Hindrances on the way of Perfection

The reason why God’s angels do not get bored with worshipping and serving God is that they lack lusts: their being is absolute light and their nature is heavenly.

Due to man’s special nature and because of his short stay in this world, man is endowed with desires, instincts and lusts of all sorts. However, if he uses these lusts and desires on the basis of reason and religion, he will excel the angels. But if he follows his wishes and whims, he will get bored in worshipping God and gradually he will become oven meaner than beasts.

Those who surrender to wrong lusts and to satanic desires not only demolish themselves but will destroy their family and their society as well. They will in this way deprive most of Adam’s children of the right of being God’s representative on earth:

أَلَمْ تَرَى إِلَى الَّذِينَ بَدَّلُوا نِعْمَةَ اللَّهِ كُفْرًا وَأَحَلُّوا قَوْمَهُمْ دَارَ الْبَوَارِ  [1]

“Have you no seen those who have changed Allah’s favor for ungratefulness and made their people to align into the abode of perdition.”

Those who are the slaves to their lusts and look at material desires and instincts as the life objectives would get involved in strange actions such as colonization, exploitation of other nations, suppression of human values, trespassing on other people’s lives, man slaughter, theft, plunder, hypocrisy, lying, leveling accusation, betrayal of people’s secrets, and other nasty activities.

زُيِّنَ لِلنَّاسِ حُبُّ الشَّهَوَاتِ مِنْ النِّسَاءِ وَالْبَنِينَ وَالْقَنَاطِيرِ الْمُقَنْطَرَةِ مِنْ الذَّهَبِ وَالْفِضَّةِ وَالْخَيْلِ الْمُسَوَّمَةِ وَالْأَنْعَامِ وَالْحَرْثِ ذَلِكَ مَتَاعُ الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَاللَّهُ عِنْدَهُ حُسْنُ الْمَآبِ  [2]

“The love of desires, of women and sons and hoarded treasures of gold and silver and well bred horses and cattle and tilled land is made to seem fair to man; this is the provision of the life of this world; and Allah is He with whom is the good goal of life.”

In this verse mention is made of six programs of this world life: women, sons wealth, palfrey, cattle and agriculture. Those who exclusively follow these programs will both get involved in a lot of sins and will be deprived of good goal of life, that is to say, they will be deprived of The gardens of paradise beneath which rivers flow constantly, of pure wives and of God’s satisfaction and pleasure.

قُلْ أَؤُنَبِّئُكُمْ بِخَيْرٍ مِنْ ذَلِكُمْ لِلَّذِينَ اتَّقَوْا عِنْدَ رَبِّهِمْ جَنَّاتٌ تَجْرِي مِنْ تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا وَأَزْوَاجٌ مُطَهَّرَةٌ وَرِضْوَانٌ مِنْ اللَّهِ وَاللَّهُ بَصِيرٌ بِالْعِبَادِ  [3]

“Say shall I tell you of what is better than these? For those who guard against evil are gardens with their Lord, beneath which rivers flow, to abide in them, and pure water and Allah’s pleasure; and Allah sees the servants.”

The significant point in the above verse is the important issue of piety, or guarding against evil. This means in the six cases of this world life, that is, women, sons, wealth, palfrey, cattle and agriculture, those who guard more against evil shall be more successful.

In the relevant verses and narrations the paradise is the reward for the sufferings that a believer goes through in his worships and the hell is the chastisement for those who were after pleasures when they were in this world.

The Almighty kind God wants His servants to be on the right path and receive the paradise as a reward, but the liberties and pleasure seekers prefer the believers to be in misery and mischief. The Holy Qur’an says regarding this:

وَاللَّهُ يُرِيدُ أَنْ يَتُوبَ عَلَيْكُمْ وَيُرِيدُ الَّذِينَ يَتَّبِعُونَ الشَّهَوَاتِ أَنْ تَمِيلُوا مَيْلًا عَظِيمًا  [4]

“And Allah desires that He should turn to you mercifully, and those who follow their lusts desire that you should deviate with a great deviation.”

Although the consideration of religiously legal and illegal issues is by itself a limiting factor, this restriction leads one towards the right path and the paradise. Thus, this restriction is of supreme value and validity. Man has got to adopt the right option under all conditions.

تَبَيَّنَ الرُّشْدُ مِنْ الغَيِّ  [5]

“There is no compulsion in religion; truly the right way has become clearly distinct from error.”

It is natural that the carrying out of one’s religious duties and remaining within the limits of the ethical considerations is not an easy job. But anybody who desires for prosperity here and Hereafter shall have to accept these hardships. However, one could very easily fall into the abyss of lusts and pleasure seeking. He will definitely receive his chastisement.

فَخَلَفَ مِنْ بَعْدِهِمْ خَلْفٌ أَضَاعُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَاتَّبَعُوا الشَّهَوَاتِ فَسَوْفَ يَلْقَوْنَ غَيًّا  [6]

 “But there came after them an evil generation, who neglected prayers and followed the sensual desires, so they will meet perdition.”

When the Prophet(s.a.w) recited this verse, he said:

يَكُونُ خَلْفٌ مِنْ بَعْدِ سِتّينَ سَنَةً أضاعُوا الصَّلاةَ وَاتَّبَعُوا الشَّهَواتِ فَسَوْفَ يَلْقَونَ غَيّاً، ثُمَّ يَكُونُ خَلْفٌ يَقْرَؤُونَ الْقُرْآنَ لا يَعْدُو تَراقِيَهُمْ، وَيَقْرَأُ الْقُرْآنَ ثَلاثَةٌ: مُؤْمِنٌ وَمُنافِقٌ وَفاجِرٌ [7]

 “After sixty years, there will come a generation who will neglect prayers and get involved in lusts; but they will soon receive the results of their evil-doings. Then there will come another generation who will recite the Holy Qur’an but superficially and with hypocrisy. Thus, the Holy Qur’an is read by three groups of people: the believers, the hypocrites and the adulterers.

The first part of this narration coincides with what the nasty Yazid did in the year sixty A.H. by usurping the management of the affairs of the believers and by creating the catastrophic event of Karbala. The second part of this narration coincides with the Bani Abbas Era in which Islam was practiced hypocritically.

عَنْ أبي جَعْفَرٍA قالَ: الْجَنَّةُ مَحْفُوفَةٌ بِالْمَكارِهِ وَالصَّبْرِ، فَمَنْ صَبَرَ عَلَى الْمَكارِهِ في الدُّنيا دَخَلَ الْجَنَّةَ، وَجَهَنَّمُ مَحْفُوفَةٌ بِاللَّذاتِ وَالشَّهَواتِ، فَمَنْ أعْطى نَفِْسَهُ لَذَّتَها وَشَهْواتِها دَخَلَ النّارَ [8]

Imam Baqir(a.s) states that: The paradise is the result of being strong and sturdy on the path of religion. A man who shows perseverance and patience in worshipping God and in observing ethical rules and values shall enter paradise. And the hell is the end-product of illicit lusts and pleasure-taking. Anybody who goes after lusts shall be the resident of the hell.

The following account can be found in one narration: Upon the creation of the paradise, the Generous God told Jibrail. Have a look at the paradise. When Jibrail cast his eyes on it, he said: O God! No one would ever disregard it. But when God put the conditions of persistence in worshipping Him and the disregard for pleasures, He told Jibrail to have a look at the paradise. Jibrail had a look and cried: O God! I fear that nobody will ever enter this magnificent place.

But when God created the Hell, He ordered Jibrail to have a look. He did so and added: Nobody would ever enter here since it is a rough place. When lust was accompanied with torture, God ordered Jibrail to have a look. He replied: O God! I fear all your servants will end up here.[9]

في وَصايا أبي ذّرٍّ قال 3: يا أبا ذّرٍّ اَلْحَقُّ ثَثيلٌ مُرٌّ، والْباطِلُ خَفيفٌ حُلْوٌ، وَرُبَّ ساعَةِ شَهْوَةٍ تُورِثُ حُزْناً طَويلاً. [10]

 “One the Prophet(s.a.w) gave Abu Zar a piece of advice; He said: Truth is always bitter and heavy, but wrong-doing is always easy and sweet. It is possible that one hour of pleasure seeking might cause a life span grief.

وَقالَ: مَنْ أكَلَ ما يَشْتَهي، وَلَيْسَ ما يَشْتَهي، وَرَكِبَ ما يَشْتَهِي لَمْ يَنْظُرِ اللهُ إلَيْهِ حَتّى يَنْزِعَ أو يَتْرُكَ [11]

The Prophet(s.a.w) also has stated: “God will not favor a man who eats whatever he desires, or wears whatever he prefers without considering the Islamic limits, or rides whatever a palfrey he chooses. Such a person will get God’s blessings only if he abandons these abnormal behaviors.

في وَصايا الْكاظِمِA: يا هِشامُ، أوْحَى اللهُ إلى داوُدَ: حَذِّر وَنَذِّر أصْحابَكَ عَنْ حُبِّ الشَّهَواتِ، فَإنَّ الْمَعَلَّقَةَ قُلُوبُهُمْ بِشَهَواتِ الدُّنْيا قُلُوبُهُمْ مَحْجُوبَةٌ عَنّي [12]

Imam Kazim(a.s) told Hisham God sent to Dawud the following revelation: “Warn your friends of illicit lusts and desires because a heart inflicted with worldly desires and satanic wishes will not benefit from My blessings; such a heart(person) will be deprived of the rays of My beauty.

وَقالَA: مَنْ أطاعَ هَواهُ أعْطى عَدُوَّهُ مُناهُ [13]

Imam Jawad(a.s) has stated: One who closely follows his wishes and whims has made happy his foe which is satan.

قالَ أميرُ المؤْمِنينَA: إنَّما أخافُ عَلَيْكُمُ اثْنَتَيْنِ: إتِّباعُ الْهَوى وَطُولُ الأمَلِ، أمَّا اتِّباعُ الْهَوى فَإنَّهُ يَصُدُّ عَنِ الْحَقِّ، وَأمّا طُولُ الأمَلِ فَيُنْسِي الآخِرَةَ [14]

Imam Ali(a.s) has said: I fear you would commit two sorts of sins: One is the following of ones wishes, the other one is long ambition. The first category will distance you from God and the second one will make you forget the Doom’s Day.

In condemning the practice of following one’s desires, God has stated:

وَلَا تَتَّبِعْ الْهَوَى فَيُضِلَّكَ عَنْ سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَضِلُّونَ عَنْ سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ شَدِيدٌ بِمَا نَسُوا يَوْمَ الْحِسَابِ  [15]

 “[O Dawud! Surely we have made you a ruler in the land; so judge between men with justice], and do not follow desire, lest it would lead you astray from the path of Allah; as for those who go astray from the path of Allah, they shall surely have a severe punishment because they forgot the day of reckoning.”

In another verse, God states:

وَمَنْ أَضَلُّ مِمَّنْ اتَّبَعَ هَوَاهُ بِغَيْرِ هُدًى مِنْ اللَّهِ  [16]

 “And who is more erring than he who follows his low desires without any guidance from Allah?”

In Kafi, the following is narrated to have been reported by Imam Baqir(a.s):

قالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ3: يَقُولُ اللهُ عَزَّوَجَلَّ: وَعِزَّتي وَجَلالي وَعَظَمَتي وَكِبْرِيائي وَنُوري وعُلُوّي وارْتِفاعِ مَكاني لا يُؤْثِرُ عَبْدٌ هَواهُ عَلى هَوايَ إلاّ شَتَّتُ عَلَيهِ أمْرَهُ، وَلَبَّسْتُ عَلَيْهِ دُنْياهُ، وَشَغَلْتُ قَلْبَهُ بِها، وَلَمْ اُؤْتِهِ مِنْها إلاّ ما قَدَّرْتُ لَهُ. وَعِزَّتي وَجَلالي وَعَظَمَتي وَنُوري وعُلُوّي وارْتِفاعِ مَكاني لا يُؤْثِرُ عَبْدٌ هَوايَ عَلى هَواهُ إلاّ اسْتَحْفَظْتُهُ مَلائِكَتي، وَكَفَّلْتُ السَّماواتِ والأرَضِينَ رِزْقَهُ، وَكُنْتُ لَهُ مِنْ وَراءِ تِجارَةِ كُلِّ تاجِرٍ، وَأتَتْهُ الدُّنيا وَهِيَ رَاغِمَةٌ. [17]

The Prophet(s.a.w) has said: God states: I swear to My Dignity, to My Magnanimity, to My Honor and to My Lofty position that I will disrupt the activities of any one who goes after his wishes, and I will make his heart busy with material things. I will not provide him with what he needs; rather, I will give him what I wish.

I swear to My Honor, and to My Lofty Position that I will appoint angels to satisfy the needs of the one who follows My way.

Imam Sadiq(a.s) has stated:

اِحْذَرُوا أهْوائَكُم كَما تَحْذَرُونَ أعْدائَكُم، فَلَيْسَ شَيْئٌ أعْدى لِلرِّجالِ مِنِ إتِّباعِ أهْوائِهِمْ وَحَصائِدِ ألْسِنَتِهِم. [18]

 “Be aware of your evil desires and wishes as you are aware of your foes. This is because there is nothing more hazardous to people than following their lusts and their tongues.

O dear reader: be aware that there is no limit to one’s lusts and desires. If one goes only one step towards his wishes, then he has to take many other steps in that direction. If he surrenders to only one desire, he has no choice but to be a slave to his other wishes. If you open just one door to your wishes, then you have to keep many doors open to other wishes. Sometimes by getting involved in just one desire, you will encounter countless calamities. Then at your last chance in life, you would have all doors closed to compensate for what had gone wrong. This is specifically treated in the Holy Qur’an.