Regarding the ayah:
"Living therein for ages," (78:23).
It has been reported that the 'ages' mentioned here are for those who have been guided and the basis of whose faith has been intact. This is for you, and me if we are believers. Each age lasts for thousands of years, how many only God knows. God forbid that we reach such a state that these cures are not effective, so that this final cure is required for deserving and meriting the everlasting blessings [of heaven] God forbid that it should be necessary that a man should go to hell for a while and burn there until he is purified from his vices, spiritual pollution, and filthy Satanic attributes, so that he may become deserving and capable of benefiting from:
"gardens beneath which rivers flow." (58:22).
Beware that this is only for those whose sins have not reached such an extent that they are entirely deprived of the mercy and blessings of God the Almighty, those who yet have an essential merit for going to heaven. God forbid that a man, due to the multitude of his sins, should be expelled and blocked from the presence of God the Almighty, and that he should be bereft of the divine mercy, so that there is no other way for him but to remain forever in the fire of hell. God forbid that you should be bereft of divine mercy and blessings, and that you should be subject to His wrath, anger, and chastisements. May your deeds, behavior and speech not be the means to the denial of grace, so that there is no way for you but eternal damnation?
Now, while you cannot bear to hold a hot stone in your hand for a minute, keep the fire of hell away! Keep these fires away from the seminaries and from the clerical community. Keep disputes and strife far from your hearts. Behave well with people, and in company, and be compassionate and kind. Of course, you are not to be nice to sinners with regard to their sins and rebelliousness. Tell him to his face of his ugly deeds and wrongdoing, and prohibit him from it; and keep yourselves from promoting anarchy and disturbance. Behave well with the servants of God and the righteous. Show respect to the learned with regard to their knowledge, to
those on the path of guidance with regard to their virtue, and to the ignorantand unlearned, for they are also the servants of God. Have good behavior; bekind, honest and brotherly. Refine yourselves. You want to refine and guide thecommunity, but how can one who is not able to reform and manage himself guideand manage others? Now there are only a few days left in the month of Sha'ban,so try in these few days to repent and reform yourselves, and enter the blessedmonth of Ramadan with a healthy soul.
Points regarding the Munajat3of the Month of Sha'ban
Have you said the Munajatof Sha'ban for God, the Blessed and Supreme, a devotion whose recital has beenrecommended during this month, from the first until the last of the month? Haveyou benefited from its lofty meanings, which teach increased faith and knowledge(ma'rifah) with regard to the station of the Lord? It is reported withregard to this supplication that it is the munajat of Imam 'Ali Peacebe upon him' and his descendants and all of the immaculate Imams Peace beupon them' called upon ALLAH (SWT) by this devotion. Very fewsupplications and devotions (du'a wa munajat) may be found which wererecited by all of the Imams (A.S.) for God.
This devotion is truly apreparatory means to admonish and prepare man to receive the responsibilities ofthe blessed month of Ramadan, and it is possible that it is also to remind theaware person of the motive for fasting and its valuable fruits.
The immaculate Imams, Peacebe with them', have explained many things by the tongue of supplication. Thetongue of supplication is very different from the other tongues by which thosegreats explained precepts. They have explained most spiritual, metaphysical, andprecise divine matters, and that which is related to knowledge of ALLAH (SWT) bythe tongue of supplication. But we recite supplications to the end andunfortunately pay no attention to their meanings and fail to understand whatthey really want to say.
In this munajat we read:
My God, grant that I may beperfectly cut off from all else but Thee, and enlighten the vision of our heartsby the radiance of vision toward Thee, until the visions of the heart tearthrough the curtains of light and reach the Source of Greatness and our spiritsget anchored to the threshold of Thy sanctity.
It is possible that the meaningof the sentence, "O my God! Grant that I may be perfectly cut off fromall else but Thee," is that prior to the blessed month of Ramadan,divinely aware people should get ready and prepare themselves for cuttingthemselves off and avoiding worldly pleasures (and this avoidance is that verybeing cut off perfectly from all else but ALLAH (SWT)). Being perfectly cut offfrom all else is not something easily obtained. It requires extra hard practice,going to some lengths, spiritual exercises, perseverance, and discipline, untilone is able to fix one's attention completely on nothing but God and cut himselfoff from all else. If someone is able to do this, he has reached a greatfelicity. However, with the least attention to this world it is impossible to becut off from all else but ALLAH (SWT). Someone who wants to perform the fast ofthe blessed month of Ramadan with such manners as he has been asked to, must cuthimself off completely from all else so that he can observe the etiquette forthe celebration and feast [of ALLAH (SWT)], coming to know of the station of theHost, insofar as this is possible.
According to the order of theNoble Apostle (S.A.W.) (which is related in one of his sermons) all of theservants of God, the Supreme, have been invited by Him to a feast in the blessedmonth of Ramadan and are to be the guests of the Provider at His feast. There hesays:
O you people! The month of ALLAH is approaching you ... and you have been invited in it to the feast ofALLAH.
In these few days until theblessed month of Ramadan, you should reflect, reform yourselves, and payattention to God the Almighty, seek forgiveness for your unbecoming behavior anddeeds, and if, God forbid, you have committed a sin, repent for it prior toentering the blessed month of Ramadan. Habituate your tongue to munajatto God the Almighty. God forbid that in the blessed month of Ramadan you shouldbackbite or slander, or in short, sin, and so become polluted by transgressionin the presence of the Lord, the Exalted, at His feast. You have been invitedduring this honorable month to the banquet of God the Almighty, "and youhave been invited in it to the feast of ALLAH (SWT)," so; get yourselfready for the magnificent feast of the Almighty. At least respect the formal andexoteric manners of fasting. (The true manners of fasting are another matterentirely, and require constant care and effort.) The meaning of fasting is notmerely refraining from eating and drinking; one must also keep oneself from sin.This is the primary etiquette of fasting for novices. (The etiquette of fastingfor divine people who want to reach the Source of Greatness is other than this.)You should at least observe the elementary etiquette of fasting, and in the sameway that you refrain from eating and drinking; you should keep your eyes, ears,and tongue from transgression. From now on, keep your tongue from backbiting,slander, speaking bad, and lies, and expel from your hearts all spite, envy, andother ugly Satanic attributes. If you are able, cut yourself off from all butALLAH (SWT). Perform your deeds sincerely and without ostentation. Cutyourselves off from the Satans among humans and the jinn.
Though apparently we have losthopes of reaching such a valuable state of felicity, at least try to see to itthat your fast is not accompanied by sin. Otherwise, even if your fast iscorrect from the point of view of Islamic law, it will not ascend to be acceptedby God. There is a big difference between the ascension of one's works and theiracceptance on the one hand and their religious correctness on the other. If, bythe end of the blessed month of Ramadan, there is no change in your works anddeeds, and your ways and manners are no different from what they were before themonth of fasting, it is evident that the fast which you were expected to performwas not realized; and that which you have done is no more than a vulgar physicalfast. In this noble month, in which you have been invited to the divine banquet,if you do not gain insight (ma'rifah) about God the Almighty or insightinto yourself, it means that you have not properly participated in the feast ofALLAH (SWT) and failed to observe the etiquette of the feast. You must notforget that if you are not able to reform and refine yourselves in this blessedmonth, which is the 'month of ALLAH (SWT),' in which the gates of divine mercyare opened to the servants of God and the satans and devils - according to somereports - are locked in chains, and if you fail to manage and control yournafs e ammarah (the 'commanding self'), to subdue your selfishlusts and to cut off your relations and interests with this world and materialthings, then after the end of the month of fasting it will be difficult for youto be able to accomplish this.
Therefore, take advantage ofthis opportunity before the magnificent grace of it vanishes, and purify andreform yourselves. Get ready and prepare to perform the duties of the month offasting. Let it not be that prior to the arrival of the month of Ramadan you arelike one who is wound up by the hand of Satan so that in this single month whenthe Satans are enchained you automatically busy yourselves with sin and deedsopposed to the orders of Islam! Sometimes the rebellious and sinful man, due tohis distance from God and the great number of his sins, sinks so low intodarkness and ignorance that he does not need Satan to tempt him, but he himselftakes on the color of Satan. Someone who pursues selfish desires and isobedient to Satan, gradually turns the color of Satan. You should decide tocontrol yourselves at least in this one-month, and avoid speech and behavior,which displease God, the Supreme. Right now in this very session make a covenantwith God that during the blessed month of Ramadan you will avoid backbiting,slander and speaking ill of others. Bring your tongue, eyes, hands, ears andother organs and limbs under your control. Be watchful of your deeds and yourwords. It is possible that this same worthy deed will result in God's payingattention to you and blessing you. After the month of fasting, when the Satansare released from their chains, you will have been reformed, and you will nolonger listen to the lies of Satan, and you will refine yourselves. I repeat,decide during these thirty days of the blessed month of Ramadan to control yourtongue, eyes, ears and all your organs and limbs, and pay constant attention tothe judgment of the Shari'ah about the works you intend to do, and thewords you intend to speak and the matter you intend to listen to.
This is the elementary andoutward manner of keeping a fast. At least keep to this outward manner offasting! If you observe that someone is about to backbite, prevent him and sayto him that we have made a covenant to keep ourselves from prohibited mattersduring these thirty days of Ramadan. And if you are not able to keep him frombackbiting, leave that session. Do not just sit there and listen. The Muslimsmust be safe from you. Someone from whose hands, tongue and eyes other Muslimsare not safe is not truly a Muslim, although he may be outwardly andformally a Muslim who has formally proclaimed: "La illaha illa ALLAH".If, God forbid, you want to offend somebody, to slander him or backbite, youshould know that you are in the presence of the Lord; you are the guest of GodAlmighty, and in the presence of God, the Supreme, you would behave rudely toone of His servants; and to insult one of the servants of God is to insult God.They are the servants of God especially if they are scholars on the path ofknowledge and piety (taqwa). Sometimes you see that because of suchaffairs man reaches such a state that he denies God at the moment of his death!He denies the divine signs:
Then evil was the end of thosewho did evil, because they rejected the signs of ALLAH and used to mock them.(30:10).
These things occur gradually.Today, an incorrect view; tomorrow, a word of backbiting; and the next day,slander against a Muslim, and . . . little by little these sins accumulate inthe heart, and make the heart black and prevent man from attaining knowledge (ma'rifah)of ALLAH (SWT), until it reaches the point that he denies everything and rejectsthe truth.
According to some ayat ofthe Qur'an as interpreted in some traditions, the deeds of men are presentedto the Prophet (S.A.W.) and the pure Imam's (A.S.) and are reviewed by them. When the Prophet reviews your deeds and he sees how many errors and sins thereare, how upset and distressed will he be? Do not make the Apostle of God becomeupset and distressed. You would not want to break his heart and make him sad?When he witnesses that the page of your deeds is replete with backbiting,slander, and speaking ill of other Muslims and that all your attention wasdevoted to this worldly and materialistic affairs and that your heart wasoverflowing with malice, hatred, spite and suspicion towards each other, it ispossible that in the presence of God, the Supreme and Holy, and the angels ofALLAH (SWT), he will be embarrassed that his community and followers wereungrateful for their divine blessings, and they betrayed the trust of God, theHoly and Supreme, in such an unbridled and heedless manner.
When someone who is related tous, even if in a menial position, errs, we become embarrassed. You are relatedto the Apostle of ALLAH (SWT), may the Peace and Blessings of ALLAH (SWT) bewith him and with his Progeny; by entering the seminary, you have relatedyourself to the Law of Islam, the most Noble Apostle and the Noble Qur'an. Ifyou perform ugly deeds, it upsets the Prophet and he cannot bear it, and Godforbid, you may be damned. Do not let the Apostle (S.A.W.) of ALLAH (SWT) andthe pure Imams (A.S.) become upset and saddened.
The heart of man is like amirror, clear and bright, and it becomes dark because of too much attention tothis world and too many sins. However, if a person at least performs the fastfor God the Almighty sincerely and without duplicity (I am not saying that otheracts of worship are not to be pure; it is necessary for all of the acts ofworship to be performed sincerely and without duplicity), then this worship -which is a turning away from lust, a putting aside of pleasure and cuttingoneself off from all but God - if it is performed well in this single month,perhaps the grace of God will be extended to him and the mirror of his heartwill be cleaned of its blackness and tarnish, and there is hope that he willchange his ways and become dissuaded from this wilderness and worldly pleasures.When the Night of Qadr arrives, one will gain the illumination,which is obtained on that night by the friends of God and the believers.
The reward of such a fast isGod, as it has been reported:
"The fast is for Me and Igrant its reward." Nothing else could be the reward of such a fast.The Gardens of Blessings would not count as a worthy reward for such a fast.
If a man takes fasting to meanclosing his mouth to food but opening it for backbiting, and he engages inbackbiting until sahar in the warm and friendly company in the nightswhen there is opportunity and time, such fasting will be of no benefit and haveno effect. Rather, one who fasts in this way has not observed the etiquette ofthe banquet of God. He has violated the rights of his Benefactor, the BenefactorWho has provided him with all the means and conveniences of life before creatinghim, and has provided for the means of his development. He sent the prophets toguide him. He sent down the heavenly books. Man has been given the power toapproach the source of greatness and the light of felicity, has been favoredwith intellect and perception, and has been the recipient of His generosity.Now, He has invited His servants to enter His guesthouse and to sit at the tableof His blessings where they are to thank and praise Him to the extent that theirtongues and hands are able. Is it right for the servants who partake at thetable of His blessings and use the means and conveniences, which He has freelyprovided for them that they should oppose their Master and Host and rebelagainst Him? Is it right that they should use these things in opposition to Himand against His wishes? Wouldn't this be biting the hand that feeds one, theheight of ingratitude to sit at the table of one's Master and audaciously insultone's honored Host, Who is his benefactor, with rude and impudent behavior andperforming ugly and evil deeds before the Host?
The guests must at least knowwho their Host is, and become aware of His dignity. They should be acquaintedwith the etiquette and manners of the sessions and try not to perform any deedcontrary to virtue and decorum. The guests of the Supreme Lord must know thedivine station of the Lord of Majesty, a station of which the Imams, Peace beupon them', and the great divine prophets were constantly seeking greaterknowledge and more perfect awareness, aspiring to reach the Source of light andgreatness. "And enlighten the eyes of our hearts with the light of Thyvision, until the vision of the hearts tears through the curtains of light andreaches the Source of Greatness." The banquet of ALLAH (SWT) is thatvery "source of greatness." God, the Blessed and Exalted, has invitedHis servants to enter the source of light and greatness. However, if the servantis not worthy, he will not be able to enter into such a splendid and sumptuousposition. God, the Exalted, has invited his servants to all sorts of favors andboons and to numerous spiritual delights, but if they are not prepared to bepresent at such lofty positions, they will not be able to enter. How can oneenter the presence of the Lord and the guesthouse of the Lord of lords, which isthe source of greatness with spiritual pollution, vice, and sins of the body andsoul? It requires merit. Preparation is necessary. In indignity and withpolluted hearts covered by veils of darkness, one will not be able to understandthese spiritual meanings and truths. One must tear these veils and push asidethese dark and luminous curtains, which cover the heart and are barriers tounion with ALLAH (SWT) so that one will be able to enter the brilliant andsplendid divine company.
The Veils Of Islam
Attention to other than Godcovers man with veils of darkness and light. If any worldly affair is a causefor man's attention to be directed toward the world and to neglect God, theExalted, it raises dark veils. All of the corporeal worlds are dark veils. Ifthe world is a means of directing attention to the Truth and for arriving at theabode of the Hereafter, which is the "abode of honor," then the darkveils are transformed into veils of light. "Being perfectly cut off fromall else," means tearing and pushing aside all the dark and bright veils,until one is able to enter the divine guesthouse, which is the "source ofgreatness." Hence, in this intimate devotion (munajat) there is arequest to God, the Exalted, for vision and brightness of the heart so one maytear the veils of light and reach the source of greatness: "Until thevision of the heart tears through the veils of light and reaches the source ofgreatness."
However, one who has not yettorn the veils of darkness, one who directs all of his attention to the naturalworld and, God forbid, becomes deviated from ALLAH (SWT), and one who isbasically unaware of the world beyond and the spiritual worlds, and hasretrogressed to a state of nature, who has never decided to refine himself, toset into motion his spiritual powers, to push aside the curtains of darknesswhich are a cloud over his heart, he is lodged in 'the deepest of the depths'which is the ultimate veil:
Indeed We created man in thefairest structure, then We consigned him to the lowest of the low, (95:4-5)
While the God of the worlds hascreated man in the most lofty state and station:
Indeed We created man in thefairest structure.
If one follows the desires ofthe self and from the day he becomes acquainted with himself pays no attentionto anything other than the dark wilderness of nature and who never thinksthat it is possible that there exists another place and station aside from thispolluted dark world, then he will have sunk into the veil of darkness and havebecome an instance of:
"but he clung to theearth and followed his low desire" (7:176).
With such a heart polluted bysin that has been covered by the curtain of darkness and with such a gloomyspirit that due to the effect of numerous sins has receded far from God, theExalted, after that worship of desire and seeking after the world have blindedthe intellect and the vision of truth, he cannot be released from the veils ofdarkness, let alone to tear the veils of light and detach himself from all butALLAH (SWT). However convinced he might be that one should not deny the stationof the saints (awliya') of God, and not consider as myths the worlds ofthe barzakh, the sirat, the resurrection, the accounting, thebook, heaven and hell, yet due to the effects of sins and the attachment of theheart to the world, one comes to gradually deny these truths, to deny thestations of the awliya' of God, stations which are mentioned in not morethan a few lines of prayers and intimate devotions.
