Aspects and bright truth

Wakefulness of ar-Rasheed’s son

The author of Abwab al-Jinan, al-Wa’idh as-Sabzuwari in his book Jami’ an-Norayn, p.317 and ayatollah an-Nahawandi in his book Khazeenatul Jawahir, p.291 mentioned that Haroon ar-Rasheed, the Abbasid caliph, had a good son with a pure nature as a pearl coming out of a polluted shell and salty water. This son loved the meetings of the ascetics and worshippers and due to associating with these people his heart turned way from the pleasures of this worldly life and he hated the authority and the throne of kingdom of his father. He paid much attention to purify his heart from the dirt of worldly lusts and satanic tendencies. He did not wear but simple and cheap woolen cloths. He always associated with the virtuous and benevolent people. His heart loved purity, humane aspects and bright truth. He often visited the graveyards to take lessons and always cries bitterly there.

One day the vizier of Haroon ar-Rasheed was present in the meeting when this son of Haroon, who was called Qassim and surnamed as al-Mu’taman, came to the meeting. The vizier Ja’far al-Barmaki laughed. Haroon ar-Rasheed asked why he had laughed and he said, ‘I laughed at this boy who has exposed you before the public. I wish you had no such a son! Look at his state, cloths, behavior and his sitting with the poor and needy!’

Haroon said, ‘He has the right to do that because we have not given him any position or high rank yet. It would be better to appoint him as the wali on one of the provinces.’ He ordered his son to sit beside him and he began advising him then said to him, ‘I want to entrust you with one of the provinces. Which one do you want?’

He said, ‘O father, leave me alone! I like to worship Allah more than to involve in the rule. Consider that you have not had this son!’

His father, Haroon, said to him, ‘Is it not possible to worship Allah besides the rule? You have to accept the position on one of the provinces and I will appoint a good vizier to you to help you in managing the affairs of the rule and then you can practice your worship and obedience.’

Haroon ignored or feigned inattention that the rule was the legal right of the infallible imams and the guardians of Allah and it was not permissible to accept the emirate or any position in the government from the unjust and oppressive rulers who had extorted the caliphate and consequently the verdicts of Allah could not be executed in such an extorted government and no worship would be accepted by Allah in such government. Accepting the emirate that is granted by unjust rulers and tyrants is considered as a great sin if it is illegal.

Qassim said, ‘I do not accept this at any cost and I do not accept any emirate in your government.’ Haroon said, ‘You are the son of the caliph and the ruler over the great state and it does not fit you to sit with the poor or associate with the common people. This causes me disgrace before the public and the notables.’ Qassim said, ‘You too, by your doings, shame me and disgrace me before the saints and the virtuous people…’ The advice of Haroon and the attendants in the meeting was of no use and Qassim insisted on his situation but he kept silent before their sayings.

Then they entrusted him to be the wali of Egypt and the attendants of the meeting congratulated him for that. When the night came, he fled from Baghdad to Basra. In the morning they looked for him everywhere but they could not find him.

A man from Basra, called Abdullah al-Basri, says, ‘I had a house in Basra whose wall was damaged. One day I went looking for a worker to mend the wall. I passed by the mosque and I found a young man busy reciting the Qur'an and putting a shovel and a basket in front of him. I asked him, ‘do you work?’ He said, ‘Yes, I do. Allah has created us to gain permissible livelihood by the toil of our hands and the sweat of our forehead.’ I said to him, ‘I want you to come with me to my house to mend a damaged wall.’ He said, ‘First how much is the fee?’ I said, ‘I pay you one dirham.’ He said, ‘Alright!’

He went with me and began working until the sunset. I saw that he had worked as much as the work of twelve men so I wanted to give him more than one dirham but he refused and said, ‘I do not take more than one dirham.’ In the next morning I went to look for him but I did not find him. I asked about him and it was said to me that he did not work except on Saturdays.

When Saturday came, I went early to the mosque and I found him there. I took him with me to the house. He began working. When it was time for prayer, he stopped working, washed his hands and legs and offered the obligatory prayer. When he finished his prayer, he continued his work until the sunset. I gave him his fee and he left. Since the wall was not completed yet, I waited until the next Saturday. I went to the same place but it was said to me that he had been ill since two or three days. I asked about his house and it was said to me that he lived in the old quarter in a ruined place. I went and saw him sleeping in the sickbed. I sat beside him and put his head in my lap. He opened his eyes and said, ‘Who are you?’ I said, ‘I am the man for whom you have worked for two days. I am Abdullah al-Basri.’ He said, ‘I knew you. Do you want to know me?’ I said, ‘Yes, who are you?’ He said, ‘I am Qassim the son of Haroon ar-Rasheed.’

I got up from my place and began shaking because of fear. My face turned pale. I said to myself, ‘If Haroon knew that his son had worked for me, he would punish me severely and would tear down my house!’ Qassim noticed my fear and said, ‘Do not fear! I have not introduced myself to anyone except you. If I did not see the signs of death, I would not tell you that too. I want you, when I leave this world, to give this shovel and basket to the one who will prepare a grave to me and give this Qur'an that was my entertainment to the people of the Qur'an.’ He gave me a ring and said to me, ‘My father appears to the public on Mondays. If you go to Baghdad, please go to him on that day, put this ring before him and say to him that his son Qassim has left this world. He says to you: since you have a great ability to collect monies in this world, add this ring to your wealth and answer (Allah) instead of me (Qassim) on the Day of Resurrection because I cannot tolerate punishment.’ He said that and tried to get up but he could not. He wanted to get up again but he could not. He said to me, ‘O Abdullah, please help me because Ameerul Mo’mineen (s) has come to me!’ I helped him to get up but suddenly his soul left this world as if he was a ray of light that lit and went out.

Repentance of the Magus

The great jurisprudent and famous philosopher Mulla Ahmad an-Naraqi says in his book Taq Dees, ‘One day Prophet Moses (s) went to Mount Toor and on his way he saw an old man from the Magi who worshipped the fire. The Magus, who had been polluted with disbelief and deviation, said to Prophet Moses (s), ‘Where do you want to go and with whom you want to talk?’ Prophet Moses (s) said, ‘I want to go to Mount Toor in the sea of an-Noor to talk to Allah the Almighty and to beg Him and to ask Him for forgiveness because of your sins and disobediences and I want to apologize to Him for that.’ The Magus said, ‘Could you take my letter with you to your god?’ Prophet Moses (s) said, ‘What letter?’ He said, ‘Say to your god that your magus slave says to you: you have to feel shy of yourself before all these creatures. If it is you who provide me with the means of subsistence, stop it. I do not want your favor for neither you are my god nor am I your slave.’

Prophet Moses (s) became very angry at the saying of this ignorant and stupid old man. He became annoyed because of these impolite words and said to himself, ‘I am going to talk to my Lord and it is not fit to mention such speech in His sacred presence. If I want to regard the sanctity of that place and the sanctity of the Lord, I have to ignore such silly speech.’

Moses (s) went to the mount and began talking to Allah while shedding tears. He was alone with Allah the Almighty in a state that could not happen to any other on the earth. When his confidential talk with his Lord finished and he wanted to come back to the city, he was called, ‘O Moses, where is the letter of My slave?’ Moses (s) said, ‘I feel shy to tell You what he has said. You know what obscene words that disbeliever, who worships the fire, has said!’ It was said to him, ‘Go, as My deputy, to that angry slave, greet him and say to him kindly, ‘If you are ashamed and you think that My being your god is a shame to you, I do not consider you as shame or disgrace to Me and I have never intended to be your enemy any time! If you do not want us, We want you with all dignity and respect and if you do not want My subsistence, I do give you from the table of My generosity without considering it as a favor on you. My blessings and subsistence are for the all, My mercy and generosity are infinite and My existence is eternal.’

People are like children living on the table of His generosity and favor. It is like a kind mother who suckles her children. Yes, one of the children may become angry and refuse to suck from the breast of this kind mother but she does not cut her relation with this child. She tries to put her breast into the child’s mouth to suckle it her milk. The child may turn its head or close its mouth but the mother kisses its mouth and says to it kindly and mercifully, ‘O my dear child, do not turn your face away from me. Look at this breast which is full of delicious milk. Put it in your mouth. It is for you.’

When Prophet Moses (s) came back from Mount Toor in an-Noor valley, he met that Magus in his way and mentioned what Allah had said to him. The words of Allah affected the heart of the magus and that Divine speech, which was full of mercy and kindness, cleaned his heart and soul from the dirt of disbelief and disobedience. This answer was as a warning where the magus lived in the darkness of disbelief and deviation and then the light of this answer shone inside his soul.

The magus felt shy of himself and bowed his head towards the ground and began wiping his tears with his sleeve. Then he raised his head and said sadly while his eyes were shedding tears, ‘O Moses, you have set fire to my heart! You have burnt my soul! What is this answer you have brought to me from my Lord?! How could I dare to send such a letter to my Lord?! My face has blackened. Woe unto me! O Moses, please offer to me faith and teach me the truth!’ He began talking to Allah, ‘O my Lord, how deviate I have been! Take my soul and relieve me from this great remorse!’ Then Prophet Moses (s) taught him the principles of faith and Divine knowledge. The magus acknowledged them, repented of his sins and then his soul left to the otherworld.

Repentance and peace with the truth

In the year 1331 (solar calendar of hijra), when I was nine years old and the religious authority of the Shia at that time was great ayatollah Sayyid al-Boroujerdi, a wonderful story of the stories of repentance took place that I think I have to mention here in this book.

There was a man living in a quarter in the south of Tehran. He was proud, strong and arrogant where most of the villain and proud persons were afraid of him and no one of them dared to dispute with him or to face his dagger.

He did not refrain from committing any vice like drinking, gambling, taking bribes by force, causing terror, fright, oppression…etc.

He was at the peak of his powerfulness and pride when a ray of the Divine mercy and care lit inside his heart.

He changed all his properties into money. He put the money in a bag and came with it to the city of Qom to announce his repentance. He went to great ayatollah Sayyid al-Boroujerdi and said to him, ‘I have gained all this money in the bag illegally and now I do not know the real owners of it. It has become too heavy to me and so I have brought it to you to guide me and to show me the path of repentance and turning to Allah.’

Ayatollah al-Boroujerdi loved the meetings with such people who had good hearts. He said to him, ‘It is not enough to get rid of this money only. You have to put off all your cloths except the underwear and then you can go back to your city. At once the man put off his cloths an put them before ayatollah al-Boroujerdi. He asked him permission to leave, greeted him and turned towards the door to leave.

When ayatollah al-Boroujerdi saw that the man was a real repentant, his tears fell down and he called him to come back. He gave him five thousand tomans (Iranian currency) from his own money, embraced him warmly and farewelled him after praying Allah for him.

When the man went back to Tehran, he was too humble and full of love to Allah and to His people. He began working with these five thousand tomans to live honestly. His life became better and better. Every year he paid the fifth of his profits to the poor and needy people besides his charities to them.

He began attending the religious meetings and then he himself established a meeting in Tehran.

It happened that when the first religious lecture was held in this meeting, I was twenty-six years old and I was studying in the Hawza of Qom and I often went to Tehran in Muharram, Safar and Ramadan to preach in the meetings and mosques there.

I got acquainted with him through these religious meetings. One of my acquaintances told me about this man’s repentance and what had happened to him near ayatollah al-Boroujerdi. I made friends with him for a long time. In the year 1367 (solar calendar of hijra) he fell ill and sent for me to visit him. I decided to visit him on Friday but in the night of Friday (Thursday evening) at eleven o’clock his wife told me that he had died in his bed.

His family and relatives, who had been there half an hour before his death, said that he had began talking with the Master of the Martyrs Imam Husayn (s). He said to him, ‘I have repented of all my previous bad deeds and I have put on the dress of your servants and I have served sincerely in your meetings. I have recommended in my will that a third of my wealth should be given to the Treasury of Charitable Loans to be spent on marrying the youth. I have no wish in my life save to see your bright face in this last moment of this world and to die on this.’ Then he breathed a deep and comfortable breath, greeted Imam Husayn (s) while smiling and left this world.