وَحَبَسَني عَنْ نَفْعي بُعْدُ أَمَلي
O Allah! My high hopes have held me back from my gain.
High Hopes
Having hopes is a blessing from the Almighty that is deposited in every human to be able to begin useful positive activities and be optimistic about their future benefits. If this great blessing did not exist, human being could do nothing, make no efforts, and got interested in no engagement.
It is narrated that Jesus (a.s) was in a desert while an old man was plowing the farm by his tools. Jesus (a.s) looked up to the heaven and prayed: “O Allah! Take his hopes away from him!” Then the old man put away his tools and slept. After a while, Jesus (a.s) prayed again: “O Allah! Give back his hopes to him!” The old man got up and resumed his work.[1]
The Messenger of Allah (s.a) stated:
Having hope is a Mercy for my nation. If there existed no hopes, no mother breastfed her child neither any farmer planted any trees.[2]
The fourth infallible Imam, Imam al-Sajj¡d (a.s), asked Allah:
أسْألُكَ مِنَ الآمَالِ أوْفَقِهَا.
Fulfill the truest of my hopes![3]
The positive hopes like reaching scientific positions, moral perfection, salvation in this world and the Hereafter, serving Allah and His servants, and leaving useful works after one’s death, such as mosques, roads, hospitals, schools, and libraries can be excellent hopes of a believer servant.
On the other hand, if human hopes are limited to material issues and exceed the normal amount to such an extent that they remove security and calmness, bring about stinginess and greed, and lead to, emulation and pride, they are untrue hopes and satanic illness. Such hopes make human forget Allah and the Hereafter, and deprive him of worshipping and obeying Allah.
The traditions narrated from the Prophet’s Household (a.s) contain valuable facts in this regard. Imam `Al¢ (a.s), in a tradition says:
الأمَلُ كَالسَّرَابِ؛ يَغِرُّ مَنْ رَآهُ وَيُخْلِفُ مَنْ رَجَاهُ.
Unreal hope is like a mirage, anyone who looks at it is deceived by it and anyone who is hopeful of it would get hopeless.[4]
الأمَلُ خَادِعٌ غَارٌّ ضَارٌّ.
Unreal hopes are deceiving and harmful.[5]
الأمَانيُّ تُعْمِي عُيُونَ البَصَائِرِ.
Unreal hopes blind one’s perception and insight.[6]
الأمَلُ سُلْطَانُ الشَّيَاطِينِ عَلَى قُلُوبِ الغَافِلِينَ.
Unreal hopes are like the sultan of satans that govern the negligent hearts.[7]
Prophet Moses (a.s), in his prayer, heard Allah saying:
يَا مُوسَى! لاَ تُطَوِّلْ فِي الدُّنْيَا أمَلَكَ فَيَقْسُو قَلْبُكَ، وَالقَاسِي القَلْبِ مِنِّي بَعِيدٌ.
O Moses! Do not have high wishes in the world, since they make you hardhearted, and the hardhearted is away from Me.[8]
Imam Sadiq (a.s) called Allah in the ‘Arafa supplication:
أعُوذُ بِكَ مَنْ دُنْياً تَمْنَعُ خَيْرَ الآخِرَةِ، وَمِنْ حَيَاةٍ تَمْنَعُ خَيْرَ المَمَاتِ، وَمِنْ أمَلٍ يَمْنَعُ خَيْرَ العَمَلِ.
I seek refuge to You from the world that hinders a better Hereafter, from a life that prohibits the best death, and from a wish that avoids doing the best deed.[9]
Imam `Ali (a.s) said:
مَنْ أيْقَنَ أنَّهُ يُفَارِقُ الأحْبَابَ وَيَسْكُنُ التُّرَابَ وَيُوَاجِهُ الحِسَابَ وَيَسْتَغْنِي عَمَّا خَلَّفَ وَيَفْتَقِرُ إلَى مَا قَدَّمَ كَانَ حَرِيّاً بِقِصْرِ الأمَلِ وَطُولِ العَمَلِ.
One who is sure he would get separated from his friends after death, would be placed in the earth, would be probed by Allah, would get needless of what he has left in the world and in need of what he has sent before, is deserved to have limited wishes and high attempt.[10]
High hopes would harm human severely, depriving him of Allah’s blessings. Human being, from the birth time, is like a fertile land. If this productivity of him is maintained, he would bring the blossoms of good morality and deeds by the raindrops of Allah’s mercy. If, on the other hand, this capability is turned to a desert because of diseases such as ignorance, pride, greed and high hopes, it would not grow certain belief, good morality and deeds.
وَالْبَلَدُ الطَّيِّبُ يَخْرُجُ نَبَاتُهُ بِإِذْنِ رَبِّهِ وَالَّذِي خَبُثَ لا يَخْرُجُ إِلاَّ نَكِدًا كَذَلِكَ نُصَرِّفُ الآيَاتِ لِقَوْمٍ يَشْكُرُونَ.
And as for the good land, its vegetation springs forth abundantly by the permission of its lord, and as for that which is inferior its herbage comes forth but scantily. (7:58)
High hopes that embrace human heart like a spider’s net, hinder his thought and understanding of the truth, thus making him forgetful of Allah’s remembrance, the Hereafter, and preparing provisions for the Last Day.
In fact, such a limited-life being, with high hopes of reaching infinite wealth, property, land, position, and foreign travels, can not concentrate on Allah’s remembrance or the Last Day, neither on doing good deeds nor compensating his previous sins and faults!
The Messenger of Allah (s.a) states in an important tradition:
إنَّ أخْوَفَ مَا أخَافُ عَلَيْكُمْ خِصْلَتَانِ: إتِّبَاعُ الهَوَى وَطُولُ الأمَلِ. أمَّا اتِّبَاعُ الهَوَى فَيَصُدُّ عَنِ الحَقِّ، وَأمّا طُولُ الأمَلِ فَيُنْسِي الآخِرَةَ.
In fact, the most severe fear I have for you are two qualities; following the carnal soul and high hopes. Following the carnal soul prevents human from accepting the truth and high hopes prevents remembering the Last Day.[11]
In order to become free of this deadly captivity, contemplating on the previous generation’s lives, attending religious gatherings, pondering in the Holy Qur’¡n and the signs of the Household (a.s), reading history books, visiting the cemetery once in a while are very useful.
Truly, when the heart is captured by imaginary hopes and unwise wishes, human loses the true benefits of the world and the Day of Judgment, and even of the life, knowledge and thought.
A Strange Account
The great Iranian poet, ‘Attar Naysh¡b£r¢, narrates: Once °asan Basri was going somewhere when he reached Dijla river and waited there. Suddenly Habib ‘A’jami, who was a pious man, came and said: “My teacher! Why are you standing here?” °asan answered: “I am waiting for a ship.” Habib said: “You have taught me not to be jealous of other people, and not to have high hopes, so that my desire for this world become little, then I can walk on the water and cross it!” Then Habib walked on the water and crossed it. Seeing this, °asan fainted. When he got awake again, he was asked of the matter. So he answered: “He has learned his knowledge from me, but now he reproaches me, walking on the water. If on the Last Day I am ordered to pass the Sirat Bridge[12] and I am incapable of it, what can I do?[13]“ Then he asked Habib: “How could you reach such a position?” He replied: “O °asan! I whiten my heart and you blacken the papers!” So °asan said: “My knowledge benefits others, but not myself!”
وَخَدَعَتْنِي الدُّنْيا بِغُرُورِها
And this world with its delusions has deceived me.
The goodness and fraud of this world should be evaluated in regard to any one’s thoughts and state of mind. The one, who is defeated by the carnal soul, is drenched in false dreams, and is polluted with moral vices like pride, greed, an envy, is ignorant of Allah, the Hereafter, the Prophets’ prophet hood, the Imam’s Imamate, and the reality of Qur’¡nic verses. Such a person is easily deceived by worldly material, luxurious life, wealth and worldly positions and considers these as the only truth. He thus spends all his lifetime gaining these worldly goals. Eventually, he awakes at the departure day, the death time, and finds his worldly aims as mere fraud and all his efforts as useless. He is forced to go to the next world without any virtues done.
The history’s pharaohs and Korahs have not been pharaohs and Korahs from their birth time; rather they have turned to the people they were due to mental illnesses, false viewpoints and untrue estimates.
Someone who does not have a polluted soul, is not engaged in false thoughts, and does not have vices, is well aware of Allah, the Hereafter, the prophets, the Imams and the Holy Qur’¡n. Such a person considers the world, along with all its facilities, a tool for living purely, doing good deeds, and preparing for a better hereafter. He, therefore, utilizes all his lifetime for fulfilling these goals.
The heavenly messengers and the infallible Imams (a.s) are humans who have not been trapped by the world’s luxuries and have not been deceived by material issues.
The insightful, who see everything through their hearts, have left some advices from themselves that are valuable for the thoughtful people.
Am¢r al-Mu’min¢n, Imam `Al¢ (a.s), states: “I was in a garden of Fadak’s, which belonged to Hadrat Zahra (a.s), gardening with a shovel. Suddenly, a lady came to me, who looked great and pretty to me. I thought she was Thaniyya, daughter of ‘Amir Jamhi, who was famous for her beauty among the women of Quraysh. She told me: “O son of Abu Talib! Are you interested in proposing me? If yes, I am ready to become your wife. Then I would help you to fulfill your need for making a living, would guide you to the earth’s treasures, and would govern you on the world.” I asked her: “Who are you to take you as my wife?” She said: “The world!” I said: “Go away and look for a husband other than me, since I have divorced you three times, and there is no return for my decesion.”[14]
One, who is deceived by the deceptive world, has made himself unlucky forever, depriving himself from the blessings of this world and the Hereafter. And one, who is uninterested in this world, has gained a great benefit and an eternal blessing; Allah’s pleasure.
Imam Sadiq (a.s) states:
مَنْ زَهِدَ فِي الدُّنْيَا أثْبَتَ اللهُ الحِكْمَةَ فِي قَلْبِهِ وَأنْطَقَ بِهَا لِسَانَهُ وَبَصَّرَهُ عُيُوبَ الدُّنْيَا وَدَاءَهَا وَدَوَاءَهَا وَأخْرَجَهُ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا سَالِماً إلَى دَارِ السَّلاَمِ.
One, who is indifferent to the world, Allah would bestow wisdom on his heart, enable his tongue to utter it, make his eye seeing of the world’s faults, illnesses, and treatments, and would eventually transfer him, safe and sound, to the Territory of Peace.[15]
Luqm¡n, the wise, told his son:
يَا بُنَيَّ! إنَّ الدُّنْيَا بَحْرٌ عَمِيقٌ قَدْ غَرِقَ فِيهَا عَالَمٌ كَثِيرٌ، فَلْتَكُنْ سَفِينَتُكَ فِيهَا تَقْوى اللهِ وَحَشْوُهَا الإيمَانَ وَشِرَاعُهَا التَّوَكُّلَ وَقَيِّمُهَا العَقْلَ وَدَلِيلُهَا العِلْمَ وَسُكَّانُهَا الصَّبْرَ.
My son! Indeed the world is a deep see, which has drowned many worlds. So you should travel in it with the ship of piety, load this ship with belief, take a sail of reliance on Allah for the ship, employ a crew of wisdom, a guide of knowledge and passengers of patience and tolerance for it.[16]
The Messenger of Allah (s.a) said:
كُنْ فِي الدُّنْيَا كَأنَّكَ غَرِيبٌ أوْ كَأنَّكَ عَابِرُ سَبِيلٍ، وَعِدْ نَفْسَكَ فِي أصْحَابِ القُبُورِ.
Be present in this world as if you are an alien, or a passing traveler, and consider yourself as the dead ones.[17]
Imam Sadiq (a.s) said:
يَا بْنَ جُنْدَبٍ! إنْ أحْبَبْتَ أنْ تُجَاوِرَ الجَلِيلَ فِي دَارِهِ وَتَسْكُنَ الفِرْدَوْسَ فِي جِوَارِهِ فَلْتَهُنْ عَلَيْكَ الدُّنْيَا.
O son of Jundab! If you like to be Allah’s neighbor in His House in the Hereafter and be with Him in His paradise, this world should be worthless for you.[18]
The Qur’¡nic verses and the traditions of Prophet’s House (a.s) imply that if the world is employed to do good deeds and advantageous performances, thus construct the hereafter fruitful, this is a fine worthy world. If, on the other hand, it is used for badness, oppression, and sins, and destroys the hereafter, it is indeed a worthless world.
In general, the goodness or badness of the world depends on the people’s ideas and performances. If one acts with belief, morality and good deeds, living in the world is certainly to his benefit. But if he lives in the world with disbelief, idolatry, bad morality, and wrongdoing, the world is completely harmful for him.
As a result, it is not possible to judge the world without knowing about human’s relationship with and his performance in it. About the world that is deceiving for some people, it is said: All the badness is gathered in a house, whose key is love for the world. And also entering the world is easy, but exiting it safely is difficult.
If the hereafter were a lasting clay container and the world were a temporary golden one, the hereafter was more deserved to be loved by the people, let alone now that the hereafter is like a golden and permanent container but the world is like an ending clay one.
Abu Hazim Makki said: “It is supposed that you avoid the world because I was informed that on the Last day the servant is brought into account and a caller will call on behalf of Allah that this is a servant who belittled what Allah praised and liked whatever Allah disliked.”
[1] M¢z¡n al-°ikmah: 1/ 184, Al-‘Amal, tradition 675.
[2] Bi¦¡r al-Anw¡r: 74/ 175, Bab 7, tradition 8.
[3] Bi¦¡r al-Anw¡r: 91/ 155, Bab 32, tradition 22.
[4] Ghurar al-°ikam: 312, tradition 7207; M¢z¡n al-°ikmah:1/ 186, Al’Amal, tradition 683.
[5] Ghurar al-°ikam: 313, 7245, M¢z¡n al-°ikmah: 1/ 186, Al-‘Amal, tradition 684.
[6] Ghurar al-°ikam: 65, tradition 860; M¢z¡n al-°ikmah: 1/ 186, Al-‘Amal, tradition 685.
[7] Ghurar al-°ikam: 312, tradition 7206; M¢z¡n al-°ikmah: 1/186, Al-‘Amal, tradition 686.
[8] Al-K¡f¢: 2/ 329, Bab Al-Qiswa, tradition 1; M¢z¡n al-°ikmah: 1/ 188, Al-‘Amal, tradition 718.
[9] Iqbal: 390; M¢z¡n al-°ikmah: 1/186, Al-‘Amal, tradition 690.
[10] Bi¦¡r al-Anw¡r: 70/ 167, Bab 128, tradition 31.
[11] Al-K¡f¢: 8/ 58, tradition 21; Bi¦¡r al-Anw¡r: 2/ 106, Bab 15, tradition 2.
[12] A kind of bridge which the righteous only can cross on the road to Paradise.
[14] Bi¦¡r al-Anw¡r: 70/ 84, Bab 123, tradition 47.
[15] Was¡’ilaAl-Sh¢`ah: 16/ 10, Bab 62, tradition 21827.
[16] Al-K¡f¢: 1/ 15, Kitab Al-‘Aql wa Al-Jahl, tradition 12.
[17] Bi¦¡r al-Anw¡r: 70/ 99, Bab 122, tradition 86.
[18] Tuhaf Al-‘Uqul: 303; Bi¦¡r al-Anw¡r: 75/ 281, Bab 24, tradition 1.
source : `Allamah Husayn Ansariyan
