The title of this section is the translation of Imam Zainol Abedin's elegant expression: it is adopted from “The land of lovers” by Professor Hossein Ansarian.
وَمَضَتْ عَلى اِرادَتِكَ الأشْياءُ
The heart of Ibrahim(s) was filled with the fatherly care and affection for his son Ismail (Ismail, Samuel).
He continuously thought of his son. He loved him but he was obedient to Allah and had concern for humanity.
He put God's satisfaction in front of his own inclinations. However, he loved his son tremendously since, due to Allah's commands, he had left him alone with his helpless mother in the midest of a dry, hot, and torrid desert. Meanwhile, he did not know what God would order him to carry out later.
At times, the daily events are demolishing; however, great men and God's obedient slaves know well that before the wheat is ready, it would not be changed into wheat thus the worldly events make these men mature and the gravity of affairs causes their delight.
Ibrahim, who once in a while took food and water to his son in the desert, was waiting for God's command.
One night during his sleep, he got the revelation from God that he had to slaughter his son. Ibrahim was fully aware of the fact that the Prophets' dreams were not illusions. He knew that he had been given an order by God during his sleep and that he had to carry it out: slaughtering his son; beheading the same son God had given him.
If we think hard we will grasp the gravity of such situations. However, the carrying out of such commands calls for a strong conviction. The very concept of such dreadful acts shakes one entirely: but, Ibrahim, the great, did not show any sign of weakness. He considered God as greater and more magnanimous than anything else in this world: He put God's satisfaction in front of his own.
Meanwhile Ismail had become a handsome, strong man full of zeal for life. His broad shoulders, high forehead, and strong arms strengthened his elderly father's soul.
The father, Ibrahim, now had to inform his son, Ismail, of God's commands. As soon as Islmail understood his father's decision, he surrendered to his father's wish.
The elderly father embraced his son and kissed him heartily. Then he tied his legs and hands and drew the knife to Ismail's throat while the whole creation was worried on his act.
Ibrahim drew the knife on Ismail's throat several times, but no bleeding took place and the victim did not show any harsh reaction( Heavenly tales, P 185.).
It was as if Ibrahim were asking the knife: why don’t you cut? And it was as though the knife were replying:
الْخَلِيلُ يَأمُرُني، وَالجَلِيلُ يَنْهانِي.
Ibrahim: you wish I could separate your son's head, but the creator stops me from such infamous act.
وَمَضَتْ عَلى إرادَتِكَ الأشْياءُ فَهِيَ بِمَشِيَّتِكَ دُونَ قَوْلِكَ مْؤْتَمِرَةٌ، وَبِإرادَتِكَ دُونَ نَهْيِكَ مُنْزَجِرَةٌ.
And the affairs are carried out in accordance with your will; all of them are obedient to you without your explicit demand.
أَنْتَ الْمَدْعُوُّ لِلْمُهِمَّاتِ وَ أَنْتَ الْمَفْزَعُ فِي الْمُلِمَّاتِ لَا يَنْدَفِعُ مِنْهَآ إِلَّا مَا دَفَعْتَ وَ لَا يَنْكَشِفُ مِنْهَآ إِلَّا مَا كَشَفْتَ وَ قَدْ نَزَلَ بِي يَا رَبِّ مَا قَدْ تَكَأَّدَنِي ثِقْلُهُ وَ أَلَمَّ بِي مَا قَدْ بَهَظَنِي حَمْلُهُ
“You are the one who are called upon by the sufferers at the time of hardships; you are their Protector; you would not distance from them till their obstacles are removed. O my God, now my shoulders are under heavy loads of misery.”
وَ بِقُدْرَتِكَ أَوْرَدْتَهُ عَلَيَّ وَ بِسُلْطَانِكَ وَجَّهْتَهُ إِلَيَّ فَلَا مُصْدِرَ لِمَا أَوْرَدْتَ وَ لَا صَارِفَ لِمَا وَجَّهْتَ وَ لَا فَاتِحَ لِمَا أَغْلَقْتَ وَ لَا مُغْلِقَ لِمَا فَتَحْتَ وَ لَا مُيَسِّرَ لِمَا عَسَّرْتَ وَ لَا نَاصِرَ لِمَنْ خَذَلْتَ.
“What I have received from you is due to your might and power; therefore, you could take away from me what you have given me. You could disclose what you have already closed; you could as well close what you have disclosed. You are the one who could make easy what you have deemed hard; you are the kind companion for those whom you have made miserable.
فَصَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَ آلِهِ وَ افْتَحْ لِي يَا رَبِّ بَابَ الْفَرَجِ بِطَوْلِكَ وَ اكْسِرْ عَنِّي سُلْطَانَ الْهَمِّ بِحَوْلِكَ وَ أَنِلْنِي حُسْنَ النَّظَرِ فِيمَا شَكَوْتُ وَ أَذِقْنِي حَلَاوَةَ الصُّنْعِ فِيمَا سَأَلْتُ وَ هَبْ لِي مِنْ لَدُنْكَ رَحْمَةً وَ فَرَجًا هَنِيئًا وَ اجْعَلْ لِي مِنْ عِنْدِكَ مَخْرجًا وَحِيًّا.
Therefore, send your Blessings to Mohammad and his Household and disclose to me the door to convenience; and make sadness in the country of my existence defeated. Have a positive attitude towards my complaints and reveal to me the sweetness of generosity and let me bask in your Generosity and let me enjoy a quick release form hardships.
وَ لَا تَشْغَلْنِي بِالِاهْتِمَامِ عَنْ تَعَاهُدِ فُرُوضِكَ وَ اسْتِعْمَالِ سُنَّتِكَ
And do not let me be negligent, due to my sadness, of my duties regarding your commands and your tradition.
In describing the above expression which is among Imam Sajjad's precious remarks, we have to refer here to some of the benefits which are gained by us through carrying out our religious tasks.
عَنْ أبي جَعْفَرٍA قال: عَشْرٌ مَنْ لَقِيَ اللهَ بِهِنَّ دَخَلَ الْجَنَّةَ: شَهادَةُ أنْ لا إلهَ إلا اللهُ، وَأنَّ مُحَمَّداً رَسُولُ اللهِ، وَالإقْرارُ بِما جاءَ بِهِ مِنْ عِنْدِ اللهِ عَزَّوَجَلَّ، وَاقامُ الصَّلاةِ، وَإيتاءُ الْزَّكاةِ، وَصَومُ شَهْرِ رَمَضانَ، وَحِجُّ الْبَيْتِ وَالْوِلايَةُ لأوْلِياءِ اللهِ، وَالْبَراءَةُ مِنْ أعْداءِ اللهِ، وَاجْتِنابُ كُلِّ مُسْكِرٍ. [1]
It is narrated from Imam Baqir(s): There are ten attributes which will send a person to the paradise: confessing to the uniqueness of Allah, confessing to the prophethood of the Prophet(s), confessing to what the Prophet(s) has brought from God, uprighting grayers, paying the poor-rate, fasting in the month of Ramathan, carrying out the Hajj pilgrimage, friendship with God's friends, showing hatred towards God's enemies, and avoidance of drinking anything which could intoxicate us.
قالَ أبُو الْحَسَنِ مُوسىA: مَنْ تَوَضَّأ لِلْمَغْرِبِ كانَ وُضُوؤُهُ ذلِكَ كَفّارَةً لِما مَضى مِنْ ذُنُوبِهِ في نَهارِهِ ما خَلا الْكَبائِرَ، وَمَنْ تَوَضَّأ لِصَلاةِ الصُّبْحِ كانَ وُضُوؤُهُ ذلِكَ كَفَّارَةً لِما مَضى مِنْ ذُنُوبِهِ في لَيْلِهِ ما خَلاَ الْكَبائِرِ.
Imam Musa Ibn Jaafar(s) has stated: Anybody who carries out ablution for the evening prayer has compensated for the sins of the previous day: all sins except for the major ones. And, in the same way, if anybody carries out ablution for the morning prayer, he has compensated for the sins he had committed during the precious night, except for the major ones.
قالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ3: ألا أدُلُّكُمْ عَلى سِلاحٍ يُنْجِيكُم مِنْ عَدُوِّكُمْ، وَيُدِرَّ رِزْقَكُمْ؟ قالوا: نَعَمْ، قالَ: تَدْعُونَ بِاللَّيلِ وَالنَّهارِ، فَإنَّ سِلاحَ الْمُؤْمِنِ الدُّعاءُ.
The Prophet(s) told his followers: should I not recommend to you a weapon which could save you from your enemies and could increase your subsistence? They replied: “You, the Prophet of Allah.” The Prophet(s) then said: “Call on God, day and night, and pray him because the believers' only weapon is his invocation.”
عَنْ أبي عَبْدِاللهِA قال: مَنْ مَشى إلَى الْمَسْجِدِ لَمْ يََضَعْ رِجْلَهُ عَلى رَطْبٍ وَلا يابِسٍ إلاّ سَبَّحَتْ لَهُ الأرْضُ إلَى الأرَضِينَ السّابِعَةِ. [2]
Imam Sadiq(s) has stated: the things on the ground on which a believer walks to arrive at the mosque will pray for him.
In an elaboration of the above narration we will read: Since, according to the Holy Quran, all creatures pray towards God and have an innate consciousness towards monotheism, any movement towards righteousness would provoke all the things on the path to pray to God from the earth to the seventh sky. Such a prayer would be registered in the file of any walker toward the mosque.
قالَ الرِّضاA: عَلَيْكُم بِصَلاةِ اللَّيْلِ، فَما مِنْ عَبْدٍ مُؤْمِنٍ يَقُومُ آخِرَ اللَّيْلِ فَيُصَلّي ثَمانِ رَكَعاتٍ وَرَكْعَتَي الشَّفْعِ وَرَكْعَةِ الْوَتْرِ، وَاسْتَغْفَرَ اللهَ في قُنُوتِهِ سَبْعِينَ مَرَّةً إلاّ اُجِيرَ مِنْ عَذابِ الْقَبْرِ وَمِنْ عَذابِ النّارِ، وَمُدَّ لَهُ في عُمْرِهِ وَوُسِّعَ عَلَيْهِ فِي مَعيشَتِهِ.
ثُمَّ قالَA:إنَّ الْبُيُوتَ الَّتي يُصَلّى فيها بِاللّيْلِ يَزْهَرُ نُورُها لأهْلِ السَّماءِ كَما يَزْهَرُ نُورُ الْكَواكِبِ لأهْلِ الأرْضِ.
The eighth Imam(s) has stated: I recommend that you take part in the night prayers. Any believer who wakes up late at night and recites eight raka'ats [the unit of prayer] of midnight prayer, two rak'a'ts of Shafa' prayer and one raka'at of statutory prayer together with seventy times of seeking God's forgiveness shall enter the paradise. Besides, he will live longer and will receive more sustenance.
Then Imam Reza(s) added: The houses where the midnight prayers are held will emit lights which will be as bright as the luminous stars.
قالَ الْباقِرُA:إذا صَلَّيتَ الْعَصْرَ يَوْمَ الْجُمْعَةِ فَقُلْ: “اَللّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلى مُحَمَّدٍ وَآلِ مُحَمَّدٍ الأوْصِياءِ الْمَرْضِيّينَ بِأفْضَلِ صَلَواتِكَ، وَبارِكْ عَلَيْهِمْ بِأفْضَلِ بَرَكاتِكَ، وَالسَّلامُ عَلَيْهِمْ وَعَلى أرْواحِهِمْ وَأجْسادِهِمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللهِ وَبَرَكاتُهُ”. فَإنَّ مَنْ قالَها بَعْدَ الْعَصْرِ كَتَبَ اللهُ لَهُ مِأةَ ألفِ حَسَنَةٍ، وَمَحا عَنْهُ مِأةَ ألْفِ سَيِّئةٍ، وَقَضى لَهُ بِها مِأةَ ألْفِ حاجَةٍ، وَرَفَعَ لَهُ بِها مِأةَ ألْفِ دَرَجَةٍ. [3]
Imam Baqir(s) has stated: when you recite the evening prayer on Fridays, read the following invocation:
اَللّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلى مُحَمَّدٍ وَآلِ مُحَمَّدٍ الأوْصِياءِ الْمَرْضِيّينَ بِأفْضَلِ صَلَواتِكَ، وَبارِكْ عَلَيْهِمْ بِأفْضَلِ بَرَكاتِكَ، وَالسَّلامُ عَلَيْهِمْ وَعَلى أرْواحِهِمْ وَأجْسادِهِمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللهِ وَبَرَكاتُهُ
In fact, for any body who recites this invocation, God will register one hundred thousand cases of good deeds and will delete one hundred thousand cases of sins; God will, as well, provide him with one hundred thousand cases of his needs; God will grant him one hundred thousand cases of His Blessings.
قالَ النَّبيُّ3: ما مِنْ صَلاةٍ تَحْضُرُ وَقْتُها إلاّ نادى مَلَكٌ مِنْ بَيْنِ يَدَيِ النّاسِ: قُومُوا إلى نِيرانِكُم الَّتي أوْقَدْتُمُوها عَلى ظُهُورِكُم، فَأطْفِئُوها بِصَلاتِكُم. [4]
The Prophet(s) has stated: When it is the time for the performance of a prayer, an angel shouts against people, crying: Rise to put off the fire that your have prepared for yourselves. Do this through the recitation of your Prayer.
قالَ الصّادِقُA: صَلاةُ فَرِيضَةٍ خَيْرٌ مِنْ عِشْرِينَ حِجَّةٍ، وَحِجَّةٌ خَيرٌ مِنْ بَيْتٍ مَمْلُوٍّ مِنَ الذَّهَبِ يُتَصَدَّقُ بهِ حَتّى يَفْنَى. [5]
Imam Sadiq(s) has stated: one obligatory prayer is better than twenty cases of Hajj and one case of Hajj is better than a house filled with gold which is given out as alms for God.
قالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ3: مَنْ كانَ الْقُرآنُ حَدِيثَهُ، وَالْمَسْجِدَ بَيْتَهُ بَنَى اللهُ لَهُ بَيْتاً في الْجَنَّةِ. [6]
The Prophet(s) has said: Anybody whose discourse is the Holy Quran and whose mosque is his house shall receive a house in the paradise.
Refrence: The land of lovers by Professor Hossein Ansarian
source : The land of lovers by Professor Hossein Ansarian
