The Generation Gap

A Word of Advise the Father

My child! Improving and refining you character and manners in more important than learning a trade or a skill and it is of more value for you than an education. I say so because an education without a good character to accompany it, and a skill in the absence of a good nature are just uesless! My child! Arm yourself withy good morals and pay as much attention to your conscience as to you physical appearance. My child! Do you wish for me to be like a mirror for you to tell you about your good and bad deeds? And you good and bad qualities?

And if I ever tell you of them, will you then stop the bad ones? And will you keep up with the good ones? And will you better yourself in this way? How nice it would be if you decide to do so. My child! Stay away from associating with evil-natured people. Avoid mixing with them, as it will destroy you. Many a celebrated youth who kept company of unsuitable people became misguided: and many corrupt individual.

who associated with the virtuous became virtuous himself.1 My child! If you do not learn from my advice, nature itself will teach you! The life's hardships and difficulties will punish you. The common everyday problems in life will knock you off your feet. Only then, you will realize that we have always had your interest and will-being in mind. And so far, all we have shown you has been a straight and safe path - and not a slippery one. And what we have warned you against has been a slippery path - and not a straight and safe one!

The Child:

What an honour and pleasure for me that you be my tutor to bring to my attention my good and gad characteristics through honest criticism. So if you see any wrong doing in me. please first make me aware of it. And then show me the solution and how to correct myself. If I am corrected, it would be only, because of you and if I am not, please do not persist in correcting me. And do not turn away from me and please do not set me free on my own.

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1. According to famous Iranian poet Sa'di. Whoever associates with bad people will be see no good. If an angel associates with a demon He will learn from him fear, fraud and hypocrisy. Of the wicked thou canst learn only wickedness. A wolf will not take to sewing jackets.

• The Gulistan (Rose Gurden) of Sa'di, p. 246 Also ther is a famous verse from Molavi as follows:

The son of prophet Noah associated himself with bad people; because of that his family tree was lost forever. On the contrary, the dog of the companions of the cave (Ashab -eKahf) Sura 18 of the Holy Quran. by associating himself with the righteous people. acquired human characteristics. (Tr)

36. Words of Inspiration The Father :

My child!I take the Dua (prayer) that our fouth Imam, Imam Sajjad (as), is using as a wish for his children as words of inspiration, and thus, I

O Lord, oblige me by sparing my issue from death, by educating them for me and by blessing me with them. My God, prolong their lives form Increase their terms of existence for me. Bring up those of tender years for me. Strengthen the weak ones for me.

Heal their bodies, faith and morals.

Let them be safe in soul and body and ineverything in I am anxious about concerning them. Let their sustenance flow into my hand.

Let them by virtuous, pious, able to see and hear, obedient unto Thee, and lovers and well-wishers of Thy friends and hostile and implacable to all Thy enemies. Amen.!

O Lord, strenthen my arm with them and straighten with them my crookedness. Enlarge my number because of them. Adorn my society with them. Keep my memory alive by means of the.

Make them take care of my affairs in my absence. Help me with them to satisfy my need. Let the love me, be kind unto me, favourable, faithful, obedient, not disobedient, not wicked, nor adverse nor guilly. Help me in training them, aducating them and in doing good to them.

Grant me from Thee male descendants among them. Let this be a benefit to me. Let them be my helpers in whatever I ask of Thee. Protect me and my offspring from Satan, the stoned one. For verily Thou didst creat us, commands us, put prohibitions upon us and encouraged us with the reward for doing what Thou didst.

threaten us with punishment for disobedience. Thou hast made him our enemy who deceived us. Thour hast given him dominion over some of us while over some of them. Thou hast not given us dominion. Thou hast established him in our breasts and made him run through our blood passages. He is not careless even if we forget. He makes us feel secure from Thy torment and threatens us with (the punishment of some one) other than Thee. If we intend some glaring sin he encourages us in it. If wed intend to do any good thing, he hinders us. He exposes irressistible appetites to us and raises doubts for us.If he mades promises to us, he lies and if he holds out hopes to us, he disappoints us.

If Thou dost not turn his cunning away from us he shall mislead us. If Thou dost not guard us from hiscorruption, he shall cause us to err. Therefore, O lord, overthrow his authority over us with Thy Power till Thou completely retrainth him from us owing to our diligent prayer to Thee so that we may pass out of the power of his cunning into the group of those defended by Thee.

O lord, grant me all my desires. Satisfy my needs.

Do not refuse me Thy answer whilist Thou hast geven surety for it to me. Do not keep off my prayer from Thee while Thou hast required it of me. Favour me with all that will do me good in this world and the next, whatever I remember of if and whatever I have forgotten, expressed, concealed, revealed or withheld.

Let me be (by my imploring Thee Alone) of the righteous, of those who are successful in applying to Thee, of those who are underprived because of their trust in Thee, of those who benefit by their bargains with Thee, of those who take refuge in Thy Majesty, of those who have abindance of lawful sustenance conferred on them by Thy boundless Kindness.

Thy Bounty and Generosity: of those who are exalted to hounour from disgrace by Thee; Of those who seek shelter from tyranny in Thy Justice; Of those who are safe from calamity with Thy Grace; Of those who are raised to prosperity from poverty by Thy endless Wealth. Of those who are protected from sins, slips and error by fear of Thee; Of those who have grace for goodness, virtue and righteouness owing to their obedience to Thee; Of those having a barrier between them and sins because of Thy Power; Of those who renounce of all sins; Of those who dwell in Thy neighbourhood. O lord, grant us all this with Thy Grace and Mercy. Protect us from the torment of hell. Favour all the Muslim men and women and true believers, male and female, with the like of what I have gegged of Thee for myself and my offsping in the present world and the future. Verily, thou art Nigh, Answering, Hearing, Knowing, Overlooking, Forgiving, Compassionate and Merciful. Confer on us good in this world and the next and guard us from the torment of the fire.

• Al-Sahifa Al-Sajjadiyyah, Prayer, No,25 (For his offsprings)

The Child:

I have heard that parent's prayers for their children will be granted. I pray to almighty All to grant you all you have asked for Him because of good and pure intention. And to realize all your prayers for me.

37. A Word of Thanksgiving The Father:

My beloved child! Now that my hair has turned white and my strength is weaking and daily sunset reminds me of the sunset of my life, I am most proud that I have a child like you! And I am most happy that I have raised a child like you.! Undoubtedly, in the moments of my life, when my breaths are numbered, I wish to open my eyes and my heart of you. Alas! then at that time my tongue will be failing and my strength will disappear, I shall be looking around to find some way out and find someone to interpret my inner thoughts, but I will not be able to do so.1 And hopelessly, I will gaze at you I will give thanks to Allah, who granted such an opportunity, and such a blessed moment, so that I could tell you all there is to say. And to take a load off my mind.

____________ 1. The last moment of life are described by the commender of the faithul Imam Ali (as) in Sermon No.225 Nahjul-Balagha as follows: (Tr) "Thus, a struggle between treatments and diseases started and continued and diseases succeeded in a way as if the treatments were meant to enhance them till the physician found that the art of medicine could no more help. The attendents getting tired started behaving negligently. The nurses and attendants were so tired and disgusted that they would not even describe the condition of patient if anybody enquired to them. They also kept the patient in dark about his condition; they disagreed among themselves, some of them were of opinion that the condition of the patient might be serious but he was passing through a crisis and he would recover; while others held that he was fast sinking and would not recover, that his death was matter of a day or a few hours; and then they tried to console each other.

And all that time the patient was hovering between life and death he felt that he was to part with his friends and relation, he felt that he was suffocating, that he could only breath in short gasps and his mouth was getting dry. he could hear them speaking to him and lamenting over him, some of those lamenters were his dearest relatives and some others were those who he respected. He wanted to reply to them, to say some endearing words or respectful sentences; he wanted to tell them some very important things, but he could not, his tongue and lips refused to form words and his throat refused to pass air or carry the voice. And thus the end arrived; of course, pangs of death are severe and its agonies can neither be described nor imagined."

Similar situation is further described in Sermon No;112 as follows:

"He can now neither hear nor speak, yet his power of sight is still with him, he can see people around him, can see their lips moving but cannot hear any sound. Death comes still nearer and gradually his sight also deserts him; shortly the soul parts with the body, leaving him a corpse amongst his relations, they now feel afraid to come near his dead body and want to keep away from it. He cannot now sympathise with the mouners nor reply to their call. He is then carried to his grave and surrendered there to the consequences of his faith and deeds. They shall not see him again till the day of resurrection, a day when all the human beings will be joined by those who follow them, it is the day when the span alloted to life on the earth will come to an end, and the will of God, to create and resurrect human being, will be carried into effect."

The Child:

I also give thanks to Gracious Allah for the opportunity to be able to hear the heart-to-heart words of kind hearted father, s this is a rare gift that is not granted to everybody and Allah does not bestow it upon each and everyone.

38. The Final Words The Father:

My beloved! Concentrate for a moment and think of the conclusion of your life. If you find my words of advice as I meant them to be, then correct yourself. And respect the rights of your father and mother and do not hesitate in fulfilling your obligations to them. And if you did not find them so, I will leave it then, up to you. And let Allah take care of you. I will beg him to give you a happy and prosperous life. And to protect forever under his auspices.

The Child:

I wish to thank you for your useful words of advice. They are all logical. I hope I will be able to put them into practice and treat you satisfactorily.

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