Tuhaf Al-uqul ( the Masterpieces of the Mind )

The Quality of Quitting Islam

Quitting Islam occur when one of five matters, all of which are similar and familiar, falls. These five matters are atheism, polytheism, deviation, immorality, and commitment of the grand sins. Atheism is every deed by which God is disobeyed due to renouncement, denial, disparagement, and underestimation, whether that deed is small or big. The doer of such deeds is atheist and bears the quality of atheism. Everyone, regardless of the religion or the sect, who commits disobedience of such characters, is atheist. Polytheism is every act of disobedience that is committed and taken as a creed, whether small or big. The doer of such an act of disobedience is polytheist.

Deviation is the ignorance of the obligatory matters. It stands for ignoring one of the grand acts of obedience, without which faith is not materialized, despite the existence of proofs and evidences. The neglector of such an act is neither denying such acts' being obligatory nor betaking the denial of such obligatory acts as creed. He neglects them due to laziness, inadvertence, and engagement in other affairs. He is deviant and swerving from the course of faith due to ignorance and misguidance. Thus, he deserves the name and meaning of deviation as long as the previous description applies to him. If the doer inclines to any aspect of disobedience desirably due to denial, belittlement, and negligence, he will be regarded as atheist. If he inclines to betake his own interpretations, pursuance, submission, and acceptance of the words of the fathers and forefathers as creed, he then will be regarded as polytheist. A man that pursues a deviation will rarely get rid of the inclination whimsically to having some of the above-mentioned qualities.

Immorality is every grand act of disobedience that is committed due to appetite, lust, and prevailing desire. The doer of such acts is regarded as immoral and swerving from the course of faith due to his immorality. He would be regarded as atheist if he kept on such immorality until he came under the forms of negligence and belittlement. The commitment of the grand sins that voids the faith is the engagement wholly in committing the grand acts of disobedience without denial, taking as creed, appetite, or lust, but it is only due to fanaticism and rage that makes one accuse, vilify, kill, seize fortunes, hold up rights, and commit the like grand sins that are perpetrated for reasons other than pursuance of appetite. Perjury, usury, and the like sins that are committed for motives other than pursuing the appetite, such as consuming intoxicants, fornication, and forbidden amusement. The committer of such grand sins violates his faith and swerves from it while he is not polytheist, atheist, or deviant. He deserves the quality of ignorance if the descriptions are applied to him. If he inclines to the qualities of what we have described, the quality will attach him.

Imam As-Sadiq's Answers about the Kinds of People's Livings

'How many kinds of livings that people earn and deal with each other are there? What are the ways of expenses?' a man asked Imam as-Sadiq (peace be upon him), who answered: All the livings that people earn and deal with each other are four.

'Are all these legal? Are they all illegal? Or are some legal and some illegal?' asked the man. The Imam (peace be upon him) answered: These four kinds may be legal from one side and illegal from another. These kinds are known and familiar. First of all, there is work in governmental offices. The first of this kind is the jobs of the rulers down to the least job of individuals. Then comes the trade including all sorts of deals, such as vending and purchase. Then come the industries along with all of their kinds. Then come the contracts of lease. All these kinds are legal from one side and illegal from another. God's obligation on servants is to follow and practice the legal forms of these kinds only and avoid the illegal.

Explanation of Work in Governmental Offices

Work in governmental offices is of two forms. One is the office of the just authorities whom God ordered to assign as rulers and ordered people to follow them. Within them are their officials and administrators down to the least official. The other form is the office of the unjust people and their officials down to the least unjust official. The legality of this kind is the office of the just rulers whom God ordered to recognize and elect as leaders, and working in their main and secondary offices by following God's instructions to the just rulers without adding, reducing, distorting, or neglecting anything of His revelation. If such just rulers who meet the previous qualities exist, then work in their offices will be legal and it will be completely legal to work, support, and hold them. In addition, the gain from such jobs will be legal. Working with such rulers and their officials will enliven every rightful and fair matter and kill every wrong, injustice, and corruption. Therefore, to support, help, and work with such rulers is as same as calling to the acts of obedience to God and strengthening His religion.

The illegality of work in governmental offices stands for the leadership of the unjust rulers and their officials beginning with the chief down to the novice. Working with them and gaining earnings from them are prohibited and illegal. The workers and gainers of such earnings will suffer punishment, apart from the amount of the work or the earnings. Every act that is seen as support for the unjust rulers is a grand sin, because the rule of the unjust rulers kills the right wholly and enlivens the wrong wholly. It also spreads injustice, oppression, and corruption, stays the laws of the Divine Books, kills the prophets and believers, destroys the mosques, and distorts God's norms and principles. Accordingly, it is prohibited to work with them, support them, and seek earnings from their leadership saving in cases of necessity that is similar to the necessity of having blood or meat of corpses.

Explanation of the commerce

Regarding the categories of vendition and the legal and illegal purchase and vendition, all the laws are arranged for saving the nourishment of the servants (of God) and achieving their prosperity concerning their food, drink, dress, marriage, property, and the dependent affairs. It is licit for them to traffic in all the profitable matters that are indispensable for them and achieve their prosperity. Vendition, purchase, possession, exploitation, endowment, and loan of the above-mentioned matters are licit. The illegality of transaction includes every matter that is prohibited and causes corruption by way of eating, drinking, earning, marrying, possessing, using, endowing, or loaning it or any matter that causes corruption, such as usurious vendition, which causes corruption, and vendition of corpses, blood, pork, meat and skins of beasts including wild animals and birds, wine, or any other impure thing. These matters are illicit and prohibited. God has prohibited eating, drinking, dressing, possessing, using, and disposing of these things because this causes corruption. In other words, any disposition of such things is illegal. In addition, every vendition of illegal amusement is illegal. It is illegal and prohibited to vend, purchase, use, possess, endow, loan, or dispose in any prohibited substance that is used for seeking the favors of other than God or supporting atheism and polytheism by all ways of acts of disobedience or any way that supports any path of deviation or wrong or weakens the right, except in cases of necessity.

Explanation of Contracts of Lease

Contracts of lease include working as employee and hiring the property as well as those who are under guardianship, the animal, or the dress in a legal way of lease. It is licit to work as employee or let the house, the land, or one of the properties that is profitable. It is acceptable to be wageworker or give the son, slave, or hireling in lease provided that he himself is not the representative or the guardian on the guardian. It is also acceptable to work as employee or give the son, the kinsmen, the slave, or the representative in lease, because the previous categories are the representatives of the hireling. They are not the guardians of the guardian. As example of this is the porter who carries definite things to definite places; hence, he can port that thing -provided that it is legal- himself or by his servant or animal, or he himself does that act or hire his servant, kinsman, or hireling. These are the forms of contracts of lease. They are legal for all people, whether they were servants, populace, atheists, or believers. The lease and earnings of such ways of lease are legal. The examples of the illegal contracts of lease are to hire oneself for porting prohibited things, such as prohibited food, drink, and dress, or to manufacture, keep, or use such illegal things, or destroy mosques, or kill illegally, or carry pictures, statues, musical instruments, wine, pork, corpses, blood, or any feature of corruption that is prohibited on ways other than lease. It is illicit to hire oneself for any prohibited matter or any part of it except in cases of legal profits, such as employing for carrying a corpse so as to save oneself or others from its harm or the like profits. The difference between work in governmental offices and contracts of lease is that the previous means to work for the officials of the rulers and their officials as their representative out of their power following what they enjoin and what they forbid. It also stands for supporting and backing the rulers. Hence, the governmental official is the representative of his chief. They are considered as same as their masters who control people by killing and spreading injustice and corruption. The contracts of lease, on the other hand, stand for, as we have previously explained, hiring from others. Hence, the hirer will not have control over the hireling before he meets the regulations of lease. The contracts of lease are legal as we have previously shown.

Explanation of the Industries

Industries include every profession that the servants (of God) learn or teach others, such as writing, mathematics, trade, goldsmithery, saddlery, building, weaving, bleaching, dressmaking, the different sorts of picturing except picturing soulful creatures, and manufacturing the various instruments that people need and benefit. Doing, teaching, and working in all these varieties of industries are legal even if some instruments are used for corruption, acts of disobedience, and support for the wrong against the right, such as writing which may be used for supporting and backing the unjust rulers. The same thing can be said about knives, swords, and the like tools that are used for both good and evil. Hence, it is not unacceptable to learn, teach, take wages, and work in the good side of such industries. Likewise, it is forbidden to use these industries in evil and harmful ways. In this case, neither the master nor will the student be considered as sinful for using such industries in evil. The guilty will be those who misuse such industries. God has forbidden only the industries that are wholly illegal and that are harmful, such as the manufacturing of musical instruments, chess, every instrument of illegal amusement, crosses, statues, and the like industries in addition to the industries of forbidden drinks and those that produce illegal things purely without benefiting by any part of them. It is forbidden to teach, learn, work, and take wages for engaging in such industries as well as to manage any part of such industries.

Ways of Expenses

Ways of legal expenses are twenty-four: seven are for personal expenditure, five are socially obligatory, three are religiously obligatory, five are recommendable for building good relations, and four are favorable for amicability. Regarding the seven ways of the personal expenditure, they are the expenditure for personal food, drink, dress, marriage, services, defraying the wages of the hirelings who keep or carry the personal belongings, and the expenditure of domestic needs or means of settling the personal needs. Regarding the five ways of the socially obligatory expenditure, they are covering the needs of the sons, the parents, the wife, and the slaves whether in luxury or hardship.

Regarding the three ways of the religiously obligatory expenditure, they are the obligatory zakat that is defrayed annually, the expenditures of the obligatory hajj, and the expenditures of the jihad in its proper time. Regarding the five ways of expenditure on building good relations, they are the expenditure for regarding the higher rank people, the relatives, and the believers and spending in almsgiving, charity, and manumission.

Regarding the four ways of amicable expenditure, they are settling the debts, loan, borrowing, and hospitability. These four matters are obligatory prophetic traditions.

The Legally Eatable food

It is lawful for man to have three kinds of food that the earth produces. The first kind is the seeds. Wheat, barley, rice, and chickpea as well as the other kinds of sesame and the like-all these are legally eatable as long as they form food for people and strengthen the body. Except in cases of emergency, everything that harms the human body is illegal to have. The second kind is all the kinds of fruits that form food for human bodies and strengths. All these kinds are legally eatable. The forbidden are only those that form harm.

The third kind is all classes of greens and plants that benefit human beings and form food for them. All these classes are legal to have. The other classes of greens that harm the human body, such as the poisonous legumes and oleander, are illegal to have. The legally eatable meat is the meat of cows, sheep, camels and the other beasts except those having tusks or claws. Regarding the birds, the meat of every bird that has gizzard is legally eatable. Accordingly, the meat of every bird that does not have gizzard is illegal. No harm in having the different kinds of locust. Every egg the edges of which are uneven is legally eatable, while the eggs the edges of which are equal are illegal. Regarding the fish, it is legal to have the meat of every fish that has shells while it is illegal to have the meat of every fish that does not have shells. Regarding the drinks, it is legal to drink any beverage provided that the much quantity of which will not preoccupy the mind. Thus, it is illegal to drink little quantity of the beverage the much quantity of which occupies the minds. Regarding the dresses, it is acceptable to dress and offer the prayers while dressing any cloth that is made of plants. It is also acceptable to dress the clothing that is made of the skin, wool, or hair of the legally slaughtered animals that are legally eatable. It is acceptable to dress and offer the prayers dressing the clothing that is made of the wool, hair, or feather of the legally dead or slaughtered animals. It is illicit to offer the prayers or prostrate oneself (in the ritual prayers) on anything that is considered as food, drink, or dress. It is legal to prostrate oneself (in the ritual prayers) only on the fruitless plants of the earth before being yarns. Except in cases of necessity, it is illegal to prostrate oneself on spun plants.

Regarding the legal forms of matrimony, there are four forms of legal matrimony. They are the heritable matrimony -the permanent marriage-, the non-heritable matrimony -the temporary marriage-, the bond matrimony -marrying the bondwomen-, and the permitted bond matrimony -marrying a bondwoman by the permission of her master-. Regarding the legal property, there are six ways of legal possession. They are the possession by spoils of wars, the possession by purchase, the possession by heritage, the possession by gift, the possession by loan, and the possession by lease. The previous have been the various ways of the legal obligatory and recommendable expenditure.

Imam As-Sadiq's Treatise re the Spoils of Wars and the Obligation of Khums

… I understand what you have mentioned concerning your interest in having knowledge of the conditions of God's satisfaction and how the share of the Prophet's relatives was withheld. Now, listen attentively and consider intelligently, then be fair with yourself. This will surely be saving you before your Lord whose instructions and warnings have been presented to you. May God prosper you and us. You should know that Allah, your and my lord, has missed nothing.

Your Lord is not forgetful. He has neglected nothing in the Book and He has provided everything in details. God the Exalted explained the obtaining of His riches as clearly as explaining the shares of these riches and the ways of expending them. Whenever God refers to the obligatory rules of this issue, He follows up with mentioning the ways without making any distinction between the rules and their ways. He made the shares obligatory for those to whom He referred. These shares will not become invalid or inoperative. The shares of the old men, the destitute and the wayfarers will be canceled when they become senile, rich, or return home, respectively. The obligation of the hajj was confirmed by means of instructions and this obligation was canceled for them who cannot perform it out of hardship or any other barrier. The alms were the first thing whose ways were manifested in details. God, the Majestic the Powerful, said:

Welfare funds (zakat) are only for the poor, the destitute, the tax collectors, those whose hearts are inclined (towards Islam), the slaves, those who cannot pay their debts, for the cause of God, and for those who have become needy on a journey. Paying zakat is an obligation that God has decreed. God is All-knowing and All-wise. Through the previous Verse, God informed His Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) of they proper places of the alms and instructed him not to give them to anyone other than the above-mentioned classes. Meanwhile, God the Majestic saves His Prophet and his relatives from receiving the alms and dirt of people. This is for the alms.

Regarding the spoils of war, before the waging of war of Badr, the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) promised his army of precious gifts that would be taken as spoils for any killing or captivity. He also declared: "God has promised me to give my conquest over them and make me seize their equipments as spoils." When God defeated the polytheists and their spoils were gathered together, a man from Ansar stood up and said to the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): "O God's messenger, you ordered us to fight the polytheists importunately and promised to give certain gifts, from the spoils, to everyone who captures or kills one of their army. I killed two of them and took one as captive and I can prove it. Now, we demand with that which you promised us, God's messenger."

When the man sat down, Sa'd bin Ubada raised himself and said: "O God's messenger, it was not a matter of cowardice at confronting the enemy or negligence of the money or the spoils that prevented us from gaining what those individuals had gained. In fact, we anticipated that the army of the polytheists might have attacked you if we would take positions that are away from you or that they might have injured you if they noticed that you were along. If you give such individuals the shares that you have promised, the other Muslims will return without gaining anything of the spoils." When he sat, the first man stood up and repeated his saying. When he finished, Sa'd stood up again and repeated his saying, each three times. The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) was turning his face away from them. after a while, God the Majestic revealed: They (the believers) ask you (Muhammad) about Al-Anfal: the booty captured (from the enemies) during a war. Al-Anfal is a name comprising everything that the believers gained on that day, such as the things that are meant in God's sayings: Whatever God grants to His Messenger (out of the property)… Know that whatever property you may gain… God then said: Tell them, "It belongs to God and the Messengers. If you have faith, have fear of God. Settle the disputes among yourselves and obey God and His Messengers.

On that account, God took the spoils from their hands and put it in the hands of His Apostle and His. He then said: If you have faith, have fear of God. Settle the disputes among yourselves and obey God and His Messengers. As soon as the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) arrived in Medina, God revealed to him: Know that whatever property you may gain, one fifth belongs to God, the Messenger, the kindred, orphans, the needy and those who need money while on a journey. (This is the law) if you believe in God and what We revealed to Our Servant on the Day of Distinction (Badr) when the armies confronted each other.

God's saying, 'belongs to God,' is similar to the ordinary saying, 'this thing belongs to God and to you,' but he does not dedicate anything to God. The Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family) divided the spoils into five shares. He took the share of God for himself and dedicated it to the reference of God, yet it would be inherited after him. A share was given to the Prophet's relatives, namely sons of Abdul-Muttalib. Two shares were given to the Muslim orphans, one share to the poor, and one to the Muslim wayfarers whose journeys were not intended for commerce. These were the shares of the spoils on the battle of Badr, and this is the way of the spoils that are gained by fighting. Regarding the spoils for the gaining of which neither horses nor camels were exhausted, when Muhajirs, who were about one hundred individuals, arrived in Medina, Ansar gave them half of their properties, including houses. When the Prophet was given triumph against the clans of Quraizha and Annazheer and he could seize their properties, he (peace be upon him and his family) said to Ansar: "You may take Muhajirs out of your properties and houses and I will distribute these spoils among them exclusively. If not, I may distribute them among you all." Ansar suggested: "You may give them these spoils exclusively and leave them enjoying our properties and houses." Hence, God, the Blessed the Exalted, revealed: Whatever God grants to His Messenger (out of the property) of the people of the towns… This is an indication to the clans of Quraizha and Annazheer. "Since you did not have to exhaust your horses and camels…" They were living in Medina; hence, they were too near to need for horses and camels for invading them.

God then says: The poor immigrants who were deprived of their homes and property, who seek favors and pleasures from God, and help Him and His Messenger will also have (a share in the said property). These people are the truthful ones. Thus, God dedicated these spoils to the Koreishites who emigrated with the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) and showed sincerity. Moreover, God excluded the emigrants of the other Arab clans. This is clear in His saying: "the immigrants who were deprived of their homes and property." The Koreishite chiefs used to confiscate the properties and homes of those who emigrated, but the other Arab clans did not do so with their members who emigrated.

Then God praised Muhajirs to whom He dedicated the khums and acquitted them of hypocrisy for they had believed in him. This is clear in His saying: "These people are the truthful ones." After that, God praised Ansar as He referred to their distinctive deeds, affection to the emigrants whom they preferred to themselves without showing and sort of envy or malice towards them. Thus, God praised them so highly in His saying: Those who established a community center and embraced the faith before the arrival of the immigrants love those who have come to their town. They are not jealous of what is given to the immigrants. They give preference to them over themselves - even concerning the things that they themselves urgently need. Whoever controls his greed will have everlasting happiness.

After the conquest of Mecca, some men were very malicious for the Muslims who overcame them in the battles and seized their properties, but when they converted to Islam with full loyalty, they sought God's forgiveness for their previous polytheism. They also prayed to Him to clean their heart from such feelings of malice against those who preceded them to faith. They also supplicated to God to forgive those believers so that their hearts will be thoroughly clean and the two became brothers. God, accordingly, praised those people exclusively. He said: Those who came later say: Lord, forgive us and our brothers who preceded us in the faith, and clear our hearts of any ill will against the believers. Lord, You are Compassionate and All-merciful. The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) gave the Koreishite muhajirs each according to his need that he estimated, because the spoils were not divided into five shares equally. He (peace be upon him and his family) gave all the spoils to the Koreishite muhajirs and two men of the Ansar, namely Sahl bin Hunayf and Simak bin Kharasha (Abu Dudgana) for their urgent need. He gave them out of his own share. He also dedicated seven gardens from the spoils of the clans of Quraizha and Annazheer, that no horses or camels were exhausted for capturing them, to himself. Fadak was one of these gardens which no horses or camels were exhausted for capturing it.

Khaybar was a city three-day walk away from Medina. It was within the properties of the Jews, but it was seized after a war. Therefore, the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) divided its properties as same as the distribution of the spoils of the battle of Badr. In this regard, God says: Whatever God grants to His Messenger (out of the property) of the people of the towns, belongs to God, the Messenger, the kinsfolk, the orphans, the destitute and to those who may become needy while on a journey, so that it will not circulate only in the hands of rich ones among them. Take only what the Messenger gives to you and desist from what he forbids you. Have fear of God; God is severe in His retribution. These were the ways of the distributions of the other kind of spoils.

Ali bin Abi Talib (peace be upon him) related: We were receiving our shares that are decided in this Verse, which begins with instructions and ends with refraining, until the khums of Shush and Jundishapur came to Omar. The Muslims, Al-Abbas, and I were there when Omar said to us: "You have received many shares of khums. Today, you are not in need for them while the Muslims are in urgent need. Borrow us your shares of this property and we will give it back to you as soon as God issues for the Muslims (additional) spoils." I did not want to answer him because I was afraid he, if we dispute with him about it, would say about our shares of khums the same thing that he had said about that which was greater than khums, namely the heritage of our Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) when we insisted on receiving it.

Al-Abbas said: "O Omar, do not violate our shares, because God confirmed it to us in a way more manifest than the shares of heritage." Omar said: "You are the foremost in showing kindness to the Muslims." He also sought my intercession in this question so importunately until he could seize our shares. After that, we did not receive anything as a settlement of that loan until Omar was dead. After him, we could not demand with our shares. God forbade His Apostle (peace be upon him and his family) to receive the alms. As compensation, He gave his a share in the khums. In like manner, it was illegal for the Prophet's family exclusively to receive the alms. Therefore, their little and big, male and female, poor, attendant, and absent-all these have shares in the khums, because their kinship to the Prophet will not change or vanish. All praise is due to God Who made the Prophet from us and made us from him. The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) did not give anyone any share of the khums except us, our allies, and our adherents. This is because they are from us. He also gave some people a part of his share for the covenants that were concluded between them. Previously, I have shown the ways of the four anfal (spoils of wars) that God manifested, ordered, and clarified by means of healing wording and luminous proof that was provided by the descended revelation and the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) applied. He who distorts the words of God after he listened and understood, the sin will be afflicting only those who distort and God will be their adversary party in this regard. Peace and God's mercy and blessings be upon you.

Imam As-Sadiq's Discussion With the Sufis Who Instruct People Not to Seek Earnings

Sufian Athawri related: As I saw Abu Abdillah (peace be upon him) putting dresses as white as eggs, I said: "This is not your dress." The Imam (peace be upon him) answered: Listen to me carefully so that you will be benefited in this world as well as the life to come if you depart this life keeping the true Sunna and right, not heresy. I tell you that the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) was in time of famine and poverty. In times of affluence, the pious not the vicious, the believers not the hypocrites, and the Muslims not the atheists, will be the most meritorious in enjoying the pleasures. What have you denied, Athawri? By God I swear, despite what you see, no single morning or evening has come to me and found me leaving one of God's rights (that are incumbent upon me) without perfect fulfillment since I attained maturity. After that, some people showing abstinence and calling people to be like them attended and said to the Imam (peace be upon him), 'Our acquaintance could not answer you because his evidences were not present.' 'Well,' said the Imam, 'submit your evidences.' 'Our evidences are from the Book of God,' said they. 'Adduce them, then. Truly, they should be the most followed and practiced,' said the Imam (peace be upon him). They said, 'As he talks about the manners of some of the Prophet's companions, God the Blessed says:

They give preference to them over themselves - even concerning the things that they themselves urgently need. In another place in the Quran, God says: They feed the destitute, orphans, and captives for the love of God. We suffice with these two evidences.' One of the attendants intruded, 'We have not noticed you abstain from the delicious foods, however you order people to leave their fortunes so that you will have joy with them.'

Abu Abdillah (peace be upon him) spoke, 'Leave the worthless wording.' He then turned to the group and said, 'You should tell me whether you have any knowledge of the distinction between the repealing and the repealed Verses of the Quran and the decisive and the allegorical ones, about which many deviated and many others perished.' 'We have some knowledge,' answered they, 'We do not have thorough knowledge.' 'So,' said the Imam (peace be upon him): This is the very point of refuting your evidences. Naturally, you do not have thorough knowledge of the Sunna, do you not? Regarding what you mentioned about God's telling us of the good manners of those people, this question is concerning a matter that was allowed for them. They were not forbidden from doing such thing. They will obtain their prizes from God. After that, God the Glorified ordered to do the opposite of their deed. Hence, His order repealed their deed. God warned against following such deeds out of His mercy to the believers and so that they will not harm their dependants and themselves as long as there are, within their family members, the children, the juveniles, the senile men, and the old women. Those are too weak to tolerate hunger. They will surely perish if I, their breadwinner, give my only loaf of bread as alms and leave them starving. In view of that, the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) said: "The five dates, loaves of bread, dinars, or dirhams that are given as alms should be first provided to the parents, second to the dependants or oneself, third to the relatives and the faithful believing friends, fourth to the poor neighbors, and fifth for God's sake, which is the less in rewarding."

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) also said about that dead man of Ansar who manumitted all his five or six slaves while he left his children living in destitution: "Had that you informed me of this deed, I would not have let you burry him with the Muslims." My father told me that the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) had said: "Begin -in expenditure- with your dependants according to their degree of closeness to you."

In addition, the Book (of God) has also refuted your saying and warned against it. God, the Majestic the Wise, says: …who in their spending are neither extravagant nor stingy but maintain moderation. Have not seen that God the Elevated disgrace the act of preferring others that you are appealing to, and describe those who prefer others to themselves as excessive. In more than one occasion, God says in the Quran:

God does not love those who are excessive. God warns against excessiveness and stinginess. He instructs to attain moderation. One should not give all what he has as alms and then pray to God to give him, because, in such cases, God will not respond to him. This is proved through the hadith that is related to the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): " Certain categories of people of my umma will not be answered when they supplicate (to God): a man who curses his parents, a man who curses him who took his property without (formal) contract and witnesses, a man who curses his wife while he can divorce her, and a man who sits in his house and pray to God to give him sustenance and avoid going out for seeking earnings. For such a man, God, the Majestic the Powerful, says: 'O My servant, I have made it possible for you to take courses into seeking earnings, I have given you enough power, when I gave you sound organs, for roaming in lands (for working); therefore, you have no excuse to avoid seeking earnings and following my instructions, so that you will not be an additional burden on your folks. I may bestow upon you if I will and may deprive you if I will. Finally, you are not enjoying any obligation that is incumbent upon Me in this regard.' Another category of people whose supplications are not answered is that man whom God had bestowed upon him with abundant sustenance, but he spent all of it as alms then he was praying to God to give him sustenance. For such a man, God says: 'I have given you abundance sustenance. You should have dealt with your wealth moderately as I ordered you to do. You should not have been so exaggerative after I warned you against exaggeration.'

The last category of people whose supplication is not answered is those who supplicate to God in a matter that results in disregard of relations." After that, God instructed His Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) how to spend as alms. The Prophet was not relieved as long as he was about to spend a whole night keeping an oke of gold in his house; therefore, he gave it as alms before morning. The next morning, a beggar came to him, but he did not have anything to give. The beggar then blamed him for so and he (peace be upon him and his family) felt depressed, because he was so merciful and compassionate. Hence, God instructed His Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) by saying:

Do not be stingy nor over generous lest you become empty handed and bankrupt. This means that people usually ask from you and would not excuse you (if you have nothing to give them). If you give all of that which you have under your hands, you will have nothing to give. The previous were the sayings of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) that are testified by the Book (of God) that is testified by its faithful people. When he was asked to bequeath, Abu Bakr, who was dying, said: "I bequeath the one-fifth although it is too much. God has satisfied with the one-fifth." Hence, he bequeathed the one-fifth while God permits him to bequeath the one-third. He would have bequeathed the one-third if he had known it would be better for him. Similar acts were opted by such virtuous and abstinent men, such as Salman and Abu Tharr (pleased be them). Salman used to devote his annuity from his share of the public treasures until he would receive his share of the coming year. Some asked him: "O Abu Abdillah, you are known of such incomparable abstinence and you do not know whether you will die this year or not; however, you are devoting your annuity." He answered: "Why do you not hope for me to live for another year while you anticipate my death? O ignorant people, you should have known that the soul will be slow in responding to its owner if he does not secure for it a source of revenue enough for achieving its living. If the soul feels that its livings are secured, it will feel secure and tranquil."

Abu Tharr had few she-camels and few ewes that he used to milk them and slaughter when his dependants craved for meat, guests visited him, or his neighbors suffered famine. In such cases, he used to distribute the meat among them equally and have a share for himself as same as theirs. No one was more abstinent that those individuals about whom the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family) said all these (splendid) words. Nevertheless, they did not reach a state in which they had not possess anything at all while you are, now, instructing people to throw out their properties and possessions and prefer others to their dependants and themselves. You, O group, should know also that I have heard my father relating on the authority of his fathers (peace be upon them) that the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) said: "The strangest thing that I have ever seen is the faithful believer: if he is severed with saws, it will be for his good and if he is given that whichever is between the east and west in possession is for his good, too. Everything that God does to the faithful believer is for his good."

Now, will my explanations that I have previously submitted for you influence in your belief or should I provide more? You should have known that God, the Majestic, imposed on every believer, in the beginning of Islam, to fight ten individuals of the polytheists and ordered them not to turn the backs, for he whoever absconds should find himself a place in Hell. Afterwards, God changed this decision out of His mercy and imposed upon each believer to fight only two individuals of the polytheists. That was a sort of alleviation. Hence, ten was repealed by two.

Likewise, tell me whether it was unfair for the judges to impose on husbands to cover the needs of their wives, for some of them may claim that they are abstinent and having nothing in possession? If you say it is unfair for them, then you are imputing injustice to the people of Islam. If you claim that it was fair for them, then you are contradicting yourselves. What should you say about the judges who refuse the bequeathal of those who dedicate more than one-third of their properties to the poor? Supposing that all people are as abstinent as you are and dispensing with the others' properties, to whom should the funds that are obligatorily defrayed as penances of breaking the oaths and vows and the alms of the zakat that is imposed upon those who possess (definite numbers of) camels, sheep, and cows as well as gold, silver, date-palm trees, raisins, and the others yields that are subjective to the zakat? If your opinions are accurate, then it is inappropriate for anyone to have anything of the worldly affairs in possession even if he is in urgent need of that thing.

Very bad were your opinions to which you have called people out of your ignorance of the Book of God the Majestic and the traditions of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) as well as his hadiths that are testified by the Revealed Book. Similarly, very bad was your negligence of looking in the figurative questions of the Quran, including the exegesis of the repealing and the repealed, the decisive and the allegorical, and the orders and the warnings of the Quran. Tell about Solomon son of David the prophets (peace be upon them) when he asked God to grant him a kingdom that no one after him can have the like of it. God (glorified be His Name) gave him that kingdom. Nevertheless, Solomon (peace be upon him) was calling to the right and acting its deed. Beside, neither God nor anyone of the believers criticized him for that kingdom. Before him, David the prophet (peace be upon him) had a great kingdom and power. Joseph the prophet (peace be upon him) is another example. He said to the king of Egypt: "Put me in charge of the treasuries of the land. I know how to manage them." Hence, he was given the kingdom of the king and its surroundings to Yemen in responsibility. All people were seeking provisions from him when they suffered famine. Nevertheless, he (peace be upon him) was calling to the right and acting his deeds. Besides, no one blamed him for such a kingdom. Zulqarnayn is another example. He loved God and God loved him, made everything easy for him, and granted him the kingdom of the east and the west of the earth. However, he was calling to the right and working its deeds. Besides, no one blamed him for such kingdoms. Afterall, O group, imitate the moralities that God the Majestic instructed for the believers, stop at the matters that God ordered or warned, neglect the affairs that you doubt and do not know, commend knowledge to its proper people so that you will be rewarded and excused by God, the Blessed the Elevated, and study the knowledge of the repealing, the repealed, the decisive, and the allegorical texts of the Quran in addition to the distinction between the questions that God made halal in the Quran from these that are haram. This will surely make you near to God and take you away from ignorance. Leave unenlightenment to its people, for the people of ignorance are too many while the people of knowledge are too little. God said:

Over every knowledgeable person is one more knowing. Imam As-Sadiq's Wording about the Creation and Structure of Man Imam As-Sadiq (peace be upon him) said:

Self-acknowledgment is realized through four natures, four supports, and four pillars. The natures are blood, bile, wind, and phlegm. The supports are intelligence parts of which are understanding and maintenance. The pillars are light, fire, soul, and water. The feature of man is his nature. He could see through light, eat and drink through fire, copulated and moved through the soul, and found the taste of every tasted thing and food through water. This is the basis of man's feature. A man whose intelligence is supported by light becomes knowledgeable, retainer, clever, shrewd, and thoughtful. He should also recognize the real situation that he is in, the source of his situation, the reason beyond his existence, and the fate that he will inevitably encounter, through the sincere belief of God's oneness and the submission to the obedience (to Him). The soul may move in him with its heat or coldness. When heat of the soul influences that man, he will behave evilly and arrogantly, feel comfortable, kill, rob, feel pleasant and dashing, commits sins and fornication, and spend lavishly. When the soul covers that man with its coldness, he feels depressed, sad, submissive, withered, and oblivious. These are the symptoms that cause diseases. This coldness is originated only when the individuals commit a sin and have a drink or food in an hour that is not appropriate to that drink or food-all in the same time; therefore, this will create a certain pain. Imam As-Sadiq (peace be upon him) explained the topic in other words. He said:

Man drinks, eats, and works through the fire; hears and smells through the wind; enjoys the taste of food and drink through the water; moves through the soul. Food and drink cannot be digested in the interior body without the existence of the fire in the stomach. Without the existence of the wind, the fire of the stomach cannot be flamed and the dregs cannot find an exit out of the abdomen. Without the existence of the soul, man cannot come and go; i.e. move. Without the existence of the cold water (in the stomach), the fire of the stomach would burn (man). Without the existence of light, man cannot sight or understand. Clay is his nature. The role of bones in the human body is as same as the role of trees on the surface of the earth. The hairs on the skin play the same role of the grass on the earth. The nerves of the human body play the same role of the bark on trees. The blood of the human body plays the same role of water on the earth. The earth cannot endure without water. In like fashion, the human body cannot endure without the blood. The brain is the fat and the foam of blood.

This is the human being who was created from matters of this world and matters of the world to come. If God combines these matters, man's life will be on the surface of the earth, because he descended from the matters of the heavens to the world. When God disconnects these matters by means of death, the matters of the heavens go back to their source; the heavens. The life is on the earth and death is in the heavens by means of separating the soul from the body. The soul and the light are taken back to the foremost power and the body is left, because it is composed from matters of the world. The body disintegrates in this world because the wind dries water and the clay becomes debris and old and return to its first core. The soul moves in the breath whose movement is out of the wind. The breath of the believers is light that is supported by the mind while the breath of the disbelievers is fire that is supported by devilry. This is the nature of its fire and the earlier is the nature of its light. Death is God's mercy from the believers and God's punishment on the disbelievers. God has two punishments; the soul is the source of one and people's predomination on each other is the source of the other. Ailment and poverty are the punishments whose source is the soul while agony is the punishment whose source is people's predomination on each other. This is indicated in God's saying:

Thus do We make the unjust ones predominate one another because of their evil deeds. These evil deeds are their sins. The punishment of the sins whose source is the soul is ailment and poverty, while the punishment of the sins the source of which is people's predomination on each other is the agony. All these are punishment and agony for the believers in this world. For the disbelievers, these are punishment in this world and harsh agony in the world to come. The reason for any punishment is a sin and the source of every sin is passion. The sins of the believers are flaws and matters of oblivion or compulsory and unendurable. For the disbelievers, their sins are intentional, denial, aggression, and envy. This is indicated in God's saying: Once you have accepted the faith, many of the People of the Book would love, out of envy, to turn you back to disbelief, even after the Truth has become evident to them. Have forgiveness and bear with them until God issues His order. God has power over all things.

Imam As-Sadiq's Words of Wisdom

Imam As-Sadiq (peace be upon him) said:

The unintelligent is fit for nothing and the unknowledgeable is unintelligent. He who understands will be excellent and he who is clement will be triumphant. Knowledge is protection, honesty is glory, ignorance is humility, understanding is honor, openhandedness is success, and good mannerism achieves affection. The knowing of manners of his time will not be attacked by the mysteries. Judiciousness is the lantern of doubt. God is the custodian of him who knows Him and the enemy of him who ignores Him. The intelligent should be forgiver and the ignorant is treacherous. If you want to be respected, you should be lenient and if you want to be disrespected, you may be severe. The heart of him whose lineage is honorable is surely soft while he whose race is ignoble is surely hard-hearted. He who neglects will be engaged (in troubles). He who cares for the result will acts slowly in matters that he ignores. He who involves himself in a matter with which he does not have full acquaintance will debase himself. He who does not know will not understand, he who does not understand will not be safe, he who is not safe will not be respected, he who is not respected will feel disappointed, he who feels disappointed will be blamed, and he who is blamed will be worthy of regret. If you can hide your personality from people, do it. You should care if people do not praise you and you should not care if people disregard you when God honors you. Amirul Muminin (peace be upon him) used to say: "Life is worthless for everyone except two men: a man whose acts of charity are day by day increasable and a man who corrects his death by means of repentance." If you can keep yourself indoors, do it. When you go out (of your house), you should avoid backbiting, telling untruths, envying, showing off, flattering, and sweet-talking. The cell of the believer is his house where he detains himself, his sight, his tongue, and his genitals. He who acknowledges the favors of God in his heart before he expresses his gratitude by words deserves increase of God.

Imam As-Sadiq (peace be upon him) then added:

Many are those whom are tempted by receiving graces of God, many are those whom are trapped by the concealment of their flaws, and many are those whom are cheated by wordings of praise. I hope for everybody who acknowledges our rights (of the loyalty to our leadership that is incumbent upon people) except three: the friends of the unjust rulers, the followers of their whims, and the sinful who commit sins openly. For those who love the worldly pleasures and follow anyone other than us, they, by God I swear, do not love God. For those who acknowledge our rights and love us, they surely love God. Choose to be subordinate, not head. The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) said: "The fearful are unable to speak."