CHAPTER NINE
EXCERPTS FROM PIECES OF WISDOM AND INSTRUCTIONS
BY HIS HOLINESS GRAND AYATOLLAH BAHJAT
FIRST ADMONISHMENT
Praise to Allah alone, blessings unto the master of prophets, Muhammad, and his Progeny, the pure wasis, and a curse upon their enemies from the early generations and the last.
Those with reason know that the basis of the movement of beings is to know the engine needed for motion, i.e. knowing what causes movement, the mechanism of movement, what is connected to movement.
In other words, it is knowing the beginning and the end as well as the purpose behind the movement because beings undertake every moment towards a certain goal.
The difference between a man of knowledge and an ignorant person is knowledge of what is behind the events or not knowing how to deal with them, the variation of their positions in the succession. and whatever has anything to do with the different levels of their knowledge of initiation.
If we know what causes the movement, the good administration and wisdom through the system which dominates the movements, we will then focus on its creating and legislating will.
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So. congratulations to anyone who knows all of this, and woe unto anyone who does not!
Regarding the outcomes of these movements, an ignorant person will say, "How I wish I was never created!" whereas the knowledgeable person will say, "How I wish I am created seventy times so I may tread the path towards the pursuit then return and treat it anew and am martyred on the path of righteousness anew!" So, do not entertain regrets about your life.
I frankly say this: If one spends half his life remembering the One Who truly is the Grantor and spends the other half in indifference, that half [the first] is regarded as the most precious of the days of his lifetime, while the other half is considered to be among the days of his death. rather, worse than death, because death by itself neither harms nor benefits anyone.
A knowledgeable person obeys Allah, does whatever pleases Him, acts upon what he knows and is cautious about what he does not know till he gets to know. He is in a continuous state of getting to know. His deed, hence, is conjoined with the evidence, and his success, too. is conjoined with the absence of evidence. Can we obey Allah without arming ourselves with knowledge. and will our life's caravan reach the sought goal safely?
Can our existence originate from Allah while our weakness from anyone other than Him, the most Exalted One?! If so, the stimulating force does not last except to the believers and is not weakness except to others.
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Now, if we in this phase possess conviction, it is for the sake of applying these attributes and conditions. We must get to know that it is necessary to know that this resulting movement, from beginning to end, is an opposition to the false inner motivations. If this matter does not achieve all our aspirations. at least it suffices us to win the happiness of being connected with the pleasure of this supreme principle: "The best ration of one making the trip to you is the strength of determination.''
Praise to Allah firstly and lastly, and blessings unto Muhammad and his pure progeny, and a perpetual curse upon their enemies, all of them.
Holy Mashhad, Rabi' al-Awwal 1417
SECOND ADMONISHMENT
In the Name of the most Exalted One
I ask those who seek admonishment these questions: "Have you acted upon the admonishments which you have so far heard? Do you know that Allah Almighty lets one who acts upon what he knows inherit the knowledge of what he does not know? If one does not act upon what he knows, is it right that he expects more of such knowledge? Should the call to Allah be by the tongue {alone]? Did Allah not order us to be callers to Him but not with our tongues? Should we learn the reaching method or do we know it already?"
Can we obtain the answers to these questions in the following verse of the Holy Qur'an: "As for those who strive in Our (cause), We will certainly guide them to Our paths, for truly Allah is with those who do right" (Qur'an, 29:69)?
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And we can get it in the following tradition about the Infallible One (a.s): "Allah will let one who acts upon what he knows inherit the knowledge of what he does not know" and "One who acts upon what lie knows will be spared what he does not know."
May Allah grant us success to act upon our knowledge and to be cautious with regard to what we do not know. Indeed, my success comes only from Allah. Upon Him do I rely, and to Him do I return, and peace be with you, the mercy of Allah and His blessing.
Holy Mashhad
Rabi' al-Awwal 1417
THIRD ADMONISHMENT
In His Name, the most Exalted One
We all know that achieving the pleasure of Allah Almighty can be in adoring Him, in seeking nearness to Him, although He is rich in Himself and does not His ervants' conviction. We. therefore, know that the servants are the ones who need to get close to the One Who initiates all nice things, and they also need such nearness to continue.
We, therefore, know that our benefit from getting to be near to Him will be according to the degree of our involvement in remembering Him: The more we endeavor to obey and serve Him, the more we get closer to Him and we benefit from this nearness, and the difference between us and Salman the Persian. peace of Allah be with him, will be in the degree of such obedience and remembrance.
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We also know that there are deeds in this world with which we will be tested, and we have to know that these deeds, if pleasing to Allah Almighty, are regarded as service, obedience and adoration of the most Exalted and Great One.
We, therefore, have to know that remembering Allah and obeying Him must be our life's goal so we may reach the last degree of nearness to the Divine; otherwise, we will regret after we see how others reached lofty stations while we lagged behind from reaching our goal.
May Allah enable us to abandon being busy with doing anything but seeking His Pleasure. We so plead in the name of Muhammad and his Progeny, blessings of Allah with them all.
Holy Mashhad
Rabi al-Awwal 1417
FOURTH ADMONISHMENT
In His Name, the most Exalted One
I said. "All [Alpha]". He said, "Then what?" 1 said, "Nothing. This letter suffices whoever knows what it means."
I have repeatedly said and I once more say that if the Name of Allah is mentioned to someone. and he feels comfort upon hearing it, he needs no preaching because he knows what he should do and what he should not. I le knows he has to act upon what he knows and be cautious about doing what he does not know.
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And may peace be with you. the mercy of Allah and His blessing.
FIFTH ADMONISHMENT
In His Name, the most Exalted One
There is no dhikr better than the practical one, and there is no practical dhikr better than abandoning transgression in beliefs and deeds. It seems that abandoning transgression is not done only by absolute articulation but by continuous monitoring [of our actions].
Surely Allah is the One Who grants success.
The servant of Allah, Muhammad Taqi Bahjat
SIXTH ADMONISHMENT
In His Name, the most Exalted One
Anyone who believes in the Creator and in being fully conviced. believing in the prophets and wasis (blessings of Allah be with them all), seeking their help in belief and in action. regulating his movements and stillness according to their orders, ridding his heart of everything other than Allah in his adoration. praying to Allah with a sincere heart, being a follower of Imam al-Mahdi (may Allah hasten his reappearance) with regard to doubts, opposing those who oppose the Imam and agreeing with those who agree with the Imam. condemning those condemned by the Imam, seeking, mercy of Allah for those for whom the Imam seeks mercy (even in the general sense) ..., such an individual lacks no perfection, nor does lie bear any affliction.
The servant of Allah Muhammad Taqi Bahjat
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SEVENTH ADMONISHMENT
In His Name, the most Exalted One
There is a group that deals with admonishment and oratory through a treatment having an advance intention. It is as though they speak and listen in order to speak and hear. This is a serious mistake because teaching and learning are not independent of each other; rather, they are conducive to action. The Infallible Ones (a.s) are quoted as having said (in order to explain this matter and to encourage others to uphold it) the following: "Invite people to Allah but not with your tongues. Speak through action. Learn from action. Listen practically. The teacher should learn from the students how to teach."
We are often requested by some to pray for them, and when we ask them about the reason, they explain their pains to us. When we describe the medicine for them, they go back and repeat their request that we again pray for them instead of they act upon what we had prescribed for them. What a difference there is between what we tell them and what they want! They confuse the condition for [acceptance of] the supplication with the supplication itself We must not get out of the scope of our obligations. Rather, we must deduct conclusions from the deed because it is impossible for the deed to be the outcome, and it is also impossible for us to earn a result without undertaking an action.
I plead to Allah that we not only remain talkers but also doers. Do not undertake an action without knowing it. Let us stop where knowledge stops. And let us act upon what we know and be cautious about what we do not know till we come to know, for going this way has no room for regret.
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We must not look at each other. Instead, we must look at the notebook of the Shari' a, and let us follow its commandments while abandoning its prohibitions.
May peace, the mercy of Allah and His blessings be with you.
EIGHTH ADMONISHMENT
In His Name, the most Exalted One
Praise to Allah only, blessings upon the master of His prophets and upon his good Progeny, and may all their enemies be cursed.
A group of believing men and women has requested advice, and I see a number of confused issues about this request including the following :
1. Advice is provided about the particulars of matters, while admonishment is more general than totalities and particularities. Strangers do not advise each other.
2. "Allah will let one who acts upon what he knows inherit the knowledge of what he does not know". "One who acts upon what lie knows will be spared what he does not know." "As for those who strive in Our (cause), We will certainly guide them to Our paths, for truly Allah is with those who do right" (Qur'an, 29:69). Act upon what you know and be cautious regarding what you do not know till the matter becomes clear to you. If it is not clear to you, be informed that you did not act upon some knowledge. Objection stands against one who seeks admonishment but does not act upon it because it is certain he had heard some admonishments but did not act upon them; otherwise. the matter would have been clarified for him and he would have needed no admonishment.
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3. All people know they must read the "practical fatwas" and apply them to their actions and distinguish through them between what is permissible and what is prohibitive. So, they cannot say, "We do not know what we must do and what we must not."
4. Look at the deeds of those in whom you believe. Act upon what they do with your own choice, and stop doing what they prohibit with your own choice. This is the best way to reach lofty goals. "invite people to Allah but not with your tongues." Admonishments through actins are better and much more effective than oral admonishments.
5. Obviously, daily recitation of the Qur'an and of appropriate supplications in times and places as well as supplications after prayers, frequent visits to mosques and sacred places, visiting scholars and righteous men and keeping them company are among the matters which please Allah and His Messenger. One who performs these deeds can expect an increase in insight and feel happy with adoration, ziyara and recitation day after day. The opposite is also true; i.e.. keeping company with indifferent people increases one's cruelty and makes a servant feel uncomfortable with acts of adoration and ziyara. Keeping company with those whose conviction is weak causes it to he impossible to reach the high degrees and lofty spiritual conditions which result from acts of adoration, ziyaras and recitations; rather, it leads to worse conditions. So, keeping company with those weak in conviction makes one lose his good faculties. Keeping them company increases one's desire to follow their corrupt manners with the exception of sitting with those whom one has to accompany or sitting with someone in order to show him the right guidance. "Keep company with those seeing whom reminds you of Allah and increases your knowledge, and those whose deeds make you desire the Hereafter."
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6. It is obvious that abandoning transgression in belief and in action makes one need nothing else. Anything else needs them. while they do not need anything else: rather, they increase good deeds and prevent bad ones. "I have not created the jinns and mankind except to adore Me.-Adoration here is abandoning sinning in belief and in action. Some people think that we are past the stage of abandoning transgressions! They are heedless of the fact that a transgression is not relevant to the well known major sins only. Rather, insistence on committing small sins is regarded as a major sin, too. For example, casting a sharp look at one who is expected to obey you with the intention to scare him/her is considered as a prohibitive harm. Likewie, smiling for the transgressor with the intention to encourage him/her is regarded as assisting one's transgression. The good as well as the bad manners according to the Shari'a have all been explained in books and in practical dissertations.
Keeping a distance from scholars and the righteous will make those who steal the creed take advantage of the opportunity to buy conviction and those who follow it for a trilling price. This is what we have tested and have always noticed.
We plead to Allah, the most High. the most Able, to grant us success in these sacred Islamic feasts and to make our determination to abandon transgression be firm and deeply rooted, a gift for our feast, because it is the key to happiness in the life of this world and in the Hereafter, so that abandoning transgression becomes our faculty. A transgression to one with such faculty is like a thirsty person drinking poison, or like a hungry person eating the meat of a dead person.
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Of course. had this path been hard till the end, the omni-Potent and most Merciful Creator would not have obligated us to tread upon it.
My success comes from Allah. Upon Him do I rely, to Him do I return, and praise is due to Allah first and last, and blessings be with Muhammad and his pure Progeny, and a perpetual curse be upon all their enemies.
Rabi' al-Awwal 17, 1419 A.H. (July 12. 1998 A.D.).
NINTH ADMONISHMENT
In His Name, the most Exalted One
We, grownups and youngsters, must know that the only path to achieving happiness in this life and in the Hereafter is worshipping Allah, the most Exalted One, the most Great, and worship is abandoning transgressions in belief, in theory, and in action.
If we act upon what we know and be cautious about what we do not know till it becomes clear for us, we will never regret it at all. If the determination to do so is firm and deeply rooted in the servant, Allah Almighty is more apt to grant him success and to help him.
Peace be with. you, the mercy of Allah with Muhammad and the Progeny of Muhammad, and may a curse be on all their enemies.
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CHAPTER TEN
TALES NARRATEb BY HIS HOLINESS
GRAND AYATOLLAH SHEIKH BAHJAT
1. VALUE OF PRAYER IN ITS EARLY TIME :
Sheikh Musbah says, "Ayatollah Bahjat used to quote the late Qadi saying, 'If one of you performs the obligatory prayer in its early time and does not reach high stations, let him curse me!' Or, according to another version of the narrative, he said, `Let him spit in my face.'"
There is a great mystery in the early prayer time, and there is a difference between "Safeguard the prayers" and "Uphold the prayers".
If one who prays pays special attention to his prayer and sticks to performing it when it is first due, this deed by itself has many effects even if he does not pray it will a full heart.
2. KEEPING SUNAN ALIVE :
Hujjatul-Islam wal Muslimeen Quddas, one of the students of Ayatollah Bahjat, says, "The sheikh always used to advise us not to let the sunan be forgotten, so much so that otherwise, innovations will replace them. One day he said this to us: `Ayatollah Hajj Sheikh Murtada Taleqani (one of the professors of manners and one of the most brilliant scholars in al-Najaf al-Ashraf) was invited to partake of the Oar with a number of scholars, including Grand Ayatollah the late al-
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Khoei. When food was presented and everyone sat at the table, Sheikh Hajj Murtada Taleqani said, 'There is no salt on the table!' And he did not stretch his hand to the food although the distance between the place where the food was served and the kitchen was quite long, and it seems that the food was coming from another house. Anyway, the sheikh did not stretch his hand to the food till they brought table salt. The others. too, did not stretch their hands to the food out of their respect for the sheikh, including the late Ayatollah al-Khoei. After the majlis had been concluded, and when they all wanted to disperse, Sayyid al-Khoei addressed Sheikh Taleqani saying, 'Your Holiness, Sheikh, if you were tied to this Sunnah to this extent, it would be better to carry with you a little salt so people do not have to wait for you like that.' It is then that Sheikh Taleqani took out a small bag of salt which he was carrying in his pocket and said, 'I was carrying salt with me, but I wanted this good Islamic tradition to be observed.'"
3. CLEMENCY AND GENEROSITY OF THE IMAMS (a.s) :
Sayyid Quddas says, "One day Sheikh Bahjat talked about the generosity and open-handedness of the Imams (a.s) saying, 'In Iraq, there is a small town near the place where the Tigris and Euphrates rivers meet called al-Musayyab. A Shiite man used to pass by this town from time to time whenever he went to perform the ziyara of the Commander of the Faithful (a.s), and a Sunni man, too, was residing in this same town. The latter quite often used to make fun of the Shiite man whenever he saw him going to visit the shrine of the Commander of the Faithful (a.s), so much so that he dared once to speak ill of the holy Imam (a.s), so the Shiite man was very angry and he complained about this matter to the Commander of the Faithful (a.s) during one of his visits. During that night, he saw the
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Imam (a.s) in a vision and once more complained to him about this matter. The Imam (a.s) said, 'He [the Sunni man] has done us a favor, and we cannot punish him in the life of this world no matter what sins he commits.' The Shiite man asked, 'What favor is it? Did he do you a favor when he dared to speak ill of you?' The Imam (a.s) said, 'No, but he was sitting one day at the meeting place of both rivers, the Tigris and the Euphrates, and he was looking at the Euphrates. He remembered the Kerbala story and the thirst of Imam al-Husain (a.s), so he said this to himself: 'Omer ibn Sa'd was wrong when he killed those men as they were thirsty, and it was better for him to give them water then kill them.' A tear trickled down his eyes out of grief for Abu Abdullah (a.s); therefore, it became mandatory on us never to punish him in this life.' The Shiite man says,
woke up from my sleep and returned to al-Musayyab and met the Sunni man on the road who said this to me in ridicule: 'Did you visit your Imam, and did you convey our message to him?!' I said, 'Yes, I conveyed your message to him, and I carry his message to you.' The man laughed and said. 'What is this message which you carry to me?' I narrated to him the incident from beginning to end. The Sunni man lowered his head to the ground and kept thinking: '0 Lord! Nobody at that moment was near me, and I did not talk about this incident to anyone; so, how did the Imam (a.s) become familiar with it?' Then he said, 'I testify that there is no god save Allah, and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and that Ali, the Commander of the Faithful, is a friend of Allah and the wasi of the Messenger of Allah.'"
4. VALUE OF ABLUTION AND PURIFICATION :
Sayyid Quddas also said, "One day, I went to the house of Sheikh Bahjat a few minutes before the start of the class, and I found a sheikh sitting there. Sheikh Bahjat was paying, him a
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special attention. A few minutes later, the sheikh said, 'This man does not go to bed before performing his ablution. Even if he woke up several times during the night, he would still perform the ablution every time he woke up.'"
5. PERSONALITY OF SHEIKH MUHAMMAD
HUSSAIN KAMPANI
Sheikh Musbah Yazdi says, "One day, Sheikh Bahjat said, `Sheikh Muhammad Hussain was a great scholar, so much so that if you get acquainted with his scholarly productions, you will imagine he does not do any other job except study and research all day long. And if you became acquainted with his worship program, you will imagine that he keeps himself busy doing nothing but worshipping.' The late Sheikh Muhammad Hussain Kampani used to say, 'I attended the class of the late Akhound Khurasani, author of the Kifaya book, for thirteen years. During this period, I did not miss his class except one single night (it seems the sheikh used to teach at night). During that night, I was going to visit both Jawad Imams (a.s) in alKazimiyya. My return was chaotic, so I could not attend the class, but I used to guess the pursuits which the professor was going to submit prior to my attendance. When I reached Najaf and talked with the friends, I saw that all the pursuits which the professor had submitted were the ones which I guessed and wrote prior to my attendance, and my writings almost lacked nothing.' Sheikh Kampani used to commit himself to regularly attending the class of the professor despite his lofty scholarly position. He did not miss the class except one single night although he was capable of writing the lesson's pursuits prior to his attendance.
"'Besides these invaluable scholarly activities, he was committed to his adoration programs, too. Whoever saw him
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worshipping could hardly believe that he was doing anything else besides worshipping. He was regular in reciting the Ashura ziyara and the ziyara of Ja'far al-Tayyar, may Allah be pleased with him. According to the prevailing tradition among Najaf s scholars who used to hold weekly commemorative majalis on Thursdays or Fridays, so the majlis could be an opportunity for friends, professors and students [to gather] on one hand, and a means to seek nearness to Allah on the other. Sheikh Kampani used to hold a commemorative majlis every Thursday, and he used to commit himself to sitting in the place where tea is prepared or keep himself busy arranging people's shoes, etc. As he was thus engaged, his tongue quickly moved, and he was muttering words the meaning of which we did not comprehend, but we used to wonder about the dhikr which the sheikh was reciting as he stood up or sat down. One day a close friend of his asked him (this was the late Sheikh Ali Muhammad Burujardi, may Allah be pleased with him), 'Our sheikh! What is this dhikr to which you commit yourself and not leave even when you offer the Salam?' The sheikh smiled and said after a short contemplation, 'It is better if one recites Surat al-Qadr [chapter of the Night of Power] a thousand times a day.'"
6. FEELING PLEASED WITH WHATEVER
PLEASES ALLAH
Hujjatul-Islam wal Muslimeen Quddas, one of the students of Sheikh Bahjat, says, "One day I went to the house of Sheikh Bahjat a few minutes before the start of the class becaue often the sheikh used to attend the classroom when some of his students come (even if it is one single student), and he would narrate a story, a tradition or a moral lesson till all the students gather. For this reason, I went to the house of the sheikh early, hoping to hear those pursuits. Luckily, when the sheikh heard my voice as I said 'Ya Allah!' as I entered, he came to the
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room early and said this to me after the greeting and the salutation, 'In the city of Najaf. a handsome Iranian Youth was with us from the people of Hamadan, and he was famous for being neat and physically well formed. One day. this youth became paralyzed to the extent that he could not walk without leaning on a cane. 1 tried not to meet him because I used to think that he would feel embarrassed due to his particular condition: therefore, I used to avoid meeting him so I would not add one more grief to his griefs. One day. I got out of the alley and saw him standing in the street, so I had no choice except to meet him. Without contemplating, I asked him. 'Flow do you feel? (but I was upset with having said so and kept saying this to myself: 'What empty talk is this?! Do you not see in what condition he is?!). But contrary to my expectation. when he opened his mouth to answer my question. his speech was like cool water with which he put out the tire of what I had felt inside. He kept praising and thanking Allah with a spirit filled with activity and pleasure as if he was drowned in the blessings of Allah, the Praised and the most exalted One. I felt relieved and my grief departed from me.'"
