Abode of Wisdom

‌
The dog escapes from the pig and the pig from the infidel and the infidel from the hypocrites and the hypocrites run away from ignoring the prayer.

Therefore, Hazrat Ibrahim, according to the luminous text of the Holy Quran, prayed that my Allah and my generation should be in prayer, so that they should think all the time about worship, communication and prayer with Allah Almighty.‌

Continued from the last post regarding the Four Sermons delivered by Shaheed Ayatollah Mutahari on Ashura..

From Sermon 1:
"The people should get this expectation out of their heads and refrain from encouraging the kind of fictitious narratives which kill the soul of Karbala but work up the mourners into a frenzy. The people should hear the true narrative so that their understanding and level of thinking is elevated.

They should know that if a sentence creates a tremor in one's souls and attunes it with the spirit of Husayn ibn 'Ali and, as a result, one small tear were to come out of one's eyes, it is really a precious station. But tears drawn by the scenes of mere butchery, even if a deluge, are worthless.

They say that in one of the towns there was an eminent scholar who had some concern for the faith and who protested against these falsehoods, which are uttered from the minbar. He would say, “What are these abominable things that they say on the minbar?” One wa'iz (i.e. zakir) said to him, 'If we don't say these things we will have to shut down our shops right away!' That gentleman replied, 'These are mendacities and one must not utter them'".

-Ayatollah Murtudha Mutahari [The Four Sermons on Ashura]

@AbodeOfWisdom

Directives from the grand Ayatollah Shaykh Ishaq Fayyadh may God prolong his life, Relayed by his son, during his visit, to the Unites States of America in April 2012

2-- Because believers in some distant, western countries must necessarily coexist and deal with the peoples of those countries – with their various religions, the predominance of weak religious values, and being busy trying to develop material gains – they must take their precautions for themselves and pay attention to specify times and places to meet one another and revive the tenets of their faith. They should nominate individuals to teach the ignorant amongst them, to guide the misguided amongst them, and to convince those who depart (from the correct faith) through the use of clear evidence and the honorable religious legal rulings. (All of that should be done) in order to bring down (the hurdles of) hardship, such that the faith becomes their friend in their (environment which is) foreign (to the faith). If they do not do this, there is a fear that they may dissolve in the midst of such societies. Their religious spirit may be lost. Following one’s whims, as well as ignorance, may dominate. Consequently, this will lead to the birth of generations amongst them who are distant from religious values. They will lose themselves, and their families and relatives along with them.

@AbodeofWisdom

💠💠💠💠💠💠💠💠💠💠💠💠
The Significance of Sincere Deeds
(God doesn't accept deeds mixed with title, name, and logo stamped across it)
💠💠💠💠💠💠💠💠💠💠💠💠

Ayatollah Musawi Ardabili's Barzakh Experience, narrated by his close friend (Asghar Fardi):

Some time later, I heard that Hajj Aghaye (Ardabili) had a brain stroke and was sent to the hospital. I heard that at that time, Agha Ardabili had a heart attack, but he recovered. Then again, after a while, he had another heart attack but lived it, surprising the doctors. It was most likely that his remaining energy would collapse him again. I spoke to Dr. Ghulamreza Shāfi'i, who was the head of the operation, made an appointment with him and so we visited Ayatollah Ardabili (at his home when recovered). Hajj Aghaye (Ardabili) was present in his home in Tehran resting. When we arrived, Agha Muhammadi Gūlpāykāni was also present, having arrived before us. After some time sitting with Hajj Aghaye (Ardabili), we decided to leave because visiting the sick shouldn't be too long. We stood up and Hajj Agha bid farewell to all of us, including Aghaye Shafi'i. As we were all leaving, Hajj Agha told me to stay. So I sat on the pillow mat and Hajj Agha then relayed to me that he wanted to share with me his unique experience.

"When I had the brain stroke, I left the world for a short time but I still remembered what happened in that short time."

Agha then requested at this moment not to disclose his experience to others (now that he has passed away, I will share it, for it was a grand experience and a lesson for all).

He then said: "when I realized I had left this (material) world, I called out my eldest son's name to be (more) certain that I was not in the material world. They (Angels) said he is in the other world. I then called out my second son's name, and they (Angels) replied again that I was in a different realm and he is located in the material realm.

At that time, they asked me what I had brought with me. So I then pondered for a moment, concentrating and wondering, because I had to bring to mind my actions from the (material) world.

I then said, 'I wrote for the first time in Shi'i history, a compilation and analyzation in depth about "Penalty (in islam)". The Angels said, 'you did that in order to brag that you are the first one to write (about that topic) in Shi'a history'. My desperation got intense.

I then said, 'I established the largest university in regards to Islamic Sciences'. They replied, 'you also established that deed because you couldn't attain other (social) ranks'.

I then said that I was the founder of Ameeril Mo'mineen center, and they yet again rejected.

I thought to myself, maybe my life-long years spent guiding the people at Ameeril Mo'mineen mosque would have been my salvation today, but did they?

At that instance, I remembered that one night, as I exited the masjid after Maghrib and Isha prayers, an old lady approached me and pleaded that her daughter had a suitor, and if she wasn't to be married then she and the rest of them would be grounded at home (by their financial situation), and surely she would have no energy to undergo such circumstances. I took the chance right away and invited her to my home where I relayed the situation to my wife, then introduced her. I told my wife to help this old lady from our savings and not from the religious funds (khums), in order that she may arrange her daughters wedding.

As I finished telling the Angels this account, they exclaimed: 'Yes! This is accepted. Because of this (pristinely sincere) deed, we'll forgive all the other (deeds)'.

As Aghaye Ardabili was narrating this experience segment by segment, he was shaking and crying like an orphan. Finally, he said, 'someone after one lifetime of struggle (with the soul and people), preaching, research, quoting of Imams (peace be with them all), did not come to hand (and help me succeed). Instead, one small (sincere) deed was what came to my aid'".

@AbodeofWisdom
💠💠💠💠💠💠💠💠💠💠💠💠

💠A Small Promise

Hojjatol Islam wal Muslimeen Jawad Ajayee (husband of the Beheshti family's daughter) narrates:

"In the year 1956, we were with Hajj Agha Beheshti in Mashad.. at a family event with our family. Shahid Bahonar entered my home in Mashad, and asked if Shahid Beheshti was home. I said yes. When Shahid Bahonar saw Shahid Beheshti, he said 'some friends asked if you were in Mashad, so I came to take you to our gathering'.

Hajj Agha Beheshti replied, 'is 8 pm tomorrow night good?' I said: 'what are you doing now (which makes you unavailable)? He said, 'I have promised my wife and kids to take them to the park'. When he heard this, Shahid Bahonar became angry and in result his face turned red. He then said, 'we have gathered to sit with you, and you decide to take your family to the park?' Aghaye Beheshti said, 'it is as I said'. Shahid Bahonar then said, 'let Aghaye Ajayee (me) take the family instead'. Aghaye Beheshti replied, 'I have promised that I take them to the park'.

The next day at the gathering, Shahid Bahonar and Ayatollah Mahdawi Kani told Aghaye Beheshti that 'the brothers had gathered to meet you when they were released from prison, and you took your family to the park?' Aghaye Beheshti stated: 'friends, isn't it true that we want to initiate a revolution? (Hence) in this revolution we are promising to people (a proper system of governance). If we are unable to fulfill the (small) promises that we give to our wives and kids, how will we then fulfill (large and weighty) promises of this revolution? I believe that this is a special principle of the revolution, that if we promise even our toddlers, we must not neglect its conditions and or ignore it. However, when we do promise we must think if it is doable or not'".

@AbodeofWisdom

✔️Ayatollah Fadlullah:

⭕️"Keeping to emotions, but separated from reason, may lead to repeating the tragedy that Imam al- Hussein (a.s.) experienced!

🔹His tragedy did not stem from a lack of emotions amongst the Muslims towards him, for their hearts were beating with love for him, but it was a blind, superficial love that did not stem from a depth of knowledge, will and suffering; therefore when they found themselves facing the sacrifice of their interests, possessions or desires, love went away and interest and possessions had the upper hand. Al-Farazdaq, the poet, described the situation that the people of Kufa, who went out to fight al-Hussein (a.s.), experienced, by saying to al-Hussein (a.s.): ‘Their hearts are with you (but) their swords are against you’(12). We should love al-Hussein (a.s.) with awareness, reason and suffering, not in a superficial and frenzied way that is short-lived, and ends when it faces reality and challenges.

🔸This requires awareness of all content from which Ashoora proceeded, which are the content of Islam. In light of these points that make the aspect of thought in commemoration a vital and necessary matter, and in light of what we have said regarding the necessity of strongly preserving the aspect of emotions of Ashoora, we emphasize again that the emotions issue has human dimensions, and Islamic spirit, rich in effects and benefits, and gives thought vitality, releases it from its stagnation, leads it to activity and turns it from a static state into a state of belief and consciousness, and strengthens the person’s relationship with all its aspects and issues, something that makes the thought – in the particulars of the principle, the individual and one’s stance – become similar to feelings, related to consciousness so that this gives it some strength and firmness inside the soul and outside in life.

🔹We emphasize that adopting both emotions and thought is what achieves for the message its deep content in a man’s awareness and deeds, so that the thought develops into a belief and the belief develops into love or otherwise through the interaction between the mind and the heart.

🔸This is what we can draw from the concept of love towards God’s chosen individuals and hatred towards God’s enemies in Islamic belief as being a proof of seriousness and faithfulness, as it is to be noted that the goal here – which is expressed in the slogans of Ashoora – has to conform with the means of commemoration and that the content acts within the circle of religious adherence. Once again we say:

we have to educate our hearts as we do our minds, to educate our hearts with the culture of emotion, because if the heart fails to find the correct direction in emotions, this can destroy one’s life.

🔹If we proceed from a superficiality in our love and offer it to whomever is not worthy of it, this person might suffer a deeply concealed corruption that would destroy our lives in the future; similarly if we hate someone not on objective basis, he might be a good person in his depth and so our hatred of him would deprive us of the good he can offer. We have to rationalize our emotions so that they operate on the basis of awareness and proceed from the depth, not from the surface, and not allow our emotions to run out of control or to become childish in nature and deed".

📚Reference
-["Ashoora: an Islamic Perspective" by Ayatollah Fadlullah]

@AbodeofWisdom

Letter of Imam Ali to Malik-e Ashtar
(Part Seven)

The ruler cannot acquit himself of the obligations laid on him by Allah in this matter except by striving and seeking help from Allah, by training himself to adhere to righteousness and by enduring on that account all that is light or hard.

1. The Army

🍁Put in command of your forces the man who in your view is the best well-wisher of Allah, His Prophet and your Imam. The most chaste of them in heart and the highest of them in endurance is one who is slow in getting angry, who accepts excuses, who is kind to the weak and is strict with the strong; violence should not raise his temper and weakness should not keep him sitting.

🍁Also associate with considerate people from high families, virtuous houses and decent traditions, then people of courage, valor, generosity and benevolence because they are repositories of honor and springs of virtues. Strive for their matters as the parents strive for their child.

🍁Do not regard anything that you do to strengthen them as big nor anything that you have agreed to do for them as little, even though it may be small because this would make them your well-wishers and create a good impression about you.

🍁Do not neglect to attend to their small matters. Confine yourself to their important matters because your small favors will also be of benefit to them while the important ones are such that they cannot ignore.

🍁That commander of the army should have such a status before you that he renders help to them equitably and spends from his money on them and on those of their families who remain behind so that all their worries converge on the one worry to fight the enemy.

@AbodeofWisdom

We notice in several Ayahs a call for man to look into the effects of the past people and study how they rebelled, how they failed and the chastisement Allah punished them with due to the rebellion they demonstrated against Allah and His messengers. Allah says: “Therefore travel in the land, then see what was the end of the rejecters” (16:36), and: “So how many a town did We destroy while it was unjust, so it was fallen down upon its roofs, and (how many a) deserted well and palace raised high. Have they not travelled in the land so that they should have hearts with which to understand…” (22:46) and: “Have they not travelled in the earth and seen how the end of those before them was? They were stronger than these in prowess, and dug up the earth, and built on it in greater abundance than these have built on it, and there came to them their messengers with clear arguments; so it was not beseeming for Allah that He should deal with them unjustly, but they dealt unjustly with their own souls” (30:09) and several other Ayahs.

Therefore, in his sermon, Imam Ali (a.s.) was urging us to comprehend history by studying its experiences, for he said: “You should also fear what calamities befell peoples before you”, and calamities here are the punishments they received as a result of their deviation from the straight path, “on account of their evil deeds and detestable actions”, which they carried out and led to bad results, “so remember”, as we recall the past and try to grasp its effects and situations, “during good or bad circumstances what happened to them”, meaning to study all the positions of goodness they had and their results and all the positions of evil they had and their results, so as not to pass as mere memories and rather have stands whereby we deduce the right thoughts that establish goodness in one’s life. In the end, he called on us to “be cautious that we do not become like them”; i.e. not to follow them and adopt their methodology and consequently be entrapped with what they were entrapped with and suffer from what they suffered from. He continued to say: “After you have thought over both the conditions of these people, attach yourself to everything with which their position became honorable”, explaining the elements of goodness and success and how they upheld honor that is based on strength, for there is no such thing as honor without strength, be it a spiritual strength, a physical strength or the strength of one’s stand that prevents others from offending or ending him.

“On account of which enemies remained away from them”, so try to understand what kept the enemies far from them when they saw them arming themselves with strength, as well as with dignity and honor, “through which safety spread over them”, meaning that safety was reached after trials and after offenses having acquired the elements of honor, “by reason of which riches bowed before them”, for when they communicate and complement and strengthen each other, it would be natural that all the riches will be provided for them, for they increase through the development and investment process and as one attains gains and profits here and there, “and as a result of which privilege connected itself with their rope”, where Allah privileged them and showered them with His mercy, thus attaching this privilege to them.

“These things were abstention from division, sticking to unity”, and all that happened because they rejected division which could have disrupted their society and ended their unity. Division leads to each party standing against the other with all the aggressiveness and negativity entailed. And once this happens, the enemies will make use of that to destroy the society. So, the people here avoided division and stuck to unity, whilst opening their hearts to one another.

@AbodeofWidom

🌹Imam Ja'far al Sadiq (peace be with him) said:

📜O' Abd al-A'la... Give my greetings of peace and mercy of Allah to my Shi'a (followers), and tell them: Allah has mercy on the servant who incites love/affection in the people towards himself and to towards us [when attracting them towards Islam], by displaying to them that which they already like, and keeping from them that which they would reject".

🌹الإمام الصّادق (عليه السلام):

📜يا عبد الأعلى... فأقرئهم السلام و رحمة الله: يعني الشّيعة: و قل: قال لكم: رحم الله عبدا استجرّ مودّة الناس إليٰ نفسه و الينا، بأن يظهر لهم ما يعرفون و يكفّ عنهم ما ينكرون.

📚Mizan ul-Hikmah (ICAS press) p. 602
📚Bihar ul-Anwar vol. 2, p. 77

@AbodeofWisdom

We notice in several Ayahs a call for man to look into the effects of the past people and study how they rebelled, how they failed and the chastisement Allah punished them with due to the rebellion they demonstrated against Allah and His messengers. Allah says: “Therefore travel in the land, then see what was the end of the rejecters” (16:36), and: “So how many a town did We destroy while it was unjust, so it was fallen down upon its roofs, and (how many a) deserted well and palace raised high. Have they not travelled in the land so that they should have hearts with which to understand…” (22:46) and: “Have they not travelled in the earth and seen how the end of those before them was? They were stronger than these in prowess, and dug up the earth, and built on it in greater abundance than these have built on it, and there came to them their messengers with clear arguments; so it was not beseeming for Allah that He should deal with them unjustly, but they dealt unjustly with their own souls” (30:09) and several other Ayahs.

Therefore, in his sermon, Imam Ali (a.s.) was urging us to comprehend history by studying its experiences, for he said: “You should also fear what calamities befell peoples before you”, and calamities here are the punishments they received as a result of their deviation from the straight path, “on account of their evil deeds and detestable actions”, which they carried out and led to bad results, “so remember”, as we recall the past and try to grasp its effects and situations, “during good or bad circumstances what happened to them”, meaning to study all the positions of goodness they had and their results and all the positions of evil they had and their results, so as not to pass as mere memories and rather have stands whereby we deduce the right thoughts that establish goodness in one’s life. In the end, he called on us to “be cautious that we do not become like them”; i.e. not to follow them and adopt their methodology and consequently be entrapped with what they were entrapped with and suffer from what they suffered from. He continued to say: “After you have thought over both the conditions of these people, attach yourself to everything with which their position became honorable”, explaining the elements of goodness and success and how they upheld honor that is based on strength, for there is no such thing as honor without strength, be it a spiritual strength, a physical strength or the strength of one’s stand that prevents others from offending or ending him.

“On account of which enemies remained away from them”, so try to understand what kept the enemies far from them when they saw them arming themselves with strength, as well as with dignity and honor, “through which safety spread over them”, meaning that safety was reached after trials and after offenses having acquired the elements of honor, “by reason of which riches bowed before them”, for when they communicate and complement and strengthen each other, it would be natural that all the riches will be provided for them, for they increase through the development and investment process and as one attains gains and profits here and there, “and as a result of which privilege connected itself with their rope”, where Allah privileged them and showered them with His mercy, thus attaching this privilege to them.

“These things were abstention from division, sticking to unity”, and all that happened because they rejected division which could have disrupted their society and ended their unity. Division leads to each party standing against the other with all the aggressiveness and negativity entailed. And once this happens, the enemies will make use of that to destroy the society. So, the people here avoided division and stuck to unity, whilst opening their hearts to one another.

@AbodeofWidom

💠Āyatollāh Shahīd Motahari:

📍"[Either] we should say Islam, in its true reality, is present in the minds and souls of people, but that this understanding of Islam pushes these people (i.e. Muslims) backward [and this is used as one of the biggest arguments by most orientalists, in which they use only the outward deeds of common Muslims as proof of Islam’s fallibility].

📍Or, we must admit that the true reality of Islam is not (purely) present in our minds and souls, but that this predominant notion is present in our minds and souls as disfigured and deformed (from its true reality)".

📚”Dah Goftār”, p. 127

Note: perhaps, this displaying of the deformed form of religion and God through actions of Muslims leads others to misjudge Islam. Likewise, a great scholar once said: “a good tree is known from its fruits”.

In regard to this there is a saying from Imām Ja’far Šadiq where he said to invite others towards Islam (Qur’anic values and guidance of AhlulBayt) through actions and not the tongue. As a result of this, others will see Islam (Qur’anic values) in your actions.

@AbodeofWisdom

Remembrance of us, the household (Ahlulbayt), is a healing from problems, illnesses and the whispers of doubt.

~Master of believers Imām Ali
(peace be with him):

Commentary:
Imām Ali is referring to the remembrance of their entire lifestyle, which is based on Moraqebeh (struggles according to Qor’anic values). This struggle includes how they faced hardships and musibat (tragedies) as a result of living life according to values sourced from Qur'an and the messenger of God. Likewise, by remembering, we are striving to remind ourselves that as their followers, we should also live according to those values with no compromise.

Like expert swimmers, they were submerged in the sea, but didn’t drink from the ocean. Ahlulbayt lived in this world and used it, but never filled themselves up with lust and desires. @AbodeofWisdom

✔️Ayatollah Fadlullah:

⭕️"Keeping to emotions, but separated from reason, may lead to repeating the tragedy that Imam al- Hussein (a.s.) experienced!

🔹His tragedy did not stem from a lack of emotions amongst the Muslims towards him, for their hearts were beating with love for him, but it was a blind, superficial love that did not stem from a depth of knowledge, will and suffering; therefore when they found themselves facing the sacrifice of their interests, possessions or desires, love went away and interest and possessions had the upper hand. Al-Farazdaq, the poet, described the situation that the people of Kufa, who went out to fight al-Hussein (a.s.), experienced, by saying to al-Hussein (a.s.): ‘Their hearts are with you (but) their swords are against you’(12). We should love al-Hussein (a.s.) with awareness, reason and suffering, not in a superficial and frenzied way that is short-lived, and ends when it faces reality and challenges.

🔸This requires awareness of all content from which Ashoora proceeded, which are the content of Islam. In light of these points that make the aspect of thought in commemoration a vital and necessary matter, and in light of what we have said regarding the necessity of strongly preserving the aspect of emotions of Ashoora, we emphasize again that the emotions issue has human dimensions, and Islamic spirit, rich in effects and benefits, and gives thought vitality, releases it from its stagnation, leads it to activity and turns it from a static state into a state of belief and consciousness, and strengthens the person’s relationship with all its aspects and issues, something that makes the thought – in the particulars of the principle, the individual and one’s stance – become similar to feelings, related to consciousness so that this gives it some strength and firmness inside the soul and outside in life.

🔹We emphasize that adopting both emotions and thought is what achieves for the message its deep content in a man’s awareness and deeds, so that the thought develops into a belief and the belief develops into love or otherwise through the interaction between the mind and the heart.

🔸This is what we can draw from the concept of love towards God’s chosen individuals and hatred towards God’s enemies in Islamic belief as being a proof of seriousness and faithfulness, as it is to be noted that the goal here – which is expressed in the slogans of Ashoora – has to conform with the means of commemoration and that the content acts within the circle of religious adherence. Once again we say:

we have to educate our hearts as we do our minds, to educate our hearts with the culture of emotion, because if the heart fails to find the correct direction in emotions, this can destroy one’s life.

🔹If we proceed from a superficiality in our love and offer it to whomever is not worthy of it, this person might suffer a deeply concealed corruption that would destroy our lives in the future; similarly if we hate someone not on objective basis, he might be a good person in his depth and so our hatred of him would deprive us of the good he can offer. We have to rationalize our emotions so that they operate on the basis of awareness and proceed from the depth, not from the surface, and not allow our emotions to run out of control or to become childish in nature and deed".

📚Reference
-["Ashoora: an Islamic Perspective" by Ayatollah Fadlullah]

@AbodeofWisdom

💠A Small Promise

Hojjatol Islam wal Muslimeen Jawad Ajayee (husband of the Beheshti family's daughter) narrates:

"In the year 1956, we were with Hajj Agha Beheshti in Mashad.. at a family event with our family. Shahid Bahonar entered my home in Mashad, and asked if Shahid Beheshti was home. I said yes. When Shahid Bahonar saw Shahid Beheshti, he said 'some friends asked if you were in Mashad, so I came to take you to our gathering'.

Hajj Agha Beheshti replied, 'is 8 pm tomorrow night good?' I said: 'what are you doing now (which makes you unavailable)? He said, 'I have promised my wife and kids to take them to the park'. When he heard this, Shahid Bahonar became angry and in result his face turned red. He then said, 'we have gathered to sit with you, and you decide to take your family to the park?' Aghaye Beheshti said, 'it is as I said'. Shahid Bahonar then said, 'let Aghaye Ajayee (me) take the family instead'. Aghaye Beheshti replied, 'I have promised that I take them to the park'.

The next day at the gathering, Shahid Bahonar and Ayatollah Mahdawi Kani told Aghaye Beheshti that 'the brothers had gathered to meet you when they were released from prison, and you took your family to the park?' Aghaye Beheshti stated: 'friends, isn't it true that we want to initiate a revolution? (Hence) in this revolution we are promising to people (a proper system of governance). If we are unable to fulfill the (small) promises that we give to our wives and kids, how will we then fulfill (large and weighty) promises of this revolution? I believe that this is a special principle of the revolution, that if we promise even our toddlers, we must not neglect its conditions and or ignore it. However, when we do promise we must think if it is doable or not'".

@AbodeofWisdom

💠Āyatollāh Shahīd Motahari:

📍"[Either] we should say Islam, in its true reality, is present in the minds and souls of people, but that this understanding of Islam pushes these people (i.e. Muslims) backward [and this is used as one of the biggest arguments by most orientalists, in which they use only the outward deeds of common Muslims as proof of Islam’s fallibility].

📍Or, we must admit that the true reality of Islam is not (purely) present in our minds and souls, but that this predominant notion is present in our minds and souls as disfigured and deformed (from its true reality)".

📚”Dah Goftār”, p. 127

Note: perhaps, this displaying of the deformed form of religion and God through actions of Muslims leads others to misjudge Islam. Likewise, a great scholar once said: “a good tree is known from its fruits”.

In regard to this there is a saying from Imām Ja’far Šadiq where he said to invite others towards Islam (Qur’anic values and guidance of AhlulBayt) through actions and not the tongue. As a result of this, others will see Islam (Qur’anic values) in your actions.

@AbodeofWisdom

Continued from the last post regarding the Four Sermons delivered by Shaheed Ayatollah Mutahari on Ashura..

From Sermon 1:
"The people should get this expectation out of their heads and refrain from encouraging the kind of fictitious narratives which kill the soul of Karbala but work up the mourners into a frenzy. The people should hear the true narrative so that their understanding and level of thinking is elevated.

They should know that if a sentence creates a tremor in one's souls and attunes it with the spirit of Husayn ibn 'Ali and, as a result, one small tear were to come out of one's eyes, it is really a precious station. But tears drawn by the scenes of mere butchery, even if a deluge, are worthless.

They say that in one of the towns there was an eminent scholar who had some concern for the faith and who protested against these falsehoods, which are uttered from the minbar. He would say, “What are these abominable things that they say on the minbar?” One wa'iz (i.e. zakir) said to him, 'If we don't say these things we will have to shut down our shops right away!' That gentleman replied, 'These are mendacities and one must not utter them'".

-Ayatollah Murtudha Mutahari [The Four Sermons on Ashura]

@AbodeOfWisdom

✔️Ayatollah Fadlullah:

⭕️"Keeping to emotions, but separated from reason, may lead to repeating the tragedy that Imam al- Hussein (a.s.) experienced!

🔹His tragedy did not stem from a lack of emotions amongst the Muslims towards him, for their hearts were beating with love for him, but it was a blind, superficial love that did not stem from a depth of knowledge, will and suffering; therefore when they found themselves facing the sacrifice of their interests, possessions or desires, love went away and interest and possessions had the upper hand. Al-Farazdaq, the poet, described the situation that the people of Kufa, who went out to fight al-Hussein (a.s.), experienced, by saying to al-Hussein (a.s.): ‘Their hearts are with you (but) their swords are against you’(12). We should love al-Hussein (a.s.) with awareness, reason and suffering, not in a superficial and frenzied way that is short-lived, and ends when it faces reality and challenges.

🔸This requires awareness of all content from which Ashoora proceeded, which are the content of Islam. In light of these points that make the aspect of thought in commemoration a vital and necessary matter, and in light of what we have said regarding the necessity of strongly preserving the aspect of emotions of Ashoora, we emphasize again that the emotions issue has human dimensions, and Islamic spirit, rich in effects and benefits, and gives thought vitality, releases it from its stagnation, leads it to activity and turns it from a static state into a state of belief and consciousness, and strengthens the person’s relationship with all its aspects and issues, something that makes the thought – in the particulars of the principle, the individual and one’s stance – become similar to feelings, related to consciousness so that this gives it some strength and firmness inside the soul and outside in life.

🔹We emphasize that adopting both emotions and thought is what achieves for the message its deep content in a man’s awareness and deeds, so that the thought develops into a belief and the belief develops into love or otherwise through the interaction between the mind and the heart.

🔸This is what we can draw from the concept of love towards God’s chosen individuals and hatred towards God’s enemies in Islamic belief as being a proof of seriousness and faithfulness, as it is to be noted that the goal here – which is expressed in the slogans of Ashoora – has to conform with the means of commemoration and that the content acts within the circle of religious adherence. Once again we say:

we have to educate our hearts as we do our minds, to educate our hearts with the culture of emotion, because if the heart fails to find the correct direction in emotions, this can destroy one’s life.

🔹If we proceed from a superficiality in our love and offer it to whomever is not worthy of it, this person might suffer a deeply concealed corruption that would destroy our lives in the future; similarly if we hate someone not on objective basis, he might be a good person in his depth and so our hatred of him would deprive us of the good he can offer. We have to rationalize our emotions so that they operate on the basis of awareness and proceed from the depth, not from the surface, and not allow our emotions to run out of control or to become childish in nature and deed".

📚Reference
-["Ashoora: an Islamic Perspective" by Ayatollah Fadlullah]

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🌹Imam Ja'far al Sadiq (peace be with him) said:

📜O' Abd al-A'la... Give my greetings of peace and mercy of Allah to my Shi'a (followers), and tell them: Allah has mercy on the servant who incites love/affection in the people towards himself and to towards us [when attracting them towards Islam], by displaying to them that which they already like, and keeping from them that which they would reject".

🌹الإمام الصّادق (عليه السلام):

📜يا عبد الأعلى... فأقرئهم السلام و رحمة الله: يعني الشّيعة: و قل: قال لكم: رحم الله عبدا استجرّ مودّة الناس إليٰ نفسه و الينا، بأن يظهر لهم ما يعرفون و يكفّ عنهم ما ينكرون.

📚Mizan ul-Hikmah (ICAS press) p. 602
📚Bihar ul-Anwar vol. 2, p. 77

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