The Cure for Hypocrisy and Polytheism

Hypocrisy is due to ignorance.  If someone worships in order to show off in front of people, and even if all of the people of the world become his followers, they cannot save him from the smallest chastisement of the grave.  Moreover, on the Day of Judgement, this hypocritical worship will become punishment for him instead of reward.

        The Apostle of Allah states that on the Day of Judgement three groups will come and, about them, Allah will order the angels to take them to Hell.  At that moment the people of Resurrection will wonder, for among them, the first group will be of scholars.  Allah will ask them, “I gave you knowledge.  What did you do with it?”  They will answer, “We left our homes, travelled to cities, built schools, and preached.”  Allah will reply, “You are lying.  You did all this for your name and for praise of your goodness.  You did nothing for Me.  You included the people in My worship.”

        The second group is of businessmen.  Allah will ask them, “What did you do?”  They will answer, “We had built schools, built mosques, built orphanages.”  The voice of Allah will come, “You are also lying.  Your work was only so that people would praise you and call you pious, religious, and generous.”

        For example, Harun Rashid was having a mosque built.  Bahlool asked, “What are you having built?”  Harun replied, “Can’t you see that I am having a mosque built?”  Bahlool said, “You are lying.”  Harun said, “This dome, this minaret, such a big mosque is being built where is the lie in that?  Bahlool said, “Place a plaque (tablet) with my name on this mosque.”  Harun exclaimed (cried out), “Wow!  My money is being spent and your name be written.”  Bahlool replied, “Then you should say I am building my name, not a mosque.”  If it was for Allah, then it matters not whether my name or your name?

        The third group is of martyrs.  They will say, “We did not have any wealth.  We only had our lives, which we sacrificed (offered) in Your way."
The voice (of Allah) will come, “You are lying.  Your intention was that people will call me brave.  You fought to show off, not for Me.”  An example is that during the time of the Apostle of Allah the Muslims were participating in a battle.  An unbeliever from among the unbelievers possessed a very fine mule (donkey).  Now, one Muslim’s glance fell on that mules and he thought to himself that I will kill this unbeliever in order to capture his mule.  So, this Muslim advanced (went forward), but the unbeliever was strong and killed the Muslim.  Henceforth, this Muslim became famous as the martyr in the way of a donkey.  There was not sincerity in his intention; rather, he wished to attain (gain) wealth.       

 

Fear and Hope: 

Two Divine Lights

        Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) says, “Man cannot be a believer unless there is fear and hope (in his heart).”  Fear and hope itself is one of Islam’s ethical and spiritual subjects.  One should not fear Allah, the Most High, so much so that man remains afraid (all the time).  In this sense, fear is not beneficial for faith.  The case is similar with hope and being too much hopeful.  It should not result in man’s becoming too bold in committing sins.  Thus, both (fear and hope) should exist; the equality of the two is a mark of faith.  If someone does not act, but hopes for reward, then his likeness is of that farmer who, without sowing (planting) seeds, hopes for produce (fasl).

        It is a saying of the Apostle of Allah that, “The world is the field of the Hereafter.”  If someone does not perform deeds, but still expects Allah’s forgiveness or the Ahlul Bait’s[1] intercession then this is not hope.  Rather, it is Satan’s deceit.  He is deceiving himself; such a person, who does not refrain from sins, but still is hopeful, is foolish.  He is just like the one who plants seeds in stony ground but still hopes for produce.

        Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) says that there are always two fears in a believer’s heart:

1.                           One is the fear of those sins he has committed in his past lifetime and he does not know how Allah will treat him because of those sins.

2.                           The second fear is of spending what remains of his lifetime in the way of Satan.

In a Gnostic's heart there is neither the fear of Hell, nor the greed for Heaven. He is a lover of Allah; thus, what will be the state of fear and hope in him?

One man worships due to fear of Hell; the other worships out of greed for Heaven.  The third person is that Gnostics of Allah who is not eager for Heaven, nor afraid of Hell; rather, he sees Allah as worthy of worship, and that is why He worships Him.  This statement refers to Gnostics. In Dua-e-Kumayl, Hazrat Ali declares, “Though I shall patiently endure the punishment, how will I be patient in separation from Thee?”  The fear in a gnostic’s heart is due to the Majestic (Grand) Names (asma-e-jalaliya).  So when a name from among the Majestic Names is glorified (tajalli), his heart becomes frightened.  When a name from among the Beautiful Names (asma-e-jamaliya) is glorified in his heart, then the state of hope is created within him.

Steadfastness (istiqamat-loyal)

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) states, “The people who faced the most calamities, are the Prophets, then the successors (awsiya) and then there are more people like the successors (i.e. such scholars who possess the characteristics of the Imams).  Allah involves the believers in calamities as much as are his good deeds.  Thus, whoever rectified his religion and performed good deeds will face greater calamities and misfortunes.  The reason for this is that Allah has not established this world as the place for a believer’s reward, nor has he made it the place for an unbeliever’s torment and punishment.  Whoever’s religion will be insubstantial (lacking firmness) and ordinary, and whosever's deeds will be weak and deficient, his calamities will be less.  Calamities go toward a believing and pious person like rainwater goes toward sloping ground.”

 

Reasons why calamities

Befall a believer

        The love of this world is the cause of all sins and, due to love of this world; man becomes heedless (careless) of Allah and the Hereafter.  Consequently, upon whomever Allah bestows more favours and kindnesses; he also faces more calamities and misfortunes.  Calamities are Allah’s hidden kindnesses and blessings.  We think of apparent blessings as blessings and become happy, although the matter is the opposite.  When love of this world leaves man’s heart, man becomes closer and closer to Allah.  The second reason for calamities is that when Allah wants to give some servant a high rank, He afflicts him with misfortunes.  Thus, by being patient in those misfortunes, he achieves a high station.  Imam Hussain (peace be upon him) saw the Apostle of Allah in a dream, and he said to him, “There are very high ranks for you, but you cannot reach those levels except through martyrdom.”

        Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) says, “However great the calamities are, the reward is as great.  Furthermore, the nations' Allah loves in involves them in calamities.”  Since removing love of the world is very difficult, Allah removes that love through His hidden kindness (i.e. afflictions).  This universe is neither the place for reward not the place for punishment.  In the Hereafter blessings are authentic (khalis-real)); hardships and difficulties are not found there.  However, in this world, blessings are not authentic (real); furthermore, they are accompanied by hardships and difficulties.  Similarly, the hardships of this world are not authentic either.  In this world neither blessings are authentic nor are hardships authentic.  Yet, in the Hereafter if it is Hell, then it means hardship forever (i.e. authentic hardship).  If it is Heaven, then it is pleasure forever (i.e. authentic pleasure).  

 

The Reality of Pleasure

        The thing which we consider to be comfort in this world is not comfort; rather, it is fulfilment of necessities and removal of hardship.  We may consider something to be pleasure, but the Gnostics have said that there is no such thing as pleasure in this world.  Due to our ignorance and misunderstanding we consider something which is a cause for ending a difficulty as pleasure.

        Allah, the Most High, declares,

“We draw them near (to destruction) by degrees from whence they know not” (Al-Araf: 182).

        Imam Sadiq (as) states, “When someone sins and Allah increases His favours, then this is a warning; therefore, one should immediately repent after this.  Whoever’s religion is weak or whoever’s intellect is weak, his hardships are also less.”

 

Mercy behind Hardship

        The Apostle of Allah has said, “No other Prophet has seen as many difficulties as I have seen.”  When one attains recognition of Allah’s greatness and majesty, such as the Prophet, because of greater recognition and after attaining such a high rank of recognition, if a servant sins before him, he will experience greater pain (because he has attained greater recognition of Allah).  The Prophet was a Mercy; when the servants used to sin, he experienced two pains.  One is that when he saw the servants committing sins, he was pained that these people will have to go to Hell.  The other pain he felt was that, because these people were sinning, Allah’s commands were being disrespected. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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