Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim - In the Name of Allah, The Most Beneficent, The Most Merciful!!
In this world, it is part of every human being's nature to wish for success in whatever he or she endeavors. Therefore there is a need to have a goal first, and then strive to attain it, so that we are successful.
So what is our true goal?
After understanding that there is only one true God and that He would never leave us without clear guiding principles by which to live our lives; we would be in a better position to understand what exactly that goal is.
When we look into the guiding principles that God has set for us, and when we find that we are doing ok when it comes to the basics, like performing our prayers and other acts of worship that are mandatory, but at the same time when we feel like something is missing from our lives, and that we want to progress towards getting closer to God, then what should we do?
We turn to the Qur'an and look for the next step to attain true success...
Four checks are clearly mentioned in sure mu'minoon to ensure success. These four are:
Khushoo in Salaat
Turning away from Laghw
Making sure to perform Zakaat
Protecting ones private parts
If we actively check these four in our daily lives and strive to attain them, success in these goals will then lead us to true success in our lives.
We then turn to ahadith of our Masumeen and find other goals which complement these 4, such as ethics and morals, sincerity and being good to others...
Imam Ali (AS) has sain in Nahjul Balagha, "Admonish your brother (in faith) by
exhibiting kindness towards him."
Zuhair's View
We can attain true success by striving for the goals set for us clearly in the Qur'an and ahadith.
Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim - In the Name of Allah, The Most Beneficent, The Most Merciful!!
Hurr began to advance gradually toward Husayn. A member of his tribe, Muajir bin Aws, asked him, "What do you intend to do, Hurr? Do you wish to attack?" He kept silent and shuddered. Muhajir continued, "O Hurr, by God, your conduct arouses suspicion. By God I have never seen you behave like this. If I were asked to identify the most coregeous person in Kufa, I could not neglect mentioning your name. So, what of the nervousness I see in you today?"Hurr replied, "By God, I have offered my soul a choice between heaven and hell. By God, I will not give priority to anything in relation to heaven, even if it entails that I be cut to pieces and burnt."
[An Extract From Kitab Maqtal al-Husayn by Abi Mikhnaf]
As the time comes closer, and the days become fewer, I begin to wonder exactly how to approach Imam for the first time...
I have heard from a sheikh that one should rush to the shrine of Imam immediately he enters Karbala without even cleaning up, or resting so as to show the love and anticipation one has...
Somewhere inside I feel some kind of relation to the above paragraph from the Maqtal, "...a choice between heaven and hell." Is this the choice that will change my life?
My sins overburden my weak back. My few good deeds falter in their ability to grant me any form of relief. How am I to show myself to my Imam???
He sacrificed himself and his family to uphold the same religion that I say I am part of... how can I face him after I have destroyed the image of this very religion by following my desires over my intellect?
I want to cry every night from tonight till we leave in the airport... then continue to cry every night till we reach Karbala... then continue to cry every night till I am with my Imam... But still I am afraid that my crying will be so insincere...
What can I do, except ask for His help?
Thus Zuhairs View:
"O Allah, by Your Mercy, Your Splendour, Your Magnificence and Your Greatness, Bless Muhammed (SAW) and his progeny, I pray to You my Lord to guide all those who can go to Karbala for Ziyarat to do so with one intention... to gain close proximity to YOU!!"
Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim - In the Name of Allah, The Most Beneficent, The Most Merciful!!
In this temporary life of ours in this world, we tend to face certain circumstances which seem overwhelming to us, and in those situations, it is human tendency to try and cling to some ray of hope, and then to work toward that ray. The problem is; rarely do we realize the True Source of all hope and because of that we are left disappointed and some of us even get into a state of depression.
Islam is the perfect religion and the best way of life to be followed; and we find that in all cases and circumstances we face in this world, there is always a solution for what must be done clearly prescribed to us in Islam. Imam al-Sadiq (a) said: “Whoever of the believers that bears patiently with a tribulation that befalls him, has the reward of a thousand martyrs.”[Al-Kulayni, al‑Kafi, vol.2, bab al‑sabr, hadith # 17]
When we look at the status given to sabr in Islam, we find that it is mentioned in the Qur’an in numerous places; usually together with other attributes of the righteous believers. In suratul Asr, we find it is mentioned together with believing, doing good deeds, and being on the right. But on the other hand it is also mentioned that having Sabr is no easy task, in sure Baqara verse 45 it is mentioned,"Wastai'nu bis Sabri was Salaati wainnaha lakaabeeratun illa 'alal khashi'een."
Man has this lust and desire within himself which has to be controlled. It is said that desire is the source of all bondage, and that with the increase of this desire and lust, we find that an increase of indignity and servitude would be inevitable. The man obedient to lusts and subjugated to the carnal self is their obedient slave. He submissively obeys whatever they command and is a humble and obedient servant and slave in front of them.
Thus we need to cure this state of mind, and we find that there are two ways to do this, one is through action, and the other through knowledge. The action is religious practices and opposition to the desires, which would require Sabr. The knowledge is understanding the fact that there is no source of satisfaction and happiness other than The Almighty. Imam Ali (AS) has said, “I am ashamed to ask anything of worldly things from their Creator, so how can I seek them from creatures like myself?” [Ilal al-shari'ah, i, 165; Wasa'il al-Shi'ah, x, 29.]
Sabr has 2 different types, 3 different kinds and 4 different stages. Imam Ali (AS) said: “Sabr is of two types: sabr on what you dislike and sabr on what you like.” [Mizan al-Hikmah, hadith # 10099]
Also according to our First Imam, the Messenger of Allah (s) said: “Sabr is of three kinds: sabr at the time of affliction, sabr in regard to obedience, and sabr in regard to disobedience (of Allah). And the third one is superior to the first two kinds.” [Al-Kulayni, al‑Kafi, vol. 2, bab al‑sabr, hadith # 15]
And finally Sabr has four different stages starting with the stage of Sabr fi Allah, meaning having patience by making sure we stay away from major sins, and purify ourselves. Then comes Sabr Ma'a Allah, where we experiance times when in our ibadat we are intimate with Allah, and we have to have the patience to safegourd ourselves from even the minor traces of pride and other sins during these times. The third is Sabr 'An Allah, this is a higher stage where we feel the seperation from Allah, and long for Him, thus we need to have patience, as Imam Ali (AS) says in dua kumayl, "O my God, my Master and my Lord! Even if I were able to endure Thy chastisement, how shall I bear Thy separation?!" And the final stage is that of Sabr Bi Allah, this is such a high stage that we find ourselves completely existing only with Allah, and this is the stage of perfection of sabr.
These facts regarding the types and levels of Sabr have been derived from Ayatullah Ruhullah Khomeini in his book of the 40 Ahadith, mentioned in the 16th Hadith about Sabr. His words are so eloquent and deep in meaning that there is just no way for me to summarize them, I thus would like to ask you to read it for yourself. It can be found here:
Are we the slaves of our lust and desires? Is our power of Aqaliyyah stronger and in control of our power of Shahwiyya? Could we stay apart from what we desire the most in this world for even a week just for the sake of Allah?? Can we call ourselves those from among the Sabireen???
May Allah Help us achieve higher ranks in spirituality, so that we can attain nearness to Him, and May He Guide us to the Straight Path, on which are the loved ones of Allah!!
