Al-Siraj: The Lantern on the Path To Allah Almighty
Chapter 6: What Path Should God’s Servants Take to Reach Their Lord
Be informed that anything big dwarves when compared to something
bigger. Anything hard dwarves when compared with something harder. It
diminishes and disappears, becoming nothing. One who is pricked by a
thorn then bitten by a scorpion sees the thorn as nothing compared with
the sting of the scorpion, something not worth mentioning at all. The
Creator, Praise and Exaltation belong to Him, has subdued everything by
creating something else higher than it.
Take a look at the greatness of the Commander of the Faithful (‘a), his
might and prowess, his attainment of the extreme limit of perfection,
and how he humbles himself when the name of Muhammad (‘s) is mentioned,
admitting that he is his slave. Says the Imam (‘a),
‘I am one of the slaves of Muhammad (‘s)’ (Al-Kafi, Vol. 1, p. 89).
Such is the tangible principle about everything possible or in
existence. So, if you want to think less of the life of this world and
its hardships, take a look at what is harder. Imagine if you add to your
hardship another hardship much harder for you; what would you then do?
It is then that everything becomes easy when compared to what is harder.
And it is then that you will count your blessings and say, ‘Praise be to
Allah Who did not expose me to a hardship! Had He so willed, He would
have done just that.’
Likewise, if you wish to appreciate a good deed which you have done so
as to rid yourself of the elation, which is the substance of conceit and
bragging, compare this good deed with others undertaken by those who are
higher in status, those who are better than you. Or suppose you are
elevated in your status; you will then see such a good deed as wrong and
as indicative of your shortcoming, so you need to apologize for it. You
will feel ashamed of being associated with it, let alone being proud of
and elated about it.
If you become accustomed to such a habit, by the will of Allah, the
most Gracious, the most Exalted One, you should incessantly keep seeking
Allah, for there is no goal nor an end greater than loving Him: Whenever
you ascend the ladder of being sincere in serving Him, you will see a
higher, a more magnificent, a more bright and a more sublime
station[^1]. So, if you wish to reach the end, there is none to reach,
none to stop at.
But if you want to stop without any obstacle in your way to continue
your ascendance, this is something which does not suit you. It is so
because the most Glorious One, Praise is all due to Him, invites you
with His munificence and generosity to get even closer to Him. Who else
would you prefer over Him?! For what gain would you turn away from Him?!
Lord! Whoever seeks anyone but You shall meet disappointment, and
whoever wants to turn away from You shall be a loser!
Since it has become rationally accurate that there is no alternative
for seeking a path to Allah through incessant obedience to Him, be then
informed that you can achieve this by seeking another facet of obedience
to Him if you stop observing another facet: Allah, the Praised One,
loves to be asked for permission just as He loves those who uphold His
commandments. One who seeks to win the love of Allah, the most Praised
and Exalted One, Allah shall open this gate for him and make its
undertaking sound and hopeful adoration as means to attain His love, the
most Exalted and the most Great that He is, for it is just so.
Also, the same takes place if he abandons them at a station where he
fears lest boredom and lack of attachment should hinder him from such an
obedience, as is the human nature. He will then be excused by Allah Who
loves to be sought to grant permission. His abandonment of such a
station will then earn him the love of the most Exalted and the most
Great One even if one does not thus expect. A servant of Allah will then
be subject to His love, the most Exalted and the most Great that He is,
in whatever he does or does not do. Such is the great success, and for
this should the doers of good strive.
A testimonial to such a meaning is a narrative variably reported from
the Commander of the Faithful (‘a) and from our master, al-Hasan son of
Ali (‘a). The Commander of the Faithful (‘a) is quoted as having said,
‘When two options, both pleasing Allah, are offered to a person, he
[the good believer] should opt to undertake the one which is harder for
him.’
Imam al-Hasan (‘a), however, says that such a believer will opt for the
one easier to undertake.
The second view is interpreted by arguing that Allah loves to be sought
for permission just as He loves His servants to observe His
commandments, and He loves moderation in one’s form of adoration. It
also falls under the category of those who say that
‘The creed is strong; so, you should delve into it gently, and do not
force Allah’s servants to obey Allah’ (Al-Kafi, Vol. 2, p. 70)
and under the category of self-deception by attracting the soul to obey
Allah. The first, too, gives the impression that it falls under the
category of resisting one’s temptation which is the key to all
blessings[^2]. Both admonish the servants of Allah and guide His
creation. Hence, their status in the hearts cannot be realized by the
minds or by the dreams, and they know it best.
Also, one must take the time to contemplate upon his actions so that he
may perform them in the best way. This will be prompted by sincerity.
This often requires some time, although anything you postpone is subject
to Satan’s coveting, and postponement incorporates detriments including
missing an opportunity.
So, if you see both these issues as contradicting each other, since
through postponement you are apprehensive of missing the opportunity,
while with haste you are apprehensive of spoiling the task which needs
taking the time to contemplate on and to perform. Add to this the
deception of Satan the Accused who tries to present it to you as an act
of obedience while it is in reality for the satisfaction of one’s own
desire, and to please Satan, so it will be a form of transgression.
The way to get rid of such a contradiction is that you ought to know
whether the postponement will be an opportunity for Satan. If so, such a
postponement is indicative of one’s ineffectiveness and laziness. It is
out of love for wealth. It should remain in your hand: you will not
spend it, for then it will get out of your hand. Such a postponement is
the one that is detrimental to the scholar, and there is no doubt about
its ugliness. The self (nafs) must be fought and outsmarted so that
the soul may save itself.
As regarding postponing the doing of something for the sake of taking
the time to achieve its perfection, it is desired, liked and mandated by
the Lord of Dignity. It is not to be followed by regret, nor does it
cause missing an opportunity to do something good because you are thus a
man of righteousness when you assess the issues properly: ‘There can
be no grounds (for complaint) against those who do what is right...’
(Qur’an, 9:91).[^3]
Nevertheless, if you wish to do something with precision and
perfection, accompany your postponement of doing it with reliance on
Allah, praying He will enable you to accomplish doing it when you
actually undertake it. When you are dragged by laziness and the desire
to postpone doing it, make advancing it accompanied by reliance on Allah
to assist you to be sincere in such an undertaking and to accomplish it
in a way that pleases Him and earns His Pleasure.
If you accompany the matter with reliance on Allah whether you postpone
or advance its doing, exerting an effort to identify the motive in each
case, if your concern is prompted by a selfish reason or by laziness,
desiring to keep what is already in your hand, you will not be deputed
[by the Almighty] for such a bad undertaking.
But if the motive for either advancement or postponement is a sound one
which it requires, you will be doing what is right whether you advanced
or postponed doing it, and you are not to blame; you will earn the love
of Allah in either advancement or postponement case, just as we have
already told you that you will earn the love of Allah if you did or did
not do it. If a servant of Allah earns the love of Allah when he does or
does not do something, or when he advances or postpones doing it, he
will have accomplished his march towards Allah by continuously treading
the path of obeying Him. Far, far away it is from Him to shun one who
seeks Him and who knocks at His door.[^4]
Do not ever be misled into thinking that the hearts’ path to Allah is
confined to prayers, fasting, the recitation of the Qur’an, learning,
educating, the recitation of supplications, the performing of ziyaras,
and the like, so much so that they consider anything other than such
pronouncements as ‘idle talk’ and ‘a waste of time’ as thought by our
‘righteous’ brothers. This is nothing but short-sightedness and some
people being confused.[^5]
Be informed that the essential requirement of the legislator with
regard to mature people is to be strong in foresight so that they may
obey their Lord with their full foresight and ample knowledge. Anything
that has anything to do with strengthening foresight and increasing
awareness is included in the legislator’s objective and is expected of
him. Actually, he more than anyone else seeks and underscores this.
Anyone who restricts himself to the rituals mentioned above, eying them
in such a limited way, stagnation will make the most of him. His
awareness of the subjects of the Shari`ah, of the Qiblah, of time,
etc., will decrease. Anyone who wishes to deceive him with regard to his
creed, be he a human or a jinn, can do so. This is the opposite of what
is sought by the person responsible for the Shari`ah, and it runs
contrarily to his goal.
This is the opposite of one who buys and sells, learns ethics, debates,
the commendable manners relevant to making a question or answering one,
in addition to his own manifestations of adoration, supplications,
knowledge and teaching..., such a man is truly a man, a very good man;
one’s conscience is the best testimony for all of that.
Just as you carefully looked into learning some tangible crafts, Allah
opened gates for you on the knowledge of what makes sense. The essence
in this is that Allah, the Praised One, connected what is tangible to
what is rational, the matters of the Hereafter with those of this
life.
So, one who seeks what is in the Hereafter without employing what is
available in the life of this world will never achieve his objective:
Allah has made the Hereafter issues attainable only with what is
available in this life, making the life that is intended to attain the
Hereafter as part of the Hereafter, something which is not to be
condemned among the things relevant to this life. One hadith states the
following:
‘Condemned is one who abandons his Hereafter for the sake of his life
in this world, and condemned is one who abandons his life in this world
for the sake of the Hereafter.’
The life the abandonment of which for the sake of the Hreafter is
condemned is actually the one that leads one to the good things in the
Hereafter, and it is the one that does not stand in the way of anything
good. The first type of ‘dunya’ cannot be avoided to reach the goal, and
it is mandatory. Discussing it, therefore, is considered useful for
one’s awareness. Such a discussion strengthens one’s understanding and
foresight, a meaning embedded in the traditions relevant to trade. (Most
references state that it contributes to reason as stated on p. 148, Vol.
5, of Al-Kafi.)
It has also been reported in hadith that adoration is comprised of ten
parts: nine about trade and one about all acts of obedience (to Allah).
What supports this argument is the fact that the Prophet (‘s), prior to
the inception of his mission, took to trade, and so did other prophets
and messengers[^6]. The divine wisdom decreed that such perfections be
scattered worldwide and that many of them are currently being discussed
by people so that everyone may get his share thereof. This is why He has
commanded that the wise word must be accepted no matter who articulates
it, so much so that Ahl al-Bayt (‘a) have said,
‘Take wisdom even from the people of hypocrisy’
according to Bihar al-Anwar, Vol. 2, p. 99. They (‘a) have also
said,
‘Learn from the mouths of men’
as we read on p. 105, Vol. 2, of Bihar al-Anwar. When the Wise
Legislator wanted His servant to earn an ample share of pieces of wisdom
and branches of knowledge, He disseminated them throughout the world so
that they could be accessible to them, ordering them to accept such
pieces of wisdom from whoever brought them. Ahl al-Bayt (‘a) required
their Shi`ah to get to know people through their righteousness rather
than righteousness through people. Their Imams (‘a) have said,
‘Look into what one says, and do not look into who said what’ (Bihar al-Anwar, Vol. 1, p. 355).
They (‘a) have also said,
‘Two things are unusual: a word of wisdom coming from a shallow-minded
person, a word which you have to accept, and shallow-mindedness from a
wise person which you have to forgive’
according to Bihar al-Anwar, Vol. 2, p. 44.
Perfection, then, all perfection, is absorbing statements and actions,
or they may be dealings, experiences, etc. Ahl al-Bayt (‘a) are cited as
having said,
‘Reason is the storehouse of experiences, and the best experience is
that which teaches you a lesson’
according to Bihar al-Anwar, Vol. 74, p. 208, and that an experience
is knowledge earned, according to Ghurar al-Hikam. Anything sparked
inside a number of brethren, so they restricted themselves to following
the well known rituals, limiting their outlook only to them, is
something which we have put to the test. We looked into the past
conditions of previous generations, those whose tales reached us, and we
found the above to be an indication of a limited mentality, a lack in
awareness, something which does not elevate anyone, nor does it help one
reach lofty stations.
We, therefore, would like to attract one’s attention to the fact that it
is one of the deceptions of Satan the Accursed which the latter uses to
confine one from moving to lofty stations and coveted plateaus. What
makes a thing easier compared with something else is to look at life in
this world and at its affairs to see how insignificant these are
compared with the matters of the Hereafter, circumstances and
development stages.
One who seeks Allah has to get the worries relevant to this life out of
his mind, so he is not excited about anything which he achieves, nor is
he grieved by anything which he loses. He simply contemplates on these
issues, looking into how fast they will disappear, how swiftly they will
alter, how they will never remain the same. A wise person ought not be
too concerned about something which is so unstable, something which in
fact is... nothing!
Secondly, if we look at life in this world as ‘something’ this is what
Satan the Accursed insinuates, Satan who has deceived this creation,
making people believe that life by itself is something good. But there
is no doubt, and by way of necessity, it cannot be compared with the
pleasures of the Hereafter which are much better than its pleasures and
which Allah has in store for His obedient servants, selecting them from
among all others.
If we suppose that life has something good, this ‘something good’
diminishes when compared to the good things of the Hereafter. If you
prolong your look and carefully contemplate, it will become quite clear
to you that one who pays his full attention to the issues of this life
as it is, not in order to thereby reach the good things of the
Hereafter, will be paying attention to mere nothingness, to a vanishing
falsehood[^7].
So, our dear Brother! Be informed that the way of Ahl al-Bayt (‘a) is
not ‘a thing’ by itself. If you look at it as a ‘thing’, wishing to
leave it for something better, you are not guided at all to the way of
Ahl al-Bayt (‘a)..., period. Gather your thoughts, then, and supplicate
to your Lord to help you get to know what life is according to Ahl
al-Bayt (‘a) so that you may be among those who follow in their
footsteps and adhere to their method; otherwise, we will be in a valley
while our critics will be in another.
If some sound vision, a fixed and commendable way of thinking that life
is not to be sought for what it is, nor should it be one’s ultimate
objective..., becomes available to you, you will then have no choice
except to confine your objective and inclination to what is rendered to
Allah, to what Allah is sought for.
If it so happens that you will after that do something not for the sake
of Allah, praise to Him, but to go along with your own nature, out of
your own inclination, or because of the deception of Satan the Accursed,
this is something which you did not intend to do in the first place, nor
does it fall under your own will and determination. Rather, it is much
like an unintentional slip of the tongue. You will still, despite this,
have the right to state the following in the ‘inclusive ziyarah’:
‘... obedient to you [to Ahl al-Bayt (‘a)].’
This is so because in the case of intention to do or not to do
something, you obey none but them (‘a). You see none others from among
their foes as being worthy of your obedience except when you are
deceived, or when you flee away or become unmindful. You will only then
make a mistake and do something unintentionally, something contrary to
your objective. You will then sincerely repent, truly seek forgiveness,
for you always are determined not to fall into sinning again but to
continue on your course of obedience[^8]. Do not include yourself among
those to whom the following tradition hints:
‘One who keeps committing the same sin while still seeking forgiveness
is like one who ridicules his Lord’ (Bihar al-Anwar, Vol. 90, p.
281).
You will then be excluded from those thus labelled. It is as though
this same meaning was hinted at by the Master of Martyrs (‘a) in his
`Arafa supplication thus:
‘Lord! You know that although my obedience to You has not been
continuously positive, yet it has continued in the form of love for You
and determination to seek You’ (Iqbal al-A`mal, p. 348).
All of this hinges on the love for the life in this world exiting from
one’s heart even in the meaning which we have just stated, that is, your
decision and determination are bound on not doing any worldly deed in
order to thereby seek this dunya as your ultimate goal. Such is not
sought by any wise person, so much so that if you do so, you will look
at yourself as having joined the company of the unwise and left the wise
behind you.
If you master this to the extent that you start with it whenever you
contemplate upon doing something, yours will be the objective which we
have stated as well as others similar to its gist; so, take advantage of
it, and do not be among the unmindful.
** **
[^1]: Feeling aware of the Divine manifestations, which are the most significant boons in existence, boons which help one along his march, a servant increases in his passion to what is greater and more beautiful whenever the veil is removed from his eyes, for there is no repetition in such a process of manifestation. Eeach manifestation from the One Who knows the unknown has its specific magnificence and attraction which make it different from its precedent. This is why the friends of Allah who enjoy the pleasure of manifestations can hardly encounter any hardship in life despite its bitterness: the pleasure of reaching their station makes them forget the pain of any separation even when all the people of the earth consider such separation as something quite grave.
[^2]: The compiler’s expression ‘going against one’s inclinations is the key to all blessings’ is not exaggerated. One of the principles of the path to Allah Almighty, a principle which never falters, is the impossibility of undertaking such a journey without self-control, for how can anyone other than the animal’s owner control the animal’s path? The first step in the movement, therefore, is to accustom one’s human existence, in all its parts and senses, to one’s will. It is well known that this stage can be regarded as crossing half the distance: Inclination, desire and fantasy are all among the doors which drag a servant of Allah to the bottomless pit no matter how serious such a servant is in making the entire distance. The matter is not accomplished through belief, conviction in addition to hopes. Imam al-Kazim (‘a), hence, says the following: ‘I have come to know that the best of provisions of one who seeks You is a determined will whereby he prefers You; it is through the strength of will that my heart has addressed You.’ (Al-Iqbal, Vol. 3, p. 277).
[^3]: Getting to know the right timing for proceeding to do something or withholding doing it needs, in reality, a foresight and assistance from Allah Almighty. Quite often, we lose the opportunity to earn great benefits because we do not watch for the opportunity which passes away like a summer cloud. Harvesting fruits on time is the concern of anyone who treads the path. What a loss it is when the farmer wakes up after the harvest season or when what is to be harvested has already withered?!
[^4]: This statement, though brief, is very precise. He combines earning the love of Allah, the basis of the divine attraction to the servant of Allah, with the practical conduct while doing what is obligatory and avoiding what is prohibitive. Some people erroneously think that demonstrating such love without actions earns a servant of Allah degrees of nearness to Allah. So you find them aimlessly soaring spiritually, employing poetry once and once prose just to return from their soaring to their living reality which contains what brings about the wrath of the Lord on account of their individual, social or family dealings.
[^5]: This is one gate that opens many gates of knowledge and insight in seeking a way to please Allah Almighty. We find some people summarizing such a path in a number of thikrs and certain sections of the Qur’an (wirds), forgetting that a creed is not merely talk. A creed, rather, is based on knowledge and treatment which prompt the saying of what agrees with the Shari`ah. Quite often, being occupied with wirds (in a way not followed by Ahl al-Bayt [‘a]) causes the intoxication of one’s subconsciousness, so he thinks he is doing great while he is not doing anything. Add to this the fact that the reality of a supplication is the movement which stems from the heart and which is prompted by the meanings of what is articulated. The articulated supplication is nothing but the manifestation of its hidden meanings. If a pronouncement is empty of prompting the meanings suitable for them, what is revealed ought not be revealed... And what is the value of a structure which has no content?
[^6]: Such is the condition of incorporating all fields in the requirements of worship. Inclusion of acting upon the Shari`ah is one of the characteristics of one who truly seeks a path to his Lord, unlike one who wishes to fly with one wing, let alone one who wishes to fly with one single feather! What is tested by reason is that the defect caused by falling short of one’s effort to secure livelihood is the result of one’s distraction to many things rather than the concentration on one. A path seeker, more than anyone else, needs to shun such a distraction and any multitude of burdens in his life. Anything vacant is like a rope heavily tying a servant of Allah down to earth. All this excludes what such a servant may have to undergo of pure fate and destiny. He will be rewarded for it, even if it forces him to be distracted. Allah, the most Exalted, the most Great One, helps His servant achieve that from which he is distracted and compensates him [for his loss] with what such a servant can never imagine.
[^7]: Paying attention to the fact that life is temporal and will terminate is one of the important reasons why one should not set his heart on it. What is contemptible is loving its pleasures; otherwise, life itself cannot be described as beautiful or ugly. Since Allah Almighty is the One Who beautifies it, nobody has the right to speak ill of it. How can one do so since Allah Almighty rebukes anyone who prohibits the enjoyment of its good things? But if the one who beautifies it is Satan, mankind then ought to be cautious in its regard just as he may be of a snake: It is soft when touched, while inside her is the deadly venom. It is necessary to overcome one’s deception in this regard. Nurture your soul with the hope for a much greater reward and a much lasting one so that you may not be distracted by what is little and vanishing. Imam Ali (‘a) is quoted as having said, ‘Had life in this world been filled with gold while the Hereafter is filled with baked clay, I would have opted for the baked clay of the Hereafter in preference over the gold of this life because such a clay lasts forever, whereas life’s gold is temporal.’ So, what if the gold of the Hereafter is everlasting while the clay of this life vanishes? (Shajarat Tuba, Vol. 2, p. 422).
[^8]: This is one of the realistic portraits painted by the author as he outlines his ethical path. A slippage resulting from unmindfulness or unawareness ought not instill despondency in the heart of one who seeks Allah. By nature, one’s heart quite often fluctuates, and Allah Almighty loves those who often return to Him just as He loves those who seek to purify themselves. Some traditions have made a similitude between a believer (mu’min) and an ear of grain which keeps falling then straightening itself. People of knowledge are fully aware of the fact that the complementing movement of a servant of Allah, following each time he returns to Allah and repents, may intensify in order to make a reason for being compensated for the stages during which he lost on account of unmindfulness or submission to desire.