The most decorative clothing

It is stated in Misbahush-Shari'ah that Imam as Sadiq (AS) said: 

"The most decorative clothing for the believer is the clothing of taqwa, and the finest one is faith. Allah, the Almighty and Glorified, said: 'and the clothing of taqwa, that is the best.' 

As to the exterior clothing, it is a blessing from Allah, as it covers the nakedness of the children of Adam. lt is a grace granted by Allah to His servants, the children of Adam (AS), which He did not grant to other than them. 

To the believers, it is a means to perform the duties imposed by Allah upon them. The best of your clothing is that which does not distract you from Allah, the Almighty and Glorified, rather it brings you nearer to thanking, remembering and obeying Him, and it does not bear you to conceit, hypocrisy, decoration, taking pride and boasting, as these are among the pests of the religion and bring cruelty to the heart. 

When you put on your dress, remember Allah, the concealer of your sins by His mercy. Clothe your interior with truthfulness, as you dressed your exterior with your dress. Let your interior be under the protection of fear, and your exterior under the protection of obedience. 

Take a lesson from the favour of Allah, the Almighty and Glorified, as He created the means for making clothes to conceal the apparent nakedness, and He opened the doors of repentance and imploring in order to cover the internal sins and evil characters. 

Do not uncover anyone's faults, as Allah has covered your greater faults. Attend to your own faults, and forgive that whose state and affair do not concern you. Beware of perishing your life for the action of others, letting the others trade with your capital, while you destroy yourself. 

Forgetting the sins is of the gravest punishments fraom Allah in this world, and of the most effective causes for the punishments in the Hereafter. 

As long as the servant is engaged in his obedience to Allah, the Exalted, in recognizing his own defects and abandoning what is disgraceful in the religion of Allah, he will be isolated from the plagues, plunging in the sea of the mercy of Allah, the Almighty and Glorified, and will win the gems of the advantages of wisdom and expression. But as long as he is forgetting his sins, unfamiliar with his defects, resorting to his own might and force, he will never be successful." 

Misbahush Shar'iah, sec. seven, on "Clothing"; from Adabus Salat by Imam Khomeini

Amir al-Mu’minin (AS) summoning ‘Asim ibn Ziyad

Vol.1 chapter 106, hadith 3 AL-KAFI; SHAIKH MOHAMMED BIN YAQOOB BIN ISHQ KULAINI
Ali ibn Muhammad has narrated from Salih ibn abu Hammad and a number of our people has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad and others through different chains of narrators.

The Hadith is about the protest of Amir al-Mu’minin (AS) against ‘Asim ibn Ziyad who had confined himself in a gown away from the people.

His brother, al-Rabi‘ ibn Ziyad complained before Amir al-Mu’minin (AS) complained that his ‘Asim’s family had become depressed and his sons had been sadden because of his behavior.

Amir al-Mu’minin (AS) had summoned ‘Asim ibn Ziyad and was brought before him. When Amir al-Mu’minin (AS) saw him he frowned at him and said,

"Why did you not feel ashamed before your wife?
Why did you not show kindness to your sons?
Do you think Allah had made good things lawful to and then He would dislike if you would use them?
You are less significant to Allah than such a thing.
Is it not Allah Who has said,
"He spread out the earth for the people (55:10).
There exists all kinds of fruits, palm-trees with sheathed blossoms, (55:11)
grain with its husk and aromatic herbs (55:12).
Is it not Allah Who has said,
"He has made the two oceans meet each other, (55:19)
but has created a barrier between them so that they will not merge totally (55:20).
(Jinn and mankind) - which of the favors of your Lord do you then deny? (55:21).
From the two oceans comes pearls and coral." (55:22)

I swear by Allah, the use of the bounties of Allah in deeds is more preferred to Him than then using in words. Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most gracious, has said, "...and proclaim the bounties of your Lord." (93:11)

‘Asim said, "O Amir al-Mu’minin (AS), "Why have you confined yourself to tasteless food and harsh garments?"

He said, "How inconsiderate of you! Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most gracious, has made obligatory for the Imams of justice to measure themselves with the people of lowest standard of living so that the poors’ poverty would not plunge him in despair."

‘Asim then abandoned the gown and begun to live an normal life."

Witnessing the Siraat

It is written in Mustadrak of Thiqat al-Islam Noori that according to what is mentioned in Anwaar-ul-Maziyyah (by Syed Gayasuddin Najafi, a Shia jurisprudent and a famous scholar among Imamiyah): 

In our village situated near Hilla there lived a man named Muhammad bin Abi Azeenah. He was the trustee of a mosque. He used to attend that masjid daily as a routine every day. 


One day, when he did not come to mosque, we inquired about him. We came to know that he was ill. We wondered very much because on the very previous day, we had seen him hale and healthy. When we went to see him, we found him burnt from head to feet. He used to faint, them become conscious and again faint. 


In one such interval, I asked him what had happened to him? He replied: Last night in my dream I was shown Siraat and then I was ordered to walk over it. So I proceeded; in the beginning the ground under my feet was levelled. Then I found that it has become thin. Initially, it was soft but later on it turned very sharp. I was putting my steps very slowly, balancing myself to escape falling down. Dark flames of fire from beneath were leaping upwards. I was observing that many people were dropping down like leaves in the fall (autumn). 


Once I felt that there was nothing except an hair like rope under my feet. Then suddenly the fire dragged me to it and I also fell down in that cave of fire. The more I tried to come up the more I was going down. (Hellfire has the quality of drawing people to it, and that, according to a narration, the depth is equal to the length of a seventy year journey). As soon as I realized that I was about to be finished, I remembered that whenever I was falling or stumbling or falling, I used to exclaim Yaa Ali and saying Yaa Maulaai, Yaa Ameerul Momineen, Aghithni. I felt inspired to look upward. 


So when I looked up I found that a saintly person was standing by the side of the Siraat. He extended his hand, caught me and fetched me out. I submitted: O Master! I am burnt down. Please help me. The Hazrat passed his Holy hand over my body from my knee to femur. Suddenly I woke up to find that that particular part of my body had no sign of burning and that it had healed but the rest of my body was burning.


That person remained bedridden for three months, weeping and complaining. Various medicines were given by a number of doctors before he became healthy after three months when fresh flesh appeared on his body. It is also written in this book Mystadrak that whenever that person was describing this even he was getting fever and was trembling.


Doubtlessly there is only one medicine and it is to cling to the Wilayat of the pious Ahle Bayt (a.s.). Imam Reza (a.s.) has promised that he will guide the visitors of his shrine on the bridge of Siraat. Moreover, Hazrat Abu Abdullah-al-Husain (a.s.) is also reported to have given many good tidings to those who cling to the friendship (Wilayat) of Ahle Bayt (a.s.) with regard to Siraat.
The Hereafter - Ma'ad; by Ayatullah Dastghaib Shiraazi

A narrative from the oceans of the Gnostic

Absolute Contentment/Submission/inner Satisfaction to the decree of Allah
On the 2 year death remembrance of Marhum Ayatullah Muhammad Taqi Bahjat - died Sunday 17 May 2009


Hujjatul-Islam wal Muslimin Quddas, one of the students of Sheikh Bahjat, says, “One day I went to the house of Sheikh Bahjat a few minutes before the start of the class becaue often the sheikh used to attend the class room when some of his students come (even if it is one single student), and he would narrate a story or a tradition or a moral lesson till all the students attend.
For this reason, I went to the house of the sheikh early, hoping to hear those pursuits. Luckily, when the sheikh heard my voice as I said, ‘Ya Allah!’ as I entered, he came to the room early and said this to me after the greeting and the salutation, 


‘In the city of Najaf, a handsome Iranian youth was with us from the people of Hamadan, and he was famous for being neat and physically well formed. One day, this youth became paralyzed to the extent he could not walk except after leaning on a cane. I tried not to meet him because I used to think he would feel embarrassed due to his particular condition; therefore, I used to avoid meeting him so I would not add one more grief to his grieves.
One day, I got out of the alley and saw him standing in the street, so I had no choice except to meet him. Without contemplating, I asked him, ‘How do you feel? (but I was upset with having said so and kept saying this to myself: ‘What empty talk is this?! Do you not see in what condition he is?!). 
But contrary to my expectation, when he opened his mouth to answer my question, his speech was like cool water with which he put out what I had felt inside. He kept praising and thanking Allah with a spirit filled with activity and pleasure as if he was drowned in blessings of Allah, the Praised and the most exalted One. I felt relieved and my grief departed from me.’”
 Uswat Al-Aarifeen; Chapter 10

Great descriptions of some Great virtues

“Gabriel came to the Holy Prophet (s) and said: 
O Messenger of Allah! God has sent you a gift which He has not given to anyone before. 
The Holy Prophet said: What is that gift? 
Gabriel said: It is patience.
“But there is a virtue better than patience.  The Holy Prophet said: What is it? 
Gabriel said: It is contentment.

“There is still a virtue better than contentment. 
The Holy Prophet said: what is it? 
Gabriel said: It is pleasure of God.

“But there is a virtue better than that.  The Holy Prophet said: What is it? 
Gabriel said: It is piety.

“Yet there is a virtue better than that. 
The Holy Prophet said: What is it? 
Gabriel said: It is devotion.

“But there is a virtue better than that. 
The Holy Prophet said: What is it? 
Gabriel said: Sure knowledge.

“Yet there is a virtue better than that. 
The Holy Prophet said: What is it? 
Gabriel said: The way to attain all of them is to put trust in God.

“I said, O Gabriel! What is the meaning of putting trust in God?Gabriel said: Knowing that His creatures neither harm nor benefit anyone.
They neither give nor withhold anything. 
One must stop having hope in creatures.
When a man reaches this position, he will not do anything save for Him, his heart does not go astray, he fears no one save Him and he does not set his hope on anyone but Him. 
This is the meaning of putting trust in God.

“The Holy Prophet said: O Gabriel! What is the meaning of patience? 
Gabriel said: Man must have forbearance and patience in afflictions as in joys. 
He should never complain of His Creator to the people.

I said: What is the meaning of contentment? 
Gabriel said: To be content with whatever in this world and to thank God for the small things he has.”

“The Holy Prophet said: What is the meaning of God’s pleasure? 
Gabriel said: To be pleased with God but not to be pleased with one’s own deeds.

“The Holy Prophet said: O Gabriel!  What is the meaning of piety?
Gabriel said: A pious man loves whatever His creator loves and hates whatever He hates. 
He is careful about what is lawful and leaves of what is unlawful, for what is lawful is counted and what is unlawful will entail punishment. 
He has mercy on every muslim as he has on himself. 
He shuns useless words as he shuns what is unlawful. 
He abstains from overeating as he keeps away from a corpse with bad smell. 
He keeps away from the embellishments of world as he keeps away from Fire. 
His desires are not far-fetched and death is present before his eyes.”

“The Holy Prophet said: O Gabriel! What is the meaning of Devotion? 
Gabriel said: A devoted person is one who does not ask for anything from people until he obtains it and whenever he obtained it, he is pleased with it. 
Also if he has something extra, he will give it away for the ansake of God. 
The fact that he does not ask for something from others is admittance of his being a servant of God. 
He is pleased with God and God is pleased with him. 
He gives away when he needs it more than others.”

“The Holy Prophet (SAW) said: What is sure knowledge? 
Gabriel said:  A man of sure knowledge acts in a way as if he sees God. 
Even if he does not reach the degree of seeing God, he knows that God sees him and is sure that what he has and what he has not is what God wills. 
These were some of signs of putting trust in God and having piety.”

Oddatatol Daee
(The Asset of Supplicant)

'How can anyone stop dealing with such a Generous One and become indifferent even for a twinkling of an eye?!'

A 2-minute thought-provoking word from
Sh. Husain Ibn Ali Ibn Sadiq al-Bahrani
that will escalate our love and perception of Allah (swt)

A believer who tries to follow in the footsteps of Ahlulbayt (as) must accustom himself to thinking well of his Lord, expecting Allah to reward him with plenty for the little that he does. He (swt) is the Only One Who gives plenty for little. Whatever good things you expect of Him, and whatever you think of the norms of His generosity, He is more than what you think: you mental scope is limited while His generosity has no limit.

He (swt) has already informed you that He is according to your good thoughts of Him. Our master, the Commander of the Faithful (as), has said, 'Whoever thinks well of you, you should prove him right' (Bihar al Anwar vol 74 p 212)

One who thinks well of something, Allah will prove him right as this is linked to thinking well of Allah, since the source of everything good is Allah, therefore Allah actualizes such a notion, proving its accuracy.

One particular hadith clearly stated that if anyone thinks well even of a stone, Allah will place a lot of goodness in it. The person who transmitted this tradition, thereupon, asked the Imam (as), '...a stone!?' The Imam (as) said, 'Dont you see the black stone (hajar-e-aswad)?'

Our master, Al Rida (as), is quoted as having said, ''Allah revealed to Nabi Dawud (as) saying, 'A servant of mine may come to Me with one good deed whereby I grant Him paradise. He was asked, 'Lord, what is this good deed?' He said, 'He removes the worry of a believer even with half a date.' Dawud (as) said, Anyone who trule gets to know You can never loose hope [of receiving Your mercy]''' (Al Jawahir Al Saniyya p 76)

So if the most Exalted One and the most Great grants this paradise, the width of which is like that of the heavens and the earth, in exchange for half a date [given by way of charity], I plead to you in the name of Allah to answer me: How can anyone stop dealing with such a Generous One and become indifferent to such a dealing even for a twinkling of an eye?!

What would be ones alternative? If one lost a moment wherein he did not pay his full attention to Allah, what can his compensation for his loss be? Never! He has surely missed something for which there is no compensation and has cheated himself irreparably.

p.s.
The Prophet (saw) used to always love to be optimistic and to hate pessimism (Bihar al Anwar Vol 92 p.2)

Pessimism is according to what a pessimist envisions: If he sees it as severe, so will it be, and if he sees it as light, so will it be, too. And if he does not pay any attention to it, it will be as though it was never there. (Rawdat al Kafi, p.197)

The Heart - the key to all secrets!

Imam Ali (A.S.) in his Last Will and Testament to his sons Imam Hasan (AS) and Imam Hussain (AS)

I am amazed at the heart of man:It possesses the substance of wisdom as well as the opposites contrary to it ... for if hope arises in it, it is brought low by covetousness:
and if covetousness is aroused in it, greed destroys it.
If despair possesses it, self piety kills it:
and if it is seized by anger, this is intensified by rage.
If it is blessed with contentment, then it forgets to be careful;
and if it is filled with fear, then it becomes preoccupied with being cautious.
If it feels secure, then it is overcome by vain hopes;
and if it is given wealth, then its independence makes it extravagant.
If want strikes it, then it is smitten by anxiety.
If it is weakened by hunger, then it gives way to exhaustion;
and if it goes too far in satisfying its appetites, then its inner becomes clogged up. 
So all its shortcomings are harmful to it, and all its excesses corrupt it.

There are four things that make the heart die:
- wrong action followed by wrong action,
- playing around with foolish people,
- spending a lot of time with women,
- and sitting with the dead.
Then they asked Imam Ali: 'And who are the dead, O Commander of the believers?'
He replied: 'Every slave who follows his desires.'

Surely want is a trial, and having sickness of the body is more difficult to bear than indigence, and having a sickness of the heart is more difficult to bear than having a sickness of the body.

Surely being very wealthy is a blessing, and having a healthy body is better than being very wealthy, and having awe of Allah in your heart is better than having a healthy body.

Surely hearts have desires, and they turn towards, and they turn away...
so approach them by means of what they desire and what they turn towards, for surely if the heart is forced to do some thing against its will, it goes blind.

Ten advices from an Infallible to another Infallible

Muhammad ibn Ya'qub al-Kulayni-may God be pleased with him-from Muhammad ibn Yahya, from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn `Isa, from `Ali ibn al-Nu'man, from Mu'awiyah ibn `Ammar, who says: 

"I heard Abu `Abd Allah, may peace be upon him, say:
`In a counsel that the Prophet-may God bless him and his Family-gave to `Ali-may peace be upon him-he said: 

"O `Ali, I exhort you concerning certain characteristics (khisal) which you must preserve in yourself (as a trust) from me."
Then he prayed, "O God, help him." (Then he continued:) 

" - As to the first of them, it is truthfulness: never should a falsehood come out of your mouth. 
- The second is piety (wara'), and never venture upon a treachery. 
- The third is to fear God-sublime is His remembrance-as if you see Him. 
- The fourth is to weep a lot out of the fear of God, the Exalted, and a thousand mansions shall be built for you in the Garden for every tear. 
- The fifth is to offer your property and your blood for the sake of your religion. 
- The sixth is to follow my sunnah in respect of my salat, my fasting, and my charity (sadaqah). As to the salat, it consists of fifty rak'ahs. As to the fasts, they are to be kept on three days in a month: on the first Thursday, on the Wednesday at its middle, and on the last Thursday. As to the charity, that consists of the utmost that you can give, so much so that you say to yourself, 'I have been immoderate,' whereas you will not have been immoderate. 
- Commit yourself to the nightly prayer (salat al-layl)! Commit yourself to the nightly prayer! Commit yourself to the nightly prayer! Stick to the (supererogatory) noon prayer! Stick to the noon prayer! Stick to the noon prayer! 
- Accustom yourself to reciting the Qur'an at all times. 
- Make it your practice to raise your hands during prayer and to turn them. 
- Take care to brush your teeth every time that you perform wudu". 
Commit yourself to ethical virtues, practise them, and refrain from moral vices, and if you don't, don't blame anyone except yourself."

Imam Khomeini; Forty Hadith, Twenty Ninth Hadith