for the layman to understand. What really surprises me is that every individual Muslim, from the very childhood, gets used to seeking, Isti’adha - Allah (S.w.T.)’s Protection against the machinations of Satan. This is done as a force of habit cultivated through the instruction of the elders at home. But the details of the need for doing it are known, to but a few.

A reading of the transcripts of the 30 lectures convinced me that they must be available to as wide a group of Muslims as possible.

Hence this translation! I pray to Allah (S.w.T.) that the translation gets published, gets widely circulated, and the spiritual reward (ajr) goes to the Shahīd Dastaghaib. Insha Allah (S.w.T.)!

for those who peruse them. To support his arguments, the author referred to the Verses, Traditions and tales with great skill. He has presented the facts in a very lucid language that the readers of all intellectual levels understand what he has conveyed to them.

The fact that has to be recognized is that the Ayatullah was the people’s guide (Marja’ at-Taqlid) in his lifetime and therefore the world mourned him at the time of his martyrdom and thereafter too. The great works of the martyred Ayatullah are like the petals of a fragrant flower. These publications people have been buying for themselves and to gift to friends for deriving benefit from their reading.

The Martyr was himself a true practitioner of Isti’adha. Throughout his life he struggled against the baser instincts (nafs al-ammara) and to practice self- denial. This struggle of his was against the machinations of Satan. In this struggle he was victorious. Therefore he introduces Satan to his audiences in a very lucid and effective manner. He gives to the audience the ways of protecting themselves and seeking Allah (S.w.T.)’s Help to this end. The talks in this compendium are studded with thought provoking references. They are so interesting that the narrative retains the interest of the reader throughout the narrative and doesn’t tire them for a while! The interest increases as one makes progress with the reading!

I remember that once when an offset technician was photographing one of the Ayatullah’s books, he got engrossed in reading the contents.

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He has himself confessed that he was lost so much in reading the book that he forgot that the time for the closure of the studio that day had already come. Throughout the day he had not photographed even a page of the book! He said that on later days too, many a time he got engrossed in the contents of the book during the process of photographing it.

O Allah (S.w.T.)! Keep the Martyr’s spirit under the shadow of Your Munificence and also bless the spirit of his grandson with those of other martyrs!

Sayyid Muhammad Hashim Dastaghaib

05-12-1360

24-02-1982

wishing to keep himself hidden and at the same time escape from the machinations of the enemy (Satan)! The pointer is towards the fact that the supplicant should seek protection against his mortal enemy who is waiting for an opportunity to overpower him. This is done best by quietly tapping the door of the Great Place of Succor!

(mustahab), or day-to-day, affairs like eating food, drinking water or wearing the clothes, Isti’adha is mandated. For example, at the time of wearing the clothes one should recite:

Allahummas-stur awrati wa laa taj’al ash-shaitan lahu naseeba

(O Allah! Keep my private parts hidden and save them from the interference of shaitan)

In every situation, however lowly and futile, or elevated and likeable, one should seek protection from Satan. While entering into the mosque, one should do the Isti’adha lest the persistent Satan chases you even at that threshold! Even while going to a washroom it is required to do the Isti’adha as follows:

Allahumma inni audhu bika minal khabeesil khabs ar-rijs al-khabs ash-shaitanir rajeem

(O Allah I seek Your Protection from the accursed Satan and the defiled impurities)

billahi tawakkaltu ‘alal laahi wa la hawla wa la quwawata illa billaah

(In the name of Allah (S.w.T.) and with His Help; I believe in Allah and place my trust in Him. And there is no power besides Him)

In the Holy Qur’an it is said with great emphasis that:

إِنَّهُ یَرَاکُمْ هُوَ وَقَبِیلُهُ مِنْ حَیْثُ لاَ تَرَوْنَهُمْ إِنَّا جَعَلْنَا الشَّیَاطِینَ أَوْلِیَاء لِلَّذِینَ لاَ یُؤْمِنُونَ

He (shaitan) surely sees you, he as well as his host, from whence you cannot see them; surely We have made the shaitans to be the guardians of those who do not believe. (Sura al-A’raaf, 7:27)

Only one thing can save you from Satan the accursed. That is Isti’adha. Besides Allah (S.w.T.)’s Protection there is no way of saving oneself from the tricks and deceptions of Satan.

evil of the whisperings of the slinking (Shaitan). (Sura an-Naas, 114:4)

Therefore when the enemy is so powerful and strong, we should not be complacent and unmindful of him. We should gather all our faculties and plan to save ourselves by seeking the Protection of Allah (S.w.T.). Otherwise, one would find to his surprise that the place where he was prostrating himself for long was, in fact, Satan’s abode and in his ignorance he thought that he was prostrating to god. When, in such a situation, he uttered ‘O god!” in actual fact he had been submitting himself to Satan!

am Satan!’

Yes! It is a fact that the man worshipped Satan his entire life. He was always responding to the call of Satan. His tongue spoke at Satan’s orders. His eyes saw things in response to Satan’s wishes. His heart responded to Satan’s wishes. When throughout his life the person was at the beck and call of Satan, then at the time of the talqeen whether he said ‘Ya Rabb’ or ‘Ya Iblīs’ his respondent can only be Satan. Even if the curtains got raised in the person’s last moments, and he was repentant, even then he would get only disappointment! Of what use will be this repentance!

O believers! Try to be steadfast in doing the Isti’adha. Don’t underestimate your enemy, Satan! Don’t be under the illusion that only repeating the words ‘Audhu billahi minash-shaitanir rajeem’ is sufficient. Remember! Unless you understand the purport of these words and mould your actions as per the Commandments of Allah (S.w.T.), the Isti’adha will not be of any utility.

the person astray.

Frenzy of anger: When a person is in a frenzy of anger, his blood boils and Satan dominates him with full force. Because Satan is created fiery and subtle (latīf), he enters into the person of the man with great stealth. We quote here the example of Hadrat Nuh (a.s.) to explain our point. Satan says, ‘In his frenzy of anger a man for me is like a ball in a child’s hand!’ You must have seen that a child throws the ball whichever way he wants, wherever he wants! In the same Satan overpowers men in frenzy of anger and makes them commit prohibited (Haram) acts. There is no wonder if Satan makes persons commit acts of kufr (infidelity) in a frenzy of anger! Only those lucky persons escape from such situations that have Allah (S.w.T.)’s particular Blessing because they say the Isti’adha in such situations.

Whenever man tries to do good, they create impediments in his efforts.

In certain circumstances the efforts of the satanic forces are redoubled. These situations are when one delivers justice, when one is alone with a young strange woman and at the moment when a person is in a rage of anger. As illustrated in the previous talk, Satan tries all forms of deceptions to destroy the human being.

a fear in the mind of the person that after doing the charity if he gets some urgent need for personal expense, then from where he will get help! Therefore they persuade the person to refrain from giving charity in the way of Allah (S.w.T.).

busy in prayer, he flees. The Prophet (S) has said, ‘Satan has put a halter on the hearts of men. But when man remembers Allah (S.w.T.), Satan escapes from him. When a person ignores remembrance of Allah (S.w.T.), Satan would swallow his heart.’ ‘Satan plans to swallow the heart of a believer. But when the believer remembers Allah (S.w.T.), Satan runs away from him.’

Satan chases a person till the end. This subject has received great importance in the Holy Book. Allah (S.w.T.) takes an oath from man that he will not become a follower of Satan. In clear terms Allah (S.w.T.) has described Satan as the sworn enemy of man:

أَلَمْ أَعْهَدْ إِلَیْکُمْ یَا بَنِی آدَمَ أَن لَّا تَعْبُدُوا الشَّیْطَانَ إِنَّهُ لَکُمْ عَدُوٌّ مُّبِینٌ

Did I not charge you, O children of Adam! that you should not serve the Shaitan? Surely he is your open enemy. (Sura Ya Sin, 36:60)

Allah (S.w.T.) has thus forbidden man not to befriend, Satan, his enemy since creation and warned from becoming his follower.

man.

is made of fire, with the fire and air being predominant components in his make-up. Therefore Satan is absolutely subtle (latif) and light and, therefore, has a very wide range of actions and mobility in his control.

Man thinks that he has great faculties at his command but Satan has such incredible capabilities that he can become so small as to easily pass through a tiny crevice. He can also become so huge as to entirely encompass a vast place! The distances that a man can travel over a month with difficulty, Satan can traverse in the time taken to blink the eyes once! The heavy weights that man is incapable of lifting, Satan can lift effortlessly!

In Sura an-Naml Allah (S.w.T.) has made a reference towards this fact while narrating the story of Hadrat Sulaiman (a.s.) the throne of Bilqees:

قَالَ عِفْریتٌ مِّنَ الْجِنِّ أَنَا آتِیکَ بِهِ قَبْلَ أَن تَقُومَ مِن مَّقَامِکَ وَإِنِّی عَلَیْهِ لَقَوِیٌّ أَمِینٌ

One audacious among the jinn said: I will bring it to you before you rise up from your place; and most surely I am strong (and) trusty for it. (Sura an-Naml, 27:39)

can only see the voluminous things. Therefore the Holy Qur’an says:

إِنَّهُ یَرَاکُمْ هُوَ وَقَبِیلُهُ مِنْ حَیْثُ لاَ تَرَوْنَهُمْ

he (shaitan) surely sees you, he as well as his host, from whence you cannot see them. (Sura al-A’raaf, 7:27)

Yes! At certain times the satans can make themselves visible to people. Many prophets such as Hadrat Nuh (a.s.), Hadrat Yahya (a.s.), Hadrat Muhammad (a.s.) and many men of high piety have seen Satan and even now some pious persons must be there who have this experience.

evident if you were irresolute, the Satanic fears would sway your feet! It is the existence of Satan that proves the felicity of men of piety and wisdom who are steadfast despite all the stratagems of the accursed one!

yourself in such a clumsy chadar (shawl)’. When you happen to see the lady a second time, she will not look much different from gentlemen! Satan creates such doubts, fears and changes in the human beings.

Definitely, the purpose of the creation of Satan is to test the human beings as to their determination to be steadfast on the right path. Those who are fickle minded and susceptible to be led astray by Satan are also tested by Satan! Thus Allah (S.w.T.) gets a proof of who is mu’min (believer) and who is fajir (immoral).

giving a second thought!

drag them into the Hell. They had themselves decided to act the way they did! Satan would then ask men to curse themselves rather than cursing him!

وَمَا کَانَ لِیَ عَلَیْکُم مِّن سُلْطَانٍ إِلاَّ أَن دَعَوْتُکُمْ فَاسْتَجَبْتُمْ لِی فَلاَ تَلُومُونِی وَلُومُواْ أَنفُسَکُم

And I had no authority over you, except that I called you and you obeyed me, therefore do not blame me but blame yourselves. (Sura Ibrahim, 14:22)

towards the goal. This he does to satisfy his instinct of jealousy. Satan is such an accursed creature that if he is unable to cause major impediments to the efforts of the person, he will satisfy himself even with small disturbances to the man. For example, if Satan is unable to turn a person into an infidel or hypocrite, he will satisfy himself with making the person commit lesser sins.

not your raiment. Talking big doesn’t suit you. All men in the eyes of Allah (S.w.T.) are beggars and needy. Allah (S.w.T.) says, ‘Worship Me that there is no god other than Me!’

If man becomes proud and conceited, he will become a partner of Satan!

hearts of men, the angels inspire virtue in their heart. Satan says, ‘Don’t go to the mosque!’ The angel encourages the person to go there. Satan encourages the person to commit certain sins that he can make reparation later on. The angel says that the person might die before he expresses his repentance for the sins. And even if he expresses repentance there is no guarantee of acceptance by Allah (S.w.T.).

Give attention to your own hearts! Whether there are thoughts of good or of evil in your heart, you will always have doubts about these thoughts! When Satan upbraids you to commit a sinful act, the angels guide you against it. If Satan tries to prevent you from doing a good turn, the angels encourage you to go ahead with it.

and has given him respite till the Day of Reckoning, we have kept the doors of repentance open for you progeny too’. If men are caught in the web of the accursed Satan, they can express repentance like their ancestor, Adam (a.s.) and seek forgiveness from Allah (S.w.T.). Remember that Adam (a.s.) after doing repentance reached the august status of Prophet-hood and was one of the choicest of Allah (S.w.T.). Allah (S.w.T.) says:

إِنَّ اللّهَ اصْطَفَی آدَمَ وَنُوحًا وَآلَ إِبْرَاهِیمَ وَآلَ عِمْرَانَ عَلَی الْعَالَمِینَ

Surely Allah chose Adam and Nuh and the descendants of Ibrahim and the descendants of Imran above the nations (Sura Aal-´Imran, 3:33)

Repentant men too can achieve the status of tawwabeen (penitents) and become the dear ones of Allah (S.w.T.). Allah (S.w.T.), as such says:

إِنَّ اللّهَ یُحِبُّ التَّوَّابِینَ

…surely Allah loves the penitent. (Sura al-Baqara, 2:222)

death, will be pardoned.” Then said, “One year is too long a period. If a person repents for his sins a month before his death, he may be pardoned.” The Prophet (S) further added, “One month too is rather a long period. If the person repents a day prior to his death, his sins might be pardoned.” The Prophet (S) then said, “A day too is a long time. If the person repents at the moment of death, in the Barzakh (the Purgatory) or before Izrael looks into his eyes, the person might be pardoned by Allah (S.w.T.).” It proves that if a Muslim repents even while he is dying, he stands a chance of getting pardoned for his sins.

Blessed is the heart that is busy in the Remembrance of Allah (S.w.T.). Can the Blessing be more encompassing than what the Ummat al-Marhooma has been endowed with. Despite the evil presence of Satan and his temptations to men to commit sins, Allah (S.w.T.)’s Blessings are unfathomable!

all pervading Blessing of Allah (S.w.T.) that spreads over the entire Universe.”

of Satan and his ilk. But to get rid of such powerful and organized group of enemies is not an easy task. The Holy Qur’an prescribes the one and only remedy for the situation, is Isti’adha. There are clear indications in the Book saying, “Fastaidh billah” (So seek refuge with Allah!), because it is not possible to reach the Truth without doing this.

(Sura al-Muminun, 23:97-98)

Particularly in privacy and loneliness, saving oneself from the fears and temptations created by Satan is rather difficult. In such a situation one must call:

Ya Ghiyath al-mustaghitheen

Ya Malaadh al-laaedheen

O listener of the plaint of the plaintiff

O provider of succor to the refuge seeker!

‘Save me from the machinations of Satan.’ If there is no protection of Allah (S.w.T.), one cannot save himself from the onslaught of Satan’s deceptions.

(S.w.T.) for His protection against Satan!

There is a third group of persons who say the words of Isti’adha from the depths of their hearts and are fully aware of their meaning, purport and spirit. These persons will be fully aware of the Greatness and Omnipotence of Allah (S.w.T.). The Isti’adha of these persons will always get the accepted by Allah (S.w.T.).

that a scholar of some repute thought of writing a book to warn the people about the treacherous and mean acts of Satan. During the same period a pious person met Satan in a state of apocalyptic revelation. He told to Satan, “O accursed creature! The time has come for your exposure! Such-and-such a maulana is very soon writing a book about your nefarious acts!” Satan smiled derisively and said, “You are involved in a misunderstanding! This book is being written at my suggestion!” The pious person asked, “How is it possible?” Satan replied, “I had put doubts in the heart of the scholar that he is a person of high repute and he should make a show of his erudition. The person doesn’t realize that although he has titled the book as ‘Refutation of Satan’, but his real intent is to make a show of his erudition and achieve name and fame!”

In this way Satan tempts people to curse him and make them involuntarily utter ‘aaudhu billahi min ash-shaitanir rajeem’.

of all times. Politics, in other words, means working behind the backs of the people. Satan, in this way, fools everyone and doesn’t leave behind any footprints. The evil acts are committed by people at Satan’s provocation, but they never realize that he is behind their actions!

person, in the eyes of Gnostics (‘Urafa) is tantamount to saying audhubish-shaitan, because he sometimes says audhu and at others la hawla..., but his actions prove his falsehood.

If a tiger is chasing you, you will try to run into a fortified place of safety rather than going near it and putting your hands into its mouth and keep shouting for help. Similar is the reality of Isti’adha. It is seeking Allah (S.w.T.)’s succor against Satan in His strong fortification!

sell it and use the money for my need as a loan to be reimbursed later. I took the copy of the Qur’an and went into the lane. Whilst buying my needs a thought came to me why I was doing such a thing. I felt penitent, returned home and put back the copy of the Qur’an in its original place”. (1)

Some other persons have related the same incident in the following manner:

When the Shaikh’s disciple saw the bridles in the hands of Satan, he noticed that one of the bridles was very strong and thick. When he asked the accursed Satan the reason for his carrying the bridles, he replied that they were for putting around the necks of people and dragging them. The person also asked, “For what purpose is the stronger and thicker bridle?” Satan replied, “This is for your mentor, Shaikh Ansari. Yesterday I put it round his neck and dragged him into the bazār. But he managed to free himself and escaped.” The person asked, “Which one of the bridles is for me?” Satan replied, “For you there is no need of a bridle. You can become my victim only with my sweet talk!”

(aright). (Sura al-A’raaf, 7:201)

briefly explained from the Holy Qur’an.

إِنَّ الَّذِینَ اتَّقَواْ إِذَا مَسَّهُمْ طَائِفٌ مِّنَ الشَّیْطَانِ تَذَکَّرُواْ فَإِذَا هُم مُّبْصِرُونَ

Verily those who guard (themselves against evil) when an evil thought from Satan afflicts them, they become mindful (of God and get awakened) then lo! They are forthright. (Sura al-A’raaf, 7:201)

When the men of piety have any fear from Satan, then they busy themselves in prayer and they instantaneously get enlightened.

Therefore, the very first condition for keeping oneself safe from form Satan is to become pious. Those who adopted piety, busy themselves in prayer whenever they fears of Satan in their hearts. They get enlightened that Satan created the fears. They also realize that Satan had fled because of their prayer and that they are in the protection of Allah (S.w.T.). The ayat mentioned above is a pointer to the believers towards adoption of piety and remembrance of Allah (S.w.T.).

in his maneuvers.

When a person doesn’t trust Allah (S.w.T.) from the depths of his heart, then all his pleadings for protection will be of no avail. According to the verse quoted above, Satan would gain ascendance over him. In the later verse of the Qur’an there is a reference towards this aspect:

إِنَّمَا سُلْطَانُهُ عَلَی الَّذِینَ یَتَوَلَّوْنَهُ وَالَّذِینَ هُم بِهِ مُشْرِکُونَ

Verily, his authority is only over those who befriend him and those who associate others with Him. (Sura an-Nahl, 16:100)

One who has forgotten the Munificent Allah (S.w.T.) and befriended Satan, he has no concern for Isti’adha or seeking protection from Satan.

the first aspect of Isti’adha is Taqwa or piety. One who has not adopted taqwa, will not be able to escape from Satan. Only with piety one can keep out of the clutches of Satan.

A woman who can come to the bazār wearing indecent dress is satanic from head to toe! And the man who chaperons such a woman in public can never escape from the attention of Satan.

It goes to prove that one who doesn’t save himself from what is forbidden (haram) can never prevent himself from the influence of Satan.

If a person dwells in a usurped house, he cannot escape from Satan unless he quits the occupation of that house. If a person is in habit of doing prohibited things, he cannot do Isti’adha.

facts.

Therefore, about the sacrifices that we make in the way of Allah (S.w.T.), the Holy Book categorically says:

لَن یَنَالَ اللَّهَ لُحُومُهَا وَلَا دِمَاؤُهَا وَلَکِن یَنَالُهُ التَّقْوَی

There does not reach Allah their flesh nor their blood, but to Him is acceptable the guarding (against evil, Taqwa) on your part... (Sura al-Hajj, 22:37)

clearly. Thus they are able to save themselves from the evil bait of Satan.

It is only the persons of piety who are able to save themselves from the effects of Satan. Otherwise, the evil influence of Satan is always around!

We have mentioned that piety is a very important tool concerning our food habits. Our food, or nutrition, is like the seed of plants. The type of food one takes nourishes good or satanic tendencies in a person. If the seed is satanic, then the body acquires evil tendencies. If a Haram morsel goes down the throat, then the control over the body will come into the hands of Satan. Till the time that morsel remains in the body, Satan too will occupy it.

It is mentioned in the traditions that eating one Haram morsel of food, the effects will remain in the body for forty days and, during this period, the prayers of the person may not be answered.

and unsavory (makrūh) foods. The body has therefore become insensitive to the instinct of remembrance of Allah (S.w.T.). The limbs and organs have thus turned into the playthings of Satan.

of an animal that has not been slaughtered properly as required by the Shari’ah. This applies also to those animals eating of whose meat is permissible in the Islamic Shari’ah. For example, if a person, while slaughtering an animal, doesn’t intentionally say the words Bismillah before putting the knife to the throat of the animal, eating of such meat is prohibited. Allah (S.w.T.) says in the Holy Qur’an,

وَلاَ تَأْکُلُواْ مِمَّا لَمْ یُذْکَرِ اسْمُ اللّهِ عَلَیْهِ

Don’t eat that thing on which Allah (S.w.T.)’s name has not been uttered. (Sura al-An’aam, 6:121)

Therefore if a halal animal is slaughtered without saying Bismillah, consumption of such meat is forbidden.

Sayyid Tawus has recommended application of this verse to all foods, although the verse pertains only to animal foods. Sayyid Tawus says,” All the eatables that are prepared without taking the name of Allah (S.w.T.) before commencing the preparation, I don’t partake of! How can a mu’min eat the bread that has been cooked by the baker without taking the name of Allah (S.w.T.).”

الشَّیْطَانِ تَذَکَّرُواْ فَإِذَا هُم مُّبْصِرُونَ

Verily those who guard (themselves against evil) when an evil thought from Satan afflicts them, they become mindful (of God and get awakened) then lo! They see (aright). (Sura al-A’raaf, 7:201)

(Sura al‑A’raaf, 7:27)

committing minor sins, which thought is itself a major sin(1).

Satan them persuades the person to commit major sins as a habit. In this way he overwhelms the heart and the spirit of the person. He attacks the mu’min’s faith and puts him in severe doubts and fears. Thus Satan makes him his helpless prey. He doesn’t keep the person capable of comprehending that he is the victim of Satan’s plot.

Only the people of taqwa (piety), with their effective defenses, can save themselves from the maneuvers of Satan. The poor ignorant person cannot meet the onslaught of Satan.

which the Prophet (S) has made a particular mention. He (S) said:

“Fasts of a mu’min blacken the face of Satan. Sadaqa or charity breaks the backbone of Satan. Istighfar — entreaty with Allah for mercy — will cut Satan’s vein of life, and love of Allah and good deeds of the person uproot Satan.”(1)

When you fast the face of Satan, your enemy, will be blackened. If the curtains are raised from your eyes, you will notice that Satan’s face has turned black on account of your fasts.

But Satan is not so weak and emaciated that only by fasting you get his face blackened and with a strike of charity you shatter his backbone. You have to perform every action with absolute sincerity that they pass through the seven curtains and break Satan’s backbone and destroy him.

Now let us talk about Sadaqa or charity. According to what the Prophet (S) has said, it does break the backbone of Satan. But there is a condition that your charity should be acceptable to Allah (S.w.T.).

I shall go home just now and bring it to the mosque to give away in charity. I shall see how the satans prevent me from doing it!”

The man got up and went home. On reaching home, when his wife became aware of his intention, she shouted at him, “In these days of acute famine you have no care of your wife and children! Perhaps the famine conditions might prolong and we might all die of starvation because of shortage of wheat.” Therefore, getting engulfed with doubts the mu’min returned to the mosque empty handed.

The friends asked him, “What has happened. You have returned from home without the wheat? Alas! The seventy satans had clung to your hands and prevented you from doing the sadaqa.” The man said, “I didn’t see the satans, but definitely I have seen their mother who came in the way of my doing the good deed!”

This proves that man tries to take cudgels with Satan but many a time his wife or others distract him from the good turn.

Sadaqa is also not giving a few coins reluctantly because:

لَن تَنَالُواْ الْبِرَّ حَتَّی تُنفِقُواْ مِمَّا تُحِبُّونَ

By no means shall you attain to righteousness until you spend (benevolently in the way of your Lord) out of what you love. (Sura Aal Imran, 3:92)

What is your financial position? If you are really affluent, Satan’s backbone will not break unless you do a sizeable charity. There will be another condition attached to your charity that you should

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not brag about it to the beneficiary nor to other friends. Belittling the person who has received your help by reminding of your good deed can render your sadaqa null and void.

better than the Jihad fought with the infidels because this is confrontation with Nafs al-Ammara or the vile personal instincts. If one fails in this Jihad, he may not succeed in the other! The cause of the defeat will definitely be the instigation and temptation by Satan. In this defeat the person will not only die but also be given retribution in the Hereafter.

Imam as-Sajjad (a.s.) says in one of his supplications:

“O Allah (S.w.T.)! I seek you protection from my enemy! O Master of the House! The ferocious dog is attacking me. Come to my rescue and save me from the harm that it can cause to me!”

was punished. Then the herald said, “Anta Zayn al-’Abidin – indeed, you are the adornment of the worshippers!”

hair and sharper than the sword.

According to Hajji Noori some people die with the false pride that they are the friends of Imam ‘Ali (a.s.) and think that by making such claims they will earn a place in the Heaven.

If they are true friends of Imam ‘Ali (a.s.) then they would implicitly comply with all the commandments of the Faith. It is quite possible, if they are making empty claims of friendship with Imam ‘Ali (a.s.), they are acting on the instigation of the accursed Satan!

Beware O hapless Muslims! Your faith is in danger! If Satan puts you in doubts at the time of your death, what would happen to you? In your own false pride you claim to be Imam ‘Ali (a.s.)’s friend!

Where are you heading? In whose obedience you are indulging? If that is Satan, then he is your friend and guide. The friendship of ‘Ali (a.s.) too might be there in your heart. But let it not be dominated by other evil influences! Confess whether you value your worldly desires more than the love of Imam ‘Ali (a.s.)! If your concern is fulfillment of worldly desires, are you not concerned for the Hereafter?

ever happened that you have sought intercession that your end comes with love of ‘Ali (a.s.) in your hearts and you don’t become the victims of Satan at the time of death!

piety to gossip or backbite against another person, he must desist from doing it. This is termed malikat e taqwa wherein a tendency develops in a person that he is able to resist the onslaught of Satan.

net. In the urge for eating the bait, the animal gets caught in the net.

The accursed Iblīs uses several baits. He has several camouflaged ditches of sin and perfidy to entangle his prey.

18th Ramadhan. The Imam (a.s.) inquired, “What are you doing here?” He said, “I am going round the bazār!” The Imam (a.s.) said, “The bazār is the place for Satan.” Aimlessly loitering in the bazār motivates a person to indulge in undesirable activities. Even today loafing in the bazār is not considered a good activity. If you wish to be a man of piety you have to tread carefully in the bazār, as does a person on a road full of thorns.

face of the strange woman might give rise to sinful thoughts in the mind of the person and augur ill luck for him!

of fault. But in about an hour’s time there will be an element of lies in their conversation that might push them into the morass of Hell. Emerging out of the morass will be a Herculean task. As a follow up to the conversation, even if they go to a mosque, you should not think that they are God fearing persons because Satan continues to be with them.

tempt Adam (a.s.) with all his stratagems? Then he turned his attention towards Hadrat Hawwa (a.s.) and succeeded in making both of them to do the forbidden.

It is narrated that Satan said to Hadrat Yahya (a.s.),” Whenever I fail in trapping anyone, I use women to fulfill my plans!”

Yes! With the help of women Satan progresses towards his objective and thus involves the men in his schemes.

used to say that his prayers would help in the fulfillment of their wishes.

The daughter of the king of the time once fell seriously ill. All treatments proved futile. In the end it was thought that the only way for curing her of the illness was the prayer of Barseesa. But the hermit refused to come out of his seclusion to the city or the palace of the king. In the end they reluctantly took the sick princess to his hermitage. They left her alone with the hermit.

If this unfortunate hermit was a true man of piety he would have objected to the leaving of the young princess alone with him. But he fell in the trap of Satan. He looked at the girl and was attracted by her beauty. He had not experienced such a situation throughout his life. He could not control his baser instinct and raped the girl.

But Satan didn’t stop at this. He put doubts in the heart of Barseesa that when people learn of his foul act they would lynch him. To save himself from death he thought of killing the girl and burying her. He also thought that if inquiries are made about the girl, he would say that he didn’t know where she had gone.

With these doubts and fears in his mind, Barseesa killed the princess while she was asleep. Then he dug up a trench and buried her.

It is narrated that Satan came in human form to the persons

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who were searching for the princess and said, “I know where the girl is!” he then guided them to the place where the grave was. The angry team demolished Barseesa’s hermitage and dragged him to the court of the king. People started spitting on his face. The king ordered him to be hanged.

In the olden days the hanging of criminals was not such an easy and fast process as it is now. It was a prolonged and torturous procedure. When Barseesa was about to die Satan came to him and said, “Even now if you prostrate to me, I shall save you!” To save himself from death, Barseesa agreed to prostrate to Satan. In his last breaths Satan tempted Barseesa to commit a major sin and earn a place for himself in the fiery Hell.

meaning derived from the verse that I have mentioned above and also at a few places in my previous talks.

has craving for worldly riches and pomp, then certainly it is the ideal place for him to entrench himself in. If he notices that your heart is having so much avarice that even after acquiring a lot it has craving for more and is envious of others, then he is very pleased to dwell therein. You may say ‘audhu billahi min ash-shaitanir rajeem a hundred thousand times, Satan will tenaciously stay on!

إِنَّ الشَّیْطَآنَ لَکُمَا عَدُوٌّ مُّبِینٌ

Shaitan is your open enemy! (Sura al-A’raaf, 7:22)

The only remedy is that you should dispel from your heart all the thoughts of things that attract him. Then with one utterance of the words ‘audhu billahi Satan will run away.

entrenching into your heart you will have to adopt piety. Shun all things that are not liked by Allah (S.w.T.). Shun avarice, immoral acts, bad habits and all such evil traits that take you towards illegitimate acts and illegitimate food. The heart will then be pure and clean.

Once the heart is cleansed of these things, then piety will find it’s way into it. It will now have the fear of Allah (S.w.T.) and the fear of the Day of Reckoning. Now Satan will be rendered absolutely helpless. He does have the extreme desire to enter such hearts and waits for the slightest chance that the person commits a mistake and opens the way for him.

Satan is like a thief who does reconnaissance of the fort to find a foothold or the slightest of openings to break in. But when he notices that the keeper of the fort is alert he escapes from the ramparts disappointed.

do not get associated with any wrong act.

إِذَا مَسَّهُمْ طَائِفٌ

when an evil thought

- Taa-if

is a person who does

tawaaf

or circumambulates. Here it is meant Satan going round the heart in search of a hole to break in.

مِّنَ الشَّیْطَانِ

from Satan

-

it is the mention of the retainers of Satan who go round the heart in search of an opening to barge in. But

تَذَکَّرُواْ

(t

hey become mindful)

-

The owner of the heart, a

mu’min,

is busy in Remembrance of Allah (S.w.T.) and says, “

Ya Allah, astaghfirullah- ‘audhu billahi min ash-shaitanir rajeem - O Allah! Protect me from the harm that Satan can cause me!”

Hence,

فَإِذَا هُم مُّبْصِرُونَ

then lo! They see (aright)

-

Their eyes instantaneously illuminate with the light of vision and they get warned of the thief in their environs.

Here I wish to point at the words Taa-ifun min ash-shaitan that connote that the one who takes rounds of the heart of a mu’min to find an entry is from the group of Satan.

Remember! If there is piety (Taqwa) for Allah (S.w.T.) in the heart, then it will be pure and clean. The bright light of piety will put the thief to shame and he escapes from there. Pity the heart that is devoid of piety and full of worldly desires. Such a person will fall into the clutches of Satan and meet a sad end.

Later on he learned that the first buyer sold the merchandise for three hundred thousand within three days. He was distraught with remorse that the opportunity of making a huge profit was missed by him. He was jealous and envious of the traders who made the big gain. He started crying and was restless during the day and in the nights. He was so upset that at last he consumed lime mixed with sulfur and committed suicide. The sole reason for the tragedy is that the person was wedded only to worldly gains and was devoid of Allah (S.w.T.)’s fear.

place where he had left the wallet. Immediately after saying the salutations at the end of the prayer he called his servant to look for the wallet in a particular place. The servant said, “Sir! Were you offering your prayer or searching for your wallet?”

Remember! There are four things that prevent the light entering the heart:

As long as we don’t guard against these four things, darkness will prevail on our hearts. The very first thing that must be avoided is impurity of the body. The second important thing is that we should refrain from disobedience to Allah (S.w.T.). The third is to guard against the fears and doubts created by Satan. The last, but not the least, is abstaining from bad manners that can turn a man into animal. As long as a heart remains under the spell of bad manners, it will not understand the spirit of Isti’adha.

Such persons remain under the influence of Satan and away from Allah (S.w.T.) even at the time of their death. It has been mentioned in the traditions that, “Yuhshar an-naas ‘ala niyyaatihim” – “People will be raised (on the Day of Judgement) based on their intentions”. Allah (S.w.T.) gauges the intentions of the heart rather than the actions that result from these intentions.

and the spirit. One who always keeps this fact in view, it is like he has opened the door to guidance and reform.”

After the day’s toil when you reach home, then remember that perhaps your body might be carried to the grave next morning. When you leave home for work in the morning, keep in mind the possibility that you might not return home alive.

If man inculcates this spirit in his nature, then slowly he will overcome the traits of jealousy, parsimony, avarice, hypocrisy, satanic fears and carelessness.

When I am not sure whether I will be alive till tomorrow or not, then what is the use of avarice and unnecessarily displeasing others with my actions?

فَعَلُواْ فَاحِشَهً أَوْ ظَلَمُواْ أَنْفُسَهُمْ ذَکَرُواْ اللّهَ فَاسْتَغْفَرُواْ لِذُنُوبِهِمْ

And those who when they commit an indecency or do injustice to their souls remember Allah and ask forgiveness for their faults... (Sura Aal Imran, 3:135)

Satan cried out and his retainer assembled around him and asked, “What has happened? Why are you shouting?” The accursed one said, “Why shouldn’t I shout and cry! We work so hard to make a man commit sins. And he expresses penitence that renders our efforts null and void!”

Every individual from his retainers gave his own advice on the matter. But Satan was not satisfied with any of those. Then someone said, “The only way will be to prevent man from reaching the threshold of the door of penitence!” Satan said, “Your suggestion is right! If there is any way for us, this is the way!”

the angels would be astonished at the very few deaths of men of piety!” The narrator asked the Imam (a.s.),” What should the people do in that difficult time?” The Imam (a.s.) replied, “They should recite the Du’a al-Ghareeq. This consists in saying ‘Ya Allahu ya Rahmanu, ya Raheemu ya Muqallibul Quloob, thabbit qalbi ‘ala deenik - O Allah, O Beneficent, O Merciful, O Overturner of hearts! Keep my heart steadfast on Your religion!”

Man should think that he is really helpless in times when Satan’s retainers are roaming free. No heart is safe from their onslaught. O Allah (S.w.T.)! Guard our hearts from the effects of these Shayateen!

Protection against the onslaught of Satan.

The reply to this question is that the question itself is topsy- turvy. The fact is that Isti’adha is only for the people of Taqwa. One who observes Taqwa will always submit to Allah (S.w.T.) for His protection lest the evil Satan catch him unawares and achieve control over his heart. Once Satan penetrates his heart, all his actions will be at the instance of Satan.

A person whose heart is free of the influence of Satan and spends his time in prayer and supplication to Allah (S.w.T.), should necessarily seek Allah (S.w.T.)’s protection against the fears and temptations of Satan, and his ilk, because they are always on the lookout for the slightest opportunity to subdue him. A mu’min has to exercise utmost care in this matter.

not to falter towards evil. Therefore the Imams (a.s.) supplicate to Allah (S.w.T.) thus, “O sustainer, give me vision in the matter of Faith! That during performance of good deeds Satan doesn’t involve me in fears and misapprehensions and thus push me into the morass of evil.”

in an optional act to such an extent that he loses interest and inclination to perform the mandatory prayers. For example he puts in the mind of a person to proceed for the Ziyarats to Karbala that his sins would be pardoned and his prosperity would increase. Satan also convinces him somehow that if he went illegally without proper papers and permissions, his rewards would be redoubled! The person thus commences his journey. To his misfortune he gets caught for making an illegal entry and is put in jail. Then he curses himself why his legs were not fractured to prevent him from going there. Imagine, how Satan tempted the person to go in a hurry for performance of an optional act and as a result made him lose interest in the pilgrimage of great felicity!

who kept himself busy in prayer and supplication to Allah (S.w.T.). He was so deeply engrossed in prayer that Satan, despite all the efforts, was unable to disrupt this activity. Upset at his failure, Satan called a meeting of his retainers to devise ways and means of achieving his desire. He said:

“I have not succeeded tempting the pious person despite all my efforts. Can you think of a stratagem to unnerve him”?

One of his disciples said, “By creating evil desires in his mind I shall motivate him to commit adultery.”

Satan replied, “There is no use. The desire for women has been extinguished from his heart.”

Another disciple said, “I shall tempt him with delicacies and drinks that he gets destroyed consuming Haram food and alcohol.”

Satan said, “No use! After years of penance he has lost palate for good food.”

A third retainer said, “Perhaps he can be tricked through the way of prayer which is his favorite activity!”

Satan said, “Yes. We might succeed this way.”

Anyway, the result of this confabulation was that Satan himself took the responsibility to do the job. He adopted the garb of a human being, suspended himself in the atmosphere sitting on a prayer mat and pretended to be busy in prayer.

When the pious person saw this, he went to inquire of Satan about the prayer that he performed to get the faculty of suspending himself in the atmosphere. But Satan appeared so intently engrossed in prayer that even after repeated calls he did not give any

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attention to the pious person. Fed up of waiting, the person asked Satan to respond to him under an oath. Satan took a respite from his pretended prayer.

The pious person asked, “What great task you have performed that you are at such an elevated place?”

He replied, “I have achieved this status through commitment of a sin. After committing the sin I have repented and done penance. Even now I continue to be penitent. With my worship I am growing stronger by day. If you desire to achieve the same status you too must commit adultery and then busy yourself in penitence.”

The pious man said, “Neither do I know the way of doing adultery nor have I money for the purpose.”

Satan gave him two Dirhams and explained the way to the house of a woman of ill repute.

The pious person entered the town and inquired from the people about the exact location of the woman’s house. People thought that he was intending to visit her to sermon the woman to give up her foul ways. The man went to the woman and gave her the money and demanded to do adultery with her. At this point Allah (S.w.T.)’s help came to his rescue that the woman thought of preventing him from committing the sinful act. The woman saw piety written large on the face of the person and that he was not habituated of going to such houses of ill repute.

She asked him, “How have you come here?”

The man replied,

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“This is not your concern. I have given you the money and you must comply.”

The woman said, “As long as I don’t know the real reason of your coming here, I shall not submit to you.”

Alas, the pious man yielded and told the entire story to her.

The woman said, “I might be losing custom by dissuading you from your resolve, but I am sure it was only Satan who has sent you here.”

The man said, “You are wrong because he has assured me that I shall be able to get the same status as enjoyed by him if I commit the sin of adultery.”

The woman said, “Don’t be foolish! How are you sure that after committing adultery you will ever get a chance to be penitent and your penitence will get accepted? Believe me! You are under the spell of Satan’s temptation.”

When the pious person was persistent, the woman said, “I am ready to yield to you. But go back to the place once and see if the person is still busy in prayer suspended in the atmosphere. If you find him there, then you can come back to me. But if he is not there, then you must believe that it was Satan who wants to deter you from the path of piety.”

When the pious person reached the place, he found no trace of Satan there. Then it dawned on him that the woman had saved him from falling into the abyss of sin. He offered a sincere

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prayer for the fallen woman.

It has been said in the tradition that when the woman died, a revelation came to the Prophet (S) of the time that he should join her funeral procession. The Prophet (S) protested to Allah (S.w.T.) that she was a fallen woman. The reply was, “Yes! But she was responsible for sending back to us a pious person who was running away from piety under the deceit of Satan!”

Sermons and moralizing are very valuable. Every effort must be made to dissuade persons from committing sins. Motivate them to be penitent. Allah (S.w.T.) will reward them as well as those who make effort to reform such persons.

It is a matter of great surprise that when we look at the temptations of Satan and our moral weaknesses, we fail to understand what will be our end! Will we be able to reach Him? We only need Allah (S.w.T.)’s Mercy and Munificence for our deliverance.

In a supplication we say:

Idha ra-aytu maulaya dhunubi faz’itu wa idha ra-aytu karamika tam’itu

When I think of my sins O my Master, I am terrified! But when I think of Your Kindness, I become hopeful!

is the way of the pious. Those who are not pious have Satan dwelling within them. All their thoughts and actions are at the instance of Satan. Then what is the need for their seeking Allah (S.w.T.)’s protection against the influences of Satan.

Escape from Satan will naturally be sought by those who are men of piety and whenever Satan creeps near their hearts, they busy themselves in the Dhikr or Remembrance of Allah (S.w.T.). When Satan realizes this he escapes from them.

The men of piety are always wary that they don’t commit prohibited actions and don’t miss the legitimate and obligatory practices. Whenever any satanic entity comes near their hearts, intuition warns them and, they busy themselves in Isti’adha. When Satan notices this, he slinks away.

When the persons of piety are busy remembering Allah (S.w.T.), their vision and knowledge manifests to them the trap Satan has set for them.

My intention is to dwell in today’s talk on the word ‘mubseroon’ in the verse under reference. The men of piety are endowed ‘baseerat’ or vision by Allah (S.w.T.) to perceive the trap laid by Satan with their own eyes. When Satan realizes that his game was over, he flies away. It is very felicitous that a mu’min has the vision of the fears and doubts that Satan can create. These fears and doubts could be in the matters of faith or about morals etc.

doesn’t refrain from influencing even the hearts of the prophets.

It is narrated that Satan came to Hadrat ‘Isa (a.s.) when he was standing on the peak of a hill. Satan addressed ‘Isa (a.s.) saying, “O Spirit of Allah! If you fall from this peak, can Allah save your life!” He replied, “I can tell you with my vision and Understanding that Allah would most certainly save me.” Satan added, “If you are so certain, dive down from here that He saves you!”

Hadrat ‘Isa (a.s.) understood that Satan was up to his tricks. Therefore he said, “O accursed one! Do you intend to put Allah to test! My Faith is strong. Allah is Omnipotent and has control over every thing. You have come here with the purpose of testing whether saving me is possible or not.” Hadrat ‘Isa (a.s.) also added, “My Creator has commanded me not to do such things. Purposely falling from the top of the hill will be an attempt at suicide that is Haram. If one falls from the hill accidentally, and Allah wishes him to live on, then He will save him!”

ran away from there crying.

Satan puts such doubts and fears in the minds of the pious persons. But they understand his tricks with the light of piety that they are only satanic doubts. For example; sometimes he puts a doubt in the heart of a mu’min that a particular person, despite being young and strong, has resorted to begging. Why has he turned a beggar? Satan’s purpose of creating such doubts is to create apprehensions in the minds of believers about the will of Allah (S.w.T.). But if the person is a mu’min aware of Allah (S.w.T.)’s Greatness he will say, “Astaghfirullah! How can I dare to question the Will of Allah? My Faith is that His acts are all replete with wisdom beyond our comprehension.”

elevated place in the consideration of Allah (S.w.T.). He thought of stratagems to prevent Ibrahim (a.s.) from achieving this.

The first thing he did was to go to Hadrat Hajra and create doubts and fear in her mind. He told her, “I have seen an aged person guiding a handsome youth by hand. Who is he?” Hadrat Hajra said, “That is my spouse Ibrahim (a.s.).” Satan asked, “Are you aware of his intention as to why he is taking your son along with him? His intention is to cut the head of his son Ismail (a.s.)” Hadrat Hajra replied, “Ibrahim (a.s.) has not harmed even his sworn enemies. How is it possible that he will sever the head of his own son.” Satan said, “He is thinking that Allah (S.w.T.) has commanded him to do so!” The great lady immediately understood that the person talking to her was Satan and was trying to create doubts in her mind. She said, “O accursed creature! Run away! If what he is doing is under Allah’s Command then we abide by it.”

who believes in the hereafter from him who is in doubt concerning it. (Sura Saba, 34:21)

Although Hadrat Hajra is a woman but the strength of her faith is such intense that she agreed to sacrifice her only son in the Way of Allah (S.w.T.) without a whimper of doubt or fear.

to do it!” Hadrat Ismail (a.s.) said, “If he is acting on Allah’s orders, then my life is a small sacrifice for that purpose!” But, despite this rebuff Satan persisted in trying to create doubts in the mind of the young Ismail (a.s.). Then Hadrat Ismail (a.s.) protested to his father, “O father! See who is this person who is pestering me?” Hadrat Ibrahim (a.s.) said, “This is Satan the accursed!” Then Hadrat Ismail (a.s.) too hurled stones at him.

(S.w.T.). The old father put the son’s head on the ground and put the sharp knife on his throat. At this moment the angels were surprised and asked each other, “Who is greater, the father or the son!” The father is great because he is willing to sacrifice his son who is the fruit of much prayer and supplication. The son is great because he is offering himself in sacrifice to Allah (S.w.T.) without a whimper of protest!

Both have come out successful in their test. But Allah (S.w.T.)’s Wish was that Ismail (a.s.) should live.

(aright). (Al-Aaraf 7:201)

a thief entered a house in the night and started gathering things to take away. The owner of the house heard some noise and got up from his bed to light a lamp. When the thief realized that the master was up and trying to light a match, he slowly blew air at it to put it off. In the time that the person could light another match the thief put his fingers in his mouth and with his saliva moistened the wick of the lamp. Thus the house owner could not put on a light.

The foolish house owner couldn’t realize there was someone there who was playing a trick on him. Hence, he gave up his efforts and retired to sleep again. The thief then did his work and departed.

that a person who refrains from fights even if he is on the side of the truth, he would guarantee a high place in the Heaven for such a person. When a person is not on the right, but avoids fights, his place will be in the lowest stage in the Heaven.

Avoiding fights is possible only when a person is free of greed. Otherwise Satan will not ever allow him to live at peace with others. If a person dies in that condition, he will be termed as a man of Satan.

It is quite possible that there are persons who offer prayers, even in the mosque, under the control of Satan. Do these persons really come to the mosque in obedience to Allah (S.w.T.)? If they have come with Allah (S.w.T.)’s call, then why are they so self-conscious? If they refrain from fights and adopt piety, then only they will have vision and get deliverance.

told to his companions, “Of you the person who promises to abide by the oath that I intend to take from you shall be my successor and vicegerent after me. The oath I want you to take is that you will not get angry under any circumstances and will not become a victim of Satan’s instigation.” Hadrat Dhul Kifl (a.s.) made a promise to the effect that he would never yield to the satanic instinct of anger. This was the reason that he was appointed to the august position of prophet and successfully faced the events that followed.

One should know that when a person is steadfast in his resolve to keep on the right path, Satan strives with equal tenacity to break his resolve. Hadrat Dhul Kifl (a.s.) was resolved to prevent the thought of anger ever crossing his mind. He stood like a mountain against all the efforts of Satan to provoke anger in him.

prayer. He used to sleep at this time and awake at the time of Asr. Thereafter he used to busy himself in the service of people.

the door of Hadrat Dhul Kifl (a.s.) at the same time that he did on the previous two days. He disturbed his sleep and said that the respondent did not bother to give any cognizance to his letter. Then he started shouting ferociously to arouse anger in Hadrat Dhul Kifl (a.s.) The accursed one said, “If you personally come along with me now, perhaps my work can be attended to!”

It is mentioned in the narration that the day was so hot that if a piece of meat was kept out it would become a kebab instantly. Satan made so much noise that Hadrat Dhul Kifl (a.s.) agreed to go with him. When he traversed the way coolly in that scorching condition, Satan knew that it was impossible to disturb Hadrat Dhul Kifl (a.s.)’s resolve to keep his anger in control. Therefore he fled from there!

accursed person, instead of repenting his foul act told to Zaid Bin Arqam, “It is a pity that you are an old man now! Otherwise I would have severed your head immediately!” Then he sent Zaid out of the court.

It is not only Ibn Ziyad who perpetrated such foul behavior. Anyone whose heart is blind and deaf will have such tendencies. Any talk of remembrance of Allah (S.w.T.) will fall on the flat ears of such persons.

full determination to shun sinning, in good time he will be able to totally stop these undesirable acts. At this stage Allah (S.w.T.) will put a light in his heart that makes avoiding sins easier for him. He will have so much control on his tongue that even for the kingdom of the entire world, he would not tell a lie.

The same sins, the avoidance of which was next to impossible for him, now become very difficult to commit! Man should make efforts to inculcate such will power that he is able to avoid commitment of sins with ease. With this faculty in his heart, he will draw pleasure from the success of his efforts.

No doubt Allah (S.w.T.) doesn’t like infidelity in his creatures. “He has made faith (Imān) dear to them. He has made it the adornment for their hearts. And has created abhorrence in him for Infidelity and disobedience.”

At last a sinner starts disliking sins. He achieves the state of Taqwa where sin appears bitter than the bitterest thing and every small evil act seems the most evil. He thinks that every sin, howsoever minor, worth reproaching to the maximum extent.

The highest level of piety is cultivated after much practice and constant effort. There are a few stages and ranks of this piety.

being legitimate. Therefore, he not only avoids the use of haram objects but also abstains from things about which he has the slightest doubt of being haram.

He also abstains from uttering such words that Allah (S.w.T.) might dislike the use of. In stages he achieves total avoidance of the use of doubtful things in his day-to-day living.

trade. The month of Ramadhan came during summer one year. He took off from work the whole month of Ramadhan to avoid the excessive heat of his work place, while he fasted. He could do it by cleverly putting aside a coin from his earnings every day for the eleven months previous to Ramadhan to meet his expenses when he closed his shop during the fasting month.

Although spending this coin every day was permissible and well within his rights, the baker wanted to prepare himself properly for the fasting in Ramadhan that is mandatory!

of piety will never falter from the right course.

can be tantamount to hurting the feelings of Mu’minīn and is Haram.

Therefore it is necessary to adopt Taqwa and extravagant indulgence in the material needs and excessive jest and humor must be avoided.

In a nutshell, there are three stages of taqwa:

Firstly: mastery in avoiding sins.

Secondly: Mastery in abstaining from the doubtful and the unbecoming things.

Thirdly: avoiding such permissible acts that might be the precursors of sins.

Muhammad Baqir (a.s.) quotes from Imam Ja’far as-Sadiq (a.s.) an incident that we are summarizing here. When a mu’min suddenly gets the thought of crime in his mind, Satan and his retainers make their maximum efforts to make the person put his thought to action. But in that moment the pious person remembers Allah (S.w.T.) and he abandons the thought of committing the sin.

There are also stages of Remembrance of Allah (S.w.T.) that are different according to the place and the situation. One of those situations is that when the thought of sin comes in the mind of the person, the instigator and prompter is Satan and the opposition of this enemy is necessary. And also the pious person is in oath with Allah (S.w.T.) that he will not follow Satan because the accursed creature is his sworn enemy. He should therefore not break his oath and instead of becoming ‘Abd ar-Rahman (worshipper of Allah (S.w.T.)) become ‘Abd ash-Shaitan (worshipper of Satan). Therefore, it is imperative that he keeps firmly to his oath and he should strive to resist Satan who can only bring destruction and perfidy.

أَلَمْ أَعْهَدْ إِلَیْکُمْ یَا بَنِی آدَمَ أَن لَّا تَعْبُدُوا الشَّیْطَانَ إِنَّهُ لَکُمْ عَدُوٌّ مُّبِینٌ

Did I not charge you, O children of Adam ! that you should not serve the Shaitan? Surely he is your open enemy. (Sura Ya Sin, 36:60)

وَلَقَدْ أَضَلَّ مِنکُمْ جِبِلًّا کَثِیراً أَفَلَمْ تَکُونُوا تَعْقِلُونَ

And certainly he led astray numerous people from among you. What! Will you not then understand. (Sura

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Ya Sin, 36:62)

At another place in the Holy Qur’an it is said that Allah (S.w.T.) has decided that those who follow Satan, Satan will push them into the abyss of darkness and take them into the blistering Fires of Hell. When a person adopts satanic thoughts and considers the temptations of Iblis worth pursuing, then Allah (S.w.T.) closes all the avenues of salvation for him and consigns him to the Hell.

accursed one! Disobedience Allah (S.w.T.), anyhow, is a major sin.”

Sometimes Iblis the accursed threatens the man of piety that if he didn’t comply with his advice, his end will be very pitiable. Sometimes he gives him false hopes that the results of sins will be good. Satan’s advice influences only those who befriend him (Satan).

إِنَّمَا ذَلِکُمُ الشَّیْطَانُ یُخَوِّفُ أَوْلِیَاءهُ

It is only the Shaitan that causes you to fear from his friends…. (Sura Aal Imran, 3:175)

But the man of piety gets the understanding with Remembrance of Allah (S.w.T.). The disturbing thoughts that come to the mind are only the doubts and fears created by Satan. The man of Taqwa, no doubt, fears only Allah (S.w.T.). Allah (S.w.T.) says at the end of the Verse:

“Fear only Me if you are a believer (mu’min)!”

by committing one sin! Feeling proud of the felicity of the ziyarat of Imam Husayn (a.s.) in itself is a sin that might deprive me of his (the Imam’s) intercession.”

A man of Taqwa can certainly be proud of its spiritual felicity, but the pride can only be manifested as Tashakkur or gratefulness. This expression of gratitude will not require any sermonizing from outside. Sermonizing becomes necessary when the person himself is not aware of his felicity and feels no urge to express his gratefulness to the Creator for that. Hadrat Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s.) says, “Truly felicitous person is one who is the preacher and sermonizer for himself!”

better because of the Dhikr of Allah (S.w.T.), the person is able to dispel the fear and confusion from his mind. Otherwise, the dispute can become a haranguing contest, each flinging foul-words on the other and might even result in physical assault. If, at the rudimentary stage of the dispute, effort was made to cool down the other party, the matter could have been sorted out without much ado!

Now we can see at length how people get entangled in the web of Satan. Even those who call themselves men of taqwa are not immune from this. If they don’t busy themselves in Tadhakkur, they most likely would fall in the trap sometime or other.

Presence of a moralizer and preacher is absolutely necessary for the heart of every person to keep him warned not to become a victim of false pride and abstain from childish actions. Remember! A real man is one who always keeps the end in view. For example, when one keeps his cool during a heated argument with another person, the matter can be sorted out amicably. If this amicable nature is not there, how many persons would suffer tremendous losses fighting over trivial things with a sense of false pride. In such disputes Satan plays a very crucial role to create rifts and commission of sins by the litigants.

It is necessary for every mu’min to keep the intercession of Tadhakkur in his daily life. In the past there were such Mu’minīn who dug their own graves during

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their life times and used to recite the Holy Qur’an sitting inside these trenches. They did this to remind themselves of the Hereafter and the interior of the graves was illuminated with the felicity of Tadhakkur.

you ever been tempted with the worldly pleasures?”

Hadrat Hizqeel (a.s.) replied, “Yes! I was tempted!”

Hadrat Dawood (a.s.) asked, “Then! What remedy you use against these temptations?”

He replied, “In such circumstances I get into this cave and take pity from what I witness therein.”

Hadrat Dawood (a.s.) then entered into the recesses of the cave with Hadrat Hizqeel (a.s.) He found inside there a plate of steel. On the plate was lying a human skeleton and beside it was a tablet of steel on which was inscribed:

“I Arwai Bin Shalam

ruled for a thousand years,

established a thousand cities,

deflowered a thousand virgins.

But,

My condition is this

That my bed is dust

My pillow a stone

And

My body is the

Dwelling place of

Insects and vermin.

Whoever sets eye on me

Should not be carried away

With worldly attractions!”(1)

is narrated here.

Our topic of discussion is Tadhakkur. A person who leaves himself uncontrolled and doesn’t remember Allah (S.w.T.), h will he will be nowhere (like a rudder less ship). Man should strive to be like a mountain in his moral behavior. One who is vulnerable to the wave of doubts created by Satan, He should ensure that the glitter of the world doesn’t overwhelm him. This is possible if he keeps in mind the inevitable end that every mortal being is destined to!

Day of Judgment!

two categories.”

have to arrive at a decision whether to perform them or not.

Those who are perfect in piety, are the choicest in the reckoning of Allah (S.w.T.). Their intuition tells them whether an act is really good or not. Their vision is so powerful that they have a clear understanding of what act is Rahmani and which is Satanic. But such men of high piety are few and far between.

his desire will be righteous and Rahmani.

There are certain acts towards which the psyche is attracted. For example: A person has to go on a journey that is not against his liking, but he doesn’t know if the action has the approval of Allah (S.w.T.) or not. Or perhaps Satan is instigating him to go on the trip. Sometimes the man is inordinately attracted to take a journey. In such a situation he should realize that the initiator of the idea is definitely some satanic thought that wishes to involve him in some Haram act or at least to deprive him of a legitimate act.

When you feel that your conscience is not willing to perform some act, then it is a Rahmani instinct, you must go ahead in performing it.

Another thing should not remain hidden that this standard is not for everyone. Because mostly people are inclined towards human desires and these realities have nothing to do with them.

prayer, and in Istikhara always there is a strong element of prayer to Allah (S.w.T.).

of supplication while doing the augury (Istikhara). The other condition is that you can correctly understand the meanings of the verses of the Qur’an when doing Istikhara through its pages. One should also be in a position to interpret the correct purport from the meanings.

straight to his grave from the party!

After this event when there was a discussion about Istikhara, one scholar said, “The verse seen during the Istikhara pertains to the honeybees that pick up a little nectar from each flower. If the person had also tasted a little from each of the dishes served, and not eaten like a glutton, he would have suffered no harm.”

The purpose of relating this tale is to impress on people that doing Istikhara and interpreting the meaning and purport from the verses is not easy. This can be done only by the learned.

be made with the single purpose of asking for His Grace. In fact one should pray to Allah (S.w.T.) thus, “O Allah! Keep me safe from perfidy and shame! O Allah! Prevent me from the influence of evil thoughts and keep me under Your protection”.

task that you undertake, you should seek Allah (S.w.T.)’s support and pray for good end to your efforts. Whatever the end result, remain consigned to Allah (S.w.T.)’s wish.

After seeking Allah (S.w.T.)’s support, rivet your attention to your heart and act according to the signal you get from there.

After seeking Allah (S.w.T.)’s support, consult some sagacious Mu’min and act on the matter according to his advice.

Do Istikhara through the Qur’an, the rosary, through chits or marble like balls.

The Allama says that, “In several traditions there is a pointer towards the first type of Istikhara. Several other scholars, like Shaikh Mufīd, Allama Tūsi and Ibn Idrīs are hesitant about the fourth type of Istikhara. But, since there are traditions in support of all the four types of Istikhara, we cannot reject any of the four methods. Any way, the first three ways of doing the Istikhara are very appropriate, which in our times are almost defunct.”

Several youths came during their examination times and want a Istikhara to be done whether they stand a chance of passing the examination or not. In brief, we want to mention about the edict of Shari’ah in such matters. We request you to communicate these words to others in your circle that people better shun their wrong ways and do not pollute their faith with silly habits.

my journey to Yemen, on which I went on the orders of the Prophet (S), besides other instructions, he said, ‘O ‘Ali! During this journey never forget to see the Istikhara at every stage.’ One who does Istikhara will never have troubles nor one who consults others will ever repent.”

Every Imam has exhorted his successor about the Istikhara as he has done about the recitation of the Qur’an.

This Istikhara about which so much has been said is not just seeing the odd and even of the beads of the rosary. But the purpose is to seek good from Allah (S.w.T.) (Talab al-khaira min Allah). In every task that you do, you must seek Allah (S.w.T.)’s help and pleasure!

There are several traditions about the method and prayer for Istikhara. One is that for routine works, one should say seven times, “Astakhair Allah berehmate khairat fi aafiah”.

For important matters like travel, business deals or surgeries repeat the same words a hundred and one times. If the words are said in a state of prostration, it would be better. And if the words are repeated in the prostration after a optional prayer, and better after the optional prayer following the mandatory morning prayer (Fajr).

In another tradition it is narrated from Imam Zayn al-’Abidin (a.s.) that the words of Istikhara should be repeated ten times for routine matters and two hundred times for important matters like journeys, Umrah etc.

People have been very strongly advised to seek help in their matters from

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Allah (S.w.T.) in a state of prostration. That is the time when one is nearest to Allah (S.w.T.). If men make this their habit and practice, and never divert from it, then all actions will be felicitous. If a person has any doubt about this, he should study in depth the methods for removing the doubts recorded in the pure Shari’ah.

Ja’far as-Sadiq (a.s.), despite being of the highest intellect, used to consult with his slave occasionally. For example: Whenever he embarked on some important task, he used to seek the advice of the clever slave. If performance of that task was advisable, he would go ahead with it.”

“The Imam was once asked by some one, ‘Although you are the Imam of the times, you are taking advice from a slave! Being the Imam you should have knowledge of everything.’ He replied, ‘what do you know? Is it not possible that Allah wishes to enlighten me about certain matters through his mouth?’”

Whenever one is in a doubt and confusion about matters, he should act in accordance with Allah (S.w.T.)’s injunction in the Holy Qur’an and the sayings of the Prophet and the Imams (a.s.).

the 1st and 2nd fulaan).” Then on three of the chits write, “’If’al” (meaning ‘do!’) and on the remaining three write, “la taf’al” (meaning ‘don’t do!’).

Keep all the six chits under the prayer mat and offer two rakaat of Istikhara prayer. After the salutation or during the last prostration of the prayer recite a hundred times the following words, “Asta-khiru llaahi birahmatihi khairat fi ‘aafiya” Now that the prayer is complete, retrieve the chits from under the mat and shuffle them. After this exercise pick the chits one after the other. If on three consecutive chits it is inscribed, “If’al”, then it is very good and you can go ahead with the performance of the task you intend to. If three consecutive chits have written on them, “La taf’al”, then you will have to abstain from doing the task. If you have picked up five chits, one after the other, alternatively with the inscription of “If’al” and “la ta’fal” alternately in that order, then if three of the five chits have written “If’al” on them, then you must go ahead with your task. But if three of these chits have inscribed on them “La ta’fal” then you must refrain from performing the task.

It is better if the chits are of the same paper, of the same color and of the same dimension.

If a person doesn’t have time for the Salat al-Istikhara and the prayers mentioned above. Then, if he has good comprehension of the verses of the Holy Qur’an,

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and is capable of interpretation of the verses, in relation to the task for which the Istikhara is being performed, he can as well make access to the Qur’an for his augury.

Shaikh Tūsi (r.a) has narrated in his book “Tahdhíb” that Yasa Bin Abd Allah al-Qummi came one day to Imam Ja’far as-Sadiq (a.s.) and said, “I intend to perform a task but I am unable to arrive at a firm decision for or against doing it.” The Imam (a.s.) said, “When you stand up with the intention of prayer, then think what your heart feels about the matter. Act on that; because that is the time when Satan is the farthest away from the man. Or you can open the pages of the Holy Qur’an at that time and act according to the interpretation you derive from the verse that meets your eyes.”

the Istikhara themselves, can nominate another capable person as wakīl (representative) to open the Holy Book and do the Istikhara for him. The condition is that the person who opens the Book should be in proper physical condition at the time and is conversant with the meanings of the verses of the Qur’an.

Many jurists consider istikhara as not legitimate. They say that there is no need to do the Istikhara and one must act and trust his affairs to the Will of Allah (S.w.T.).

The conclusion is that we shall seek good (khair) from Allah (S.w.T.) in our affairs and that is the crux of Istikhara.

expression by the person that he is not an independent entity who has to depend on Allah (S.w.T.)’s wish in all matters. It is his duty to believe in the Musabbib al-asbaab (the Causer of causes), that is Allah (S.w.T.), the Creator of the Existence.

He should realize and believe in the fact that with the utterance of a single word, “Kun”, became the cause of creation of the creatures in the Universe. He should also have belief in the fact that the very existence of the universe is the miraculous phenomenon of the Musabbib al-Haqeeqi or the real doer of things and the absolute Creator, that is Allah (S.w.T.) and not something that evolved by itself.

attorney wants him to bring all his documents to the court, can he refuse to do that? When he has thought that he is incapable of handling his case himself, he has retained the attorney. Then he has to trust him and proceed according to the advice tendered by him.

you get all the profits that He deems are legitimate. There is none more generous and powerful than Allah (S.w.T.).

to Madina. He was very worried of the developments and expressed his fears to Abu Hamza on the matter in the following words: “I emerged out of my home and reclined on this wall (perhaps, by wall he means the ramparts of the city of Madina). Suddenly I noticed a person clad in two pieces of white cloth that stood in front of me and said:

“‘Ali bin al-Husayn! What is the reason that you look worried? Are you worried because of worldly difficulties? If such is the case, you should not worry because Allah is the sustainer and gives livelihood to all.”

I replied, “I don’t have any care for the world!”

The man asked, “Then, are you worried for the Hereafter? Then this matter too is not to worry about! Allah’s promise is true and He will support you!”

“I am not concerned about the Hereafter either!” I replied.

“Then why do you look worried?” the man asked.

I said, “I am worried about the intrigues of Ibn Zubair.”

The Imam (a.s.) was worried because of the machinations of that sworn enemy of the Ahl al-Bayt (a.s.) and the attack of the hordes of Yazid. The third fear, which was not unfounded, was the attack by Hajjaj on the orders of Abdul Malik.

The person laughed and said, ‘Have you seen anyone who trusted Allah, and Allah has not helped him? Have you ever seen a person who has spread his hand to Allah for help and Allah has sent him disappointed?”

The Imam (a.s.) said,

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“No!”

And the person disappeared from the view!

About this event Allama Majlisi says, “It was either a saintly personality, an angel or Hadrat Khidr (a.s.)”

on the path of righteousness, then how good it will be that we sacrifice our lives in the cause of Truth!”

Such words of wisdom from the mouth of the young son soothed the nerves of the Imam (a.s.) and he prayed to Allah (S.w.T.) to enable the youth to be Righteous!

the firm belief that Allah (S.w.T.) is utmost kind on His creatures. Mu’min is near and dear to Allah (S.w.T.). The instinctive love that a mother has for her child is also from Allah (S.w.T.). Allah (S.w.T.)’s love for His creatures is thousands of times more than a mother’s love for her child. In fact, his love for the creatures is unfathomable. He is the Sustainer; He creates, trains, and loves those He has brought up with care. Many examples can be cited about this. But now we are quoting one narration from Hayat al-Qulub of Allama Majlisi:

Hadrat Nuh (a.s.) cursed his disobedient people. As a result of this curse, all the infidels got drowned in the flood. One angel came to Hadrat Nuh (a.s.). Hadrat Nuh (a.s.) was a potter. At the time when the angel came to him, he was busy on the potters-wheel making goblets and tempering them on fire. The angel bought all the goblets from Hadrat Nuh (a.s.) and started breaking them one after another. Hadrat Nuh (a.s.), surprised and upset, asked him why he was breaking the goblets. The angel said, “What right you have over the things that I have already paid for?” Hadrat Nuh (a.s.) said, “Don’t you know that I had made the goblets with my own hands?” The angel rejoined, “You have only made the goblets, you have not created them! Even then you are upset at my breaking them. When you got so many creatures drowned in the floods,

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would not Allah (S.w.T.), the Creator, have felt upset and sad!” At this, as is quoted in ‘Ilall ash-Sharay’i, Hadrat Nuh bowed down his head and wept so much that he was given the name of Nuh (one who wails) because of this.

addition to this, the Prophet (S) advocated for them that, “They are not aware that I am Your Annunciated Prophet. They are ignorant and I plead not to punish them!”

He took pity on the kitten and picked it up and hid it in his coat of leather and took it home. There he fed the kitten and protected it from cold. When the weather improved, he freed the kitten. Allah (S.w.T.) had forgiven all his sins because of this good turn of his.

How much Allah (S.w.T.) must be getting pleased if one did such a good turn to a human being. There is another love much more superior mentioned in the Qur’an. That is the love for Allah (S.w.T.). Allah (S.w.T.) terms such persons His mahboob or the Beloved.

Therefore, the condition of knowledge is firm belief in affection for Allah (S.w.T.) and that, because of this affection Allah (S.w.T.) loves you.

Now the question is that despite all this why we don’t depend (Tawakkul) on Allah (S.w.T.)? Is there anyone more dependable than Him in our view? Do we know any personality who is wiser than, stronger than and kinder than Allah (S.w.T.)? When one’s Allah (S.w.T.) is so forgiving, why should he seek the affection of anyone else!

O Allah (S.w.T.)! Strengthen our hearts with the strength of belief that we make only you the focus of our expectations! Call only you in times of trouble and whenever Satan creates fears in our heart, we seek your protection! We keep trust only on Your support at every step in our lives. We mould ourselves into total Mu’minīn following the dictum of “if you are a mu’min do Tawakkul

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on Allah (S.w.T.)!”

time. We should not remain deprived of Tawakkul on Allah (S.w.T.).

in any circumstances because the reservoir of the strength of his heart is from Allah (S.w.T.).

The result of Practicing Faith on Tawhid, Unity of Allah (S.w.T.), is that in matters of fear, hope and on occasions of confusion, the Trust on Allah (S.w.T.) (Tawakkul) is redoubled and the faith of the Mu’min is further strengthened.

said that Tawakkul (Trust) depends on knowledge, rapture and action. But the foundation is the knowledge. Here knowledge means implicit practicing- faith in the Unity of Allah (S.w.T.) that every gain made or loss suffered by the person should be attributed to the Will of Allah (S.w.T.). For such a belief, there must be arguments in support that the foundation of the Faith is firm.

Is it possible to derive profits from others than Allah (S.w.T.)? No, never! Every profit accrued is either directly or through Allah (S.w.T.). Food, clothing and all the paraphernalia of marital life and all the gains of the spiritual life is at Allah (S.w.T.)’s Wish!

come! (Sura Shura, 42:53)

whatever benefits you derive from anyone, or the harm that comes to you, are all with the Will of Allah (S.w.T.). If someone clears his debt with you, it is Allah (S.w.T.) who has motivated him to keep his promise. Who has taken out love for wealth from people’s mind? It is Allah (S.w.T.). Allah (S.w.T.) has termed wealth as Maal. It is called Maal because the hearts are attracted (maa-el) towards it! “When the importance of Maal is in the heart, only Allah’s intervention compels him to clear your debt!”

lawyer. It is quite possible that a lawyer might be having all the necessary qualifications but lacks the intelligence and tact to handle his case. Another important aspect to be considered while commissioning a lawyer is to know that he has sympathy for his clients that he gets the verdict in their favor and doesn’t become the cause of headaches in the future. If the lawyer is not kind and is a person who can sell his conscience, then it is quite possible that he extracts more fees from the client and might even turn the tables against him.

If one gets an attorney fitting all these requirements, it is fine and the client is now certain that his matter is in safe hands. The same is the matter of the Haal (rapture) and exhilaration for Tawakkul.

love and affection of the parents or that of anyone else is like a drop when compared to the love that Allah (S.w.T.) has for his creatures.

Therefore it is quite natural that when I turn to Him for help in my matters, trust Him totally, and accept Him as the Most Excellent to Trust (N’im al-Wakil) then happiness will be generated in my heart. When I seek and depend only on Allah (S.w.T.)’s help to ward off some anticipated difficulty, then my worry will be removed because I know that my Omnipotent N’im al-Wakil is on my side! No power can cause harm to me.

Therefore: all troubles, fears and hopes are because of a person not having Tawakkul on Allah (S.w.T.). When there is no feeling of Tawakkul in a person, then what is the use of saying, “alayhi tawakkaltu wa ilayhi muneeb” (on Him I place my trust and to Him I turn!)

these are the people who have truly accepted Allah (S.w.T.) as their wakil. They are not like us that we either uttered the words or read them in the Qur’an. Qur’an is not just to read but the purpose of its revelation is to read it correctly, to understand its contents and acting on them. If the ecstasy of Tawakkul and its understanding do not arise in the person then any amount o reading the Book will be futile. Is it not a pity that we read the Holy Qur’an our entire lives but don’t understand the three conditions prescribed by Allah (S.w.T.) for us. With our oral expressions we have accepted Him as N’im al-Wakil but in practice we have not deemed Him our wakil from the heart. If we had done it from the heart, we would not have the need to look around for smaller wakils!

Majesty! I nullify the hopes of those persons who depend on the support of anyone other than Me!”

“Did you insist on Allah (S.w.T.) to give you eyes to see, give you ears to hear? When these things were necessary for your creation, Allah (S.w.T.) has given to you without asking for them. Will he not give you help if you ask for it now? “

Muhammad Ajlan said, “Narrate the Hadith once again!” He repeated it. Muhammad Ajlan wanted to hear it a third time, and so was it repeated!

Muhammad Ajlan was now convinced. He said, “I have understood! I entrust my affairs to Allah (S.w.T.)!”

At the end of the narration it is recorded that within a short span of time all the worries of Muhammad Bin Ajlan had vanished.

get the reward and the key to Heaven by mere repetition of these words?

No. It is not like that. But, if a person does it with total dedication of heart then the doors to the Heaven would certainly open for him. But the words coming from the heart’s tongue takes a lot of effort.

Generally a person thinks that he himself and the circumstances are the reasons for power and authority (Hawl and Quwwah). With the tongue he says. ‘La haula wa la quwwata illa billah’ (There is no power and authority except with Allah) but in reality he means, ‘la haula wa la quwwata illa bi wa bila asbab’ (There is power and authority except with cause and effect!)

If the aim is to achieve the state of Tawakkul then we shall do such acts that our hearts should get the feelings that we can follow the faith in its true spirit. Remember! The correct use of time at our disposal and the true purpose of our lives are to be conversant with the laws of the faith.

or it trips and falls down on the ground. When a child comes to a situation of getting beaten by his companions, he cries for the help of his mother. This is the natural stage of Tawakkul.

If we acquire Tawakkul of this intensity for Allah (S.w.T.), then we would have achieved a moderate level of Trust on Allah (S.w.T.)! The third type of Tawakkul is when a dead body is in the hands of the person who gives him the final bath. This is not the place to dwell in detail about this. The reference is only to remind us that if some of us achieve the capability of Tawakkul, then the instinct of pride will not touch our heart because of this achievement. We must remember that there are many stages of Tawakkul still to acquire.

Allah (S.w.T.), to the extent that a child is to his mother!

of power and is the Creator and the Possessor.

There is no permanent class or status for the creatures. The ability of man to use the tongue and modulate words is because of the Will of Allah (S.w.T.).

But this privilege too is only for those who are practitioners of true Taqwa and have a complete understanding of and absolute faith on Tawhid. How could an ignorant person with aimless recitation of La hawla deserve to get the key to the Heaven?

worldly matters or affairs of the Hereafter?

Have we ever acted upon the injunction of the Holy Qur’an -Fattakhi dhuhu wakila – (then take Him (Allah) as an attorney)? If the reply to this question is in the negative, then what is the need of complaining and living in doubts and fears? Believe me! There is only one reason for all the trouble. That is, paucity of faith and belief.

yours will not be contrary to the requirements of Tawakkul but also the attorney’s advice will be binding on you because he wants things that way and your action also in accord, because he wishes to set your matters right.

This example proves that following the attorney’s advice implicitly is in accordance with the requirement of Tawakkul. Similarly Allah (S.w.T.) reforms the affairs of people through the circumstances (asbaab) created by Him.

Cure from ailments is at Allah (S.w.T.)’s Wish, but He also wants people to go to a physician and get medicines prescribed. He has exhorted people not to neglect this important matter in their lives. Similarly about the affairs of the Hereafter Allah (S.w.T.) says that for qualifying for the Heaven, a person’s own actions will be the yardstick for judgment.

وَأَن لَّیْسَ لِلْإِنسَانِ إِلَّا مَا سَعَی

And that man shall have nothing but what he strives for. (Sura an-Najm, 53:39)

You should not depend only on your prayers for deliverance, but also on His Munificence and Kindness. Don’t brood too much on your good deeds that it gives rise to the instinct of pride that might go against you. The best course for you is to implicitly follow the Commands of Allah (S.w.T.).

came to Imam Ja’far as-Sadiq (a.s.) and complained of penury. The Imam said that when he reached home in Kufa, he should take a shop on rent and sit there. The man said, “I have no money to invest on goods!” The Imam replied, “Do whatever you are asked to do!” The man complied, rented a shop and started sitting there every day. After a few days a person came to him with some goods and asked him to sell them on the basis of a pre determined commission. The owner of the goods said that he was leaving the goods in the shop on consignment basis of sell-and-pay!

Another person came with some more goods and there was a flow of suppliers of goods to the shop. Buyers too started flocking the shop. The affairs of the person took a turn towards prosperity!

learning don’t stir out in search of livelihood? The truth is that the nature of work of a seeker of knowledge (Talib e Ilm) is different from that of other people. It may not be possible that a person wants to train himself in jurisprudence and does other trades for a livelihood. He has to spend all his time in seeking knowledge on the matters of the Faith. Allah (S.w.T.) arranges their sustenance from - min haythu la yahtasib - a place he never imagined! Therefore, it has been narrated that excepting the seeker of knowledge, Allah (S.w.T.) has provided livelihood for all the creatures from the material resources of the world.

because, if the Faith on Unity of Allah (S.w.T.) (Tawhid) is firm, then Tawakkul will definitely be there. Tawakkul is always reflected in the words and deeds, likes and dislikes, of a person.

If someone enjoys a gain for some reason and, instead of being grateful to Allah (S.w.T.) for His Blessing, is only thankful to the favorable circumstances for his success, then he is a Mushrik or polytheist. Also, because of the circumstances, if he fails in his efforts, and blames the circumstances for his misfortune, then he considers only the circumstances as his Mushkil Kusha or his trouble-shooter and not the Will of Allah (S.w.T.). This is a general failing of the human beings.

But one who puts his total trust on Allah (S.w.T.), he doesn’t depend on the circumstances for the success of his tasks. If he fails in his efforts after due trials, he resigns himself to the fact that Allah (S.w.T.) willed it that way. Although the unfavorable circumstances might have been the cause of his failure, he thanks Allah (S.w.T.) that he believes the circumstances to be under the Power of the Almighty.

all the requirements of Faith. Iman bil Tawhid means that he trusts all his affairs to the Wish of Allah (S.w.T.). He expects help only from Allah (S.w.T.), fears Him and puts total Trust in Him.

The researcher Ardabili says in “Zibdat al-Bayan” that the Command of Allah (S.w.T.) about Tawakkul is not specifically for the Prophet (S.) but it is in general for all human beings. The Holy Verse “Fattakhi dhuhu wakila” is for everyone and the witness for this is borne by the other verses of the Holy Qur’an wherein the populace is addressed in this manner:

وَعَلَی اللّهِ فَتَوَکَّلُواْ إِن کُنتُم مُّؤْمِنِینَ

…and on Allah should you rely if you are believers. (Sura al-Maidah, 5:23)

Therefore this is a general injunction for all Muslims.

Here it is possible that one might say that such injunctions in the Qur’an are just a part of the code of moral values. Then the injunction of believing in La ilaaha illallah might face the same doubt. The meaning of La ilaaha illallah is that Rabb (Lord), Ma’bud (Creator), Mudabbir (Wise), Worthy of Worship and All Pervading is only Allah (S.w.T.) and none else. This is the Practical Tawhid (Tawhid al-Af’aali). Is it possible that even those who do not have faith in this might not be questioned for their lack of faith! No! In all circumstances firm faith on Tawhid is compulsory.

on every believer (mu’min) to take advice from others in all matters. But he should also not think that the best solution for his problems is only in the advice he has obtained from others. In fact, he should depend on Allah (S.w.T.) that He puts the right advice on the tongues of the advisers.

If because of good advice you succeed in your task, then don’t say that the desirable result is only because of the advice. You should think that Allah (S.w.T.) had guided your advisers aright! If you are unsuccessful in your efforts, despite all the good advice, think that it was Allah (S.w.T.)’s Wish.

Therefore, whether you acted on your own intuition or the advice of others, hope for Allah (S.w.T.)’s Help in your matters. Always ask your advisers to give their right suggestions mindful of Allah (S.w.T.)’s Wish in the matter.

distanced yourself from Him. In these circumstances you have ceased to be a believer, then what is the question of your practicing Tawakkul?

of Allah (S.w.T.).

Briefly, if there is no Tawakkul, there isn’t Faith. The meaning of Tawakkul is depending on other. If a person is the practitioner of Tawakkul, he trusts his matters to Allah (S.w.T.). If he doesn’t Trust Allah (S.w.T.) then he depends on others for the solution to his problems.

away some trouble, have Tawakkul on Allah (S.w.T.) for that matter and don’t depend only on your own decision and the advice of friends. Remember your friends too, like you, are fallible beings. “Whomsoever you call for help, besides Allah (S.w.T.), is a creature of Allah (S.w.T.) like you.” Therefore it is necessary that the fountainhead of the strength of your heart should be none other than Allah (S.w.T.). It must be remembered the wisdom and vision of men is limited and may not have the comprehension of all the connected facts.

We don’t suggest that you should not consult nor do we ask you to refrain from acting on the advice of your well-wishers. But you must keep all your hopes only on Allah (S.w.T.) and pray to Him that He puts the best alternative for your welfare on the lips of your advisers. Allah (S.w.T.) says, “One who does Istikhara (seeks good from Allah (S.w.T.)) will never be in trouble.” The reason for this is that one will not be aware of what is in store for him. He seeks Allah (S.w.T.)’s guidance because He knows everything about all the matters.

is mandatory on Muslims that they leave all their affairs in the trust of Allah (S.w.T.) and resign themselves to His wish. For example, a farmer sows seeds in his fields trusting in Allah (S.w.T.) that he gets a good crop and returns for his hard toil. When you succeed in any task, count it as Allah (S.w.T.)’s wish and not only the result of your own efforts. If you get the feeling of pride for you success, it might be tantamount to be termed practitioner of polytheism (shirk).

It should be your faith that you are only an instrument to do the task, but its results are not in your hands. Your duty is to knock at the door of Allah (S.w.T.) and make efforts to create circumstances for the fulfillment of the task.

Whatever work a man does, his faith should be that fulfillment and accomplishment of the job is at the discretion of Allah (S.w.T.). The erudite scholars of Islam have said and, Tabari too says in his commentary, Majma al-Bayan that one should submit to Allah (S.w.T.) his affairs in such a manner that the thought of his person gets obliterated in the process. Ija’al an-nafs kal maadoom - think of the self as being absent.

A farmer, after sowing the seeds of oats in his fields, keeps all his hopes for a good crop on Allah (S.w.T.) and awaits His Wish. Innallaha huwar-Razzaq - the true Sustainer is Allah.

All men, in their affairs, must have such

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faith in Allah (S.w.T.).

it. When the attorney has all the data on the causes of the litigation, he can successfully handle the case. The client cannot sleep away. He has to follow up the proceedings of the case. Similarly for defense against an enemy, one has to acquire and procure the necessary arms. Don’t also think that making available the arms relieves you of action. Defense has to be done by you yourself. But the reservoir and the fountainhead of the strength of your heart is the support of Allah (S.w.T.) whose pleasure is essential for victory and success.

prove His Omnipotence!

Allah (S.w.T.). The true sense of Tawakkul is not derived from these statements.

one can only ask for diagnosing the ailment and prescribing the medicines. The intercession (Tawassul) of the Ahl al-Bayt (a.s.) falls under the same category. If someone pleads to Hadrat Abul Fadl al-Abbas as one would plead with Allah (S.w.T.), then it would be Shirk.

But none do like this. Everyone thinks that Hadrat Abbas is the intercessor on their behalf.

Therefore, the meaning of Tawakkul is that other than Allah (S.w.T.) none else should be termed as the provider. Consider everyone under Allah (S.w.T.)’s will and pleasure. One should depend only on Allah (S.w.T.). Don’t the people who object to saying “Ya Muhammad”, “Ya ‘Ali” realize that everyday they call several persons other than Allah (S.w.T.)!

understanding about Tawhid. He must perfect himself in this aspect of learning. It is not sufficient to say that we are Muslim and we have faith in Tawhid. The touchstone of Tawhid is firm faith in la ilaaha illallah and true understanding of this Commandment. This has to be accompanied by absolute faith on Tawhid al-Af’aali that whatever happens is with the Wish of Allah (S.w.T.). One has also to believe that every bounty is a gift from Allah (S.w.T.). The faith has to be from the depths of the heart and not just an utterance from the lips.

for the human eyes to see Allah (S.w.T.), a firm faith in the Qur’an gives one the belief to attain true Islam.

permanent form or status. At certain times the circumstances lose their importance and the benefits that could have accrued will no more be there. The circumstances or reasons becoming ineffective are a strong indication that there is some All Prevailing Power that is Absolute, and is not subject to any circumstances or reasons.

It is said about Plato (Aflatoon) that once he was afflicted with acute diarrhea. However much he was treated, he was not getting relief. His disciples said that although he was an adept at medicine, why he was not able cure his own ailment. Plato told them to fetch him a certain powder. He mixed that powder with water and took it. In no time his diarrhea stopped. Then he turned to his disciples and said, “I did take this powder earlier too. But as long as there is no Will of Allah (S.w.T.), nothing can happen!”

Sometimes we see that certain things happen unexpectedly. At times we very much want a certain thing, and the circumstances too are congenial, but that thing doesn't come about.

Some years ago, Sadr al-Hukama, who was a physician of very high repute, mentioned to me an anecdote. He said that once a patient was brought to him who was very weak and thin. When he, the hakim, tested the patient he found that he was in a very precarious condition with the kidneys, liver and heart very badly affected. He felt that the patient might live for a few days only and that

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he had refused to treat him. The patient's relatives taunted the Hakim and said that perhaps he was imperfect in his calling that he expressed inability to treat him. The Hakim was upset with their misbehavior but kept quiet. In a lighter vein he told them to go home and give him Joshanda (a simple decoction of herbs used in homes for common colds).

After sometime, the same patient visited the Hakim. He was now in perfect health. His relatives, who were angry on him during their previous visit, were also there. They brought with them lot of cheese and shortening as gift for him. They said that when he had such a simple cure for the patient, why did he disturb them by saying that there was no hope for the patient.

This proves that Allah (S.w.T.) has Power over everything. All circumstances and reason have no effect when He wishes anything to happen. We find through our experiences that sometimes the most ineffective things have tremendous effect. At others, things that have proven effectiveness turn out to be ineffective. All this is definitely the result of Allah (S.w.T.)'s slightest gesture!

Allah (S.w.T.) told Hadrat Musa (a.s.), that he should seek even the salt for his use from Him. Allah (S.w.T.) told him that He is the provider of everything. This doesn't mean that one should keep sitting at a place and expect Allah (S.w.T.) to provide everything. It means keeping Tawakkul on him and keep searching for the salt for your

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requirement! If Allah (S.w.T.)'s Wish is not there, the entire land will be full of salt, but you may not get a grain of it for your use!

worldly life too will be better. When you transit from here to the Hereafter, then the light of knowledge, faith and belief will be your guide. The ranks of the Hereafter too will become visible to you in this light. There is no doubt that action is necessary with knowledge. If you desire to be ranked with the Muqarrabeen as-Saabiqeen (Trusted friends of yore), those who had a special status in the consideration of the Prophet (S.) and his Ahl al-Bayt (a.s.), then you must attain perfect faith.

entire world is worshipping the apparent in this world, but you have risen far above that!.

Man should, therefore, perform such acts that he is able to acquire knowledge and faith through their performance and he reaches the stage of Tawakkul. He should entrust all his affairs to Allah (S.w.T.).

grains that are much more than the real need of his family. One woman was saying that she had some money that she wanted to save for her shroud and interment after her death. She was asked, 'Are you saving the money with avarice in your mind. Otherwise, there is none who died and did not get a shroud and burial! As long as man remains the slave of circumstances, he will worship wealth! He should keep his death in view that before warming a place the drum for departure might be sounded!”

Muhammad (a.s.) were the people of Knowledge and wisdom. Whosoever got a ray of knowledge in their company, became a practicing man of learning (‘Aalim ba ‘amal). The scholars should know that they must strive to get counted amongst those whom Aali Muhammad (a.s.) accept as scholars and not merely the populace praise them as such.

Imam Husayn (a.s.), during his journey towards Karbala, sent a letter through a courier to Hadrat Habib b. Madhahir to Kufa. The subject of the letter was: Ya ayyuhar rajul al-faqih - O man of erudition! The Imam (a.s.) wrote: Habib is truly a Faqih that he knows

Allah (S.w.T.) and also he recognize the Imam (a.s.). The foundation of his fountainhead is the understanding of Tawhid. The worldly knowledge and skills do not provide the instinct of Tawhid. Don't lose the way and do not get involved in absolute ignorance (Jahl al-Murakkab) that you are amongst the learned. This pride might destroy you.

other point is that as people are exhorted to adopt Faith, so are they required to have Tawakkul. Having Faith on Allah (S.w.T.) doesn't only mean that a person knows that there is only one God (Allah (S.w.T.)) but also the faith that there is only one Creator of the Universe who is Almighty and Has unfathomable Powers. Aaminu billah - have Faith on Allah - is indicative of the fact that acknowledging Him as the Most High and totally put your Trust in Him. Don't consider that the circumstances are independent of His Wish and focus all your hopes on Him. Therefore one who doesn't subjugate his circumstances and hopes to Allah (S.w.T.), he doesn't have faith on Him. A person who doesn't think that the worldly wealth, the healer, medicaments and other mundane matters are subservient to the Will of Allah (S.w.T.), he is committing infidelity.

his Faith will never be shaky. Even if he has access to the worldly circumstances to achieve his ends, his trust is always in Allah (S.w.T.).

Thus, one who is always the slave of circumstances and the apparent causes, is a Kafir. Here, by Kufr I mean the Real Kufr and not the apparent Kufr that can be removed by saying the two phrases of witness - La ilaaha illallah and Muhammadur Rasoolullah. Such a person, although a Muslim through his profession, is so weak in his faith that it cannot take him to the level of salvation. The reason is that the person hasn't yet understood that the worldly circumstances have no element of permanence and they are absolutely under the Will and Wish of Allah (S.w.T.).

The Holy Qur’an mentions several such matters that are the cause of admonition. Just think of the River Nile parting from the middle With Allah (S.w.T.)'s wish and twelve dry passages appeared in the river, The bottom of the river became so dry that when people and their animals traversed the passages, dust came up there. Does this not demonstrate that the circumstance had lost its effect and everything therefore is under the control of the Almighty.

If Allah (S.w.T.) wishes, absolute thirst can be quenched without drinking water. But if His Wish is not there, then however much a person drinks water, his thirst will not be quenched. In certain ailments, a person is unable to gulp even a morsel of water. An

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example is the ailment of dropsy.

their elephants. Thus the entire contingent of the elephants and the soldiers was routed. It was Allah (S.w.T.)'s wish that the invincible army of Abraha was subdued with the pebbles.

According to the history of the Jazeerat al-Arab, the birth of our Prophet (S) took place in the same year, which is popularly known as the Aaam al-Fīl. Imam ‘Ali (a.s.) was born in the year 30 Aaam al-Fīl. Till the Hijra (The Migration) calendar came into vogue, the Aam al-Fīl was the calendar in use.

You have also heard that the sharp knife did not do it's job on the throat of Hadrat Ismail (a.s.). Hadrat Ibrahim (a.s.) used the sharpened knife no less than seventy times on the tender throat of his son. But it could not inflict even a small cut on the throat. Because, what was wished by Allah (S.w.T.) was destined to happen! If Allah (S.w.T.) wishes otherwise, the entire hoard of the arsenal of the world will not cause harm even to the minutest of creatures.

We have therefore to understand that the most important aspect of the Faith is Tawakkul.

of the causes depends on Allah (S.w.T.)'s Wish, then the belief is termed Tawakkul. Such a person relies on the Musabbib (Causer) rather than on the sabab (the cause). His total dependence is on the wish of the All Pervading Allah (S.w.T.). He trusts all his affairs to Allah (S.w.T.). When he frees himself from the clutches of the 'causes' or circumstances, then the existence, or otherwise, of the causes is immaterial for him.

It is narrated that Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s.) has said, “The Faith of a person is not perfect till Allah (S.w.T.)'s Wish prevails over his own thinking and intuition in his affairs.”

When his Faith has reached a stage that he considers Allah (S.w.T.)'s Wish must prevail over his own decisions, then even if he meets with an accident, his concern will not be for his material belongings, kith and kin, and he would resign to Allah (S.w.T.)'s Wish. But if a person cares only for circumstances and causes, then only the physician and the medicaments would be his saviours. The Entity who gives the vision to the physician for the correct line of treatment will not be in the consideration of the person.

Is it not time that we abstain from depending solely on circumstances and causes in our matters.

a chicken and served it on his table. Suddenly one hawk swooped from the sky and took away the chicken. The ruler got angry and ordered his men to hunt for the hawk and he too started on the same expedition. The hawk flew some distance, flew over a hill and went to the other side of it. The ruler's men too climbed the hill and went to the other side of it. They saw that a man, whose limbs were bound with ropes, was lying on the jungle floor and the hawk was feeding him small pieces of the roasted chicken. When the meat was finished, the hawk took some water in its beak and helped the man to drink.

The men came near the person and made inquiries about him. He said that he was a trader. He was on a business trip. At that place some thieves overpowered him. They took away all his merchandise and wanted to kill him. He appealed to them to spare his life. They expressed their fears that he might go to the city and report to the authorities against them. Somehow, they didn't kill him, but bound him firmly with ropes and abandoned him at the spot. The next day the hawk brought some bread for him and today it had fetched a chicken for him. It took care of the man twice a day. When the ruler heard the story, he had a sudden change of mind. He said that it

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was a matter of shame for them that they were oblivious of Allah (S.w.T.) who took care of His creature even through a wild bird. He left his crown and the throne and joined the ranks of the men of piety. This proves that man can draw lessons from many places, but they are few who get reformed.

Imam Ja’far as-Sadiq (a.s.), was making a commentary on Verse 102 of Sura Yusuf (Chp. 12), “And most of them do not believe in Allah without associating others (with Him).” someone asked the Imam (a.s.),”How is it that a person can believe (be a Mu’min) and associate partners with Allah (be a Mushrik) at the same time?”. The Imam (a.s.) replied at some length, the summary of which is that in this verse, Shirk al-Khafi or minor-shirk is meant. An example of this Shirk is that a person says that if so-and-so were not there, he would have perished. Or he says that if so-and-so were not there, he would have been deprived of the family and children. The questioner asked, “What should the person say, then?” The Imam (a.s.) replied, “The person should say that if Allah (S.w.T.) had not sent a particular person in His Mercy, he would have died!”

Therefore, Tawakkul doesn't require one to totally ignore the circumstances and causes, but acceptance from the depths of the heart that the cause to be effective depends absolutely on the wish of Allah (S.w.T.). The Power and Authority is absolutely with Allah

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(S.w.T.).

affairs to Him for the Hereafter as well.

As one seeks Allah (S.w.T.)'s help for supporting his efforts for profits and warding off the possible losses, he should also believe that the circumstances and the reasons for any action are subject to Allah (S.w.T.)'s Wish for fulfillment or failure of the task. Similarly in the spiritual matters too one should trust his affairs to Allah (S.w.T.)'s Pleasure.

to be pardoned by Him or not. Similarly a virtuous person going to the heaven or not is at the wish of Allah (S.w.T.). It is like the efficacy of a medicine. The patient only recovers from the ailment by the use of a medicament if Allah (S.w.T.) Wishes it to be so!

not dependent on their reasons, but in all circumstances it depends on the will of Allah (S.w.T.).

forty years ago, in this very place of learning, Musheer al-Mulk Shirazi too was living. A well-known teacher, whose name is not disclosed for some reason, used to teach Fiqh and Philosophy. He was very well known for his memory and his erudition. He slept well one night. But when he woke up in the morning, he had lost his complete memory. Even at the Fajr prayer he couldn't recite the Sura al-Fatiha. Anyway, the prayer was over. Later on when he opened the Holy Qur’an and tried to recite its verses, he couldn't do it. His memory was totally lost and he passed away in the same state.

opportunity to utilize the knowledge acquired by them.

rest of the universe. Heaven is not a thing that can be bought with some prayer and ignorant pride. It is also debatable whether Heaven can definitely achieved by much prayer and supplication. The truth is that all you possess, and all you do is wished by Him. One might expect compensation for what really and truly belongs to himself! Everything belongs to Allah (S.w.T.), and any compensation that is given is only at His Wish! Man can only hope with Tawakkul on Allah (S.w.T.).

O Allah (S.w.T.)! By the rights of Muhammad (a.s.) and his Holy Progeny, give us the strength of courage and help us at every stage and make us truly the people of Tawakkul!

Such a person will rise empty handed from his grave and his Nama-e-Aamāl (The Record of Deeds) will be blank. But if there is sincerity of purpose in a man, then everything falls in the proper place for him.

The Verse that we have referred to in this context says: “Say (O our beloved messenger!): Every one acts according to his nature (shaakila); but your Lord best knows who is best guided in the path.” (Sura Banu Israel, 17:84)

Now consider the meaning of the word Shaakila. If its meaning is nature or bent of mind, then the purport of the Holy Ayah will be that every person acts in accord with his nature and bent of mind. If the person is in the influence of Rahmani (Legitimate) bent of mind, his actions will naturally be virtuous. On the other hand if his nature is dominated by satanic thoughts, his actions then will be prohibited (Haram).

When a person's nature is Rahmani, his actions too are with sincerity of purpose, even then if there remain some aberrations in his acts, he might be forgiven for those minor faults. But when a person has satanic nature, his efforts at doing good deeds will be futile. It is therefore imperative to mend one's bent of mind.

Now let us consider the ways of mending the Shaakila. How the Shaakila becomes Rahmani?

is like a clean and blank paper on which anything can be written or beautiful sketches can be drawn. Similarly ugly pictures or satanic things too can be written on it. Useful and informative essays can be written on it and misguiding things too can be scribbled on it. Man, ever since he arrives in this world, at the two-way lane leading to Rahmani or Satanic instincts. He has to choose between the worldly or the Ukhrawi, that is, a way of life that can ensure for him a better Hereafter.

Whichever way he inclines, his Shaakila too bends in that direction. Every thing that he does, whatever he sees or hears, and even the morsels that go down the person's throat contribute in the formation of his Shaakila. Every word that is modulated by the tongue too has its part to play in the person's Shaakila. The first impression that anything has on a person will be on his psyche.

If you use foul language against a person or you think ill of someone else, the first entity to take the ill effect of all this will be yourself. This will take you away from virtue and you will be giving place to evil in your Shaakila. Then, however much you pray and supplicate, your prayer will not be as virtuous as it needs to be. When your Shaakila is affected, then your intent will not be as solemn as required for sincerity in prayer.

A piece of bread, Halal or

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Haram, pure or impure, when it goes down your throat, your Shaakila takes shape. If the bread is Haram, then every act performed by you will be satanic.

pushed into the Asfal as-Safeleen, you are warned to save yourself from the effects of evil deeds. Every glance that you make on the television monitor and the cinema screen, will leave a negative mark on your psyche. Slowly, you will then come under the spell of Satan. If you don't mend your ways soon, it might be impossible to reform the Shaakila after the age of forty years.

desires). You must have heard the tradition of the Prophet (S.), narrated in the Usūl al-Kafi, that on his return from the battlefront he said, “We are through with the Jihad al-Asghar (the Minor Struggle) but the Jihad al-Akbar is still there.” The companions asked what is that Jihad. The Prophet (S.) replied, “That is Jihad bin-Nafs.”

Bearing the travails of this Jihad is tougher than going to fight on the battlefront. Therefore the rewards for Jihad bil Nafs are greater than for any virtuous act. This is the reason that the Prophet (S) has termed it as the Major Jihad. To keep oneself firm in the midst of carnal desires needs a much higher degree of valor than confronting the enemy in the battlefield.

Reform of the Shaakila is not possible without reining in the carnal desires. If you wish to conquer the strong fort of the heart to reach Allah (S.w.T.)'s firmament, then it is your duty to abstain from every forbidden thing (Haram) and the unbecoming (Makruh) things. You should also perform every obligatory (Fard) regularly and also the optional (Mustahab).

legitimate (Halal). If a foster mother is arranged for a baby, they must make discreet inquiries that the woman is pious and of a good background. When the child grows, care has to be exercised that foul language is not used in his presence. No act should be perpetrated in the presence of the child that is morally undesirable.

Even if the parents have a difference of opinion, they should refrain from airing them even in the hearing distance of the child.

When the child attains the age of understanding, make him practice spending legitimately and frugally. He should be made to inculcate the habit of charity so that when he grows up, he doesn't turn into a parsimonious person. The child should be trained to dress modestly and decently.

Give pure and clean food to the child. It is not proper to think that the child cannot discriminate and hence can be given anything to eat. Allah (S.w.T.)'s curse will fall on the parents who encourage their children to drink liquors. How will such parents face Allah (S.w.T.)? Those who take their children to cinemas and other such centers of pleasure should know that the duty for formation of the child's Shaakila that has been entrusted by Allah (S.w.T.) on them is being neglected.

Every scene that is contrary to the norms of decency diminishes the sense of shame in the child. He becomes impertinent and might insult others. Such an unfortunate child, in later years, will find it very tough to banish

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the negative traits that have taken root in his psyche because of the neglect of his parents.

When a child attains the age of eight years, he should be made regular at offering the mandatory prayers. When he is ten years, he should not share a bed with any of his siblings. Even after attaining the age of twelve, if he is not regular at prayers, he must be reprimanded. Corporal punishment is permissible in such a situation. This punishment should be discreet and within limits that it has positive and salutary effect on the child.

The orders of the Shari’ah have to be borne in mind from the time the mother conceives the child. The parents should abstain from taking forbidden food that it does not have any evil effect on the fetus. While mating, the parents should remember Allah (S.w.T.). In the beginning they should say Bismillah that Satan doesn't enter the seed at the time of conception. The thoughts of both the parents must be Rahmani at that time to ensure that the child develops a Rahmani Shaakila. If, at the time of conception, the father has satanic thoughts, then they will have negative effect on the child. It will then need lot of efforts to mould the child's Shaakila on virtuous lines.

that her body should be so Rahmani that it should be as pure as the Godly Spirit (Ruh kulli Ilahi). The body should be as rare or light as the human spirit. Let it not be a secret that the bodies of the Imams (a.s.) are as light as the spirits of the Mu’minīn.

Since the body of the Prophet (S) is all Nur and rarity, and is absolutely Rahmani, his shaakila is absolutely pure.

It is narrated that the Prophet (S) was one day seated at Al-Tah. Imam ‘Ali (a.s.) and Hadrat Ammar was present. Also present were Hadrat Abu Bakr and ‘Umar. Jibril came at that time and conveyed Allah (S.w.T.)'s orders that the Prophet (S) should remain at that place for forty days and abstain from meeting his wife during the period. He was also asked to fast during the days and to spend the nights in prayer and supplication. He was asked to abstain during all the forty days from Mubah (permissible) acts like eating after sunrise and sleeping in the nights. The purpose was to render the shaakila of the Prophet (S.) most latif or subtle.

The Prophet (S) asked Hadrat Ammar to go to Hadrat Khadija and tell her that he wouldn't go home for forty days and that his not coming home was not because of any differences with her, but was under the orders of Allah (S.w.T.).

Ammar gave the Prophet (S.)'s message to Hadrat Khadija. She sent back her greetings to the Prophet (S) and

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said that she would patiently await his return after forty days. She spent these forty days in prayer to Allah (S.w.T.) at the house of her aunt, Hadrat Fatima bint Asad, the mother of Imam ‘Ali (a.s.).

On the fortieth evening Jibril came and asked the Prophet (S) to delay breaking the fast till the material for breaking the fast came from the Heaven. After the prayer Jibril, and along with him Mikaail and Israfil, (who generally don't come to the Prophets (S.) after the prayers), came with the fruits from the Heaven (oats, grapes and dates) and water from the springs of the Heaven.

Hadrat Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s.) says that the Prophet (S) always asked him to keep the door of the house open at the mealtime so that anyone who came could partake of the food. But on that evening he particularly instructed not to allow anyone to come near him that none else had a right to partake of the food he was having then. After the Prophet (S) ate the food, Hadrat Jibril helped him wash his hands. The Prophet (S) now wanted to offer his optional prayers, but Jibril said, “Tonight you need not spend time in offering optional prayers. You must immediately go to Hadrat Khadija that the Heavenly Matter has been incorporated in your body.”

Hadrat Khadija says that she was about to sleep when there was a knock on the door. She asked who it was. The Prophet (S) said, “Open the door!” The Prophet

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entered the house. As usual she brought water for his ablution. He offered two units of prayer of thanksgiving and went to bed. But that night he didn't do ablution before coming to the bed.

Thus from that pure body, the pure spiritual material was transferred to the purest womb.

The reality of this pure conception is wonderful. Hadrat Khadija (s.a.) said that she immediately felt that she had conceived. From the very next day, the pure foetus starting with her mother and reciting the Praises of Allah (S.w.T.).

These facts sound incredible, but are only based on the Will of Allah (S.w.T.).

It is among the Mustahabbat of our faith that on the Day of Judgement, Shafa’at al-Kubra (the Major Intercession) will be in the hands of Hadrat Fatima Zahra (s.a.)

tradition of the Prophet (S), quoted from Usūl al-Kafi, is universally accepted by both Shi’a and Sunni jurists:

The Prophet (S) said: “actions depend on the intents” At another place the tradition is quoted as:

Innamal ‘amaal bin-niyaat

Actions are judged by their intentions

Without sincere intent, any actions that are performed for show are of no use. Actions are effective, if intent is true. If any act is performed only for the pleasure of Allah (S.w.T.), then it is acceptable; otherwise it is senseless and useless. Sometimes such acts can be listed among the vices committed by a person for the Day of Reckoning.

to you to offer the mandatory Prayers. Repeating of the words of the Niyyah may be done. But it is the obedience of Allah (S.w.T.)'s Order and your intent to pray is the motivation. But if the motivation is something other than Obedience to Allah (S.w.T.) and the desire to be close to Him, then however much you say Qurbatan il Allah, it will not have any relation whatsoever with the truth. It will, in fact, be telling lies that will destroy all your actions. Therefore it is imperative that the prayer should be with absolute purity of heart and secondly, only for Allah (S.w.T.)'s pleasure. In His court only the truth is acceptable.

One person says the Adhaan, but his intent is not prayer but to show off his skill of good recitation or to project himself as a man of piety. Then this act is bad in view of the Shari’ah. Such acts might even be counted among the sins of the persons who perpetrate them.

“O Sustainer! The world is suffering for want of rains! Don't make the sins of the people the cause for their deprivation of Your Blessing!” Even before the Prophet (S) brought his hands down dark clouds gathered and it rained so much that it was stagnation everywhere. The companions asked the Prophet (S) why it didn't rain when he prayed for the first time. The Prophet (as.) replied, “I did pray then, but with not the fullest of intent.”

Allama Majlisi says in Sharh al-Kafi that when the Prophet (S) prayed for the first time, to keep the word of the companions, and in view of Allah (S.w.T.)'s Wish, he had perhaps said some supplicatory words. It used to usually happen that for keeping the companions happy he used to agree to their requests. Therefore the first prayer was not from the depth of the heart and was just to satisfy the companions. But the second time the Prophet (S) bore witness to the people's difficulties and made a recommendation for them, although they were guilty of sinning and not deserving of the bounty! But even then if Allah (S.w.T.) Wished, He must save them by sending the rains. This prayer was from the depth of the heart and was duly answered.

is your well wisher and friend. Don't you dislike his hypocrisy? Stealth and show is liked by none. The insincere show of friendship is not liked by anyone. Then how will Allah (S.w.T.) like this habit in persons? When you say “Allahu Akbar”, there must be sincerity in your statement. This statement has to be made with utmost sincerity that Allah (S.w.T.) is the Greatest and has control over everything in the universe. Without this sincerity how one can expect that the prayers will be accepted by Allah (S.w.T.)? The same words repeated without sincerity might even earn the ire of Allah (S.w.T.)!

claims and actions are diametrically opposite? Orally he says that whatever he has is yours, but in the time of need he makes lame excuses. If you cannot be satisfied with such a son, then how can you expect Allah (S.w.T.) to be kind on us after all our insincerity.

much to be heaped with false praises by our compatriots. The human psyche is so lowly that it is happy with falsehoods and gets upset with the truths.

a true friend of Imam ‘Ali (a.s.), for some reason he was unable to join in the expedition. Imam ‘Ali asked, “Is your brother desirous of taking part in the battle with sincerity of heart?” The companion replied in the affirmative. Then Imam ‘Ali said: “Don't worry! He is one of us in this expedition! Because of his true intent, he is as good as taking part in the battle.” Then Imam ‘Ali (a.s.) added, “There are lots of others, who will desire to participate with us in the battle of truth and falsehood. They haven't yet arrived in the world but are on the backs of their parents!” No doubt, this participation is because of true intent and desire of the heart.

Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

قَالَ فَبِعِزَّتِکَ لَأُغْوِیَنَّهُمْ أَجْمَعِینَ إِلَّا عِبَادَکَ مِنْهُمُ الْمُخْلَصِینَ

He said: ‘Then by Thy Might I will surely make them live an evil life, all, Except Thy servants from among them, the purified ones.’ (Sura Sad, 38:82-83)

being the Absolute Creator (and complete faith on the Day of Judgement that has been the basis of the Da’wa (Invitation to the Faith) of all the prophets (a.s.). The height of acknowledgement is his firm belief in Tawhid and the height of Tawhid is the height of Ikhlas or the sincerity of purpose. “

If our creator, and the creator of all the creatures, is Allah (S.w.T.), then what relation do we have with anyone other than Him. Why do we consider others as our saviors? If truly our faith is that there is no god but Allah (S.w.T.) and every good is in His hands, then we don't have any right to stretch our hands for help in front of anyone else. It is by doing this that we give rise to hypocrisy. When man starts thinking that even the creatures are capable of solving problems for them and seeking recognition and respect in their eyes is a guarantee of wellbeing, then they veer away from Tawhid. The path of hypocrisy is laid for them now and satanic traits take root in their hearts.

If we are practitioners of Tawhid, then our prayers must be addressed towards Allah (S.w.T.).

When we think that He is Ever Present, then why should we look to anyone else. To the contrary, for the fulfillment of the purpose for which He has created us, why should we involve others. It is not proper that we make an exhibition of the performance of the obligatory acts

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in front of others that they praise us. If we have firm faith on “Kamaal at-Tawhid al-Ikhlas - The height of Tawhid is sincerity of purpose”, then we truly consider Him our Creator and Sustainer and deem Him the guide in all our affairs and don't attach ourselves to others for help.

thought someone else was busy praying in the mosque. He also thought that it was good that someone else too was in the lonely mosque who will certainly mention to others that he was praying there the entire night. The man continued his prayers with more dedication and interest. He modulated his voice to give to it a touch of pathos. He spent the whole night in that way. At dawn he noticed a dog cowering in a corner of the mosque. Perhaps it had come into to mosque to save itself from the extreme cold outside. This proves that he was praying the whole night to make a show to the dog.

person of sincerity (Ahl al-Ikhlas).

on the newspapers and other media. You got the compensation for your good deeds in the world itself. What else do you expect from Us now”

(It has come in a tradition that seven groups will be in the shadow of Allah (S.w.T.)'s Skies. One of this group will be of those who remain incognito while they do charity and spend in the way of Allah (S.w.T.) is such a manner that when their right hand does the charity, the left will remain unaware of the act. Other than Allah (S.w.T.) none knows about this good deed. When Hadrat Imam Zayn al-’Abidin (a.s.) used to give money in the way of Allah (S.w.T.), he used to cover his face with his shawl that he remained incognito while doing this good deed. Even this went to the extent that the persons whom the Imam (a.s.) personally helped, used to complain that he has not helped them! This was because of the fact that at the time of getting the help, the beneficiaries were unable to recognize the benefactor. A person might spend huge amounts in charity to get praises from others and for showing off. Their charity will then have no weight.)

The third group will be that of the persons who were martyred during Jihad. They will be asked, “What have you done in the world? They will reply, “O Allah! You know well that we laid our lives for Your cause. Got wounded and bore hardships.” Allah (S.w.T.) then would rejoin,

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“In the field of battle, rather than truly fighting for our cause, you wanted to make a show of your valor to others and to gather booty. Truly, you have not given your life for Us!” Some persons recite the Holy Qur’an very much, but they intone it like a song to impress about the control of their voices on others. Such persons too may not get any reward in the Hereafter.

It is narrated that one person came to Imam Ja’far as-Sadiq and said, “O Master! I recite the Holy Qur’an in my house and the people in my house hear it. Sometimes my voice even travels outside of my house to the hearing of the commuters on the street. What do you say about this?” The Imam replied, “Keep the pitch of your voice in the middle that your recitation does not give the impression that you are making a show of it.”

Perhaps there is a point in this that the person may not be making a show to the members of his family, therefore he was asked to recite at an average pitch that the inmates got the benefit of hearing and getting benefit from it. He also wanted the voice not to travel outside his premises that others hear it and think that he was making a hypocritical show of his prowess.

It is a strange thing that till a person takes refuge in the fortress of sincerity of purpose he is not safe from the machinations of

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Satan. This is the stage where a person prays from the depths of his heart:

أَمَّن یُجِیبُ الْمُضْطَرَّ إِذَا دَعَاهُ وَیَکْشِفُ السُّوءَ

Or, Who answers the distressed one when he calls upon Him and removes the evil... (Sura an-Naml, 27:62)

O Allah! The hardships are huge and we had been so complacent and careless that only Your benevolent attention can ameliorate our situation. We were in self-deception that we became the victims of insincerity thinking that we were sincere to You. Once the curtain rises and the scene of death and the Barzakh (Purgatory) become evident to us, we would realize the misapprehension we were in that we thought ourselves to be the replicas of Salman!

Out through our lives we have been under the misapprehension that we had been on pilgrimage to Karbala al-Mu’alla and Mashad al-Muqaddas. There is no doubt that pilgrimage is highly felicitous, but the urge to go on the tour must be from the depth of the heart. When one goes to perform the Hajj, the title of ‘Haji’ is prefixed with his name. That can be tantamount to making a show of his pilgrimage. In a nutshell, there will be need for sincerity in whatever we do and it should not be attended by an element of show.

the point of view of pedigree and descent! I am dark of visage. The smell of my body is unpleasant. It is true that I am not fit to sacrifice myself in your way! Be kind on me and accept me as a ransom (Fidya)!”

The Imam (a.s.) didn't give him permission to go and battle. He cries and says, “Master! In good times I had been the consumer of the leftovers of your table! How can I abandon in times of hardship?” The person pleaded with the Imam so much that he was given permission to go to the field of battle. He, at last, attained the felicity of Martyrdom. What act could be better than this!

the environment of the carnal desires around, should be pure and in the way of Allah (S.w.T.). This means that when one seeks nearness to Allah (S.w.T.), there should not be any worldly desire in the heart of the person. We have already said that this is a spiritual act that doesn't depend on expressing in words and coming in the heart.

of funds would be at his disposal as the trustee. In this greed Malik disposed all his assets and distributed the money in charity. Since the trustee is expected to be extremely pious and simple, he went and stayed in the mosque. Whenever he found any person entering the mosque, he would stand up and start praying.

The purpose was to attract the attention of the people to his piety so that his candidature for the trusteeship could be clinched. But in course of time people understood his insincere plan. They were covertly, and sometimes overtly, making fun of him. They would ask him, “O Malik! What is your intention?” A lot of time passed in this manner. Then he realized that in his avarice he had reduced himself to the condition that he was in. Now that all the people have gauged his plan, there was no chance of him getting the trusteeship. He thought that his fate was neither to get the worldly benefit nor of the Hereafter.

That night, with a broken heart, Malik expressed penitence (istighfar) to Allah (S.w.T.) and sought His forgiveness for his sins throughout the night. He was surprised the next morning to see the same persons who were insulting him earlier, met him with due respect and asked him to pray for them. In due course of time it was well known in Syria that Malik was a man of great piety. Now the important persons came to him and offered to him the

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trusteeship of the mosque. He declined the offer politely and said that he had acquired the Good will of Allah (S.w.T.) with difficulty and that he was not in the need of anything else.

The unlucky person who is devoid of sincerity will definitely be one who loses the world as well as the Hereafter (Khasira ad-duniya wal aakhira).

any element of mental pleasure in them.

Supplement of any act is permissible (Mubah), if it assumes the status of collateral act in perpetuity; otherwise it voids the spirit of the act. By sincerity (Ikhlas) we mean that there is no supplementary or subsidiary purpose. For example: if one has to perform his obligatory bath and he combines it with a swim or a visit to the public bath, then the person has, in reality, two intents, and the obligatory bath in this case goes void!

be good.

to be paid to him for this work. He got busy reciting the Book at the grave.

One day news came that the Qari had absconded. After much search the policemen located him and asked the reason why he ran away. He couldn't gather enough courage to spell out the reason but was asking to be relieved from his work. The authorities said that if he considered the compensation low, it can as well be raised. He said that however much they pay him, he was unwilling to do the job. They were confused and said that until he said the true reason, they would not release him.

The man said, “Some days ago, the person in the grave complained to me. He caught hold of my collar and said, 'Why are you reciting the Qur’an at my grave? ' I replied, ' I have been appointed by the authorities to do it to earn Reward for you.' The dead man said, 'Rather than giving any benefit to me, every verse you recited was giving wind to the fire of Retribution for me. It was being said to me that why I neglected hearing the recitation during my worldly life? Why didn't I follow the precepts laid down by the Holy Book? “Now I request you to kindly absolve me of this duty.”

In the court of Allah (S.w.T.) nothing is more beneficial than truth and sincerity. With your tongue you might say a hundred thousand times, “Qurbatan il-Allah” but if there is

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no truth and sincerity of intent, then mere utterance of the words will not be of any use.

The human psyche is either in search of recognition amongst the fellow humans or to derive pleasure for itself. He thinks that he is a person of much virtue. But when he sees the roster of his deeds on the Day of Judgement, he will be surprised to know that his life had been one of selfishness and for satisfaction of baser instincts.

But if action is accompanied with sincerity then even a bit of it could be sufficient to elevate his status and become the cause of the person's deliverance. Even two genuflections of prayer, offered with sincerity and dedication of the heart, can qualify one for the Heaven. A lifetime of prayer for the insincere purpose of show will be of no use at all.

Sayyid Ibn Tawoos says that the prayers that are motivated by the fear of the Hell and the craving for the Heaven has an element of selfishness, although correct according to the norms of Faith. It will be better than the other acts of the person. Hadrat Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s.) has said, “O Allah! I pray to You not with the fear of the Hell and for getting admittance to the Heaven. I pray to You only because You are befitting for my prayer.”

In the light of this saying the prayer of a person with personal motives of rewards will be of lower felicity.

that the two Rakat of the prayer of an Aalim is rated more than the prayers of an ignorant (Jahil) person offered over a period of a full year. The reason for this is that an erudite scholar knows the facts and comprehends them. He understands all the dangers of sensual pleasure. As against this, an ignorant person doesn't know what will be the consequence of which act. He worships himself and others, thinking all the time that he was praying to Allah (S.w.T.)!

Similarly you must have heard that praying in congregation behind an Aalim Imam is a thousand times more felicitous than praying alone. The reason is that the Imam has superior knowledge. And is never away from Ikhlas or sincerity in prayer.

the craving for name and fame. They knew it fully well that Martyrdom was fated for them!

eyes of the people of the world, or the fear of their taunts and criticism. For example, the purpose of his going for Hajj should be to seek Allah (S.w.T.)'s pleasure than making a show of his status to the people. If the desire is to show-off to the people, then his act is void and sinful.

This is a very difficult situation. Sometimes a person gets entangled in his own personality and starts suspecting himself. For example: He expresses abhorrence of bad actions or does Amr bil Ma’roof, that is, he abides by the Commandments and thinks that he has accomplished one act mandated by Allah (S.w.T.). But the real motivation of his act might be to show off to others and to impress on them that he has great love for his religious duties. Such behavior is counted amongst major sins.

reached there, the prayer was in progress. He had to join the congregation in the last row. After the prayer, when people were flocking out of the mosque looked at him with surprise. He was very sad that the people noticed him offering his prayer standing in the last row. He felt very ashamed.

Later on he realized that there was nothing to be ashamed of. He told to himself, “You unfortunate person! These last thirty years you strived to stand in the first row for the prayers seem not for the pleasure of Allah (S.w.T.) but to receive and attract the attention of the people. If your efforts were in the way of Allah (S.w.T.), it must have been His Will that you didn’t reach the mosque in time to join the first row!” At last he repented for his insincere behavior during the last three decades and offered past thirty years of prayers as lapsed or Qadha prayers.

his privilege to always get a place in the first row at the prayer. But even if he has to stand with a child or an ignorant, uneducated person, he should not feel hesitant even for a while.

These are psychic ailments that are destructive for men. It is also the duty of the Imam of the congregation that he should not give undue importance to the numbers at a congregation. Even if only one person joins him for prayer, the congregation is complete. Whether there is one follower (Muqtadi) or a thousand, the congregation is complete!

can say that the act was in the way of Allah (S.w.T.) only when he had, with full determination, true intent and from the depth of his heart, performed the act for the pleasure of Allah (S.w.T.).

It is narrated that during the days of the Prophet (S) on an expedition of Jihad, one infidel was mounted on a white mule during the battle. One person from the ranks of the believers was attracted to this mule. He told to himself,” I shall slay this infidel and become the owner of the mule.” With this intent he went forward. But before he could do anything to the person, the infidel took preemptive action and slayed him. The person became well known as qateel al-himaar - the man who got slayed for a mule!

Just imagine, with what intent the man acted and what end he met with! In this market place there is transaction of only the truth and the right. Hypocrisy has no value here. Pity on the unfortunate person who enslaves himself to his own psyche and that even after giving up his life, he has destroyed his Hereafter. If a person, after laying down his life in Jihad, earns - Khasr ad-duniya wal aakhira - loss in this world and the Hereafter, there is none more unfortunate than him.

Therefore, it is necessary to perform acts with firm intent of earning the pleasure of Allah (S.w.T.). This way not only the fulfilling of one's desires is assured but with

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Allah (S.w.T.)'s support results might be much more than expected. Allah (S.w.T.) says in the Holy Qur’an:

مَن کَانَ یُرِیدُ حَرْثَ الْآخِرَهِ نَزِدْ لَهُ فِی حَرْثِهِ وَمَن کَانَ یُرِیدُ حَرْثَ الدُّنْیَا نُؤتِهِ مِنْهَا وَمَا لَهُ فِی الْآخِرَهِ مِن نَّصِیبٍ

Whoever desires the gain of the hereafter, We will give him more of that gain; and whoever desires the gain of this world, We give him of it, and in the hereafter he has no portion. (Sura ash-Shura, 42:20)

in a place that is scorching hot and has no provision of bodily comfort. It has barren hills around it and the land is devoid of any greenery.

If it was Allah (S.w.T.)'s Wish, He would have made His Holy Home the most pleasant place in the world! But this way the dedication, patience and motives of the pilgrims would not be suitably put to test.

For example: If Ka’aba were in Lebanon, then people would go there to enjoy the good climate, the lovely gardens and deviate from their main motive of seeking nearness to Allah (S.w.T.). The worldly comforts and diversions would affect their main motivation of pilgrimage.

We cannot say if the prosperity that has come to Arabia in the recent years and the comforts of travel and stay that have been organized for the Hajj pilgrimage, have in any way affected the motivation of the pilgrims. The journey for the Hajj too has become the cause of the promotion of trade and recreation. May Allah (S.w.T.) protect this great pilgrimage becoming a place where people start indulging in sensual pleasures (Hiz al-Nafs).

remind people that these should not become the main motivation for their journey for Hajj. The main motive should be the fear of retribution and the search for rewards. We have already said that when a person offers prayers seeking protection from retribution and search for reward, Allah (S.w.T.) doesn't disappoint him. But if the intent and motivation is not pure, then the prayer is rendered futile.

It is narrated in Ma’aani al-Akhbar that Hadrat Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s.) went near the head of a sick Shi’a who was in the throes of death. When he (a.s.) inquired about his condition, the person said, “I am in fear because of my past sins! I am hoping for Allah's Kindness on me!” The Imam (a.s.) said, “A heart that has this feeling of hope and fear, Allah will give the person protection from the thing he is afraid of. Whatever the person hopes to get, Allah gives him!”

please for whomsoever We desire, then We assign to him the hell; he shall enter it despised, driven away. (Sura al-’Isra, 17:18)

a pilgrimage. From such an effort one cannot expect to get Allah (S.w.T.)'s Rewards. In a nutshell, for every act we have to understand the true motive behind it.

tongue you do the Dhikr. Now, think for a while: Who has given birth to you, who made your limbs, who has provided equity to your limbs and other parts of the body that you are capable of performing every action with ease? Who has provided the faculty of expression to the little clump of flesh in your mouth?

As a matter of fact besides the motive of performing an act nothing is your own; even that faculty has been provided to you by Allah (S.w.T.)! What is it that you can give to Allah (S.w.T.) and claim something from Him in compensation? Whatever animate and inanimate things exist in the universe are His. This hand that you extend towards Him for help is His ! From your head to your toe, your entire existence, and your capabilities, and all your faculties are gifted to you by Him! He has made them subservient to you at His Will. When you make the intent for prayer, you are able easily to stand up. Who motivated your heavy body to become alert?

dead person not the same body that moved as he wished?

Your wish to act and do certain things too has been endowed by Allah (S.w.T.). You cannot do anything against the Wish of Allah (S.w.T.):

وَمَا تَشَاؤُونَ إِلَّا أَن یَشَاء اللَّهُ

And you do not will anything except that Allah wills (Sura al-Insaan, 76:30)

and seeing. Made it active and strong. And ultimately returned it back to its original state of dust.

مِنْهَا خَلَقْنَاکُمْ وَفِیهَا نُعِیدُکُمْ وَمِنْهَا نُخْرِجُکُمْ تَارَهً أُخْرَی

From it (the earth) We created you and into it We shall send you back and from it will We raise you a second time. (Sura Ta Ha, 20:55)

When you recite the Ziyarat Aashura or Ziyarat al-Jamia, you must be aware of the fact as to who gave you the tongue and made it subservient to you. When we consider the causes of our optional acts, you surprise has no end that who gave us the wisdom and thinking for performing these acts? Who gave us the reasons to exist, gave us the capability to act and removed the impediments from our way?

First of all, there is no possibility of compensation for the acts. We neither have wealth nor anything belongs to us for which we might expect compensation. We only have a will that too is dependent on His Wish!

Then……..

with your own decision that there must be compensation for your action, honestly calculate how much compensation you deserve for your acts. You had been to the Hajj. What is the return for this act? You might not have suffered any monetary loss during the Hajj. You fasted during Ramadhan, which means that you had postponed your lunch by a few hours! There are lots of other people in the world, although they are not fasting, have to skip lunch because of their duties and circumstances. So what compensation you expect for performing the act that had been mandated by Allah (S.w.T.)?

Unfortunate is the person who thinks that he must get returns from Allah (S.w.T.) for any act of his. He should hold the balance in his hands and do the accounting of plus and minus!

way that he is present in the court of Graciousness and Kindness (Lutf wa Karam). Allah (S.w.T.) has promised recompense and is the motivator of his actions. All his hopes rest in Him only.

opened there was only a small quantity of soil and a dead glow-worm. The man wondered, what had happened to his diamond?!

When the jeweller asked for the facts, the man related what happened to him in the night. The jeweller said, “You foolish person! You have wasted my precious time! You had picked up a glow-worm in the night and thinking that it was a diamond you went through all the trouble!”

said during our earlier discussions that man is confronted with a very formidable enemy that he has to escape from his clutches and the enemy perpetually keeps chasing him. Man is absolutely incapable of confronting the enemy nor can he guard against his onslaught. Therefore he has to look elsewhere for help to ward off the evil adversary. In this situation he is like a small child who is chased by a venomous snake. The child runs scared and falls in the lap of his mother for help and protection from the reptile. This state is called the Isti’adha or the act of seeking help and protection to ward off the enemy!

Therefore when man understands that the accursed Satan, who is his mortal enemy, is about to attack him and he is all alone, helpless and utterly incapable of protecting himself, then he cries and laments for help from the Almighty Allah (S.w.T.). He says, “O Beneficent Allah (S.w.T.)! I plead that the accursed enemy is barking like a wild dog and attacking me!”

But You see him very well, while he is not empowered to see you! You have control over all his faculties. While he cannot interfere with what Your Wish and Will! O Allah (S.w.T.)! I, therefore, plead with You and seek Your help against him. O Sustainer! I don't have the capability to ward him off other than Your Help! O Allah (S.w.T.)! If Iblis sets his sights on me, You must take care of him! If he plans to cause me harm, You inflict Your curse on him! Save me from his plots. Make the burden of his enmity fall on his own neck! I am seeking Your munificence! O most Beneficent of those who do kindnesses! And the blessings of Allah be on Muhammad and his purified progeny.”

is a shower of arrows on the person, then he knows for sure that the enemy is trying to hurt him and is after his life and property.

In such a situation, before investigating about the existence of the enemy, the person first tries to reach someplace of safety. If there is a house nearby, he knocks at the door and asks for shelter from the householder and trusts himself totally to his care and seeks his help against the aggression of the unknown enemy. Therefore, if any person has the fear of Satan's attack, although he cannot see him, he searches for refuge from him.

the fears and doubts in the human hearts are the creations of Satan?

The reply is that every thought that a person gets that creates doubts and fears about Allah (S.w.T.), the Prophet (S.), about the Day of Reckoning and makes the person restless is the creation of Satan. As against this, every thought of trust on Allah (S.w.T.), belief on the eternal life, peace of heart and mind is Rahmani, or Godly, in origin. Every doubt that takes one away from Allah (S.w.T.), deprives one of rewards, causes the visitation of Allah (S.w.T.)'s wrath is definitely the work of Satan. As against this, every thought that gives him the feeling of nearness to Allah (S.w.T.) and gives him the hope of Reward is purely Rahmani.

doubt of being satanic. They are all the exact opposite of the first category that we mentioned just now. In this category are all those fears and doubts that are contrary to the Shari’ah and wisdom. For example: While spending in the way of Allah (S.w.T.) getting doubts that there is paucity of means for personal needs, Or he thinks whether it was necessary to incur the expense at that time.

Perhaps a more essential need for spending might crop up later on. He may also think that another person is richer than him and more competent to provide help to the seeker than himself. If someone harmed him, he thinks of harming the person more in return. If some relative hurts him, he thinks of breaking all relations with him. If he heard that someone has done backbiting against him and revealed his faults to others, he thinks of revealing all the weaknesses of the person to others. Even he would think of making false allegations against the person. On the whole, in human affairs the satanic thoughts seem to play a dominant role and the person who practices the norms of - Awamir wa Nawahi - do’s-and-don’ts takes care of them in minute detail.

prayer. If the person gets shorn of dedication of the heart in the prayer, then it becomes the playground of Satan. We present a fable here to illustrate the point.

will happen tomorrow? Things may go topsy-turvy. What would he do about it? He will neither have interest in prayer nor in any other virtuous act. He forgets that before these depressing feelings leave him, he might die. In that event he would be guilty of forsaking the mandatory acts.

and his family. He estimated the value of his remaining assets and divided that by the amount required for a month's expenses. He arrived at the conclusion that he could carry on for the next three years with the current monthly expenses. He started brooding as to what will happen after three years. He was wondering that he might have to come on the road begging. All his life he was a respectable trader. How will he be able to extend his hands before others for help!

Getting overwhelmed by satanic fears and doubts he consumed poison and committed suicide.

There are umpteen such examples that can be recounted. One instance is sufficient to impress that Satan influences the human heart during such adversities.

Generally we hear that a particular student has committed suicide because of failing his examination. We also hear that a youth ended his life after losing an important competition.

We might say that man is under the pressure of satanic fears and despite all efforts he is unable to catch the devil by his horns. He is literally helpless. .

But we say that this weakness is because of the total absence and lack of faith, or paucity of faith, on Almighty Allah (S.w.T.). Such persons don't have total faith that Allah (S.w.T.) is the Absolute Sustainer; all the bounties of this world have been provided by Him. Man grabs these bounties with both hands, but instead of thanking Him, he generally is ungrateful. He values causes more than the circumstances

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and instead of depending on Allah (S.w.T.) (Tawakkul) he pursues the causes and forgets that death and destruction are obvious.

urinating in the direction of the Qibla. Instead of politely advising the person that the act is prohibited (Haram) and impressing upon him the sanctity of the direction in which the Ka’aba or Qibla is situated, he starts haranguing him. He sees another person urinating in a standing posture and tells him angrily that he was doing it like a dog instead of politely telling him that this way the urine, which is unclean (Najis) would splash on his trousers and limbs and the right way is to do it in a sitting posture. If the person thinks that by such impolite and hurting behavior he is doing Nahi ‘anil Munkar, stopping someone from doing the prohibited (Haram), he is the guilty of the Munkar himself by adopting the impolite and hurting manner of trying to reform the persons.

listen to his reading and both will derive felicity from the act. But the main intent of Satan here will be to dominate his psyche to make a show of his good voice and prowess at the recitation of the Book and feel proud at the appreciation and accolades from others. This way, instead of earning the Goodwill of Allah (S.w.T.), he will become the subject of His ire and deprive himself of the Reward for the Mustahab act!

the same proportion his status diminishes. As a result the steps of the pulpit become the way to Hell for him and the arch the pit of Hell.

the Commands of Allah (S.w.T.), then he should beware of satanic doubts and perform the act purely for the pleasure of Allah (S.w.T.). This is very necessary because Satan is always on a lookout for opportunities to disrupt the prayers of the person for coming near to Allah (S.w.T.).

he is your open enemy (Sura Ya Sin, 36:60)

Therefore, one who has Faith in Allah (S.w.T.), His Prophet (S) and the Qur’an, should deem it necessary to be a sworn enemy of Satan and abhor friendship with him.

It is very clear from these discussions that friendship with Satan means getting dominated by the doubts created by him and following his dictates. Enmity of Satan means defying his temptations and keeping steadfast on the Commandments of Allah (S.w.T.).

Ibn Sa’d, who was a worldly person greedy of power, committed the satanic act of fighting with Imam Husayn (a.s.) to get the emirate of Rayy as reward from the accursed Yazid. But he refused to accept the Rahmani thought conveyed by his father Saad b. al-Waqqas through his friend Kamil. The details of this are mentioned in the books of Maqatil.

the unjust that shall have the painful punishment.’ (Sura Ibrahim, 14:22)

On the Day of Judgement, when the people destined for the Hell complain to Satan about the way he tempted and misled them, he will say, “Whatever promises Allah made to you were right and whatever I promised was absolutely wrong but it was your mistake that you trusted my promises. I have never forced you into anything but only invited you to sin and you complied with the invitation. Why do you now make me the target of your complaints? Today neither can anyone help you nor do I have any use of you. In the world you treated me equal to Allah and now your fate is to bear the hardships of Hell.”

Satan thus played a dominating role in the destruction of man by tempting him to yield to the carnal desires. In other words, the internal enemy of man, the desires, and Satan, the external enemies join hands and render him helpless.

are the victims whom You have promised to relieve of their hardships.”

Another supplication of the Imam (a.s.) goes like this:

“Because of suspicion and weakness of faith Satan took my reins in his hands. I am scared of his bad company and my psyche is in his evil clutches. I seek Your protection from his evil dominance and plead humbly to free me from Satan's treacherous dominance.”

forced into loneliness with Zulaikha is full of lessons for people. To save himself from the temptations of Zulaikha, Hadrat Yusuf (a.s.) lamented and pleaded with Allah (S.w.T.), and Allah (S.w.T.) saved him from the calamity in a wondrous manner. A complete Chapter of the Holy Qur’an has been earmarked to relate this episode that people take lesson from it and in times of difficulty follow the footsteps of Hadrat Yusuf (a.s.). This Chapter of the Qur’an is a beacon for achieving felicity and guidance for people

لَقَدْ کَانَ فِی قَصَصِهِمْ عِبْرَهٌ لِّأُوْلِی الأَلْبَابِ

In their histories there is certainly a lesson for men of understanding. (Sura Yusuf, 12:111)

It is appropriate that we dwell briefly on the episode of Hadrat Yusuf (a.s.).

much she tried, she did not meet with any success. She tried much to entice him with her charms and beauty. She only got back only quiet and disinterest from Yusuf (a.s.) in return.

succumb to her charms. It is true that there was nothing to protect him other than Allah (S.w.T.)'s help !

But Yusuf, whose heart was full of Allah (S.w.T.)'s love, didn't comply with the carnal wish of the queen of Egypt and his feet remained firm on the path of righteousness. He pleaded with Allah (S.w.T.), lamenting, for His help against the machination of Satan.

protected himself from all the temptations of Zulaikha. In fact to save himself against her advances, he ran towards the bolted door. Zulaikha at the height of her carnal desire pulled at the shirt of Yusuf (a.s.) from behind. Hadrat Yusuf (a.s.) was successful in getting out of the door but his shirt was torn from the back because Zulaikha was pulling it with extreme ferocity. When both of them emerged from the room, they found Aziz standing in front of them.

Zulaikha took the initiative, to prove herself innocent, told to her husband, Aziz, that Yusuf (a.s.) was trying to molest her and that he should be put into prison.

Now Yusuf (a.s.) had to tell the truth. He told Aziz, the King of Egypt that Zulaikha herself was nursing foul intentions.

A babe in the cradle spoke, with the wish of Allah (S.w.T.), and said that if Yusuf (a.s.)'s shirt was torn from the front then he is guilty of what Zulaikha is accusing him of. But he was running away from her to save himself, and she was trying to prevent him from going away by holding his shirt from the back then it would be torn only at the back. In this event, he is not guilty of the act that Zulaikha is accusing him of. This witness went in favour of Yusuf (a.s.) and Allah (S.w.T.) has relieved him of the trouble.

کَذَلِکَ لِنَصْرِفَ عَنْهُ السُّوءَ وَالْفَحْشَاء إِنَّهُ مِنْ عِبَادِنَا الْمُخْلَصِینَ

..Thus (it was) that We might turn away

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from him evil and indecency, surely he was one of Our sincere servants. (Sura Yusuf, 12:24)

prison rather than succumbing to their overtures. Allah (S.w.T.) answered his prayer and saved him from the intrigue of those women.

(a.s.) said, “Allah is Beneficent and Great. He doesn't disappoint anyone. With a true heart and total dedication think of Him and you can achieve your desires with His help.”(1)

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