Zenith of Ethics: From the life of Allama Tabataba'i

Sincerity in Knowledge
Although we had a very close relationship with 'Allama, not a single instance comes to mind of a situation in which he brought up a subject in the form of demonstrating [his knowledge] or that he presented some information without being asked a question. [Ayatullah Ja'far Subhani]

Humility in Salah
Our teacher one day told me "I have never seen any one more ascetic than this man ('Allama). Despite being a treasure of knowledge and information, he still stands to pray in the final row of Ayatullah Milani's prayers amongst the travellers". 
[Hujjat ul-Islam Musawi Hamadani]

Detestation of Praise
Once when one of the scholars of the religious seminary (Hawze Ilmiye) of Qum was praising the great Tafsir al-Mizan in his presence, 'Allama said the following: "Don't praise it lest I become pleased and my sincerity and good intention be destroyed".

Modesty with Students
Every time I would meet 'Allama, without exception I would try and bend to kiss his hand and he would hide his hand under his cloak. He would display such humility and shyness that we would be startled. One day I said to him, "We try to kiss your hand in order to benefit from your blessed presence, why do you withhold this from us? Have you not heard of the hadith of Imam 'Ali (a) that 'whosoever teaches me one word, he has made me his servant'?" 
He replied, "Yes, it is a well-known narration and its text is agreed upon".
I then said, "You are the one who has taught us so much and have thus caused us to be your servants over and over again. Is it not part of the etiquette of a servant that he kisses the hand of his master and thus receives blessings?"
With a charming smile 'Allama said, "We are all the servants of God Almighty". 
['Allama Husayni Tehrani] 

Courteous in Lifestyle
'Allama Tabataba'i was a world of greatness. Like a regular seminary (hawza) student he would sit on the ground near the courtyard of the school, and when it was nearly sunset, he would enter Madrasa Fayziyya. When it was prayer time, he would pray in congregation behind the Late Ayatullah Agha Haj Sayyid Muhammad Taqī Khansari as if he was just another one of the students.
He was so humble and well-mannered and made such an effort to maintain his etiquette that I repeatedly told him that in comparison to your level of propriety (adab) and consideration we look ill-mannered!
Never once in almost forty years was he seen resting his back against a pillow. Rather, in front of guests he would always maintain his etiquette and sit a little distance in front of the wall. I was his student and often went to his house and in observance of etiquette, I wanted to sit slightly lower than him, but it was impossible. 'Allama would rise and say "If that is the case, then I must sit either at the entrance or outside the room!" 
['Allama Tehrani]

Respectful towards People
I used to participate in the higher level (darse kharij) jurisprudence (fiqh) and principles of jurisprudence (usul) classes of Hazrat Imam Khumayni and the philosophy classes of 'Allama Tabataba'i and was very attached to and loved both of these pious teachers very much. One day I invited both teachers to my room in Madrasa Hujjatiyya for lunch. They accepted my invitation and arrived at my room. I wanted to coerce the two teachers into a philosophical debate, but however much I tried I was not successful because they were completely free of any personal desire and thus avoided all types of academic argumentation.
In that session, if I addressed Imam Khumayni and asked him something, he would reply and 'Allama Tabataba'i would remain quiet and listen carefully. And if I asked 'Allama a question, he would reply and Imam would remain quiet and listen carefully. 
[Ayatullah Ibraham Amini]

Selfless Spirit
In the course of the thirty years in which I had the honour of being in his presence, never did I hear him use the word "I" on its own. On the other hand, I heard him use the expression "I don't know" many times in response to a question, the same expression that most people are reluctant to use. Yet, as a result of his extreme humbleness, this ocean of knowledge and wisdom used this expression with ease. 
[Ayatullah Misbah Yazdi]

Altruistic Character
One of the years when 'Allama had traveled to Mashhad, we went to his house to visit him. Because of a weak heart and according to the orders of his doctor, he was strictly forbidden from sitting on the ground. As soon as we entered, he rose from his mattress and offered it to us to sit on. I refused to sit, and for some time both he and I were left standing until he said, "sit so that I can say something"! I obeyed him out of politeness and sat. He too sat on the ground and then said, "what I wanted to say is that it's softer over there". 
['Allama Tabataba'i's son-in-law]

'All-embracing' ethics
I had written a paper on Imamat and presented it to 'Allama Tabataba'i, saying, "occasionally when you are tired of studying and discussion, in the name of relaxation or as they say, for a recess (zange tafrih) have a look at this paper of mine as well".
He kindly agreed and read the paper from beginning to end, word for word. After some time he said, "I have seen it in its entirety". When I went to pick it up from him, he made an objection saying that in a particular place in the paper you have made a personal prayer only for yourself. I had narrated a hadith, and after the narration of the hadith and a commentary on it, I had written "O God, bequeath the ability to understand the signs of God to this being"!
He ['Allama] said, "why have you made this personal prayer? Why have you not included others in your invocation for Divine sustenance?" Then he said to me, "as far as I am aware, I have never made a personal prayer only for myself". 
[Ayatullah Jawadi Amuli]


Section 6, Eternal Manifestations, by Ahmad Luqmani

The various deceptive delusions

(worth profound deliberation)

A person who is deluded is wretched in this world, and is duped in the next world because he has sold what is better for what is baser. 

Do not admire yourself. 


Sometimes you may be deceived by your property and your bodily health into supposing that you will last forever. 
Sometimes you are deceived by your long life, your children and your friends into thinking that you will be saved by them. 
Sometimes you are deceived by your beauty and the circumstances of your birth, which bring you your hopes and desires so easily that you think that you are truthful and successful in achieving your goal. 

Sometimes you are deceived by the regret you show people for your shortcoming in worship, but Allah knows the opposite of that is in your heart. 
Sometimes you make yourself worship in a spirit of reluctance; but Allah desires sincerity. 
Sometimes you imagine that you are calling on Allah when you are calling on another. 
Sometimes you imagine that you are giving good counsel to people, while your real desire is that they bow to you. 
Sometimes you blame yourself when you are really praising yourself.

Know that you will only emerge from the darkness of delusion and desire by sincerely turning in repentance to Almighty Allah, and to whatever you know about Him, and to recognize the faults in your self which are not consistent with your intellect and knowledge, and which the faith, the law and the customary practices of the Holy Prophet and the Imams of guidance do not tolerate.

If you are content with your present condition, there is no one more wretched than you in knowledge and action, nor anyone with a more wasted life. 
You will inherit grief on the Day of Resurrection.
Imam al-Sadiq (a); Section 67, Misbah al-Shari'ah

The Clemency of the Ali (a), For the tear for Husayn (a)

One day Sheikh Bahjat talked about the generosity and open-handedness of the Imams (a.s) saying, 

'In Iraq, there is a small town near the place where the Tigris and Euphrates rivers meet called al-Musayyab. A Shiite man used to pass by this town from time to time whenever he went to perform the ziyara of the Commander of the Faithful (a), and a Sunni man, too, was residing in this same town. 

The latter quite often used to make fun of the Shiite man whenever he saw him going to visit the shrine of the Commander of the Faithful (a.s), so much so that he dared once to speak ill of the holy Imam (a.s), so the Shiite man was very angry and he complained about this matter to the Commander of the Faithful (a.s) during one of his visits. During that night, he saw the Imam (a.s) in a vision and once more complained to him about this matter. 

The Imam (a.s) said, 'He [the Sunni man] has done us a favor, and we cannot punish him in the life of this world no matter what sins he commits.' The Shiite man asked, 'What favor is it? Did he do you a favor when he dared to speak ill of you?' The Imam (a.s) said, 'No, but he was sitting one day at the meeting place of both rivers, the Tigris and the Euphrates, and he was looking at the Euphrates. He remembered the Kerbala story and the thirst of Imam al-Husain (a.s), so he said this to himself: 'Omer ibn Sa'd was wrong when he killed those men as they were thirsty, and it was better for him to give them water then kill them.' A tear trickled down his eyes out of grief for Abu Abdullah (a.s); therefore, it became mandatory on us never to punish him in this life.' 

The Shiite man says, I woke up from my sleep and returned to al-Musayyab and met the Sunni man on the road who said this to me in ridicule: 'Did you visit your Imam, and did you convey our message to him?!' I said, 'Yes, I conveyed your message to him, and I carry his message to you.' The man laughed and said. 'What is this message which you carry to me?' I narrated to him the incident from beginning to end. The Sunni man lowered his head to the ground and kept thinking: 'O Lord! Nobody at that moment was near me, and I did not talk about this incident to anyone; so, how did the Imam (a.s) become familiar with it?' Then he said, 'I testify that there is no god save Allah, and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and that Ali, the Commander of the Faithful, is a friend of Allah and the wasi of the Messenger of Allah.'


Sayyid Quddas says, Uswat al-Arifin