The talents and genius of Ima`m Abu` Ja'far (al-Ba`qir), peace be on him, resulted in great abilities of knowledge that included all sciences, such as the tradition, philosophy, theology, jurisprudence, high maxims, and standard morals. Moreover, it included the events the Ima`m had predicted before they occurred. Then they happened on the arena of life. His knowledge was vast. Though the scholars learned a lot of his pure knowledge, he found narrowness in himself because of his many sciences for which he found no way to proclaim. He, as the narrators said, heaved deep sighs and said with grief:
If I found (carriers) for my knowledge which Allah, the Great and Almighty, has given to me, I would proclaim monotheism, Islam, religion, and Islamic laws. How can I do that? My grandfather, the Commander of the Faithful, peace be on him, found no carriers for his knowledge for his knowledge. Thus, he sighed deeply on the pulpit and said: 'Question me before you lose me, for there is much knowledge among the ribs.
1
The historians and the narrators have unanimously agreed that the Ima`m was the
richest of all the thinkers and the scholars of his time in scientific abilities and talents. Besides, the biographers have mentioned that he proclaimed knowledge and discovered its treasures and facts, as we have
mentioned in the previous chapters. Before discussing the sciences which he discovered, it is necessary for us to present some important points concerning the topic.
____________
1. Safinat al-Bihar, vol. 2.
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The Scientific Life at his Time
The scientific movement at the time of the Ima`m was afflicted with much inactivity and dullness. In other words, it had no shade on the arena of life. That is because the political parties turned the people away from knowledge. The high houses pounced upon winning the government. So, they threw their human and financial powers into astonishing, horrible, violent battles that afflicted the community with heavy causalities and disasters. The members of the community launched armed attacks against each other. So, they turned away from knowledge and thought. In other words, they abandoned that light which Islam brought for mankind, and abandoned its orders to follow it to achieve their aims in life, such as security, welfare, and development.
The Bright Role of the Ima`m
Ima`m Abu` Ja'far (al-Ba`qir), peace be on him, came to a world full of discords, disturbances, and events. He saw that the Islamic community had lost all of its qualities. It lost all the characteristics which Allah wanted for it, such as unity, perfection, and development in the fields of knowledge and production. So, through his spiritual leadership, the Ima`m did his best to renew the glory of the community and to rebuild its cultural entity. Thus, he proclaimed knowledge and thought. He refrained from practicing
all political activities, and devoted himself to knowledge only. The orientalist, Rowit M. Ronaldson, said: "He (al-Ba`qir) lived honored. He dedicated himself to knowledge during his isolation in Medina. The people came
to him to ask him about the Ima`mate.
1
Some notables of the community went to the Ima`m to study knowledge under him. Among them was the great scholar, Ja`bir b. Yazid al-Ju'fi. When the Ima`m met him for the first time, he asked him:
-Where are you from?
- From Ku`fa.
____________
1. Aqidat al-Shi'a, p. 123.
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- From which tribe?
- From Ju'f.
- What has brought you here?
- Seeking knowledge.
- From whom?
- From you.
1
Then knowledge-loving deputations came to the Ima`m frequently to learn knowledge and sciences from him. Shaykh Abu` Zahra said: "All the scholars who went to (Medina), the city of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family, went to him to learn the principal features of religion from him.
2 The jurists learned from him the lawful and the unlawful.
3
However, the Islamic world took from the Ima`m all the elements of its development and progress. The cultural movement that depended on the Ima`m was not confined to his time only. Rather it included all the times that followed him. Thus, the scientific life appeared, and sciences developed very much. For this reason, the scientific life in Islam prospered.
Surely, the cultural life in Islam is indebted to this great Ima`m, for he renewed and led it throughout history.
The Sciences the Ima`m Discussed
The Ima`m studied several sciences, and then he taught them to the scholars in the Mosque of the Prophet or in the yard of his house. Among these traditions are the following:
The Tradition:
Ima`m Abu` Ja'far (al-Ba`qir), peace be no him, took great care of the traditions which were reported on the authority of his grandfather,
____________
1. Al-Manaqib, vol. 3,p. 331.
2. Al-Imam Zayd, p. 22.
3. 'Uyyun al-Akhbar wa Funun al-Athar, p. 213.
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the Apostle of Allah, may Allah bless him and his family, and on the authority of his pure grandfathers, peace be on them. That is because the tradition is the second source of the Islamic law after the Holy Koran. It is of great importance in the Islamic law, for it specifies the general (verses) of the Book, limits its absolute (verses), it distinguishes its abrogated (verses) from its abrogating (ones), and its vague (verses) from its clear (ones). The tradition also denotes the jurisprudential rules concerning worships and dealings. It gives the general rules which the jurists use to conclude the religious opinion. It has bright rules for individual and social behavior. It has rules for organizing the family and preserving it from committing sins. Moreover, it has all what people need for their individual and social life. For this reason, Ima`m Abu` Ja'far (al-Ba`qir), peace be on him, took care of tradition and adopted it positively. Ja`bir b. Yazid al-Ju'fi reported seventy thousand traditions on the authority of the Ima`m. Aba`n b. Taghlub reported a large group of them on his authority. Great figures from the Companions reported a large group of traditions on his authority.
The important thing is that Ima`m Abu` Ja'far (al-Ba`qir), peace be on him, took care of
understanding the meanings of the tradition. He regarded understanding the meanings of the tradition as a criterion for preferring the narration. Yazid al-Razza`z reported on the authority of his father on the authority of Abu` Abd Allah on the authority of his father, who said:
Know the positions of the Shi'ites according to their narration and their knowledge. Indeed knowledge is understanding the narration. Through understanding the narration, the believer reaches the maximum degree of belief. I looked at a letter that belonged to 'Ali. I found in the letter that the value and importance of the person depend on that he should know that Allah will reckon people according to the reason He has given to them in the world.
1
That the narrator understands the meanings of the narration indicates his high scientific rank.
____________
1. Nasikh al-Tawarikh, vol. 2, p. 219.
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As the Ima`m took great care of the tradition, he put certain rules to distinguish the correct tradition from the incorrect one when they contradict each other. We will mention that when we talk about the science of the fundamentals which the Ima`m treated.
The Reports of the Ima`ms
As for the traditions which were reported on the authority of the pure Ima`ms, peace be on them, they do not denote the personal ideas of the Ima`ms. Rather, they denote the words of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family, and his ideas. Thus, the Shi'ites have added the Ima`ms' traditions to the sunna (practices of the Prophet). Ima`m Abu` Ja'far (al-Ba`qir), peace be on him, referred to that in two traditions he told Ja`bir b. Yazid al-Ju'fi.
1. He, peace be on him, said to Ja`bir: "If we speak to you according to our idea, we will be from the perished. However, we speak to you according to the traditions we gather on the authority of the Apostle of Allah, may Allah bless him and his family, as they gather their gold and silver.
1
2. He, peace be on him, said to Ja`bir: "By Allah, Ja`bir, if we speak to the people according to our opinion, then we will be from the perished. However, we speak to them according to the traditions we report on the authority of the Apostle of Allah, may Allah bless him and his family. We inherit the traditions successively. We gather them as they gather their gold and silver.
2
Therefore, the Ima`ms of the members of the House (ahl al-Bayt), peace be on them, did not ascribe the traditions to themselves. Rather they ascribed them to their grandfather, the Apostle, may Allah bless him and his family. Thus, it is they who preserved the Prophet's scientific heritage. In other words they gathered it as the people gathered their gold and silver.
____________
1. Ibid, p. 217.
2. Ibid.
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The Traditions of Ima`m al-Ba`qir
As for the traditions which Ima`m Abu` Ja'far (al-Ba`qir), peace be on him, reported on the authority of his grandfather, Allah's Apostle, may Allah bless him and his family, and on the authority of Ima`m ('Ali), the Commander of the Faithful, peace be on him, they are of two kinds:
1. (Aha`dith) mursala; they are the traditions which the Ima`m recorded without mentioning the chain of the narrators. The Ima`m attributed the tradition directly to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family, or Ima`m ('Ali), the Commander of the Faithful, peace be on him. The Ima`m, peace be on him, was asked about the chain (of the narrators), he said: "When I report a tradition, I do not mention the chain (of the reporters), for I report it on the authority of my father, Zayn al-'Abidin, on the authority of his father al-Husayn, the martyr, on the authority of his father, 'Ali b. Abu` Ta`lib, on the authority of the Apostle of Allah, may Allah bless him and his family, on the authority of Gabriel, on the authority of Allah, the Great
and Almighty.
1
2. (Aha`dith) musnada; they are the traditions which the Ima`m recorded on the authority of his pure grandfathers on the authority of the Apostle of Allah, may Allah bless him and his family.
Whether the Ima`m's traditions are mursala or musnada, they are proof with the Shi'ites without difference. That is if the chain (of the narrators who reported) on his authority is correct; otherwise they are treated like the other traditions that may be weak or reliable or acceptable.
His Traditions from the Prophet
As for his traditions from the Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family, they sometimes concern Islamic jurisprudence. The encyclopedias of jurisprudence and traditions have mentioned them. They sometimes concern behavior and morals. Some of them also concern the outstanding merits and obligatory love of the pure family
____________
1. A'lam al-Wara, p. 270.
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(of the Prophet). The following are some of the Ima`m's traditions from the Prophet:
1. The Ima`m, peace be on him, reported on the authority of his grandfathers on the authority of the Apostle of Allah, may Allah bless him and his family, who said: "The virtue of knowledge is more lovable with Allah than the virtue of worship. The best (thing) in your religion is piety.
1
This tradition summons and urges people to seek knowledge, for knowledge is better than worship of which its owner makes no use. The tradition also urges people to refrain from what Allah has forbidden and to turn away from the sins that corrupt the person and deviate him from the right path.
2. He, peace be on him, reported on the authority of his grandfathers on the authority of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family, who said: "Adding clemency to knowledge is better than adding a thing to a thing.
2
Indeed knowledge and clemency raise the level of the person. They distinguish him from other than him, for there is nothing better than these two qualities.
3. He, peace be on him, reported on the authority of his grandfathers on the authority of the of the Apostle of Allah, may Allah bless him and his family, who said: "There is obedience over every obedience. However, when (the person) is killed for Allah, then there is no obedience over that. There is disobedience over every disobedience till the person kills one of his parents. If he kills one of them, then there is no disobedience over that.
3
Surely, the maximum degree of obedience is martyrdom for Allah. If the person is killed for that, then he will reach the maximum degree of obedience. Also the maximum degree of sin and disobedience is that when the person kills one of his parents. If he does that, then he will reach the maximum degree of sin and
____________
1. Al-Khisal, p. 4.
2. Ibid, p. 5.
3. Ibid, p. 10.
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disobedience.
4. He, peace be on him, said: The Apostle of Allah, may Allah bless him and his family, said: "It is an act of generosity to reclaim property.
1
The Apostle of Allah, may Allah bless him and his family, urges the capitalists to invest their capitals to improve the general economy, to increase the individual income, and to meet the needs of the country. Meanwhile he prevents them from wasting and freezing capitals. That is because such acts harm the economy of the country.
5. He, peace be on him, said: The Apostle of Allah, may Allah bless him and his family said: "Indeed Allah, the Blessed and Most High, has given me and my community a gift which He had not given to any of the communities. It is dignity from Allah to us."So, his Companions said: "O Apostle of Allah, what is that?"He said: "It is breaking the fast and shortening the prayers during the travel.
2
Indeed shortening the prayers and breaking the fast during the travel are among the favors of Allah, the Glorified, for this community. That is because the traveler suffers from tiredness during the travel. If Allah made it obligatory on the traveler to fast and complete the prayers, then He would add tiredness to his tiredness.
3
6. He, peace be on him, said: A man came to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family, and said to him: "Why do I not like death?"The Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family, said: "Have you a property?"The man said: "Yes."The Prophet said: "Have you offered it?"The man said: "No."The Prophet said: "For this reason, you do not like death.
3
Surely, if this person had offered his property for the hereafter and striven for it, he would have loved it to take the reward of what he had done. However, he had done nothing to approach him to Allah. So, he hated death and meeting Allah, the Most High.
7. He, peace be on him, said: The Apostle of Allah, may Allah
____________
1. Ibid, p. 11.
2. Ibid, p. 14.
3. Ibid.
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bless him and his family, said: "Indeed the wicked of my community are those who are honored for their wickedness. Indeed whom the people honor to avoid his wickedness does not belong to me.
1
Surely, the wicked of this community are those who are honored and respected not for a virtue in them or for kindness they do for the people, but to avoid their evil or for fear of their oppression. Thus, such a kind of people do not belong to Islam that has brought mercy and kindness for people.
8. He, peace be on him, said: The Apostle of Allah, may Allah bless him and his family, said: "The head of intellect after the belief in Allah, the Great and Almighty, is showing love to people.
2
How wonderful and beautiful this wisdom is! Surely, showing love to people through meeting their needs or doing good for them or saving them from oppression results in spreading love among people and strengthening the links among them. This what Islam wants to establish its society.
9. He, peace be on him, said: The Apostle of Allah, may Allah bless him and his family, said: "O Group of the readers of the Koran, fear Allah, the Great and Almighty, in respect with His Book. I am responsible and you are responsible. I am responsible for conveying the message. You will be asked about undertaking the responsibility of the Book of Allah and my sunna (practices).
In this tradition (the Prophet) summons the readers of the Koran and all the men of religion to play an important role in guiding people and informing them of Allah's orders and prohibitions.
10. He, peace be on him, said: The Apostle of Allah, may Allah bless him and his family, said: "I and 'Ali were created from the same light.
4
Indeed Allah's Apostle, may Allah bless him and his family, and 'Ali, peace be on him, were created from the same light that has
____________
1. Ibid, p. 15.
2. Ibid, p. 17.
3. Usul al-Kafi, vol. 2, p. 616.
4. Al-Khisal, p. 31.
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illuminated the horizons of the universe. They are the source of thought and awareness of this community. They are the pioneers of people for all what they become high through.
11. He, peace be on him, said: The Apostle of Allah, may Allah bless him and his family, said: "Allah's anger and my anger are intense against him who sheds my blood and hurts me in respect with my family.
1
Woe unto the traitorous group that did not keep the will of the Apostle of Allah, may Allah bless him and his family, in respect with his family and his progeny! That is because this group killed them, cut off their limbs, took their women and children as prisoners, and violated their sacredness.
12. He, peace be on him, said: The Apostle of Allah, may Allah bless him and his family, said: "My (grand)father Abraham and 'Ali will be gathered together. A caller will call: O Mohammed, the best (grand)father is your (grand)father and the best bother is your brother.
2
Indeed, blessed is that pure fatherhood of Abraham, the friend of the Merciful (Allah), and that truthful brotherhood of the Ima`m, the Commander of the Faithful, towards the great Apostle, may Allah bless him and his family. On the day when the people will be gathered together on the land of the truth and justice, a caller will call Abraham and 'Ali to show their outstanding merits and their high rank with Allah.
13. He, peace be on him, said: The Apostle of Allah, may Allah bless him and his family, said to 'Ali: "Were it not for you, the believers would not be known after me.
3
The Ima`m, the Commander of the Faithful, peace be on him, is the criteria of faith, the truth, and justice. No one believes in him except those who believe in their Lord, their homeland, and their community. No one disbelieves in him except those who disbelieve
____________
1. Ibn al-Maghazili, Manaqib 'Ali b. Abi Talib, p. 40.
2. Ibid, p. 42.
3. Ibid, p. 44.
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in justice and the interest of their community, turn away from praising Allah, and take his communications as mockery.
14. He, peace be on him, said: The Apostle of Allah, may Allah bless him and his family, said: "My daughter Fa`tima will be raised from the dead. Blood stained clothes will be with here. She will cling to the pillar of the throne and say: O Almighty, judge between me and the killer of my son (i. e. al-Husayn). By the Lord of the Kaaba, He (Allah) will give a judgment in favor of my daughter.
1
The Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family, announced several times the murder of his great grandson, Ima`m Husayn, peace be on him, among the people. In this tradition, he announces that his part, the Mistress of the Women of the World, Fa`tima the Chaste, peace be on her, will raise on the Day of Judgment with her son's shirt stained with his pure blood. She will request the Just Judge (Allah) to judge between her and his killer. Woe unto him against whom the pure family will bring suit on the day when the liars will be losing.
15. He, peace be on him, said: The Apostle of Allah, may Allah bless him and his family, said: "Indeed Allah created the progeny of Mohammed, may Allah bless him and his family, from 'Ali's back.
2
Surely, blessed is that progeny through whom Allah strengthened the word of truth, through whom He illuminated the way, through whom He made clear the aim, and whom He made guides to His obedience and
leaders to His way.
16. He, peace be on him, said: The Apostle of Allah, may Allah bless him and his family, said: "Whoever performs his ritual ablution properly, performs his prayers well, pays the zakat (alms) of his property, stops his anger, prevents his tongue, does his favor, asks (Allah) to forgive him his sins, and is loyal to the members of my House meets the facts of belief and the doors of Paradise are open for him.
3
Indeed these deeds approach the servant to his Creator. The
____________
1. Ibid, p. 64.
2. Yanabi' al-Mawadda, P. 266.
3. Ibn al-Maghazili, Manaqib 'Ali b. Abi Talib, p. 40.
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person reaches the fact of belief and is worthy of the gardens through them.
17. He, peace be on him, said: The Apostle of Allah, may Allah bless him and his family, said: "Bear two strange (things): accept the word of wisdom from the fool and forgive the word of foolishness from the wise man.
1
It is strange that the fool says a wise word. If he says it, we must put it into effect regardless of him. It is also strange that the wise man says a foolish word, for he is wise and perfect. However, if he says it, we must not blame him for it.
18. He, peace be on him, said: The Apostle of Allah, may Allah bless him and his family, said: "(The people are) ungrateful for two blessings: security and good health.
2
Surely, the people are ungrateful for these two blessings while life is not good without them. Moreover, they do not thank Allah for them.
19. He, peace be on him, said: The Apostle of Allah, may Allah bless him and his family, said: "If two kinds (of people) from my community are righteous, my community is righteous. When they are corrupt, my community is corrupt. It was said: O Apostle of who are they? He said: the jurists and the rulers.
3
Surely, social righteousness depends on the righteousness of these two kinds of people. When they are righteous, the community is happy and achieves its aims. When they deviate from the laws of the truth and justice, the community will suffer from a quick decline in all fields.
20. He, peace be on him, said: The Apostle of Allah, may Allah bless him and his family, said: "The smell of the garden is found from the walk of five hundred years. However, neither the disobedient one nor the cuckold finds it. It was said: O Apostle of Allah, who is the cuckold? He said: He whose wife commits adultery and he knows (that).
4
____________
1. Al-Khisal, p. 34.
2. Ibid, p. 35.
3. Ibid, p. 36.
4. Ibid.
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Indeed the person who disobeys his parents and the cuckold who has no honor are not worthy of Paradise that is the abode of the prophets and the righteous. Rather they are not worthy of anything except that they are shackled in the Fire.
21. He, peace be on him, said: The Apostle of Allah, may Allah bless him and his family, said: "There is no good in livelihood except for two men: an obeyed scholar and an aware listener.
1
Surely, good in this world is for the scholar whom the people obey when he orders them to follow noble values and high ideals. When the scholar finds such a kind of people, he is successful in conveying
his message and achieving his aims. Good in life is also for the listener who is aware of the noble objectives in the message of the righteous and puts them into practice.
22. He, peace be on him, said: The Apostle of Allah, may Allah bless him and his family, said: "Whoever helps the poor and treats the people with justice is a true believer.
2
Indeed, to help the poor materially and spiritually indicates strong perfect faith. To treat the people with justice also indicates that the person is noble and is free from selfishness and all psychological diseases. This is the reality of faith and essence of Islam.
23. He, peace be on him, said: The Apostle of Allah, may Allah bless him and his family, said: "The parents are ungrateful for their son when the son is righteous as the son is ungrateful for them.
3
Surely, ungratefulness is not confined to the son when he is ungrateful for his parents. Rather, it includes the parents when they treat their son illegally. Thus, they commit a sin when they treat him in such a way.
24. He, peace be on him, said: The Apostle of Allah, may Allah bless him and his family, said: "The believer does not spend an expense more lovable with Allah, the Great and Almighty, than saying
____________
1. Ibid, p. 41.
2. Ibid, p. 47.
3. Ibid, p. 58.
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the truth during consent and anger.
1
How wonderful this wisdom is! It is the rule of Islam that orders people to prefer the truth and justice to anything else.
25. He, peace be on him, said: The Apostle of Allah, may Allah bless him and his family, said: "Two kinds of my community have no share in Islam. (They are) : the extremists and the fatalists.
2
As for the extremists, the claim that the Ima`m, the Commander of the Faithful, peace be on him, is Allah, the Exalted, or the son of Allah. The Shi'ites say that they do not belong to them. Rather, the
Shi'ites say that they are unbelievers and are treated like them.
In satirizing them, Sayyid al-Himyari said:
(They) are the people who have gone too far in loving 'Ali.
Woe unto them!
They say: He ('Ali) is the son of Allah. Great is our Creator.
He has neither son nor father.
3
As for the fatalists, they say that all good and evil are from Allah. (That happens) through his determination and will.
4They have no share in Islam.
26. He, peace be on him, said: The Apostle of Allah, may Allah bless him and his family, said: "Whoever has three qualities or one of them will be in the shade of the throne of Allah, the Great and Almighty, on the Day of Judgment, the day when there will be no shade except His shade. (These qualities are): He should treat people with justice. He should do no thing till he knows that (his deed) pleases Allah or angers Him. He should find no fault with his Moslem brother till he frees himself from that fault. For when he frees it from a fault, he finds another fault in it. It is enough for the person that his soul diverts him from the people.
5
____________
1. Ibid, p. 60.
2. Ibid, p. 71.
3. Al-'Aqd al-Farid, vol. 5, p. 277.
4. Safinat al-Bihar, vol. 2, p. 409.
5. Al-Khisal, p. 78.
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This tradition summons the persons to cleave to high moral
standards and good behavior towards people. It warns him of mentioning the
faults of people.
27. He, peace be on him said: The Apostle of Allah, may Allah bless him and his family, said: "Lying is good in three (cases): the trick during war, your promise to your wife, and making peace between (two) people. Truthfulness is bad in three (cases): tale bearing, your telling the person about his wife with what he hates, and your accusing the person of lying (when he tells) about good. Sitting with three (kinds of people) deadens the heart: sitting with the low, conversation with women, and sitting with the
rich.
1
The Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family, permitted telling lies in these cases because of the interests that result from them. The scholars said: "Telling lies is not the perfect cause of ugliness. Rather it is a necessity for it. So, when the interests that remove its ugliness are found,
the person is permitted to it. Truthfulness is also ugly in these cases because of evil that arises from it.
28. He, peace be on him, said: The Apostle of Allah, may Allah bless him and his family, said: "Every eye will weep on the Day of Judgment except three eyes: the eye that weeps out of the fear of Allah, the eye that blinks at what Allah has prohibited, and the eye that stays awake at
night for Allah.
2
29. He, peace be on him, said: The Apostle of Allah, may Allah bless him and his family, said: "The quickest good in reward is benefaction and the quickest evil in punishment is oppression. It is enough
fault for the person that he looks at what the people have while he has it, that he disgraces the people with what he cannot leave, and that he hurts his friend with that which does not concern him.
3
This tradition urges people to do good, to be careful of evil and
____________
1. Ibid, p. 84.
2. Ibid, p. 94.
3. Ibid, p. 106.
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aggression against people, and to censure the person who looks for the faults of people and does not look for his own faults.
30. He, peace be on him, said: The Apostle of Allah, may Allah bless him and his family, said: "No staying up at night but for three (cases): spending the night in (reciting) the Koran or in seeking knowledge or in directing the bride to her husband.
1
31. He, peace be on him, said: The Apostle of Allah, may Allah bless him and his family, said: "Whoever does not have three (traits) does not belong to me nor does he belong to Allah, the Great and Almighty. It was said: O Apostle of Allah, what are they? He said: clemency through which he drives back the ignorance of the ignorant, good manners through he lives among the people, and piety that prevents him from disobeying Allah, the Great and Almighty.
This tradition summons the Moslem person to build his character according to noble foundations such as clemency, good manners, and refraining from what Allah has prohibited.
32. He, peace be on him, said: The Apostle of Allah, may Allah bless him and his family, said: "Three (groups of people) have the right to intercede with Allah, the Great and Almighty: the prophets, the scholars, and the martyrs.
3
33. He, peace be no him, said: The Apostle of Allah bless him and his family, said: "Belief is appreciation with heart, acknowledgment with tongue, and action with limbs.
4Belief is not a word on everybody's lips. Rather, it is an affair settled in the depth of the heart and inner self. It motivates man to act out of conviction and loyalty.
34. He, peace be on him, said: The Apostle of Allah, may Allah bless him and his family, said to Abu` Dharr: "O Abu` Dharr, beware of begging, for it is present abasement and quickens poverty. There will be a long reckoning concerning it on the Day of Judgment. O Abu
____________
1. Ibid, p. 108.
2. Ibid, 138.
3. Ibid, p. 147.
4. Ibid, p. 164.
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Dharr, you will live by yourself, die by yourself, and enter Paradise by yourself. Some Iraqis will be happy because of you. They will wash and prepare you for burial. Do not beg with the palm of your hand. When a thing comes, then accept it. Then he, may Allah bless him and his family, said to his Companions: Shall I tell you about your wicked ones?
"Yes, O Apostle of Allah."
Those who go about with slander, sow division among the friends, and find fault with the innocent.
1
The Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family, advised Abu` Dharr to cling to abstinence and self-esteem. He, may Allah bless him and his family, recognized from behind the unseen that this great reformer would suffer from severe punishments and persecutions because of carrying out his immortal reformative message. Thus, Abu` Dharr was indignant with the Umayyads who turned away from the rights of the community and possessed alone its wealth. So, they inherited successively the property of Allah and enslaved His servants. Thus, Abu` Dharr defended the rights of the oppressed and the persecuted and showed their sufferings. So, the Umayyads were unable to bear him. Accordingly, they banished him to al-Rabadha and imposed a house arrest. He
lived at that barren area. Then this great revolutionist died of hunger. He was banished from the home of Allah and of His Apostle. However, the Umayyads possessed the gold of the land and the wealth of the community. They spent them on their pleasures.
Abu Dharr sacrificed his life for achieving social justice, finding equal opportunities for the people, removing poverty and oppression, and returning the government of the Koran and the justice of Islam to them.
35. He, peace be on him, said: The Apostle of Allah, may Allah bless him and his family, said: "O 'Ali, four (persons) whose supplication is not refused are: the just Ima`m, the father (who invokes Allah) for his son, the man who invokes (Allah) for his absent brother,
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1. Ibid, p. 167.
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and the oppressed one to Allah, the Great and Almighty, says: By My Greatness and Might, I will support you even after a while.
1
36. He, peace be on him, said: The Apostle of Allah, may Allah bless him and his family, said to 'Ali: "O 'Ali, indeed, Allah, the Great and Almighty, looked thoroughly over the people of the earth and chose me from them. Then He looked over them a second time and chose you from them after me. Then He looked over
them a third time and chose from them the Ima`ms from your children. Then He looked over them a forth time and chose Fa`tima from the women of the world.
2
Surely, Allah, the Most High, chose His great Prophet and his testamentary trustees, the pure Ima`ms, from His creatures. He made them keepers for His knowledge, store for His wisdom, pillars for His monotheism, signpost (of knowledge) in His earth, and guides for His pleasure and obedience. May Allah bless them all.
37. He, peace be on him, said: The Apostle of Allah, may Allah bless him and his family, said: "Whoever has four (attributes) is in Allah's great light: the protection of his affair is that there is no god but Allah and that I am the Apostle of Allah. When a misfortune hits him, he says: to Allah we belong and to Him is our return. When he gains good, he says: praise belongs to Allah. When he commits a sin, he says: I ask Allah's forgiveness and turn to Him in repentance.
3
38. He, peace be on him, reported on the authority of his grandfathers on the authority of the Apostle of Allah, may Allah bless him and his family, who said: "Whoever has four (traits), Allah spreads His protection over him and makes him enter the garden through His mercy: good manners through which he lives among people, leniency towards the grieved, piety for the parents, and kindness to the slave.
4
This tradition summons the people to cleave to good manners,
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1. Ibid, p. 180.
2. Ibid, p. 188.
3. Ibid, p. 203.
4. Ibid, p. 205.
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good behavior among the people, and leniency and mercy towards the afflicted (with disaster) and the unfortunate.
39. He, peace be on him reported on the authority of his grandfathers on the authority of the Apostle of Allah, who said: "Four (acts) deaden the heart: sin after sin, much talk with the women, disputing with the fool, (You say and he says, he never returns to good), and sitting with the dead. It was said to him: Who are the dead? He said: All the extravagant.
1
The Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family, warned (his community) of these affairs, for they deaden the conscience and stiffen the heart. However, Islam has taken great care of man's conscience. Meanwhile Islam wants man to be aware, free, educated, and merciful.
40. He, peace be on him, reported on the authority of his grandfathers on the authority of the Apostle of Allah, may Allah bless him and his family, who said in his testamentary bequest to the Ima`m, the Commander of the Faithful, peace be on him: "O 'Ali, act through four: your youth before your old age, your health before your illness, your riches before your poverty, and your life before your death.
2
The Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family, summoned (his community) to do good and to seize the opportunity to do what approaches the servant to his Creator before it is too late, so man loses the blessings which Allah has prepared for him in the eternal abode.
41. He, peace be on him, reported on the authority of his grandfathers on the authority of the Apostle of Allah, peace be on him, who said: "Among the signs of unhappiness are: the impudence of the eye, the cruelty of the heart, the intensity of greediness in seeking livelihood, and the persistence of the sin.
3
The Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family, warned (the community) of these things that make man far from his Lord and throw him into great evil.
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1. Ibid, 208.
2. Ibid, p. 217.
3. Ibid, p. 221.
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42. He, peace be on him, reported on the authority of his grandfathers on the authority of the Apostle of Allah, may Allah bless him and his family, who said on his pulpit: "Indeed the best names are: 'Abd Allah, 'Abd al-Rahma`n, Ha`ritha, and Hammam.
