the confederate of the more forgiving party.
Imam Ar-Reza (peace be upon him) said:
The generous call people’s invitations to meals so that they will call his invitations, while the stingy does not call their invitations so as to save himself from inviting them.
Imam Ar-Reza (peace be upon him) said:
We, the Prophet’s family, consider our promises as debts that we must defray. This is the way of the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family).
Imam Ar-Reza (peace be upon him) said:
People will live an age in which good health will be divided into ten divisions, nine of which will lie in seclusion and one in silence.
Muammar bin Khellad said to Imam Ar-Reza (peace be upon him): God advance your relief. The Imam commented:
O Muammar, that is surely your relief. Mine is no more than a knapsack of a sealed handful of flour.
Imam Ar-Reza (peace be upon him) said:
To help the weak is the best almsgiving.
Imam Ar-Reza (peace be upon him) said:
The servants (of God) will not attain the reality of faith before they enjoy three characters—knowledge of the religious affairs, moderation in livelihood, and patience in misfortunes.
Imam Ar-Reza (peace be upon him) said to Abu Hashim Dawud bin Al-Qasim Al-Ja’fari:
O Dawud, we have rights that are imposed upon you through the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family), and you have rights that are imposed upon us. We regard the rights of those who acknowledge our rights, while we have nothing to do with those who do not acknowledge our rights.
Imam Ar-Reza (peace be upon him) was someday attendant in the session of Al-Ma’mun when people, including Al-Fadhl bin Sahl Thurriyasatain, were discussing whether night preceded day in creation or not. Al-Fadhl addressed the question at Imam Ar-Reza (peace be upon him). “Do you want me to extract the answer from God’s Book or the astronomical estimations?” “I like you to mention the astronomical estimations first,” said Al-Fadhl. The Imam (peace be upon him) spoke:
You claim that the world began with Cancer and the stars were in its prospect. On that account, Saturn was in Libra, Jupiter in Cancer, Mars in Capricorn, Venus in Pisces, the moon in Taurus, and the sun in Aries in the middle of the sky. This occurs only in daylight.
“What about the Book of God?” asked Al-Fadhl.
Imam Ar-Reza (peace be upon him) answered:
The answer is in God’s saying:
The sun is not supposed to catch-up with the moon, nor is the night to precede the day.
This means that day preceded night.
Ali bin Shuaib said: I, once, visited Abul-Hasan Ar-Reza (peace be upon him). He asked, “O Ali, do you know who is the best earner of livelihood among people?” I answered, “You, my master, is more knowledgeable than me.” He (peace be upon him) said:
The best earner of livelihood among people is that who improves others’ livelihoods out of his livelihood.
Imam Ar-Reza, peace be upon him, asked Ali bin Shuaib, “O Ali, do you know who is the worst earner of livelihood among people?” “You are more knowledgeable?” answered Ali. The Imam (peace be upon him) said:
The worst earner of livelihood is that who deprives others of improving their livelihoods through his earnings.
O Ali, use good neighborhood with the graces, for they are wild—they will not return if they leave.
O Ali, the evilest of people is that who deprives others of his aid, eats alone, and lashes his slave.
In the Eid ul-Fitr, a man told Imam Ar-Reza (peace be upon him) that he had broken his fast with dates and dust of the tomb. The Imam answered:
You have joined the prophetic tradition to the blessing.
Imam Ar-Reza (peace be upon him) said to Abu Hashim Al-Ja’fari:
O Abu Hashim, intelligence is the gift of God while the ethics are obtained through exertion of efforts. Thus, he whoever exerts efforts for obtaining ethics will surely obtain them while those who exert efforts for obtaining intelligence will not obtain anything except increasing ignorance.
Ahmed bin Omar and Al-Husain bin Yazid related: We visited Imam Ar-Reza (peace be upon him) and complained against the living changes that we encountered after we had lived in luxury and comfort, and asked him to supplicate to God to return our past luxury and comfort to us. The Imam spoke:
Which extent do you want to attain exactly? Do you want to be kings? Are you pleased to have the same royalty of Tahir and Harthama while your current beliefs are seized from you?
“No,” we answered, “We will never be pleased to have gold and silver as much as this world with all its contents if this causes us to change our current beliefs.”
He (peace be upon him) then added:
God says:
Give thanks, O family of David, And very few of My servants are grateful.
Anticipate good from God, for God will treat those who anticipate good from Him according to their anticipations. God will accept the few deeds of those who satisfy themselves with the little sustenance. He who satisfies himself with the few legal gotten sustenance will have light burdens, his family will be living in comfort, and God will show him the maladies and the remedies of this world and will cause him to leave this world peacefully to move to the Abode of Peace.
Ibn As-Sikkeet asked Imam Ar-Reza (peace be upon him) about God’s current argument against people. The Imam answered:
God’s current argument against people is the mind. It is the means by which the honest with God and the liar are recognized.
“This is by God the most accurate answer,” confessed Ibn As-Sikkeet.
Imam Ar-Reza (peace be upon him) said:
You should not kiss the hand of anyone, because kissing somebody’s hand is as same as praying to him.
Imam Ar-Reza (peace be upon him) said:
The mother is kissed on the mouth, the daughter on the cheek, and the Imam between the eyes.
Imam Ar-Reza (peace be upon him) said:
The stingy do not enjoy comfort, the envious cannot enjoy pleasure, the enslaved cannot be loyal, and the liars do not have personality.
It is obligatory upon the wealthy to improve the standard of living of his family.
Imam Ar-Reza (peace be upon him) said:
Praying and fasting is not the true worship. The true worship is the pondering over God.
Imam Ar-Reza (peace be upon him) said:
Cleanness is one of the prophets’ customs.
Imam Ar-Reza (peace be upon him) said:
Perfuming, hairstyling, and polygamy—these three matters are within the customs of the apostles of God.
Imam Ar-Reza (peace be upon him) said:
The honest has not betrayed you, but you have trusted the betrayal.
Imam Ar-Reza (peace be upon him) said:
When God wants to do an action, He seizes the minds of the servants and does that action perfectly. Then, He gives them their minds back. Therefore, they wonder how and when such an action occurred.
Imam Ar-Reza (peace be upon him) said:
Silence is one of the doors of wisdom. It yields amicability and leads to every goodness.
Imam Ar-Reza (peace be upon him) said:
Every unnecessary act requires surplusage.
Imam Ar-Reza (peace be upon him) said:
The elder brother is as same as the father.
Imam Ar-Reza (peace be upon him) said when he was asked about the lowly ones:
The lowly are those who possess things that engage them from God.
Imam Ar-Reza (peace be upon him) used to dust the letters and say:This is unproblematic. When he wanted to list his affairs for memorization, he (peace be upon him) used to begin with ‘In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. I will remember, inshallah.’
Imam Ar-Reza (peace be upon him) said:
When you want to mention a present person, you should use his surname, but when you refer to an absent person, you should use his name.
Imam Ar-Reza (peace be upon him) said:
The friend of any individual is his mind and his enemy is his ignorance.
Imam Ar-Reza (peace be upon him) said:
Endearment to people is half of intelligence.
Imam Ar-Reza (peace be upon him) said:
God surely hates gossips, squandering, and asking -for financial help- from the enemies.
Imam Ar-Reza (peace be upon him) said:
A Muslim’s mind is imperfect before he enjoys ten characters—good is expected from him, evil is far away from him, he regards others’ little good deed as great favor and regards his great favor as little, he is not disturbed by people who ask him to settle their needs, he does not feel tired of seeking knowledge all his lifetime, he prefers poverty for God’s sake to richness, prefers humility with God to honor with His enemies, and prefers obscurity to fame. The tenth character! Do you know what is it?
They asked, ‘What is it?’
It is to regard anyone as better and more pious than him. He classifies people into two kinds; either better and more pious than him or eviler and lowlier than him. If he meets one of those who are eviler and lowlier than him, he wishes the good of that man might be hidden, and this will be better for him, while his own evil is apparent, and this will be worse for him. When he meets one of those who are better and more pious than him, he behaves modestly so that he may join him. If he does so, his glory will be lofty, good deeds will be acceptable, and his reputation will be good. Besides, he will be the master of people.
As a man asked him about the exegesis of God’s saying: “God is Sufficient for the needs of whoever trusts in Him,” Imam Ar-Reza (peace be upon him) said:
Trusting in God is of various grades, one of which is to trust in whatever He does to you totally. You should satisfy yourself with whatever occurs to you, since you believe that God will not fail to bestow upon you with His good and custody and believe that everything is subject to His estimation; therefore, you should trust in Him by charging with Him whatever befalls you. Another grade of trusting in God is to believe in the unseen acts of God that you cannot comprehend, entrust their comprehension to Him as well as His custodians on them, and rely on him in such acts as well as others.
Ahmed bin Najm asked Imam Ar-Reza (peace be upon him) about the self-conceit that invalidates one’s actions. The Imam answered:
Self-conceit is of various grades, one of which is that when the evil deeds seem to be attractive and virtuous; hence, the doer becomes self-conceited because he thinks he is doing well. Another grade of self-conceit is to believe that God owes you a great deal because you believed in Him. In fact, you owe God a great deal because He guided you to believe in Him.
Al-Fadhl related: I told Abul-Hasan Ar-Reza (peace be upon him) that Younus bin Abdurrahman claimed that knowledge is an acquired thing. The Imam (peace be upon him) answered:
No, it is not. This is inaccurate. God gives knowledge (or faith) to whomever He wishes. He fixes it with a group and deposits with others. God will never seize it from those with whom it is fixed, but he will seize it from those with whom it is deposited.
Safwan bin Yahya said: I asked Imam Ar-Reza (peace be upon him) whether knowledge is given to the servants out of efforts that they themselves exert. He answered negatively. I also whether they will receive any reward due to their knowledge. The Imam (peace be upon him) answered:
God has given them knowledge out of His grace and will reward them for it out of his grace, too.
Al-Fudhail bin Yasar said: I asked Imam Ar-Reza (peace be upon him) whether the acts of the servants (of God) are created or not. He answered:
By God, the acts are created (the planning for the acts, not their bringing into being).
The Imam (peace be upon him) then added:
Faith precedes Islam in one degree and God-fearing precedes faith in one degree. Conviction is the ever-best thing that has been given to sons of Adam –human beings-.
In his indication to the best servants, Imam Ar-Reza (peace be upon him) said:
The best servants (of God) are those who feel delighted whenever they do a good deed, seek God’s forgiveness whenever they commit an evildoing, thank God whenever they obtain something, behave steadfastly whenever a misfortune befalls them, and pardon whenever they are enraged.
As he was asked about the limit of trusting in God, Imam Ar-Reza (peace be upon him) answered:
The limit of trusting in God in to fear nobody except Him.
Imam Ar-Reza (peace be upon him) said:
The banquet of wedding ceremony is a recommendable tradition.
Imam Ar-Reza (peace be upon him) said:
Faith stands on four supports—trusting in God, satisfaction with His acts, submission to His commandments, and entrusting Him with all the affairs. The virtuous servant said (as the Quran relates):
I entrust God with my affairs. God is Well Aware of His servants. God protected him against their evil plans.
Imam Ar-Reza (peace be upon him) said:
Regard your relatives even by (providing them) a mouthful of water. The best form of regarding your relatives is to save them from your evil. God says:
Do not make your charities fruitless by reproachfully reminding the recipient of your favor or making them feel insulted.
Imam Ar-Reza (peace be upon him) said:
Forbearance and knowledge are within the signs of understanding. Silence is one of the doors of wisdom. It yields amicability and leads to every goodness.
Imam Ar-Reza (peace be upon him) said:
The reward of the one who seeks earnings just for meeting the needs of his dependants is greater than the reward of the fighter for God’s sake.
Someone said to Imam Ar-Reza (peace be upon him): “How is your morning?” He answered:
I begin my day with a descending lifetime and recorded deeds. Death is inevitable for us, Hell is behind us, and we do not know what will happen to us.
Imam Ar-Reza (peace be upon him) said:
You should not have any hope, whether for a worldly or a religious affair, in those who lack five characters: original lineage, generous quality, sedate manner, noble personality, and God-fearing.
Imam Ar-Reza (peace be upon him) said:
Victory is always the confederate of the more forgiving party.
Imam Ar-Reza (peace be upon him) said:
The generous call people’s invitations to meals so that they will call his invitations, while the stingy does not call their invitations so as to save himself from inviting them.
Imam Ar-Reza (peace be upon him) said:
We, the Prophet’s family, consider our promises as debts that we must defray. This is the way of the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family).
Imam Ar-Reza (peace be upon him) said:
People will live an age in which good health will be divided into ten divisions, nine of which will lie in seclusion and one in silence.
Muammar bin Khellad said to Imam Ar-Reza (peace be upon him): God advance your relief. The Imam commented:
O Muammar, that is surely your relief. Mine is no more than a knapsack of a sealed handful of flour.
Imam Ar-Reza (peace be upon him) said:
To help the weak is the best almsgiving.
Imam Ar-Reza (peace be upon him) said:
The servants (of God) will not attain the reality of faith before they enjoy three characters—knowledge of the religious affairs, moderation in livelihood, and patience in misfortunes.
Imam Ar-Reza (peace be upon him) said to Abu Hashim Dawud bin Al-Qasim Al-Ja’fari:
O Dawud, we have rights that are imposed upon you through the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family), and you have rights that are imposed upon us. We regard the rights of those who acknowledge our rights, while we have nothing to do with those who do not acknowledge our rights.
Imam Ar-Reza (peace be upon him) was someday attendant in the session of Al-Ma’mun when people, including Al-Fadhl bin Sahl Thurriyasatain, were discussing whether night preceded day in creation or not. Al-Fadhl addressed the question at Imam Ar-Reza (peace be upon him). “Do you want me to extract the answer from God’s Book or the astronomical estimations?” “I like you to mention the astronomical estimations first,” said Al-Fadhl. The Imam (peace be upon him) spoke:
You claim that the world began with Cancer and the stars were in its prospect. On that account, Saturn was in Libra, Jupiter in Cancer, Mars in Capricorn, Venus in Pisces, the moon in Taurus, and the sun in Aries in the middle of the sky. This occurs only in daylight.
“What about the Book of God?” asked Al-Fadhl.
Imam Ar-Reza (peace be upon him) answered:
The answer is in God’s saying:
The sun is not supposed to catch-up with the moon, nor is the night to precede the day.
This means that day preceded night.
Ali bin Shuaib said: I, once, visited Abul-Hasan Ar-Reza (peace be upon him). He asked, “O Ali, do you know who is the best earner of livelihood among people?” I answered, “You, my master, is more knowledgeable than me.” He (peace be upon him) said:
The best earner of livelihood among people is that who improves others’ livelihoods out of his livelihood.
Imam Ar-Reza, peace be upon him, asked Ali bin Shuaib, “O Ali, do you know who is the worst earner of livelihood among people?” “You are more knowledgeable?” answered Ali. The Imam (peace be upon him) said:
The worst earner of livelihood is that who deprives others of improving their livelihoods through his earnings.
O Ali, use good neighborhood with the graces, for they are wild—they will not return if they leave.
O Ali, the evilest of people is that who deprives others of his aid, eats alone, and lashes his slave.
In the Eid ul-Fitr, a man told Imam Ar-Reza (peace be upon him) that he had broken his fast with dates and dust of the tomb. The Imam answered:
You have joined the prophetic tradition to the blessing.
Imam Ar-Reza (peace be upon him) said to Abu Hashim Al-Ja’fari:
O Abu Hashim, intelligence is the gift of God while the ethics are obtained through exertion of efforts. Thus, he whoever exerts efforts for obtaining ethics will surely obtain them while those who exert efforts for obtaining intelligence will not obtain anything except increasing ignorance.
Ahmed bin Omar and Al-Husain bin Yazid related: We visited Imam Ar-Reza (peace be upon him) and complained against the living changes that we encountered after we had lived in luxury and comfort, and asked him to supplicate to God to return our past luxury and comfort to us. The Imam spoke:
Which extent do you want to attain exactly? Do you want to be kings? Are you pleased to have the same royalty of Tahir and Harthama while your current beliefs are seized from you?
“No,” we answered, “We will never be pleased to have gold and silver as much as this world with all its contents if this causes us to change our current beliefs.”
He (peace be upon him) then added:
God says:
Give thanks, O family of David, And very few of My servants are grateful.
Anticipate good from God, for God will treat those who anticipate good from Him according to their anticipations. God will accept the few deeds of those who satisfy themselves with the little sustenance. He who satisfies himself with the few legal gotten sustenance will have light burdens, his family will be living in comfort, and God will show him the maladies and the remedies of this world and will cause him to leave this world peacefully to move to the Abode of Peace.
Ibn As-Sikkeet asked Imam Ar-Reza (peace be upon him) about God’s current argument against people. The Imam answered:
God’s current argument against people is the mind. It is the means by which the honest with God and the liar are recognized.
“This is by God the most accurate answer,” confessed Ibn As-Sikkeet.
Imam Ar-Reza (peace be upon him) said:
You should not kiss the hand of anyone, because kissing somebody’s hand is as same as praying to him.
Imam Ar-Reza (peace be upon him) said:
The mother is kissed on the mouth, the daughter on the cheek, and the Imam between the eyes.
Imam Ar-Reza (peace be upon him) said:
The stingy do not enjoy comfort, the envious cannot enjoy pleasure, the enslaved cannot be loyal, and the liars do not have personality.
| WILADAT MUBARAK IMAM REZA (A.S.) | for everyone |
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| RELIANCE ON ALLAH (S.T.) | for everyone |
When Nimrud wanted to burn Hazrat Ibrahim a.s in the fire.The angels of heaven cried and Jibril a.s pleaded: O God only one person had been worshiping you and now the enemy is dominated him.
The God addressed: When ever I want I will support him.
The angels pleaded: O God! the Provident then grant us permission to help him soon. God addressed and said: You may proceed,if he gave permission, you may help him.
An angel who was appointed the authority of water came and the angels who were delegates of earth and fire arrived and said: O Ibrahim! Give us permission to save you and kill your enemies but Ibrahim a.s did allowed them.
Jibril a.s visited him and said: O Ibrahim! Do you have any wish.
Hazrat Ibrahim a.s replied: I have wish but I do not want to ask you.
Jibril a.s replied: To whoever you want to tell, you ask him.
He replied: He knows about my wish he is not ignorant.
The Almighty God addressed: O fire be cool and safe to Ibrahim.
| The Hadith of Imam Reza (a.s.) | for everyone |
The Great Rank of Parents
Imam al-Reza (peace be upon him) has said: “Allah, the Mighty, the Glorious, has commanded three things with which he has associated three other things. He associated payment of zakat along with prayers such that one who offers prayers, but desists from offering zakat, his prayers are rejected.
He associated gratitude to Him with gratitude towards parents such that one who is grateful to Allah, but ungrateful to his parents, will be deemed as ungrateful to Allah. He associated righteousness with bonds of kinship such that one who is righteous, but has severed relations with his kin, will be deemed as not being righteous.” Biharul Anwar, Volume 74, Page 77The Rights of the Father
Imam ar-Reza (peace be upon him) narrates that a person once asked the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family): “What are the rights of the father upon the son?” The Noble Prophet replied: “He should not call his father by name, he should not walk ahead of him, he should not sit until his father has seated himself and he should not do such acts as a result of which people abuse his father.” Biharul Anwar, Volume 74, Page 45
Imam ar-Reza (peace be upon him) narrates that a person once asked the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family): “What are the rights of the father upon the son?” The Noble Prophet replied: “He should not call his father by name, he should not walk ahead of him, he should not sit until his father has seated himself and he should not do such acts as a result of which people abuse his father.” Biharul Anwar, Volume 74, Page 45
| Characteristics of the Shi'as- Imam Reza (a.s.) | for everyone |
Characteristics of the Shi'as
Hasan ibn Musa al-Washsha' al-Baghdadi: In Khorasan, I was in a session with Ali ibn Musa al-Reza (AS) where Zayd ibn Musa (the Imam's brother) was also present and was addressing the audience with pomposity and pride, saying: We are so and so.
Talking to another group of people, Imam Reza (AS) heard him what he said, so he turned to him and said: O Zayd! Have the words uttered by Kufan grocers deluded you , when he said: Fatima was chaste and pure, and thus Allah safeguarded her progeny from the [Hell] Fire?! I swear by Allah this is true only for al-Hasan (AS), al-Husayn(AS) and the child born from her. But if Musa ibn Jafar (AS) obeys Allah, fasting in day time and spending nights in worshipping, and you disobey Allah and then be treated the same as him on the Resurrection Day, in this case you will be more dearer to the Exalted Allah than him, Ali ibn al-Husayn(AS) used to say: For the righteous among us there will be double reward and for the wrongdoer double chastisement.
Al-Hasan al-Washsha' says: Then the Imam (AS) faced me and said: O Hasan how do you read the ayah: "He said: O Noah! He is not of thy family, for his conduct is unrighteous" (11:46). I said some interpret it as:" For his conduct is unrighteous", and some others mean it as: "For he is [born] of unrighteous act".
So those who read it as by the latter phrasing, they deny he was Noah's son. The Imam (AS) said: "Never it is so. He was Noah's son, but since he disobeyed Allah, the Almighty, He denied him of his father. Similarly, any one of us [the Ahl al-Bayt] who disobeys the Exalted Allah is not of us; and if anyone obeys Allah's commands he is of us.
Al-Hasan al-Washsha' says: Then the Imam (AS) faced me and said: O Hasan how do you read the ayah: "He said: O Noah! He is not of thy family, for his conduct is unrighteous" (11:46). I said some interpret it as:" For his conduct is unrighteous", and some others mean it as: "For he is [born] of unrighteous act".
So those who read it as by the latter phrasing, they deny he was Noah's son. The Imam (AS) said: "Never it is so. He was Noah's son, but since he disobeyed Allah, the Almighty, He denied him of his father. Similarly, any one of us [the Ahl al-Bayt] who disobeys the Exalted Allah is not of us; and if anyone obeys Allah's commands he is of us.
| BENEFIT OF SURAH al-FATH (THE VICTORY) | for everyone |
Surah al-Fath (The Victory) 48
There are 29 verses in this surah and it was revealed in Madinah. It is narrated that the Holy Prophet (SAWW) said, ‘Whoever recites this surah (al-Fath), it will be as if he was with me when Makkah was conquered and he has pledged allegiance to me.’ When this surah was revealed to the Holy Prophet (SAWW), he said, ‘Such verses have been revealed to me that are dearer to me than this entire world.’
Imam Ja’far as-Sadiq (AS) said that those who recite this surah will be counted from among the sincere and true servants of Allah (SWT) and will gain a honourable status in Jannah. In times of war or unrest, keeping this surah in one’s possession is a means of protection and safety.Drinking water in which this surah has been dissolved cures any heart problems and protects those who are travelling.
| The Closing Statement of The 12th Annual Conference of the Council | for everyone |
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I.M.A.M. | Imam Mahdi Association of Marjaeya | 13357 Michigan Ave. | Dearborn | MI | 48126
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| Be Good to Parents | for everyone |
Bismillah Arrahman Arraheem
"Abu Wallad al-Hannat narrates that he once asked Imām as-Sādiq(a.s.) about the meaning of the words of Allāh (in the Qur’an):
And be good to parents. [Suratul Baqarah (2), Verse 83]
Imām Jaʿfar ibn Muhammad al-Sādiq (A.S.) replied:
“Being good to them means to accompany them in a good manner and never to wait for them to ask you for what they need.”
[Reference: Biharul Anwar, Volume 74, Page 79, tradition from Abu Wallad al-Hannat]
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A humble request
Please do pray for restoration of Jannat al-Baqi & early re-appearance of Imam-E-Zamana (atfs)