Taking lessons

Taking lessons from the events of life and what happens to people and thinking of the lives and conditions of the previous nations are considered as a good feature of wise men. The Qur'an says when talking about the ancient nations,

“In their histories there is certainly a lesson for men of understanding.” Qur'an, 12:111

The Qur'an invites men of understanding and wise people besides all ordinary people to take lessons in order to protect themselves from falling into the meanness of sins and vices and in order to reach perfection.

“…therefore take a lesson, O you who have eyes.” Qur'an, 59:2

Imam Ali (s) has said, ‘The best of reason is to take lessons, the best of determinedness is to ask for others’ help and the greatest of foolishness is self-deceit.’[1]

Ameerul Mo'mineen (s) asked the ignorant, sinful and unjust people to take lesson from the ancient nations and past events by saying, ‘You have a lesson from the past nations! Where are the giants and the sons of the giants?! Where are the Pharaohs and the sons of the Pharaohs?! Where are the people of ar-Rass who have killed the prophets, put out the laws of the messengers of Allah and restored the laws of the tyrants?’[2]

Goodness

According to the Qur'an and the traditions, “goodness” refers to some positive qualities which are useful to man in this world and the afterworld.

Goodness according to the Qur'an is the reward in the afterlife, the Divine mercy, lawful wealth, Friday prayer, the afterlife, faith, acting according to good preaching, repentance, piety and the likes.

The best way of reforming one’s inward and outward is to follow these exalted facts and ideals. The Prophet (s) has said, ‘There are four qualities which whoever has been given as if been given the goodness of this life and the afterlife; a patient body, a mentioning tongue, a grateful heart and a good wife.’[3]

Imam Ali (s) has said, ‘All goodness has been gathered in three things; looking, keeping silence and speaking. Every looking without taking lessons is inattention, every silence without pondering is inadvertence and every speech without praising Allah is nonsense.’[4]

Learning

The Holy Qur'an pays great attention to knowledge, scholars and studiers. We also find this matter clear in the traditions.

Knowledge is the lamp of the way, the power of mind, insight, awareness, honor and dignity.

The high rank of man in this world and the afterworld concerns the knowing believers.

“Allah will exalt those of you who believe, and those who are given knowledge, to high ranks.” Qur'an, 58:11

The Prophet (s) has said, ‘Seek knowledge even if it is in China! Seeking knowledge is an obligation on every Muslim.’[5]

He has also said, ‘A scholar among the ignorant is like a living one among the dead.’[6]

The Prophet (s) has also said in a tradition urging on seeking knowledge, ‘When death comes to a scholar while seeking knowledge, he dies as a martyr.’[7]

The Prophet (s) has said in another tradition, ‘He, who seeks knowledge, is like one who fasts in the day and spends the night in worshipping. A chapter of knowledge one learns is better to him than a mountain of gold even if he spends it in the way of Allah.’[8]

He has also said, ‘Whoever is busy looking for knowledge Paradise looks for him.’

Is there any way to reform a repentant’s state better than seeking knowledge to know the lawful and unlawful things, to know the right and the wrong and to learn the Divine knowledge in order to act according to it?

If one is unaware of the facts and what is going around him then how can he adapt himself to live in such environment? Is it possible to apply this verse “…that if any one of you does evil in ignorance, then turns after that and acts aright…” (Qur'an, 6:54) without knowing the religious facts and moral ideals?

Real repentance does not take place without reforming one’s inward and outward and this reform does not take place without knowledge.

Hope and expectation

Hope is a human quality and an exalted state of the heart that the believers and especially the repentant of sins must have to win the pardon and forgiveness of Allah.

The persons, who believe in Allah and are certain of the existence of the afterlife, must perform the obligations as possible as they can and must refrain from prohibited things without being polluted with the disease of pride, haughtiness and selfishness. Man must expect the mercy of Allah on the Day of Resurrection to be saved from the horrible terrors of that day and to be granted the Divine contentment and Paradise.

These persons should not despair of the mercy of Allah and should not exceed in their fear to a degree that they lose hope and then they keep on their deviation and committing sins.

A believer should make his faith in the Divine facts as a basis from which he should set towards hoping and expecting the mercy and contentment of Allah. He should know that faith and good deeds are the pillars of deliverance.

The Qur'an, in many verses, talks to man in a way that moves the sense of goodness inside the believers and brings those, who have done good deeds, good news that they will be in Paradise to live there forever and to have eternal blessings. The believers should know that Allah carries out His promises and does never break any promise.

“Surely those who believe, and those who emigrate (to escape the persecution) and strive in the way of Allah, these have hope of Allah's mercy and Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.” Qur'an, 2:218

“And convey good news to those who believe and do good deeds, that they shall have gardens in which rivers flow.” Qur'an, 2:25

There are many other verses having this concept and showing that the mercy of Allah is very near to the believers and the benevolent. Man has no any excuse to despair of the great mercy of Allah or to think that it is unobtainable or to suspect the certain good news of Allah.

As for those, who have spent their lives in sins and disobedience and have not performed their obligations, they should know too that the mercy of Allah is not closed before them and that Allah is Mighty and Forgiver and He accepts the repentances of His people. They should know that the power of Allah is infinite and so are His pardon and forgiveness that He may forgive His sinful people even if their sins are as much as the sands of the deserts, the waters of the seas and as much as the mountains. It is not difficult for Allah to forgive them all.

“Say: O my servants! who have acted extravagantly against their own souls, do not despair of the mercy of Allah; surely Allah forgives the faults altogether; surely He is the Forgiving the Merciful.” Qur'an, 39:53

A repentant one should hope and expect the mercy and forgiveness of Allah because despairing of the mercy and forgiveness is equal to disbelief according to the Qur’anic verses.[9]

A repentant should know that he is like a sick person and his doctor is Allah the Almighty and that there is no unrecoverable disease near Allah. A repentant has to diagnose his disease and then to try to cure the disease with the drug of repentance.

Despairing of Allah’s mercy and forgiveness is a satanic doing meaning that Allah is unable to cure the disease of that sick person, Allah forbid!

Anyhow, one must expect the mercy of Allah because it leads to faith and good deeds whose fruit is repenting and turning to Allah. The hope without faith or doing or without repenting and turning to Allah is a satanic state and according to the Qur'an it is a satanic wish.

“He (the Satan) gives them promises and excites vain desires in them; and the Shaitan does not promise them but to deceive.” Qur'an, 4:120

Once a man came to Ameerul Mo'mineen (s) and said to him, ‘O Ameerul Mo'mineen, advise me!’

Imam Ali (s) said to him, ‘Do not be among those who expect good afterlife without doing (good deeds) and postpone repentance hoping that they will live long. They speak in this life as the ascetics but do as the desirous (of worldly life).’[10]

Imam Ali (s) has also said, ‘Be of what you do not wish more hopeful than of what you wish. Moses the son of Imran went to bring fire for his family and then Allah talked to him and he went back as prophet. The queen of Saba’ went (as an unbeliever) and she became a Muslim at the hand of Prophet Solomon (s). The magicians of the Pharaoh went to achieve glory to the Pharaoh but they went back as believers.’[11]

Imam as-Sadiq (s) has said, ‘A believer is not a true believer unless he becomes afraid (of Allah) and hopeful (of the mercy of Allah) and he is not afraid and hopeful unless he acts according to what he if afraid and hopeful of.’[12]

Justice

Justice is one of the most important matters in the Qur'an and the traditions. Justice is one of the attributes of Allah the Almighty, the prophets and the saints.

A just person is surely beloved by Allah and by good people and he is as a shining lamp in the sphere of life.

Justice is the source, the root and the essence of all the system of the world of existence. It has been narrated that, ‘With justice the heavens and the earth have been established.’

The Holy Qur'an, in too many verses, has talked about justice and invited all the people to carry out justice in all the affairs of their lives.

“Surely Allah enjoins the doing of justice and the doing of good (to others) and the giving to the kindred…” Qur'an, 16:90

“Surely Allah commands you to make over trusts to their owners and that when you judge between people you judge with justice…” Qur'an, 4:58

“O you who believe! Be upright for Allah, bearers of witness with justice, and let not hatred of a people incite you not to act equitably; act equitably, that is nearer to piety…” Qur'an, 5:8

The Prophet (s) has said, ‘Justice of one hour is better than worships of seventy years; spending the night (in worshipping) and fasting during the day and injustice of one hour is worse near Allah than sins of sixty years.’[13]

Ameerul Mo'mineen (s) has said, ‘He, whose inward is like his outwards and whose doings are like his sayings, has protected deposits and carried out justice.’[14]

He has also said, ‘Justice is the base on which the world has been established.’[15]

He has also said, ‘Justice is the head of faith, the peak of charity and the highest rank of faith.’[16]

Out of the previous Qur’anic verses and holy traditions we find that the Divine facts are; faith, prayers, spending, believing in the afterlife, being kind to the parents and to the kin, being charitable to the orphans and the needy, courtesy, sincerity, patience, lawful properties, piety, charity, taking lessons, goodness, seeking knowledge, expectation and justice.

Some of these things are practical programs and some others are moral, some are inwards and some others are outwards.

It has been mentioned previously that the moral beauty and the factors that lead to reform man’s personality and psychological state after repenting of sins are several things such as; good intention, favor, freedom, wisdom, good will, love, fairness, guardianship, reconciliation, carrying out covenants, pardoning, relying on Allah, humbleness, truthfulness, loving the humankind, doing good to people, mixing with people in good manners, great jihad (against one’s desires and lusts), enjoining the good, forbidding the wrong, piety, gratefulness, responsibility, generosity and the likes. All these things make one reform his inward and add to himself moral beauty.

If we want to explain all these things depending on the Qur’anic verses and the traditions, we will need several volumes to achieve the task; therefore we turn away from explaining these things and the readers may read them in the detailed books like the tafsirs (interpretations) of the Qur'an, Usool al-Kafi, Jami’ as-Sa’adat, Mi’raj as-Sa’ada, al-Mahajja al-Baydha’, al-Irfan al-Islami (twelve volumes written by the author of this book), Ma’ani al-Akhbar, Khisaal as-Sadooq, al-Mawa’idh al-Adadiyya and others.