The Prophet Muhammad a Mercy To the World

On Fulfilling Promises

The Apostle of God said: 'Whoever believes in God and the Last Day should fulfil his promises.'282

He also said: 'He who keeps not his promise has no faith.'283 Im"m Ja!far al-£"diq relates: 'The Apostle of God made an appointment to meet a man at al-£akhrah and said to him: 'I will wait for you here until you come.' The sun's heat became severe and his companions said to him: 'O Apostle of God, if only you were to move into the shade.' He said: 'I promised [to meet] him here, and if he does not come then it will be against him on the Day of Gathering.'284

It is narrated that Ibn Ab: al-H{ams"' al-!wmir: said: 'It was before the advent of the mission of the Apostle of God when I made an appointment with him to meet at certain place but I forgot about it for two days. On the third day I went to the place and I found him there, and the Apostle of God said:

'Young man you have caused me hardship for I have been here for three days waiting for you.'285

On Patience and Bearing Hardships

The Prophet said: 'Succour comes with patience, relief comes with trouble and ease comes with difficulty.'286

282 bi9"r al-anw"r; vol.77, chap.12, p.149, 9ad:th 77. 283 ibid. vol.69, chap.105, p.197, 9ad:th 26. 284 ibid. chap.9, p.239. 285 ibid. p.235. 286 al-am"l: of al-?Ys:; vol.2, p.287, Najaf edition.

He also said: 'Patience is a veil from troubles and an aid against misfortunes.'287 He also said: 'Patience is the best vehicle. Never did God provide any of his servants anything better or vaster than patience.'288 He used to say: 'Faith is composed of two parts: one part patience and one part gratitude.'289

On Almsgiving

The Apostle of God said: 'Verily, the One God, besides whom there is no god but He, because of almsgiving repels disease and disaster and fire and drowning and the collapse of buildings and insanity . . . (and he went on to mention seventy types of evil.)'290 The Prophet was asked: 'What is the best kind of almsgiving?'

He said: 'To give alms when you are in good health and covet your wealth and hope to live on and you fear poverty. Do not wait until your soul reaches your throat.'291

The Apostle of God was asked: 'What is the best kind of almsgiving?'

He said: 'To give to one of your relatives who has enmity for you.'292

287 bi9"r al-anw"r; vol.79, chap.61, p.137, 9ad:th 21. 288 ibid. vol. 79, chap. 61, p.139, 9ad:th 22. 289 tu9af al-!uqYl; p.34. 5th edition. 290 bi9"r al-anw"r; vol.59, chap.88, p.269, 9adith 61. 291 al-am"l: of al-?Ys:; vol.2, p.12, Najaf edition.

He also said: 'The best kind of alms is the alms of the tongue.'

He was asked: 'O Apostle of God, and what is the alms of the tongue?' He said: 'To intercede to free a prisoner or to prevent bloodshed or to bring something desirable to your brother or repel something detestable from him.'293

On Truthfulness

It is related that the Apostle of God said: 'The closest of you to me tomorrow when we stand before God is he who is most truthful in speech.'294 He also said: 'The adornment of speech is truthfulness.'295 He also said: 'Truthfulness is blessed and untruthfulness is accursed.'296 He also said: 'The liar only lies because of an inferiority in his own self.'297 He also said: 'Do your utmost to avoid lies for lies invite vice and criminality, and vice and criminality lead to Hellfire.'298

292 bi9"r al-anw"r; vol.71, chap.3, p.103, 9ad:th 61. 293 !uddah al-d"!:; p.71. 294 bi9"r al-anw"r; vol.7, chap.15, p.303, 9ad:th 65. 295 ibid. vol.67, chap.6, p.9, 9ad:th 12. 296 tu9af al-!uqYl; p.11. 297 al-ikhtiN"N; p.226. Najaf edition. 298 bi9"r al-anw"r; vol.69, chap.14, p.263, 9ad:th 48.

He also said: 'Among the greatest sins (is) the lying tongue.'299

He also said: 'Too much lying takes away the good aura of a person.'300

He also said: 'Lying is one of the doors of hypocrisy.'301

He also said: 'Telling lies diminishes providence.'302

He was once asked: 'Can a believer be a coward?' He said:

'Yes.'

He was asked: 'Can he be miserly?' He said: 'Yes.' He was asked: 'Can he be a liar?' He said: 'No.'303 He said: 'Woe betide those who tell stories and lie in order to get people to laugh. Woe betide them, woe betide them.'304

On Abstinence

The Apostle of God said: 'O people, this worldly life is a place of grief and is not a place of joy. It is a place of crookedness and is not a place of straightforwardness. Whoever recognises this will not feel joy at [the achievement of] some hope or feel grief at wretchedness.'305

299 al-ikhtiN"N; p.339. Najaf edition. 300 bi9"r al-anw"r; vol.73, chap.106, p.58, 9ad:th 1. 301 tanb:h al-khaw"Uir; p.121. 302 j"mi! al-sa!"d"t; vol.2, p.322, 3rd edition. 303 ibid. 304 ibid. 305 bi9"r al-anw"r; vol.74, chap.7, p.187.

He said: 'This worldly life is transient. Whatever comes to you in your favour comes despite your incapacity. And whatever of it is against you, you will not be able to repel it with your power. He who has no hope in that which has passed him by will find repose for his body. He who is content with that which God has decreed for him will find happiness.'306

He also said: 'If love of worldly things dwell in the heart of a person he will be afflicted by three things: endless toil, poverty from which he will never be free, and expectations which will never be realised.'307

In his caution to his companion he said: 'O AbY Dharr, this world occupies people's hearts and bodies. Almighty God will ask us about how we luxuriated in that which he has made lawful, so what about that which he has made unlawful.'308

The Prophet also said: 'Almighty God revealed to [this] world saying: 'make weary those who serve you and serve those who refuse you.'309

He said: 'Do not curse this world for it is a good place for the believer: in the world he may achieve what is good and through it he may be delivered from what is evil. If a person says: 'May God curse the world.' The world says: 'May God curse he who has most disobeyed his Lord.'310

306 tu9af al-!uqYl; p.27. 307 bi9"r al-anw"r; vol.74, chap.7, p.188. 308 mak"rim al-akhl"q; p.463. 309 bi9"r al-anw"r; vol.70, chap.122, p.87, 9ad:th 51. 310 ibid. vol.74, chap.122, p.78, 9ad:th 51.

The Prophet said: 'How can anyone work for the afterlife if his desire for this world is not cut off or his lust for it is not overcome.'311 He also said: 'Think often of death, for whoever thinks often of death will surely abstain from the things of this world.'312 He said: 'O AbY Dharr, Whenever a person abstains from this world God causes wisdom to grow in his heart and be spoken from his tongue. Then He gives him insights into the faults of the world and its malady and its antidote and He takes him out of the world in safety to the abode of peace.'313

He advised Abu Dharr: 'O AbY Dharr, if you see that your brother has abstained from this world then listen to him for he will dispense wisdom.'314 The Prophet declared: 'Whoever abstains from this world will find calamities to be insignificant.'315

He also said: 'Desire for worldly things increases worry and grief whereas abstinence from worldly things gives repose to the heart and the body.'316

Once one of the angels came to the Apostle of God and said:

'O Muhammad, your Lord conveys you a greeting of peace and says: 'If you wish I will fill for you the valleys of Mecca with gold.'

311 ibid. p.182. 312 ibid. vol.79, chap.63, p.178. 9ad:th 10. 313 mak"rim al-akhl"q; p.463. 314 ibid. 315 bi9"r al-anw"r; vol.74, chap.7, p.171. 316 ibid. vol.70, chap.122, p.120.

The Prophet raised his head to the heavens and said: 'O Lord, if I eat my fill one day I will praise you, and if I go hungry the next day I will ask from you.'317 On Backbiting The Prophet said to his companion advising him: 'O AbY Dharr, do your utmost to avoid backbiting, for it is worse than adultery.' AbY Dharr said: 'O Apostle of God, how is this so?'

The Prophet replied: 'Because if a man commits adultery and then repents to God, God will accept his repentance. But backbiting will not be forgiven until the person who has been spoken against gives forgiveness.'318

The Prophet said to his companions: 'Shall I tell you who are the worst amongst you?' They said: 'Yes, O Apostle of God.'

He said: 'Those who go about slandering and try to cause splits between loved ones and who seek faults in the innocent.'319 The Prophet also said: 'The worst of the people is he who takes his brother to the court of the authorities whereby he destroys himself, his brother and the ruler.'320

He also said to his companions: 'Shall I tell you who is the least like me?'

317 ibid. vol. 16, chap.9, p.220, 9ad:th 12. 318 makarim al-akhl"q; p.470. 319 bi9"r al-anw"r; vol.72, chap.66, p.222, 9ad:th 1. 320 bi9"r al-anw"r; vol.72, chap.67, p.266, 9ad:th 16.

They said: 'Yes, O Apostle of God.' He said: 'The miserly, the foul-mouthed, and the indecent.'321 He also said in his sermon at the farewell pilgrimage: 'Your blood and your property and your honours are sacred just as this day is sacred and this month is sacred.'322

He also said: 'To sit in the mosque awaiting the time of prayer is an act of worship as long as the person does not backbite.'323

On Justice

The Prophet said: 'No nation which does not firmly take the rights of the weak from the strong will ever be venerated.'324 He also said: 'The best of actions are: treating people fairly, and helping out your brother in the Lord, and remembrance of God in all circumstances.'325

The Prophet Muhammad stated: 'An hour's justice is better than seventy years of worship; fasting during the day and keeping vigil during the night. An hour's injustice in ruling is worse and more serious in the sight of God than sixty years of sin.'326

321 al-k"f:; vol.2, p.291, 9ad:th 9. 322 bi9"r al-anw"r; vol.23, chap.7, p.165, 9ad:th 117. 323 al-k"f:; vol.2, p.357, end of 9ad:th 1. 324 bi9"r al-anw"r; vol.33, p.607. 325 ibid. vol.72, chap.35, p.34, 9ad:th 27. 326 ibid. chap.71, p.352.

The Prophet also said: 'The most just of the people is he who likes for the people have what he likes for himself, and detests for the people what he detests for himself.'327

He said: 'What you dislike for yourself you should dislike for others and what you like for yourself you should like for others. Then you will be just in your rule and equal in your justice, beloved of the people of the heavens and win the devotion of hearts of the people of the earth.'328

He said: 'Beware of wronging for it is the darkness of the Day of Resurrection.'329

He also said: 'If a mountain were to transgress against another mountain, God would turn the transgressor into dust.'330 He used to say: 'Transgression is the evil which has the swiftest of punishments.'331

He said: 'He who takes from the wrongdoer and gives to the wronged will be in my company in Paradise.'332 He said: 'On the day of Resurrection a herald will call out:

'Where are the oppressors and those who aided them? Who poured ink for them? Who tied a bag for them? Who extended a hand to help them? Herd them up with the oppressors!'333

327 ibid. chap.35, p.25, 9ad:th 1. 328 ibid. vol.74, chap.3, p.69, 9ad:th 6. 329 al-k"f:; vol.2, p.332, 9ad:th 11. 330 bi9"r al-anw"r; vol.72, chap.70, p.276. 331 ibid. p.275. 332 ibid. chap.81, p.359, 9adith 74. 333 ibid. chap.82, p.380, 9ad:th 41.

He also said: 'The prayer of the person wronged is answered even if it is from a non-practicing [individual] who fears for himself.'334 He said: 'Whoever kills a [non-Muslim] person under the protection of the Islamic state will be forbidden Paradise whose perfume can be smelt from twelve years journey away.'335 He said: 'In Hellfire I saw the owner of a cat which was mauling her in front and behind. This was because she used to tie it up and did not feed it or let it loose to eat from the vermin of the earth.' 336

Words of Light

The Prophet Muhammad said: 'All will be well with my nation as long as they love one another, give gifts to one another, fulfil their trusts, avoid that which is unlawful, honour the guest, establish the prayer, and pay the statutory alms. If they do not do this then they will be afflicted by drought and famine.'337

He said: 'All will be well with this nation under the hand of God and in His protection as long as the reciters of the Qur'an do not aid the rulers, and the righteous do not praise the miscreants, and the good people do not assist the evil ones. If

334 al-am"l: of al-?Ys:; vol.1, p.317. 335 bi9"r al-anw"r, vol. 100, chap.3, p.47, 9adith 1. 336 ibid. vol. 61, chap.10, p.267, 9adith 30. 337 ibid. vol. 66, chap.38, p.394, 9ad:th 76.

they do this then God will lift His hand from them and will place tyrants to rule over them ...' 338 He also said: 'There are three things I fear for my nation: obedience to greed, the following of lusts and desires, and leaders who are astray.'339 He said: 'Hope is a mercy for my nation. Were it not for hope, no mother would ever feed her child and no gardener would ever plant a tree.'340 Once he said to his companions: 'Shall I inform you of the worst of people?'

Those with him said: 'Yes, O Apostle of God.' He said: 'He who loathes the people and who is loathed by the people.'

Then he said: 'Shall I inform you of worse than him?' They said: 'Yes, O Apostle of God.' He said: 'He who does not help another who has fallen and does not accept another's apology and does not forgive a wrong.'

Then he said: 'Shall I inform you of worse than him?' They said: 'Yes, O Apostle of God.' He said: 'He from whom none is safe from his evil and from whom none expect any good.'341

338 ibid. vol. 72, chap. 82, p. 381, 9ad:th 50. 339 tu9af al-!uqYl; p.41. 340 bi9"r al-anw"r; vol. 74, chap.7, p.175, 9ad:th 8. 341 al-am"l: al-£ adYq; Lecture.5, p.251.

He also said: 'Shall I inform you of the worst of your men?' They said: 'Yes, O Apostle of God.' He said: 'Among the worst of your men is the slanderer, the audacious transgressor the obscene person who eats alone and refuses to help others. He beats his servants and forces his dependants to seek help elsewhere.'342

The Apostle of God said to the Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali: 'Say: 'O God, do not let me be in need of the worst of your creation!' The Commander of the Faithful said: 'O Apostle of God, and who is the worst of God's creation?'

He said: 'Those who when they are given refuse to give, and if they are refused something they would criticise or slander.'343 The Prophet was asked: 'Who are the worst of people?' He said: 'The corrupt savants.'344 The Apostle of God was asked: 'Who is your true nation?'

He said: 'Those who are with the truth though they may only be ten people.'345 He also said: 'The best of my nation are those who are most abstinent in the things of this world and who are most desirous of the next world.'346

342 al-k"f:; vol. 2, p.292, 9adith13, chap. The Roots and Pillars of Disbelief. 343 bi9"r al-anw"r; vol.90, p.325, 9ad:th6. 344 tu9af al-!uqYl; p.25. 345 bi9"r al-anw"r; vol.2, p.266, 9ad:th 22.

He also said: 'The best of my nation is one who spends his youth in obedience to God and weans himself off the pleasures of this world and is focussed on the next life. His reward with God will be the highest stations in Paradise.'347

He also said: 'Blessed is he who spends what he has earned without disobeying God, and keeps the company of the people of knowledge and wisdom and mixes with the underlings and the poor. Blessed is he whose self has been subdued and whose temperament is good and whose inner heart is virtuous and who keeps his worst aspects away from the people. Blessed is he who gives away his surplus wealth and holds back from what is superfluous in speech and who confines himself to Prophetic practices and does not go beyond them to innovations.'348

He also said: 'He who is not trustworthy has no faith.'349 Once AbY AyyYb Kh"lid ibn Zayd came to the Apostle of God and said: 'O Apostle of God, advise me and be brief so that I may remember what you say.'

He said: 'I advise you to do five things: do not concern yourself with what is in the hands of others for that is riches, and do not be greedy for that is poverty itself, and pray each prayer as if it was your last, and avoid that which is regrettable, and love for your brother what you love for yourself.'350

346 tanb:h al-khaw"Uir; vol.2, p.362. 347 ibid. p.363. 348 bi9"r al-anw"r; vol.74, chap.7, p.175, 9ad:th 10. 349 ibid. vol.69, chap.105, p.197, 9adith 26. 350 al-am"l: of al-?Ys:; vol.2, p.122.

He also said: 'If you see one of the gardens of Paradise then go there and graze.' They said: 'O Apostle of God, and what is the garden of Paradise?'

He said: 'The gatherings of the believers.'351

He said in his advice to AbY Dharr: 'O AbY Dharr, do not procrastinate for you only have one day and you are not for what comes after it. If tomorrow were to be for you then be on the morrow as you were today. And if no tomorrow comes then you will not regret wasting your day.' 'O AbY Dharr, how often does someone greet a new day but does not live to see its end, and how often does someone await the morning and he does not see it.'

'O AbY Dharr, were you to look at your lifespan and its fate you would loath desire and its delusions.'

'O AbY Dharr, Be in this world as if you are a stranger, or as a passer by, and count yourself amongst the people of the graves. 'O AbY Dharr, when morning comes do not speak to yourself of the evening, and when evening comes do not speak to yourself of the morning. Take (advantage) from your health before you are ill, and your life before your death, for you do not know what your name will be on the morrow [i.e. whether you are going to be amongst the fortunate or the unfortunate].' 352

351 bi9"r al-anw"r; vol.71, chap.13, p.188, 9ad:th 13. 352 mak"rim al-akhl"q; p. 459.

AbY Dharr also relates: 'The Apostle of God advised me to do seven things: he advised me to look to those who are below me and not to look to those who are above me. He advised me to love the paupers and to be near to them. He advised me to speak the truth even if it be bitter. He advised me to maintain bonds with my kin even if they turn away from me. He advised me not to fear any blame in the way of God. He advised me to say often: 'There is no strength or power except through God The Exalted The Magnificent.' For these are the jewels of Paradise.' 353

It is related that a man came to the Prophet and said: 'O Apostle of God, advise me.'

The Prophet said: 'Do you seek advice so that I may advise you?' He said this three times and each time the man said: 'Yes, O Apostle of God.'

So the Apostle of God said to him: 'I advise that when you intend to do something then think out its consequences. If it is sensible then carry it out and if not then refrain from it.' 354 Once a man said to the Apostle of God: 'Advise me!'

He said: 'Have shame in front of God just as you have shame in front of a righteous man from your people.' 355 Among his advice to Mu!"dh ibn Jabal when he sent him [as his representative] to the Yemen, he said: 'I advise you to be conscious of God, and to be truthful in speech, and to honour pledges, and to fulfil trusts, and not to betray, and to be softly

353 al-khiN"l; p. 345, 9ad:th 12, Qum edition. 354 bi9"r al-anw"r; vol. 68, chap. 83, p. 338, 9ad:th 4. 355 ibid. p. 336, 9adith 20.

spoken, and to promote peace, and to protect refugees, and show mercy to the orphans, and to control your anger, and to act well, and to cut short your hopes, and to have love for the next world, and to fear the reckoning, and to adhere to faith [to the last moment of your life], and to study the Qur'an, and to lower your wing [i.e. be kind to others] . . .' 356

The Prophet Muhammad said: 'The best of combat is to combat one's self that is between one's flanks.' 357