Abode of Wisdom

💠Ayatollah Bahjat💠:

📍"If we understand that life lived based on the values, knowledge, supplications, and orders and guidance of AhlulBayt (peace be with them), [then] our work is complete and perfect;

📍however, what should we do when sometimes we have likings for this and that (petty things)?!"

📚Dar Mahzar Bahjat, vol. 3, p. 67

☑️Commentary: obedience, submission, and wayfaring on the path of AhlulBayt to the AhlulBayt requires full diligence and awareness of oneself and one's surroundings. Simple distractions in which we find tendencies to like, desire, or be passionate about short lived worldly objects will hinder us and may prevent us from attaining the state of perfect human being, or a true follower of Prophet Muhammad and his progeny (peace be with them), who transcends beyond the materialistic realm and enters a state of spiritual enlightenment and near proximity to the Source of eternity, God.

@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

3-- In order to avoid such ills, one can found centers for intellectual thought and hold religious sermons. The language of the modern times should be taken into account. Hence, the positives and negatives of western social contract should be pointed out. These should be distinguished from the nature of the religious concepts. The consequences of the negatives and cons of such societies, as well as the fraud of their short-term benefits, should be explained. For it is certain that the more a human being depends on civil society and personal abilities, without connecting to God through worship or remembrance which manifests in action, the more aspects of error become apparent due to this overindulgence. This is sure to reflect upon those societies. If this were to be analyzed and its consequences were to be presented properly, on the one hand, and if the instincts regarding the need for the Absolute Creator – the One toward whom all souls direct themselves – were to be awakened, on the other hand; and if this all were to be coupled with clear-cut proof that the Islamic faith is the truth, this would yield a secure perimeter for the Muslim youth. For others, it would also be a deep signifier indicating the correctness and authenticity of our beliefs.
It is also no secret that reviving the commemoration rituals of Imam Husain (pbuh) has a role in the conscience and depth of the Islamic cause, generally, in the hearts of people and specifically in the school of Ahl-ul-Bayt (peace be upon them) as well. Indeed, generally, societies empathize with the ideals and values which are embodied in the struggle of individuals. In the moments of a human’s interaction with the lofty values manifested in certain stands and actions, the darkness of concepts gained unwillingly or unconsciously due to indulging in a particular way of life is removed from one’s self. This shaking within the souls is a result of the ring (sounded) by the tragedy of the Master of Martyrs, with all of its authentic factors (at play). From the side of Imam Husain and his family (peace be upon them) to what they faced from his enemies who claimed to follow his faith. This will remove those souls from the cloak of plunging to obey evil, such as hoarding, greed, and love of debasing desires, and drag them compellingly to stand in line with the call of humanity’s innate nature. (The call will have them) join up with the caravan of virtue, honor, and lofty meanings with Imam Husain (peace be upon him) and his companions. After which, a human being would not accept for him/herself a surface-level faith which is polluted with sins and faults.

It should be noted that reviving the commemoration rituals of Imam Husain (peace be upon him) is the best guarantee for raising the young generation with religious values and virtues. That is because these (rituals) include practices beloved to their souls. Indeed, the actions of the limbs solidify the gains of their hearts for them.

@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

💠Ayatollah Bahjat💠:

📍"If we understand that life (should be) lived based on the values, knowledge, supplications, and orders and guidance of AhlulBayt (peace be with them), [then] our work is complete and perfect;

📍however, what should we do when sometimes we have likings for this and that (petty things)?!"

📚Dar Mahzar Bahjat, vol. 3, p. 67

☑️Commentary: obedience, submission, and wayfaring on the path of AhlulBayt to the AhlulBayt requires full diligence and awareness of oneself and one's surroundings. Simple distractions in which we find tendencies to like, desire, or be passionate about short lived worldly objects will hinder us and may prevent us from attaining the state of perfect human being, or a true follower of Prophet Muhammad and his progeny (peace be with them), who transcends beyond the materialistic realm and enters a state of spiritual enlightenment and near proximity to the Source of eternity, God.

@AbodeofWisdom

🍃🌸🍃🌸🍃🌸🍃🌸🍃🌸🍃🌸🍃🌸
Spiritual Wayfaring Topic 3

💠 Sin causes good deeds to be nullified

🍃 If someone performs good deeds abundantly, but considers himself unrestricted with regards to committing sins and does not exercise self-control through constant watchfulness of the self (muraqabah) his good deeds would definitely be eliminated by those sins.

🍃 It is learnt from the Quran and teachings of the Ahlul Bayt (peace be with them) that committing sins destroys the actions that were performed to seek Allah's proximity, such that it nullifies their effect.

🍃 This is just as though someone consumes healthy, nutritious food on one side and at the same time, intakes unhealthy and harmful food. This neutralizes the good effects of the healthy food.

🍃 Hence, the first stage of faith in light of the teachings of Ahlul Bayt is the issue of performing the obligations (Wājib) and refraining from forbidden acts (Harām), with extraordinary emphasis and focus on avoiding the Harām. In one narration, it is said:

💠“Faith is not present in one who commits a sin."

🍃 This means that until one does not seek forgiveness after having committed sins, faith would not enter his heart.

Similarly, Imam Baqir (peace be with him) says:

💠"How great are the good deeds after sins, and how ugly are the bad deeds after good deeds."

The Prophet has also said:

💠"Refraining from sins precedes the performance of good deeds."

📱@AbodeofWisdom

🍃 Sins nullify the good deeds. But it is important to note that if one ends up committing a sin, he should not give in to despair and say to himself, “Now that I have committed a sin, there is no point in performing good deeds!"

🍃 This is a whisper of Shaytan, who wants the servant of Allah to distance himself completely from Him, and through the excuse of having slipped (sinned unintentionally), keep one away from committing good deeds.

🍃 Imam was once asked, “A person commits sins and sometimes performs good deeds as well. Is this beneficial for him?"

Imam (peace be with him) replied,

💠"His good deeds will eventually result in him forsaking his bad deeds.”

🍃 As mentioned earlier, performing good deeds alongside heedlessness and committing sins is like consuming nutritious food alongside harmful foods.

🍃 This is just like a smoker, who doesn’t reduce his intake of healthy food although he is aware of the ills of smoking, for he also understands that the negative effects of the cigarette are reduced by the consumption of healthy food.

🍃 In any case, *the reality of sin is distancing oneself from the Almighty Allah*. This is a warning that sin and transgression deprives man of divine absolute perfection and the acquisition of desirable traits.

🍃 This reality is hard to bear for someone seeking perfection, and for this reason, all the stages have been mentioned in the supplications taught by Ahl al-Bayt so that everyone may benefit from them in accordance to his own level of belief and different states.

📚 Āyatollāh Tahriri, Commentary on Monājāt e Taibeen, pg 52-54

📱@AbodeofWisdom

🍃🌸🍃🌸🍃🌸🍃🌸🍃🌸🍃🌸🍃🌸
Spiritual Wayfaring Topic 4

💠 Minor Sins: The Basis for Greater Sins

🍃 In this whispered prayer (munājāt), Imam Sajjad (peace be with him) informs us of the multiple effects of sins in three stages.

🍃 He warns us that whenever our souls incline towards satanic or animalistic desires, right away, we should pay attention to these negative effects of sins, and be aware that the result of acting upon these desires is the (spiritual) death of our hearts.

🍃 Of course, in the presence of God, committing any sin, big or small, is a grate offense, because He is the Superior Being, and the smallest sin before such greatness and magnanimity is a crime and treachery.

The Prophet (peace be with him and his progeny) says:

*لَا تَنْظُرُوا إِلَى صِغَرِ الذَّنْبِ وَ لَكِنِ انْظُرُوا إِلَى مَنِ اجْتَرَأْتُم*

💠 "Do not look at the smallness of the sin; rather, look against whom you have had the audacity (to disobey)."

In another tradition he says:

*إِنَّ الْمُؤْمِنَ لَيَرَى ذَنْبَهُ كَأَنَّهُ صَخْرَةٌ يَخَافُ أَنْ تَقَعَ عَلَيْهِ وَ إِنَّ الْكَافِرَ يَرَى ذَنْبَهُ كَأَنَّهُ ذُبَابٌ مَرَّ
عَلَى أَنْفِه*

💠 "Certainly, the believer sees his sin as if it is a boulder, which he is afraid will fall on him; whereas, the disbeliever sees his sin as if it is a fly that passed by his nose."

🍃 The Qur’an and the traditions categorize sins into minor and greater, and the effects of each sin - in this world and the next - are described to us. However, in the aforementioned traditions, the Prophet wants us to increase in our understanding of the Absolute Greatness of Allah.

🍃 The more our understanding of God’s greatness and the signs of His existence increases, and we realise the immense blessings that God has endowed upon us, our audacity to disobey God lessens.

The Prophet says:

*إِنَّ إِبْلِيسَ رَضِيَ مِنْكُمْ بِالْمُحَقَّرَاتِ وَ الذَّنْبُ الَّذِي لَا يُغْفَرُ قَوْلُ الرَّجُلِ لَا أُؤَاخَذُ بِهَذَا الذَّنْبِ اسْتِصْغَاراً لَهُ*

💠 "Certainly, Satan is satisfied with you because of small sins, since sins that are not forgiven are those about which the sinner says, I will not be reprimanded for this sin due to its smallness.”

📱@AbodeofWisdom

Imam Redha (peace be with him) says:

*«الصَّغَائِرُ مِنَ الذُّنُوبِ طُرُقٌ إِلَى الْكَبَائِرِ وَ مَنْ لَمْ يَخَفِ اللَّهَ فِي الْقَلِيلِ لَمْ يَخَفْهُ فِي الْكَثِيرِ»*

💠 "Lesser sins pave the way for greater sins; thus, the one who is not afraid of God in committing lesser sins, will not be afraid of him in committing greater sins."

🍃 It is for this reason that we must always be cautious and by understanding the nature of our relation to Allah, we should continuously pay attention to our smallness before Him.

🍃 Of the most important acts in order to achieve this, are:

🍁- Set some time to be with Allah in solitude.
🍁- Be attentive towards one’s spiritual obstacles.
🍁- Supplicate to Allah and plead with him.
🍁- Find ways to get rid of these spiritual obstacles.
🍁- Constantly seek help from Allah and His Awliya (close servants of Allah) on this path.

🍃 Death of the heart has different levels, which depend on one’s cognizance (ma’refat) of Allah and the type of sin committed.

🍃 If one continues to disobey Allah, it is possible for his heart to die, such that it would never be brought back to life again. This is why in munājāt al-Tāebīn, Imām Sajjād (peace be with him) requests Allah to grant life to his heart.

📚 Āyatollāh Tahrīrī, Commentary on Munājāt al-Ta’ebīn , pg 65 - 69

📱@AbodeofWisdom

🍃🌸🍃🌸🍃🌸🍃🌸🍃🌸🍃🌸🍃🌸

Spiritual WayfaringTopic 5:

💠 The necessity of hope and belief in God’s acceptance of repentance

🍃 God Almighty has established repentance so that man can constantly work towards reforming himself and if he stumbles (at any point) he does not become afflicted by a state of despair from self-reform, such that he would think: “It is all over! We have no way of reaching the good life (hayāt-e tayyebah) any more...”

🍃 God Almighty has set out different ways for his servants to pay attention to and connect with Him. Since the real life of man, after having committed sins, begins with repentance and observance of the limits and boundaries of God, in order to achieve this real life, a correct spiritual attention towards God is required.

🍃 And from among the most important standpoints is that a servant considers God accepting of himself i.e. accepting of repentance, and believes in His word, where He says:

*«وَهُوَ الَّذِي يَقْبَلُ التَّوْبَةَ عَنْ عِبَادِهِ وَيَعْفُو عَنِ السَّيِّئَاتِ»*

💠“And He is the one who accepts the repentance of His servant and pardons the evils.” [Shoora:25]

🍃 If man does not manage to achieve this perspective and does not have this reliance on God, he will never be pulled towards God. It is because of this that the issue of needing God to turn to His servant has been stated in this supplication and in other supplications, where it says:

💠“Make my heart alive by Your turning to me.”

God Almighty also states in the Holy Quran: _“Then he turned towards them so that they repent.”_ [Tawbah:118]

🍃 Of course, repenting and returning to God does not have special rituals and customs nor does it require cumbersome effort.

🍃 God’s mercy and love is so embracing of His wrongful servants that reconciliation with Him does not require so much effort and pleading and begging.

🍃 Rather, the simple act of acknowledging one’s mistakes, shortcomings, and neglect, accompanied by a sense of shame and embarrassment of them is in itself God’s turning to His servant.

🍃 It is by instilling this awareness that God prevents the continuity of His neglect. It is for this reason that man must value this state and try to meet the conditions of repentance.

📚 Āyatollāh Tahrīrī, Commentary on Monājāt-ut Ta’ebīn , pg 73 - 74

📱@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

💠Ayatollah Bahjat💠:

📍"If we understand that life (should be) lived based on the values, knowledge, supplications, and orders and guidance of AhlulBayt (peace be with them), [then] our work is complete and perfect;

📍however, what should we do when sometimes we have likings for this and that (petty things)?!"

📚Dar Mahzar Bahjat, vol. 3, p. 67

☑️Commentary: obedience, submission, and wayfaring on the path of AhlulBayt to the AhlulBayt requires full diligence and awareness of oneself and one's surroundings. Simple distractions in which we find tendencies to like, desire, or be passionate about short lived worldly objects will hinder us and may prevent us from attaining the state of perfect human being, or a true follower of Prophet Muhammad and his progeny (peace be with them), who transcends beyond the materialistic realm and enters a state of spiritual enlightenment and near proximity to the Source of eternity, God.

@AbodeofWisdom

Prophet Mohammad’s Sermon of Sha’bāniyeh (peace be with him and his Progeny) خطبه شعبانيه
Part One

It has been reported from Imām Aba-l Hassan Ali ibn Mūsa-r Redha who narrated from his fathers from the leader of the believers Ali ibn-e Abi Talib (peace be with them) who said:

“One day the messenger of Allah (May Allah bless him and his progeny) addressed us and said:
‘O’ people! Indeed ahead of you is the blessed month of Almighty God;

A month of blessing, mercy and forgiveness. A month which with Allah is the best of months;

Its days, the best of days, its nights, the best of nights, and its hours, the best of hours. It is the month during which you are invited to be the guests of God and you are placed to be from people of Allah’s dignity

Each breath you take glorifies him; your sleep is worship, your deeds
are accepted and your supplications are answered.

So, invoke Allah, your Lord, with honest intentions and pure hearts to grant you success in fasting and reciting his Book in this month.

Therefor miserable is certainly the one who is deprived of Allah's forgiveness in this great month.
Remember the hunger and thirst of the day of Judgment with your hunger and thirst (while fasting); give alms to the needy and poor, Pay respect to your elders, have sympathy for your youngsters and maintain relations with your blood relatives.
Guard your tongues, close your eyes to the impermissible for your sight, close your ears to that which is forbidden to hear, show compassion and kindness to the orphans of people so compassion may be shown to your orphans.

Repent to Allah for your sins
and supplicate with raised hands at the times of prayer as these are the best times, during which Allah Almighty looks at His servants with mercy. And raise your hands to supplicate at the times of prayers for they are the best of times during which Allah the Almighty and Glorious looks towards His servants with mercy, answering them if they supplicate, responding them if they call Him, granting them if He is asked, and accepting if they entreat.

O People!
Indeed your souls are dependent on your deeds, so make it free by invoking Almighty God for forgiveness (Esteghfār). Your backs are heavily loaded from your sins, so lighten their loads by long prostrations. And know that Allah swears by His might that:
There is no punishment for the one who prays and prostrates and He shall not appall them from Hellfire on the day when man stands
before the Lord of the Worlds (the Doomsday).

O People! One who gives food after the sunset (Iftaar) to a fasting believer during this month will be like one who has freed a slave and his past sins will be forgiven.’

Some of the people who were there then asked the Prophet (God bless him and his progeny):

'Not all of us are able to invite those who are fasting?'

The Prophet replied: 'Keep yourself away from Hell-fire though it may consist of (even) half of a dried date or some water (if you have nothing else)'.

O’ People! One who has good morals (Akhlaq) during this month will be able to pass the bridge to Paradise (Siraat) on the day when feet will tend to slip. For anyone who during this month eases the workload of his servants, God will make easy his accounting, and for anyone who doesn't hurt others during this month, God will safeguard him from His Wrath on the Day of Judgment.

As for one who honors (take care) of an orphan during this month; God will honor him on that Day.

And for the one who treats his blood relatives (and connects ties with them) during this month, God will bestow His Mercy on him on that Day.

As for the one who cuts the ties of relation with his blood relatives; God will cut and keep away His mercy from him.

Whosoever performs recommended prayers in this month God will save him from Hell-fire. And whoever offers an obligatory prayer during this month, his reward will be seventy times the reward during other months.
@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

💠Ayatollah Bahjat💠:

📍"If we understand that life (should be) lived based on the values, knowledge, supplications, and orders and guidance of AhlulBayt (peace be with them), [then] our work is complete and perfect;

📍however, what should we do when sometimes we have likings for this and that (petty things)?!"

📚Dar Mahzar Bahjat, vol. 3, p. 67

☑️Commentary: obedience, submission, and wayfaring on the path of AhlulBayt to the AhlulBayt requires full diligence and awareness of oneself and one's surroundings. Simple distractions in which we find tendencies to like, desire, or be passionate about short lived worldly objects will hinder us and may prevent us from attaining the state of perfect human being, or a true follower of Prophet Muhammad and his progeny (peace be with them), who transcends beyond the materialistic realm and enters a state of spiritual enlightenment and near proximity to the Source of eternity, God.

@AbodeofWisdom