One Hundred And Fifty Lessons For Life

Lesson One Hundred Thirteen: The Only Way Of Proximity To Allah

Imam Al-Baqir (a.s.) said to Jaber Jofi:

Translation

Convey my greetings to my Shias and be it known that there is no kinship (family relationship) between us and Allah and the only way of proximity to Him is by submission to His commands.[^1]

Brief Description

There are those who think that claiming to be a shia and a friend of the household of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) is sufficient for their salvation and prosperity. As if such claims would entitle them to inclusion among the relatives of the Imams and thus they too would have a special relationship with God , and everything would be well arranged through recommendation and mediation. The truth of the matter is that the only relation of consequence in the relations of creatures to their Creator is their obedience and fulfillment of duties.

Whosoever submits to His command is the closest to Him , and whosoever disobeys is the farthest, whoever he may be.

[^1]: Bihar al-Anwar, volume 15, page 164. AlAmali, page 296. Bisharat Al-Mustafa, page 188.