Ahl al-Bayt and Devotion

Due to their full knowledge of Allah, Ahl al-Bayt are in a permanent state of submission to Him. Their association with people, their silence and speaking, their eating and drinking, their marriage and business, their war and peace, their presence at home and on journey, their wearing of clothes, their listening and looking, their sleep and wakefulness, their weeping and smiling, and to sum it up, all their behaviors and deeds were all with devotion.

The devotion of Ahl al-Bayt is based on the knowledge of Allah, His love and a sense of duty, and not because of fear of Hell or a desire for Paradise.

The opinion of Ahl al-Bayt about their own and different kinds of prayer shows that their devotion was with a pure intention, away from any doubt. Nevertheless, they considered their prayer to be unworthy before the All-magnanimity of Allah. Comparing their prayer with that of Allah’s Messenger, they start weeping.

Imam `Al¢ (a.s) has been reported as saying:

مَا عَبَدْتُكَ طَمَعاً فِي جَنَّتِكَ وَلأ خَوْفاً مِنْ نَارِكَ! وَلَكِنْ وَجَدْتُكَ أهْلاً لِلْعِبَادَةِ فَعَبَدْتُكَ.

I served You (O Lord) not on account of desire for Paradise or fear of Hellfire; but I found You the worthiest of being worshipped. So, I decided to serve You.[1]

The Imam (a.s) also says:

إنَّ قَوْماً عَبَدوا اللهَ رَغْبَةً، فَتِلْكَ عِبَادَةُ التُّجَّارِ! وَإنَّ قَوْماً عَبَدوا اللهَ رَهْبَةً، فَتِلْكَ عِبَادَةُ الْعَبِيدِ! وَإنَّ قَوْماً عَبَدوا اللهَ شُكْراً، فَتِلْكَ عِبَادَةُ الأحْرَارِ.

A group of people serve Allah out of desire for reward. This is the prayer of the merchants. Another group serve Allah out of fear, which is the prayer of slaves. Still other group serve Allah out of gratitude, this is the prayer of the freeborn.[2]

By Allah! If Allah would tell Ahl al-Bayt I have removed Paradise and hell from universe and there is no such a thing as reward and punishment, the quality and quantity of their prayer would not be changed a bit.

Imam al-B¡qir (a.s) narrated the following:

One night, the Holy Prophet was in `ª’ishah’s house, he was engaged in praying so much so that `ª’ishah said, “O Allah’s Messenger! Why are you making yourself so tired while Allah has forgiven your faults (if there is any) in the past and future?” The Holy Prophet said,

أفَلأ أكُونُ عَبْداً شَكُوراً؟

“Should I not be a grateful servant before Allah?”[3]

Imam al-B¡qir (a.s) has further said:

Allah’s Messenger was praying so much so that Allah revealed the following verse,

 “±¡-H¡! We have not revealed the Qur’¡n to you that you may be exhausted. (18:1-2)”

The worship of the Commander of the Faithful (a.s) was so wonderful that the Imams have said that no one can worship Allah as much as Imam `Al¢ did. Like Allah’s Messenger and Imam `Al¢, the other members of Ahl al-Bayt were unique in worship. It is for this reason that they attained the station of wil¡yah (divinely commissioned leadership) and they were able to do extraordinary works in addition that they had the right of intercession and leadership over men and jinn hence obeying then was obligatory for all.

The Meaning of Devotion

Devotion is to coordinate all activities and inactivates, as well as life and death with the wills of Allah based on a pure intention:

Say: Surely my prayer and my sacrifice and my life and my death are (all) for Allah, the Lord of the worlds. (6:162)

Imam al-¯¡diq (a.s) has been reported as saying:

العُبُودِيَّةُ جَوْهَرَةٌ كُنْهُهَا الرُّبُوبِيَّةُ.

Serving Allah is a noble act leading to Godliness.

Stages of Devotion

To attain devotion, one must go through certain stages as follow:

Stage one is to control one’s self by promoting the quality of prayer with a pure intention as required by Allah:

And as for those who strive have for us, we will most certainly guide them in Our ways… (29:69)

If you are careful of your duty to Allah, He will grant you a distinction… (8:29)

Surely prayer keeps (one) away from indecency and evil. (29:45)

Fasting is prescribed for you, as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you may guard against evil. (2:183)

O you who believe! Seek assistance through patience and prayer. (2:153)

At this stage of submission, man overcomes his carnal desires.

Stage two is to control imaginative faculty which is one of the wonderful faculties in human beings. Due to this faculty, man’s mind jumps from one subject to another through association of ideas. This faculty is not under our control; rather, we are under its wonderful control. It is for this reason that it is sometimes impossible for us to concentrate on a certain subject without being distracted. The imaginative faculty pushes us this way and that way like when we try to have presence of mind in our prayer but we cannot.

The followers of spiritual path at this stage overcome their imaginative faculty making it submissive. The result is that when the soul of the worshippers desires to go up, there will be neither disturbance nor any disruption.

Based on the following holy verse, “Allah does not impose upon any soul a duty but to the extent of its ability (2:285),” man should turn his mind to Allah in prayer to the extent of his ability. Islam does not approve of mortification which is strict self-discipline as exercised by some ascetics. Heart’s attention to Allah will certainly paves the way for the presence of mind and concentration.

Stage three is to promote soul in a way that it will be in no need of body while body is in full need of it. Soul and body are in need of each other. The life of body depends on soul which is its guardian. The reason soul can be in no need of body is that in certain activities, it can do without body. This might happen for a few seconds or permanently. This is called ‘ouster of body’. The illuminist philosopher, Sohrawardi, has said:

We do not recognize a theologian as a theologian unless he can ‘oust his body’.

M¢rd¡m¡d says:

We do not recognize a theologian as a theologian unless ouster of body is internalized for him so that he can realize it whenever he wishes.

Stage four is to bring the body under personal control in a way that man can do extraordinary deeds in relation to his body. In this Connection, Imam al-¯¡diq (a.s) has said:

مَا ضَعُفَ بَدَنٌ عَمَّا قَوِيَتْ عَلَيْهِ النِّيَّةُ.

Body does not show weakness when there is strong intention.[4]

Stage five is the highest stage in which even the nature is brought under the influence of man’s will. The miracles of the Prophets, Imams and saints are of this category. Miracles are of the type of personal initiative to do extraordinary works with the help of Allah. Extraordinary works, such as turning a rod into a serpent, healing the blind, giving life to a dead person and knowing about a hidden secret, are all examples of miracles.

Some people have the impression that the miracle worker has no part in the extraordinary work and it is realized by Allah, for miracles are outside human power. This is a wrong impression, for the Holy Qur’¡n expressly considers the messengers as the miracle workers who do so with Allah’s permission. This permission is to grant a kind of authority which is the source of miracles and if Allah does not will, he denies the authority:

And it was not meet for an apostle that he should bring a sign except with Allah’s permission. (40:87)

According to this Qur’¡nic verse, the miracle workers are Prophets who, with the permission of the Creator, are the executors of the Divine will and signs of Him. As for their miracles, Prophets are aided by the invisible source. In the story of Prophet Sulaym¡n and the Queen of Sheba, we read:

One who had the knowledge of the Book said: I will bring it to you in the twinkling of an eye… (27:40)

The Holy Qur’¡n says that the extraordinary work was performed as a result of a kind of knowledge which can be acquired with a link to the protected Book and nearness to Allah. Therefore, the Holy Qur’¡n agrees that man can do extraordinary deeds and bring about changes in universe with self-purification. They are all the result of nearness to Allah and everyone can do so to the extent of his affinity with Allah.

Imam al-¯¡diq (a.s) has reported Allah’s Messenger as saying that Allah Almighty says:

مَا تَقَرَّبَ إلَيَّ عَبْدٌ بِشَيْءٍ أحَبَّ إلَيَّ مِمَّا افْتَرَضْتُ عَلَيْهِ، وَإنَّهُ لَيَتَقَرَّبُ إلَيَّ بِالنَّافِلَةِ حَتَّى اُحِبَّهُ، فَإذَا أحْبَبْتُهُ كُنْتُ سَمْعَهُ الَّذِي يَسْمَعُ بِهِ وَبَصَرَهُ الَّذِي يُبْصِرُ بِهِ وَلِسَانَهُ الَّذِي يَنْطِقُ بِهِ وَيَدَهُ الَّذِي يَبْطِشُ بِهَا. إنْ دَعَانِي أجَبْتُهُ وَإنْ سَألَنِي أعْطَيْتُهُ.

A servant cannot seek nearness to Me through any means that may be more beloved to Me than (carrying out) religious duties. He may seek My nearness through supererogatory prayers so that I may love him. If I do, I will be his hearing, his sight, his tongue, and his hand. Then, I will certainly answer him when he prays Me and I will grant him that which he asks from Me.[5]

The only way to be perfect is submission to Allah the result of which is godliness and doing extraordinary works.

Ahl al-Bayt, due to their devotion, reached a station by which they are nearer to Allah than any other mortal, including angels. This is the reason why their power of working miracles is so great.

Ahl al-Bayt and Contentment

Ahl al-Bayt, due to their knowledge of Allah and their capacity, are the manifestation of Allah’s Most Excellent Names, for their whole lives are nothing but pure belief in Allah as the One and Only God. Their will and wrath are those of Allah. In this connection, Imam °usayn (a.s) has said:

رِضَا اللهِ رِضَانَا أهْلَ الْبَيْتِ.

Allah’s will is our will.[6]

Ahl al-Bayt are pleased with whatever Allah is pleased with. Men, in their evolutionary course, reach a stage where they have ‘love’ and ‘wrath’. This love and wrath is compatible with Allah’s love and wrath. Nevertheless, there is a superior stage where their love and wrath is not considered concordant with Allah’s love and wrath for a person who says I am pleased with what Allah is pleased withstands at a stage of plurality, that is when the spiritual follower sees both himself and Allah.

However, one who stands at the station of unity, only one will and one wrath exists. At this stage, a spiritualist follower is in the station of annihilation in Allah. For this reason, Ahl al-Bayt say:

Allah’s will is our will.

In this relation, Imam °usayn (a.s) say:

وَأسِيرُ بِسِيرَةِ جَدِّي وَأبِي.

I live in the style of my grandfather—the Holy Prophet—and my father—`Al¢.[7]

Some people are believers in the surface, but are unbelievers from the viewpoint of the Holy Qur’¡n. They turn their back on Allah when their interests are not in line with their belief:

And when they are called to Allah and His Apostle that he may judge between them, a party of them turn aside. (24:48)

They desire for Allah not for His sake, but for theirs:

And when affliction touches a man, he calls on us, whether lying on his side or sitting or standing; but when We remove his affliction from him, he passes on as though he had never called on Us on account of an affliction that touched him. (10:12)

These people and their likes are self-centered; all their affairs, including their worship, are aimed at gaining something worldly. They are just merchants. However, for godly people, whatever they do is aimed to seek Allah’s pleasure. Those who pray sitting or lying on their sides even when they cannot perform prayer standing:

Those who remember Allah standing and sitting and lying on their sides and reflect on the creation of the heavens and the earth. (3:191)

Although Ahl al-Bayt, in their capacity as human beings, have polarization, love, enmity, passion, wrath and inclination, all of them are under the cover of godly amity and detachment. The Holy Qur’¡n has determined the criterion of godly amity and detachment. Based on this criterion, Ahl al-Bayt’s deeds are Allah-oriented so much so that they have made Satan submissive. The Holy Prophet says:

كَانَ شَيْطَانِي كَافِراً، فَأعَانَنِي اللهُ عَلَيْهِ حَتَّى أسْلَمَ بِيَدَيَّ.

My Satan was unbeliever; but Allah helped me against him until he embraces Islam through me.[8]