Lessons from Lady Zaynab (as)

If you search through history you will find very little about Bibi Zainab before the tragedy of Karbala, when she was at the age of 55.  There are vague accounts of Bibi teaching Tafseer-e-Quran but no detail about her actual teachings.  Apart from this there are a small number of narrations attributed to her such as about the going of Bibi Fatima to Masjid-e-Nabavi to demand her rights to Fadak. A large part of Hazrat Zainab’s life is veiled in secrecy just as Bibi herself was veiled. This character of Bibi shows the upbringing and nurture of Hazrat Fatima to her children.

Yahya Mazni says: “For 12 years I lived as a neighbour of Hazrat Abdullah, yet not once did I see the shadow of any lady, nor did I ever hear an echo of the voice or footsteps of Bibi Zainab.“  It is this same Zainab who came forward in a new light on the eve of Ashura. She protected the message of her grandfather, upheld the justice of her father, defended the rights of her mother, carried the banner of Islam after her brothers and rescued the Imam of the time from the burning camps.  Her sermons in Kufa and Shaam were of utmost perfection leaving the sermons of her father behind.

To realise the true personality of this great lady it is essential to look at the calamities and tragedies that she faced.  Her ability to withstand these great anguishes led her to being known as Ummul-Masaib (the mother of grief).  If we look at ourselves, we would not be able to tolerate just a single one of those woes which Bibi had to endure.

Which of her many heartaches can we narrate? Leaving her homeland.  Separation from her husband.  The dangers of facing the enemy.  Hunger and thirst.  The loss of loved ones. Sleepless nights and the most distressing the loss of her Chador.  Bibi saw the ark of Hussain drowning in a sea of thirst and brought it to shore. 

Allah says: “Those who convey the message of Allah and fear Him, do not fear anyone except Allah.”  Lady Zainab acted on this to the full, shouldering the responsibility of conveying this message, tolerating difficulties whilst doing so.  In her actions, she left behind a legacy of patience and the upholding of truth.    She taught that with strong faith and remembrance of Allah any difficulty can be undertaken, any crisis can be tackled without losing heart. 

Bibi Zainab had two great missions to reveal the truth.  One was to show the true face of Yazid and his followers, and the other was to uncover who the Ahlulbayt really were and what their importance was.  At every step of her long journey she fulfilled these two missions, ready to abandon everything to accomplish them.  After her sacrifices, Bibi became a verification of the following words of Allah; “Those who believed and migrated and strived hard in Allah’s way with their possessions and their lives are far higher in rank in Allah’s view. They are those who achieved salvation.”

In countless occasions in the past, the servants of God have faced great barriers to spread the word of Allah. Ibrahim faced the burning fires of Namrud, but continued to raise the voice of truth. Musa accepted having to flee his homeland, but carried on the message, “There is no God but Allah.” The seal of the Prophets, withdrew from the holy city of Mecca, but the cries of “Say there is no God but Allah. You will succeed.” continued on through the ages.

When the nation of Muhammad lost their way, the world heard the echoes of the truth, the message of the prophets from the mouth of Hussain, the son of Ali and Fatima. Imam Hussain preserved the message of the Prophets, from the first to the last, and became Waarithul Ambiyaa (the inheritor of the prophets). In the past, it was the sacrifices of Hajra, the support of Khadija, the assistance of Fatima that kept the message of those servants of God alive.

For Hussain, it was none other than that great lady, Janab-e- Zainab who became the saviour of his message. This daughter of the household upon whom Allah had bestowed the mantle of purity in Surah Ahzab, sacrificed her cloak to protect the withered tree of Islam from the fierce gales of disaster. In the face of calamities, she appeared a mountain of strength.

A valuable lesson which can be learnt from the actions of Bibi Zainab, as she was paraded unveiled, through the streets of Shaam and Kufa, is that those who place their full trust in Allah will receive the help of Allah, in some form. As Allah says in the Quran, “And do not lose heart, and do not grieve, for you shall have the upper hand if you are true believers.” (3:139)

In the midst of troubles, Bibi never lost trust in Allah. Her praise for him remained strong. Each sermon began with “All praise be to Allah.” Regardless of the difficulties she faced, her faith remained firm. When Ibne- Ziyad asked her in the courts of Kufa how she regarded the shameful defeat Allah had made her brothers face, Zainab replied, “I see nothing but the beauty of Allah.” 

The spirit of Zainab (A.S.) will live forever. Her courage, forbearance, and submission will continue to inspire those who hear her story for all time to come. She will remain a beacon of light, a role-model, for men and women alike, till the day of judgement. We must try to gain as much inspiration as possible, and try to live our lives, in submission to Allah, and with full trust in Him, like this brave lady did.

She became a benefactor of Hussain, and she was not afraid to sacrifice everything she had for the sake of Islam, like Hazrat Asiya in the time of Firawn. Allah took into account Hazrat Asiya’s sacrifices, and said in the Quran, “Paradise, and save me from Pharaoh and his works; save me from the transgressing people."

In the same way, those who follow the examples of great personalities, such as Asiya and Bibi Zainab, will be rewarded. As Allah says in the Quran, “Verily the angels descend on those who say ‘Allah is our Lord’ and then remain steadfast saying: Do not fear, nor grieve. Receive the glad tidings of the garden which was promised to you.” (41:30).

Salutations to Lady Zainab, whose patience and firm spirit broke the tyrant’s will. We must learn from the lessons of Bibi Zainab, and take care that our faith is not only on our lips, but embedded in our hearts, and embodied in our lives and characters. Lady Zainab’s example will live on forever, to inspire those who believe.

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Patience

...And be patient and persevering, for Allah is with those who patiently persevere.

(Qur'an, 8: 46)

Imam Ja’far al-Sadiq (a) said:

“Verily, sabr is to faith what the head is to the body. The body perishes with­out the head, and so also when sabr goes, faith also disappears.”

One may ask, how then does one achieve sabr? One must always remember and keep in mind that this world is a believer’s prison. Gather all the strength at your command and be patient and forbearing throughout its ups and downs. With courage and fortitude, stand against adversities and calamities. Make yourself understand that the agitation and anguish inside you, aside from involving a great disgrace by themselves, are futile in confrontation with sufferings and calamities. Be happy with God and don’t complain in front of creatures about His irresistible decrees and inevitable ordainments. During the times of hardships, turn your heart's attention to the focal point of Absolute Perfection (God) and you will witness its effects in this world itself and your heart will attain such an expanse that it will become the realm of the manifestation of God's sovereignty. Richness and contentment will then pervade your heart such that everything related to this world will become worthless in your eyes.  Sabr, forbearance and restraint bring fair, plentiful rewards and have sublime and beautiful forms in the world of Barzakh (purgatory). If you have faith in God and you believe that all the affairs lie in His mighty hands, you will not complain before God Almighty of the hardships of life and the adversities that strike you. Rather, you will accept them willingly, fulfil your duties and thank Him gratefully for His bounties. [Adopted from Al-Khumayni, Forty Hadith, chapter 16, ‘Sabr’]

Patience is one of the ways to achieve victory ~Imam Ali (as)

In the Hot Seat

One day Bahlool arrived at Abbasid Caliph Harun Al-Rashid's palace and saw that the throne was empty. There was no one to stop him, so he unhesitatingly and fearlessly went and sat in Abbasid Caliph Harun Al-Rashid's place. When the court slaves saw this, they immediately started whipping him and took him off the throne. Bahlool started crying.

Abbasid Caliph Harun Al-Rashid came and saw this; he asked those nearby why Bahlool was crying. A slave told him the whole story. Abbasid Caliph Harun Al-Rashid scolded them and tried to cheer Bahlool up.

Bahlool said he was not crying at his condition, but at Abbasid Caliph Harun Al-Rashid's condition. "I sat on the seat of Caliphate wrongfully for a few seconds and received such a beating and endured such misfortune; but you have been sitting on this throne all your life! What troubles you must receive, yet you still don't fear the consequence."

Equal Measure

Bahlool liked to visit the graveyards. “People here are good friends,”he would say, “They do not backbite.”Once, he sat in a corner of a graveyard and with a long heavy stick  and started  probing   some  of the old  skulls  which lay scattered about. Harun al-Rashid, the king, passed by and saw him. Then he asked, “O Bahlool! What are you doing?”

“Oh, nothing very important,” said Bohlool. “I am just trying to  find out whether the skulls belong to king or paupers.They are all the same.”

“And what is the stick for?” Harun asked.

“Well, I’m measuring the earth,” Bohlool replied.

“Measuring the earth? What are your findings?” Harun joked.

“It is equal and the same, O king,” Bohlool retorted.“Three armlengths for me, in spite  of my poverty and three armlengths for you, in spite of your pomp and wealth.”

Towards Perfection...

“My Lord it is enough for me in honour to be Your servant

And it is enough for me in pride to have You as my Lord. You are as I love, so make me as You love.” 

-Imam Ali (as)

Irfan, literally knowledge, is the name given to the path a person follows to attain knowledge of Allah (swt), the path of the Ahlul Bayt (as), a necessary discipline pure from heresy. It is the esoteric knowledge of God, the deep recognition of Allah (swt).

The ‘arif (knower), the name derived from the word Irfan, or mystic, is the person inside every one of us who chooses to set out on the path to their Lord, on the sayr wa suluk(wayfaring) overcoming the stages of barriers that increase the separation and distance between ourselves and our Lord. The destination is the ultimate stage of tawhid (monotheism) where worship is solely to Allah (swt) and all love to earthly things becomes a love through the love of Allah (swt).

Irfan is essential to the relationship between God and the individual. The beauty of the faith brought to us by the Prophet (pbuh) and his purified progeny (as) is that it is accompanied by a wealth of duas(invocations) that grab the spirit and make it blossom to Allah (swt).

It was not a faith of rule after rule but a faith brought down to a man in a cave meditating, in a state oftafakkur (contemplation) of his Lord. This arif whose heart was with Allah (swt) lived in society, preached to the people, was married and had children – he was a perfect man, the Prophet of Allah (pbuh). His true love of Allah (swt) protected him from society while he was within it.

The journey the arif travels is a journey of perfecting his deeds qurbatan ila Allah (in seeking closeness to Allah (swt)), abstaining from all that is haram (prohibited) and performing all that is wajib (compulsory).

As a result of living his life in Allah’s (swt) pleasure, the relationship of love between man and Creator flowers and because of this love man begins to worship God in supplementary actions, performing what ismustahab (recommended actions instructed by the Prophet (pbuh) and the Ahlul Bayt (as)). Through maintaining these supererogatory actions to further his proximity to his Lord man grows like a plant achieving stations of closeness.

Irfan is not a new concept, or a cult, but the essence of Islam:

“Surely we are Allah’s and to Him we shall surely return” (Quran 2:156)

Therefore it is our duty to know Allah (swt) to the limited capacity of a human being’s knowledge of Him, making our journey towards him a journey of human perfection, a journey with His pleasure and of benefit, where through worship we attain His love. As our heart attains realisation of Him we prosper and the blessings of Allah (swt) manifest themselves manifold.

The Prophet’s (pbuh) saying “Whoever knows himself has known his Lord” emphasises the importance of self-knowledge, self-awareness and self-struggle on one’s journey to his Lord.The arif on his journey begins to acknowledge his insignificance and meekness in front of the greatness of Allah (swt). He repents for his sins and is not content with his worship for it is little compared to what can be achieved and in comparison to the ultimate Perfect that the arifis travelling towards.

It was Imam Ali (as) who said: “Eyes cannot see him with a glance — it is rather the hearts that see Him through the realities of faith.” Thus we can see that Irfan cannot be separated from the Shariah (Islamic Law) for the Prophet and his progeny (as) were arifs.

They attained a realisation of Allah (swt) so strong that they became signs of His attributes on this earth, reaching a human peak where their justice and mercy was a manifestation of the justice and mercy of the Ultimate but in human terms, for nothing can be even a reflection of the Truth. Their life was all an act of worship. All that they did was for the sake of Allah (swt), all to perfect themselves in order to reach Allah (swt). This is reflected in Imam Ali’s plea to his Creator:

“My Lord it is enough for me in honour to be Your servant

And it is enough for me in pride to have You as my Lord You are as I love, so make me as You love.”

It is through self-purification and struggle that the heart attains the love of Allah (swt). As the veils of blindness caused by his sins slowly diminish the arif begins to see the realities of this world and trulywitnesses everything as a sign of Allah (swt) whence everything he sees is a glorification of Allah (swt):

The seven heavens declare His glory and the earth (too), and those who are in them; and there is not a single thing but glorifies Him with His praise, but you do not understand their glorification; surely He is Forbearing, Forgiving. (Quran 17:44)

Irfan is merely a name given to the journey one takes to perfect themselves, to become a true follower of the infallible Prophet (saw) and his Ahlul Bayt (as). It is the essence of our faith to attain knowledge and proximity to Allah (swt) through the Quran, practices of the infallibles and invocations.

The beauty of Irfan is that it acknowledges the human state as a state of fallibility and it acknowledges that one can never reach Allah (swt). The human capacity of intellect cannot even fully comprehend Allah (swt) but His beauty radiates and the path to Him is a beautiful path. Therefore, the Muslim struggles to be as perfect as possible, he prays and cries, he sins and repents, he continuously seeks and never ceases to be mesmerised by the infinite Mercy of Allah (swt):

“If he [my servant] draws near to Me an arm’s length, I draw near to him a fathom’s length. And if he comes to Me walking, I go to him at speed.” (Hadith qudsi)

SOURCE 

Death

Every soul shall have a taste of death: And only on the Day of Judgment shall you be paid your full recompense. Only he who is saved far from the Fire and admitted to the Garden will have attained the object (of Life): For the life of this world is but goods and chattels of deception.

Often, one of the first reactions you will get when you pass on news of somebody's death is: 'Was he sick?' 'Did he/she die of natural causes?' 'Were they old?'

Human beings, despite our constant exposure to the reality of death, still find a need to justify or rationalize its occurrence.What we forget is that death is a certainty which we will all face, age and health status not withstanding. It is this very denial of the reality of death that keeps us confident to keep doing wrong, for at the back of our minds, we feel that we will make amends in time, we will reform when we are older. We have assured ourselves that today is ours for sure, and that tomorrow we can do what we plan.

I know of a person who was explaining to his wife how death comes, so he told her (while illustrating practically), well, when death comes, one will just lay themselves down in the right direction facing the qiblah, and recite the kalimah, and just die, like they just fell asleep. Then the wife realized he had gone silent, so she went up to him only to realize that he had actually died. Had he sensed his approaching end and decided to embrace it in a way that would not send his wife into a panic attack thereby disrupting his end, or is he another illustration of how frail our nature is. One moment we are alive, and the next we are dead. As the Holy Prophet (pbuh) said: 'This world lasts but an hour, so spend it in obedience to Allah.' 

There are many experiences one may read about or hear, or indeed even experience related to death and the supernatural nature of the soul. The experience of death is one which should remind us how fickle we are. Ever noticed how when one has died, immediately you lose even your most personal thing: your name. A dead person is no longer referred to as Ahmad or Fatima, but simply as "the dead body" "mayyit". Nobody asking about the funeral will ask, 'What time is Ahmad/Fatima being buried?' They will simply ask, what time is he/she being buried?

No matter how pompous your clothes or your home, in the end you are buried in a simple plain undecorated white cloth, and laid to rest on an earthen pillow, and will become the food of worms and insects in a little while. How then can anything else you do be of any significance or importance in your life, except that which will prepare you for the life to come, and give you security when you are left to face your deeds in their true face on your first night in your grave.

Perhaps what we need to remind ourselves is that the greatest cause of death is life itself, and the fact that you are alive now is itself a symptom of your impending death. 

That is also why we are told that the best way to keep away from doing sin is by remembering death constantly.

In a letter by Imam Ali (as) to Muawiyah, he says:

"Have you ever seriously considered what would happen to you if all your wealth and property is taken away from you. The possessions, the riches and the luxuries that you have surrounded yourself with, belong to this world, a world which has profusely decorated itself and which is bent upon alluring you with its enjoyments. It has enticed you away and you have fallen an easy prey to its allurements. It has dragged you and you have followed it like a tame animal on the other end of the rope. It has ordered you and you have obeyed its orders submissively. You have forgotten that shortly you will be called to bear the consequences of such a life; consequences from which no one can shield, liberate or absolve you. Abstain from such a life, keep yourself ready for the Day of Judgement; be ready for death which is inevitable, bound to come and sure to end every life, rich or poor." 

In another hadith from Imam Hadi (as) we are told: 

 "Remember when you are on your deathbed and your body is lying before your family members, then there is no physician to prevent you (from death) nor a friend to avail you."Bihar-ul-Anwar, vol. 78, p. 370

We must always remember that it is His (swt) mercy that we need, in our life, and in our deaths, and must thus seek all means of earning his proximity. In the invocation of Shabaniya we say:

My Lord, if You forgive me, then who is more suited than You to do that? If the time of my death has come near and my deeds have not still brought me close to You, I make this confession of my sins a means of approaching You. I have been unjust to my soul for I have not looked after it. It will certainly be doomed if You do not forgive it. My Lord, You have always been kind to me during my life time. Therefore do not cut off Your favour from me at the time of my death. My Lord, how can lose the hope of Your looking kindly, in me after my death, when you have always been good to me during my life. 

Kindly recite surat al Fatihah for all marhomeen and marhoomaat.

Deceiving Allah (swt) ?

Someone enquired from the Holy Prophet (S) as to how could salvation be attained on the Day of Judgement? He replied,

“It could only be possible if one does not deceive Allah. Certainly if anyone tries to deceive Allah he is himself deceived by Allah (i.e. he is repaid for his deceit) and Allah takes away belief from him. If he possesses reason he should know that in trying to deceive Allah, he is only deceiving himself.”

“How can Allah be deceived and defrauded?” a person asked. The Prophet (S) continued,

“The person fulfills all his religious obligations but his aim is to please someone other than Allah. Fear Allah and restrain from ‘Riyah’. On the Day of Judgement the deceiver (Riyakār) will be addressed by four titles, ‘O Kafir, O Sinful, O Crafty one, O Loser, your deeds are nullified and the reward of your deeds is lost. Today you have no worth whatsoever. Go and seek the reward of your deeds from those, to please whom you performed your acts.’

(Muhajjatul Baidha, Bihār al-Anwār)

Source: Greater Sins

Lessons in Tawba: The Mercy of Allah (swt) is Vast

Tafsīr al-Safi mentions under the exegesis of Surah Āli- ‘Imran that one day Sa’ad Ibn Ma’az came weeping to the Messenger of Allah (S). After replying to his Salām the Prophet (S) asked him the reason for crying. Sa’ad said. “O Messenger of Allah! A young man is standing outside the house and weeping upon his youth like a woman mourns the death of her child. He desires to meet you.” The Holy Prophet (S) ordered that the young man be presented to him. Sa’ad came to the Prophet (S) with the youth. He saluted the Messenger (S). After replying his Salām the Holy Prophet (S) asked the young man the reason for his grief. “Why shouldn’t I grieve,” said the young man, “I have committed so many sins that even a few of them are sufficient to earn me Hell-fire. I am sure I shall be punished for my sins.

The Messenger of Allah (S) said,

“Have you attributed partners to Allah?”

“I seek refuge of Allah from attributing a partner to Him.”

“Have you murdered one unjustly?”

“No”,

“Allah shall certainly forgive your sins even if they are like mountains,” the Prophet of Allah (S) said.

“But my sins are greater than mountains,” said the young man.”

“Even if your sins are heavier than seven earths, seas, mountains, trees and all creatures Allah will condone them.”

“My sins are heavier than all of these,” said the youth.

“Allah will forgive them even if they are heavier than the heavens, stars, Arsh and Kursi.”

“My sins are more than these.”

“Pity on you! O young man! Who is greater, your sins or your Lord?”

Hearing this, the young man fell into prostration and said,

“My Lord is pure, nothing is greater than Him and He is greater than the greatest thing.”

“Would the High and Mighty Lord not forgive your great sins?” asked the Prophet (S).

‘No’, said the young man and became silent.

Then the Holy Prophet (S) said,

“Fie on you, young man, can you tell me about one of your great sins?”

“Yes, for seven years I used to exhume corpses and steal their shrouds. One day a young girl from the Ansars died. After she was buried I opened her grave in the middle of the night and removed her shroud. I was about to return when the Shaitan instigated me, I looked at her body and defiled her chastity. When I was leaving, a voice came from behind her head, ‘Fie on you for the chastisement of Qiyāma! You made me naked and junub (ritually impure). Fie on you for the fire of Hell.’”

Then he said, “O Messenger of Allah (S)! I think I shall not be able to even smell the fragrance of Paradise. What do you think?”

“O Transgressor! Get away from me,” said the Prophet (S), “Lest your fire may burn me! How close you are to the fire!”

He repeated this sentence a number of times and the youth finally went away from there. After taking some necessary items he went to the mountains of Madinah. He used to tie his hands behind the neck and plead for forgiveness. “I am Your sinful slave and degraded servant. I am regretful of my deeds. O Allah! I went to Your Messenger and he sent me away. This has increased my fear. I implore You by Your greatness, do not make me hopeless and include me among Your mercies.” He continued this for forty days. Even the beasts began to take pity upon him. After forty days had passed he asked, “O my Lord! What is Your decision regarding me. If You have forgiven me, inform Your Messenger about it. If You have made a firm decision to punish me, burn me at once or subject me to some other punishment and save me from the degradation of Qiyāma.” Upon this, the Almighty Allah revealed the following ayats on His Messenger (S):

“And those who when they commit an indecency or do injustice to their souls remember Allah and ask forgiveness for their faults — and who forgives the faults but Allah, and (who) do not knowingly persist in what they have done. (As for) these — their reward is forgiveness from their Lord, and gardens beneath which rivers flow, to abide in them, and excellent is the reward of the labourers.”

(Surah Āli- ‘Imran 3:135-136)

As soon as these verses were revealed the Messenger of Allah (S) came out of the door reciting the ayats and smiling. He told the companions, “Who can tell me about the repenting young man?” The companions said, “O Messenger of Allah! He is on such and such mountain.”

The Holy Prophet (S) went to the young man with his companions and found him standing between two rocks. His hands were tied behind him and his face was black due to the heat of the sun. The eyelashes had fallen due to weeping and he was saying: O Allah! You bestowed countless bounties on me and did favour on me. If I could only know whether my abode is Paradise or Hell. O My Lord! My sins are greater than your heavens, earths, Arsh and throne. If I could only know whether You would forgive me or degrade me on the day of Qiyāma.” He was repeating these words and weeping. He picked up sand and put it on his head. Looking at his conditions, the animals and birds around him were also weeping. The Messenger of Allah (S) came to him and untied his hands. Cleaned the soil from his head and said,

“Young man! Good news for you that Allah has accepted your Tawba.” Then he told his companions, “You should repent for your sins in this way” and recited the above-mentioned ayats. In this way the good news of Paradise was conveyed to the young man.

A point needs to be explained here. The Holy Prophet (S) drove away the young man probably because he wanted his fear of divine punishment to intensify to such an extent that it could atone for his deadly sins. That the tears of regret may wash his evil deeds and he may qualify for divine mercy. This was exactly what happened. The more earnest a person is in seeking forgiveness the more he shall be near to divine mercy.

Hence the driving away of the young man became a cause for the young man’s expiation.
Source: Greater Sins

Lessons in Tawba: True God Fear is Tawba (Repentance)

Imam Zainul Ābidīn (a.s.) is quoted in volume 15, page 117 of Bihār al-Anwār to have said,

“There was a shroud thief among Bani Israel. One day his companion fell sick and was soon anticipating death. He called his friend, the shroud thief and asked how much he valued him as a friend. The thief accepted that he was a very good friend. The friend said that he had a desire and the thief agreed to fulfill it. The friend showed him two shrouds and told him to choose one for himself so that the other one could be used to bury him “But do not reopen my grave after I am buried and make me naked.” This was not acceptable to the thief but due to his friend’s persuasion he chose the better shroud for himself and went away.

When the friend died and was buried, the thief said to himself, “The dead cannot know that I have broken a promise to him.” He began to dig the grave and was about to unclothe it when he heard a scream and the corpse was saying, “Don’t do this!” The thief was frightened and filled up the grave. When his own death neared, the thief summoned his sons and asked them how he had been as a father to them? The sons agreed that he was the best of fathers. The thief said that he had a last wish and the sons agreed to fulfill it.

He said that after he died they should cremate him and throw half his ashes into the sea and half into the desert. The sons agreed to do this and fulfilled their promise after the thief father died. However, the Almighty Allah gathered his scattered ashes and made him alive again. Allah asked him, “Why did you make such a bequest?” He said, “By Your Might, I made such a bequest due to the fear of Your chastisement.”

Allah said, “I have pardoned you and changed your fear into safety and also satisfied the people who had claims of rights upon you.”

This incident proves that if a person is ashamed of his deeds and has fear of Allah (S.w.T.), the Almighty shall pardon him and also make his enemies satisfied with him.

Source: Greater Sins

Silence

Ever heard the phrase: Speech is silver, silence golden? Here are a few pointers from the book The Kernel of Kernels on keeping silent and its benefits for the spiritual wayfarer.

Silence is of two kinds:

(1) general and mixed (mudaj), and

(2) special and pure (mutlaq).

The general and mixed silence consists of withholding the tongue from superfluous speech with people. Rather, the wayfarer must confine himself to the minimum that is possible, and this silence is essential at all times and throughout the course of wayfaring. Rather, it may be said that it is unconditionally commendable. And to this refers the statement of the Imam ( `a):

إنَّ شِيعَتَنَا الخُرْس

[Surely, our shi`ah are the mute ones.]

And so also is that which has been narrated from Hadrat Sadiq (`a) in the Misbah al‑Shari`ah:

 الصَّمْتُ شِعَارُ المُحِبِّينَ، وَفِيهِ رِضَا الرَّبِّ، وَهُوَ مِنْ أَخْلاَقِ الاَنْبِيَاءِ وَشِعَارِ الاَصْفِيَاء

[Silence is the motto of the lovers, and in it lies the Lord's pleasure, and it is of the etiquette of the prophets and the maxim of the elect.]

And it is mentioned in the tradition narrated by Bazanti, from Hadrat Rida (`a):

   الصَّمْتُ  بَابٌ مِنْ أَبْوَابِ الحِكْمَةِ، وَإنَّهُ دَلِيلٌ عَلَي‌ كُلِّ خَيْرٍ

[Silence is a door from among the doors of wisdom, and it is indeed the guide to all goodness.]

The second kind is special and absolute silence, which consists of withholding the tongue from speech with people while being engaged in exclusive verbal ahikar, and it is not commendable in cases other than that.