There is a well-known tradition:
“Love of `Alī Ibn Abī Ťalib is a good deed with which no evil
deed can bring harm.”
In answer to the first argument, it must be said that the difference between
Shī`as and non-Shī`as becomes apparent when a Shī`a acts on the
program his or her leaders have given him or her and the non-Shī`a also
acts on the teachings of his or her own religion. In such a case, the
precedence of the Shī`a, both in this world and in the other, will become
clear. That is, the difference should be sought in the positive side, not the
negative side. We shouldn’t say that if the Shī`a and non-Shī`a put
the teachings of their religion under their feet, there must be some difference
between them – and if there is no difference in that case, then what difference
is there between Shī`as and non-Shī`as?
This is exactly as if two patients were to refer to a doctor, one referring to
an expert doctor and the other to a doctor with less expertise, but when they
receive the doctor’s prescription, neither of them acts in accordance with it.
Then the first patient complains, saying, “What difference is there between me
and the patient who referred to the non-expert doctor? Why should I remain sick
like him, even though I referred to an expert doctor and he referred to a
non-expert doctor?”
Just as in the example of the two patients, it is not correct for us to
differentiate between `Alī Ibn Abī Ťalib (as) and others by
saying that if we don’t act according to his commands, we will see no harm, but
for them, whether they act according to the words of their leader or not, they
will be in loss.
One of the companions of Imām Ja`far Ibn Muhammad as-Ŝādiq (as)
said to the Imām: “Some of your Shī`as have gone astray and consider
forbidden actions to be permissible, saying that religion is recognition of the
Imām and no more; thus, once you have recognized the Imām, you may do
whatever you want.” Imām as-Ŝādiq (as) said:
“Verily we belong to God and to Him shall we return. These unbelievers have
interpreted that which they don’t know according to their own ideas.”
The proper statement is, “Acquire recognition [of the Imām] and do
whatever good deeds you want, and they will be accepted of you, for God does
not accept actions without recognition.”[94]
Muhammad Ibn Mārid asked Imām Ja`far Ibn Muhammad as-Ŝādiq
(as): “Is it true that you have said, ‘Once you have recognized (the
Imām), do what you please’?” The Imām (as) replied, “Yes, that is
correct.” He said, “Any action, even adultery, theft, or drinking wine?!” The
Imām (as) replied: “Verily we belong to God and to Him shall we return. I
swear by God, they have wronged us. We [the Imāms] ourselves are
responsible for our actions; how can responsibility be lifted from our Shī`as?
What I said is that once you have recognized the Imām, do what you wish of
good deeds, for they will be accepted from you.”[95]
As for the tradition that says:
“Love of `Alī Ibn Abī Ťalib (as) is a good deed with which no
evil deed will cause harm,”
We must see what its interpretation is. One of the eminent scholars – I think
it was Wahīd Bihbahānī – has interpreted this tradition in a
noteworthy way. He says that the meaning of the tradition is that if one’s love
of `Alī Ibn Abī Ťalib (as) is true, no sin will bring harm to a
person. That is, if one’s love of `Alī Ibn Abī Ťalib (as) – who
is the perfect example of humanity, obedience, servitude, and ethics – is
sincere and not out of self-centeredness, it will prevent the committing of
sins; it is like a vaccine that brings immunity and keeps sickness away from
the vaccinated person.
Love of a leader like `Alī Ibn Abī Ťalib (as), who is the
personification of good deeds and piety, causes one to love `Alī Ibn
Abī Ťalib’s character; it chases the thought of sin from one’s mind,
with the condition, of course, that one’s love be true. It is impossible for
one who recognizes `Alī Ibn Abī Ťalib (as) – his piety, his
tearful prayers, his supplications in the heart of the night – and one who
loves such a person, to act in opposition to his command, he who always
commanded others to be pious and do good deeds. Every lover shows respect to
the wishes of his or her beloved and respects his or her command. Obedience to
the beloved is a necessary result of true love; thus it is not exclusive to
`Alī Ibn Abī Ťalib (as); true love of the Prophet Muhammad (S)
is the same way. Thus, the meaning of the tradition:
“Love of `Alī Ibn Abī Ťalib (as) is a good deed with which no
evil deed can cause harm”
Is that love of `Alī (as) is a good deed that prevents evil deeds from
bringing harm; that is, it prevents their occurrence. It doesn’t indicate the
meaning that the ignorant have understood, which is that love of `Alī Ibn
Abī Ťalib (as) is something alongside of which any sin you may commit
will not have an effect.
Some dervishes on the one hand claim to love God and on the other hand are more
sinful than all other sinners; these, too are false claimants.
Imām Ja`far Ibn Muhammad as-Ŝādiq (as) said:
You disobey God while claiming to love Him,
This by my life is an incredible deed.
If your love were true, you would obey Him;
Verily the lover shows obedience to the beloved.
The true friends of Amīrul Mo’minīn `Alī Ibn Abī Ťalib
(as) would always abstain from sins; his patronage (wilāyah) would protect
from sin, not encourage it.
Imām Muhammad Ibn `Alī al-Bāqir (as) said:
“Our patronage is not attained except through deeds and piety.”[96]
Now, some traditions in support of this point:
1. Ťāwūs al-Yamānī says: “I saw `Alī ibnil
Ĥusain (as) perform the circumambulation the House of God and busying
himself in worship from the time of `Ishā prayers until the last part of
the night. When he found himself alone, he looked toward the sky and said, “O
God! The stars have disappeared in the horizon and the eyes of the people have
slept, and Your gates are open to those who seek…”
Ťāwūs narrated many sentences in this regard from the humble and
worshipful supplications of the Imām (as) and has said {in regards to the
Imām(as)}: “Numerous times in the course of his supplication, he wept.” He
#356;āwūs)
then said:
“Then he (the Imām) fell to the earth and prostrated on the ground. I
approached and, putting his head on my knees, wept. My tears flowed and fell on
his face. He rose, sat, and said: “Who has busied me from the remembrance of my
Lord?” I said: “I am Ťāwūs, O son of the Messenger of God. What
is this agitation and disquiet? We, who are sinners and full of shortcomings,
should do thus. Your father is Ĥusain Ibn `Ali, your mother is
Fāťimah Zahrā, and your grandfather is the Messenger of God (S)
– that is, with such a noble ancestry and lofty link, why are you in discomfort
and fear?” He looked to me and said:
“Not at all, O’ Ťāwūs, not at all! Leave aside talk of my
ancestry. God created Heaven for those who obey Him and do good, even if he be
an Abyssinian slave, and He created Hell for those who disobey him, even if he
be a Qurayshī lad. Have you not heard the words of God: “So when the
trumpet shall be blown, there will be no relations among them, nor shall they
ask one another?” By God, nothing shall benefit you tomorrow except what good
deeds you send forth.”[97]
2. The Messenger of God (S), after the conquest of Makkah, ascended the hill of
al-Ŝafāā and called out: “O sons of Hāshim! O sons of `Abdul
Muťťalib!” The descendents of Hāshim and `Abdul
Muťťalib assembled; when they came together, the Messenger (S)
addressed them:
“Verily I am God’s Messenger to you; verily I am your well-wisher. Don’t say
that Muhammad is from among us, for I swear by God, my friends from among you
and from among others are only the pious ones. So do not let me see you come to
me on the Day of Judgement carrying the world on your shoulders, while the
people come carrying the Hereafter. Aye, I have left no excuse between myself
and you, and between God the Exalted and you. Verily, for me are my deeds and
for you are your deeds.”[98]
3. Books of history have written that the Noble Messenger (S), in the last days
of his life, went out alone at night to the cemetery of al-Baqī` and
sought forgiveness for those buried in it. After that, he said to his
companions, “Each year Jibrā’īl would show the Qur’ān to me
once, and this year he recited it for me twice. I think this is a sign that my
death has approached.” The next day he went to the pulpit and declared, “The
time of my death has approached. Whoever I have made a promise to, let him come
forward so that I may fulfil it, and whoever is owed something by me, let him
come forward so that I may give it.”
Then he continued his words thus:
“O people! Verily there is no kinship between God and any person, nor is there
anything on account of which He will do good to a person or cast away evil from
him except deeds. Aye, let no one claim or wish (otherwise). I swear by Him Who
sent me with the truth, nothing will give salvation save (good) deeds along
with mercy, and if [even] I were to disobey, I would perish. O God! I have
conveyed.” [99]
4. Imām `Alī Ibn Mūsā al-Ridhā (as) had a brother
known as Zayd al-Nār. The character of this brother of the Imām (as)
was not very pleasing to the Imām. One day, during the time that the
Imām was in Marw, Zayd was present in a gathering in which there was a
large group of people who were speaking to each other. While the Imām was
speaking, he noticed that Zayd was talking to a group of people and speaking of
the station of the Messenger’s family, and in a proud manner would constantly
say, “we this” and “we that.” The Imām (as) cut short his own words and
said, addressing Zayd: “What are these things that you are saying? If what you
say is correct and the descendents of the Messenger of God (S) have an
exceptional status; that is, if God is not to punish their evildoers and will
reward them without their doing good deeds, then you are more honourable near
God than your father Mūsā Ibn Ja`far (as), because he would worship
God until he attained the stations of Divine proximity, whereas you think that
without worship you can attain the station of Mūsā Ibn Ja`far (as).”
The Imām (as) then turned to Ĥasan Ibn Mūsā
al-Washshā’, one of the scholars of Kūfah who was present in that
gathering, saying, “How do the scholars of Kūfah recite this verse:
“O Nuh! Verily he is not of your family; he is a (doer) of unworthy deeds.”
He replied: “They recite it thus:
“That is, he is not your son and is not from your seed; he is the son of an
unrighteous man.”
The Imām (as) said, “Such is not the case. They recite the verse
incorrectly and interpret it incorrectly. The verse is thus:
That is, your son himself is unworthy. He was actually the son of Nūh; he
was driven away from God and drowned because he himself was unrighteous, even
though he was the son of Prophet Nūh(as).
Thus, being descended from and related to the Prophet or Imām has no
benefit; good deeds are required.”[100]
Creational Conditions and
Conventional Conditions
Usually, people compare the Divine rules in creation, reward and punishment,
and salvation and perdition to the human societal rules, even though these
affairs are in accordance with creational and actual conditions and are a
portion of them, whereas social conditions and rules follow conventional,
man-made rules. Social rules can follow conventional conditions, but the rules
of creation, and among them Divine reward and punishment, cannot follow these
conditions, and instead follow creational conditions. To clarify the difference
between a creational system and a conventional system, we present an example:
We know that in social systems, every country has its own particular rules and
laws. Social rules, in some issues, differentiate between two people who are
equal in physical and creational conditions, but different with respect to
conventional conditions.
For example, when they wish to hire someone in Iran, if an Iranian and an
Afghani apply for the job and both are equal in terms of creational conditions,
it is possible that the Iranian will be hired rather than the Afghani, simply
because he is not an Iranian. In this case, if the Afghani says that I am
completely equal in terms of physical conditions to the Iranian who was hired –
if he is healthy, I too am healthy, if he is young, so am I, if he is a
specialist in such-and-such a field, so am I – he will be given the answer that
administrative rules do not permit us to hire you.
Based on a conventional and man-made decision, the position of this same
Afghani individual can change and become like others; that is, he can apply for
and receive Iranian citizenship. It is obvious that citizenship papers have no
effect on his actual personality; but from the view of social rules, he has
become another person. Normally, the observance of conventional conditions is
concurrent with a lack of observance of equality in actual and creational
conditions.
But in issues that do not follow social and conventional rules and instead
follow only creational conditions, the case is different.
For example, if – God forbid – an illness or an epidemic comes to Iran, it will
not differentiate between a citizen of Iran and that of another country. If an
Iranian and an Afghani are equal with respect to temperamental, environmental,
and all other conditions, it is impossible for the bacteria that cause illness
to discriminate and say that since the Afghani is not a citizen of Iran, I have
nothing to do with him. Here, the issue is of creation and nature, not society
and societal conventions; the issue pertains to creation, not to legislation
and rule-making.
The Divine rules with respect to reward and punishment and salvation and
perdition of individuals are subject to actual and creational conditions. It is
not the case that if someone claims, “Since my name is recorded in the register
of Islām and I am Muslim by name, I must have special treatment,” it will
be accepted of him or her.
Let there be no confusion; here we are concerned with the discussion of reward
and punishment, salvation and perdition, and the conduct of God with His
servants; we are not talking about the laws that Islām has legislated in
the Muslims’ social life.
There is no doubt that the laws of Islām, like all other legislations of
the world, are a series of conventional laws, and a series of conventional
conditions has been observed within them. And in these laws which are related
to their worldly life, human beings, out of necessity, must follow a set of conventional
conditions.
But the actions of God, and the operation of Divine will in the system of
creation – including the granting of salvation and leading to perdition of
individuals and rewarding and punishing them – do not follow social rules, and
instead are of another type altogether. God, in carrying out His absolute will,
does not act on the basis of conventional rules. Conventional matters which
naturally have a major effect on social systems have no role in the creational
will of God.
From the viewpoint of the rules which Islām has legislated that pertain to
the social conduct of human beings, whenever a person recites the two
testimonies[101], he or she will be recognized as a Muslim and will benefit
from the advantages of Islām. But with regard to the rules of the
hereafter and from the viewpoint of God’s conduct, the laws of:
“Whoever follows me, is from me…”[102]
and:
“Verily the most honourable of you near God is the most pious of you.”[103]
prevail.
The Messenger of God (S) said:
“O people! Verily your father is one, and your Lord is One. All of you are from
Adam, and Adam was from dust. There is no pride for an Arab over a non-Arab,
except through piety.”[104]
Salmān al-Fārisī , who strove to reach truth, reached such a
station that the Noble Messenger (S) said of him,
“Salmān is one of us, the People of the House.”
There are some who have come under the influence of satanic whisperings and
have contented themselves with the thought: “Our name is among the names of
`Alī Ibn Abī Ťalib’s (as) friends. However we may be, we are
considered his subjects. Or we will make a will that a large sum out of the
money that we have acquired through wrong means or that we should have spent in
our lifetime in good causes – but didn’t – should be given to the caretakers of
one of the holy shrines in order for us to be buried near the graves of God’s
saints, so that the Angels don’t dare punish us.”
Such people should know that they have been blinded and the curtain of
negligence has covered their eyes. Their eyes will open when they will find
themselves drowned in Divine punishment and they will suffer from such regret
that if it were possible to die, they would do so a thousand times. So let them
awake from the slumber of carelessness today, repent, and make up for what has
passed.
“And warn them (of) the day of regret, when the affair will be decided while
they are negligent and don’t believe.”[105]
From the point of view of the Qur’ān and the Islāmic traditions, it
is definite that the sinner, even if Muslim, will be punished by God. True,
since he or she has faith, he or she will in the end achieve salvation and
liberty from Hell, but it may be that this salvation will only come after years
of hardship and punishment.
Some people’s account of sins will be cleansed by the hardships of dying;
another group will pay the penalty for their sins in the grave and barzakh
(intermediary realm between this world and the next); another group will get
their retribution in the horrors of Resurrection and difficulties of accounting
for their deeds; and yet others will go to Hell and linger there for years in
punishment. It has been narrated from the sixth Imām, Ja`far Ibn Muhammad
as-Ŝādiq (as) that the verse:
“…lingering therein for ages…”[106]
Pertains to those who will attain salvation from Hell.[107]
Here we mention some examples of traditions which talk of the punishments of
the time of death and after death so that they may help us take notice, awaken,
and prepare ourselves for the daunting and dangerous stations which we have
ahead of us.
1. Shaykh Kulaynī narrates from Imām Ibn Muhammad as-Ŝādiq
(as) that `Alī Ibn Abī Ťalib (as) was once suffering from pain
in the eye. The Prophet Muhammad (S) went to visit him at a time when he was
crying out from the pain. He said, “Is this cry from impatience, or because of
the severity of pain?” Amīrul Mo’minīn `Alī Ibn Abī
Ťalib (as) replied, “O Messenger of God, I have not suffered any pain like
this until today.” The Prophet (S) began to narrate the terrifying account of
what happens to unbelievers when they die. Upon hearing this, `Alī (as)
sat up and said, “Messenger of God, please repeat this account for me, for it
made me forget my pain.” Then he (as) said, “O Messenger of God! Will anyone
from your community face such a death?” He replied, “Yes: a ruler who
oppresses, one who usurps the property of an orphan, and one who bears false
witness.”[108]
2. Shaykh Ŝadūq narrates in the book ‘Man Lā Yah°uruhu
al-Faqīh’ that when Dharr, the son of Abū Dharr al-Ghifārī
, died, Abu Dharr stood by his grave, put his hand on the grave, and said: “God
have mercy on you; I swear by God that you were good to me and now that you
have left me I am pleased with you. I swear by God that I am not worried
because of your leaving; nothing has been diminished from me, and I am in need
of none but God. And were it not for the fear of the time of notification, I
would wish that I had gone in your place. But now I wish to compensate for what
has passed and prepare for the next world, and verily my grief for your sake
has prevented my grief over you. [That is, I am absorbed in thinking about
doing something that could benefit you, and so I have no time to grieve at
being separated from you.] I swear by God that I have not wept on account of
your separation, but I have cried thinking about how you are and what you have
gone through. I wish I knew what you said and what was said to you! O God! I
have forgiven the rights that You had made obligatory on my son for me, so You
too forgive him Your rights over him, for magnanimity and generosity are more
befitting of You.”[109]
3. Imām Ja`far Ibn Muhammad as-Ŝādiq (as) narrates from his
noble ancestors that the Prophet Muhammad (S) said, “The squeezing in the grave
for a believer is an atonement for the shortcomings he or she has
committed.”[110]
4. `Alī Ibn Ibrāhīm narrates from Imām Ja`far Ibn Muhammad
as-Ŝādiq (as) regarding the verse:
“…and beyond them is a barrier until the day they shall be resurrected.”[111]
that he said:
“I swear by God, I fear nothing for you except barzakh; as for when the affair
is committed to us, we are more worthy of you.”[112]
That is, our intercession is related to after barzakh; there is no intercession
in barzakh.
In general, there are so many Qur’ānic verses and clear traditions
regarding the punishment for sins such as lying, backbiting, false accusation,
treachery, oppression, usurping other’s property, drinking, gambling,
tale-bearing, defaming, abandoning prayer, abandoning fasting, abandoning
pilgrimage, abandoning Jihād, and so forth that it is beyond reckoning;
none of them are exclusive to the unbelievers or non-Shī`as.
In the tradition of the Mi`rāj (Prophetic ascent to Heaven), we find many
examples where the Prophet Muhammad (S) says: “I saw various groups of my
community, men and women, in different forms of punishment, who were being
punished on account of various sins.”
Notes:
[94] Mustadrak al-Wasā'il, Volume 1, Page 24
[95] al-Kāfī, Volume 2, Page 464
[96] Bihārul Anwār, Volume 12 (Kumpānī print)
[97] Ibid., Volume 11, Page 25, “Chapter on the Noble Morals of the Fourth
Imām”
[98] Bihārul Anwār