Conditions for Allah’s Special Blessings

To gain Allah’s special blessings, the mystic servant should prepare the necessary grounds for it by:

1.      Avoiding the accompaniment of people with a weak faith who do not try to strengthen their belief and accompanying the favorite servants and divine scholars instead.

2.      Avoiding eating doubtful meals, let alone unlawful meals, in parties and feasts of people with unlawful wealth.

3.      Purifying the soul from the vices and extreme lust and adorning it with virtues and divine realities.

4.      Avoiding gluttony that is the cause of satanic states and hinderer of Godly inspirations and knowledge.

5.      Avoiding too much sleeping which brings about dullness in worship and the death of humane spirit.

Association and the Companion

The Messenger of Allah (s.a) stated:

أوْحَشُ الوَحْشَةِ قَرِينُ السُّوءِ.

The worst fear is the fear of bad companion and friend.[1]

Imam `Ali (a.s) said:

إحْذَرْ مُجَالَسَةَ قَرِينِ السُّوءِ، فَإنَّهُ يُهْلِكُ مُقَارِنَهُ وَيُرْدِي مُصَاحِبَهُ.

Avoid accompanying an evil friend, because such a friend abolishes his friend materially and spiritually.[2]

The ninth infallible Imam, Imam al-Jaw¡d (a.s), said:

إيَّاكَ وَمُصَاحَبَةَ الشِّرِّيرِ، فَإنَّهُ كَالسَّيْفِ المَسْلُولِ؛ يَحْسُنُ مَنْظَرُهُ وَيَقْبُحُ أثَرُهُ.

Avoid accompanying a wicked person since he is like a sword without sheath whose appearance is nice but whose consequence is ugly.[3]

Imam Sadiq (a.s) stated:

إحْذَرْ مِنَ النَّاسِ ثَلاثَةً: الخَائِنَ وَالظَّلُومَ وَالنَّمَّامَ؛ لأنَّ مَنْ خَانَ لَكَ خَانَكَ، وَمَنْ ظَلَمَ لَكَ سَيَظْلِمُكَ، وَمَنْ نَمَّ لَكَ سَيَنِمُّ عَلَيْكَ.

Avoid befriending three types of people; the disloyal, the oppressor, and the tale teller. The one, who betrays you one day, will betray you some other day too. The one, who oppresses others for your sake, will sooner or later oppress yourself. And the one, who tells other people’s tales before you, will tell your own tales to others in the future.[4]

Imam `Ali (a.s) said:

صَاحِبِ الحُكَمَاءَ وَجَالِسِ الحُلَمَاءَ وَأعْرِضْ عَنِ الدُّنْيَا تَسْكُنْ جَنَّةَ المَأوَى.

Accompany the wise men and the patient people and ignore the worldly life; take home in the promised Paradise.[5]

Unlawful food

It is narrated from the Messenger of Allah (s.a):

مَنْ أكَلَ لُقْمَةً مِنْ حَرَامٍ لَمْ تُقْبَلْ لَهُ صَلاَةُ أرْبَعِينَ لَيْلَةً.

If one eats a bit of unlawful food, his prayer will not be accepted for forty nights.[6]

إنَّ اللهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ حَرَّمَ الجَنَّةَ جَسَداً غُذِّيَ بِحَرَامٍ.

Surely the Paradise is forbidden for the one who has been fed with unlawful food.[7]

إذَا وَقَعَتِ اللُّقْمَةُ مِنْ حَرَامٍ فِي جَوْفِ العَبْدِ لَعَنَهُ كُلُّ مَلَكٍ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأرْضِ.

When a bit of unlawful food is in a servant’s belly, all the angels in the heavens and the earth will curse him.[8]

Imam al-B¡qir (a.s) said:

إنَّ الرَّجُلَ إذَا أصَابَ مَالاً مِنْ حَرَامٍ لَمْ يُقْبَلْ مِنْهُ حَجٌّ وَلاَ عُمْرَةٌ وَلاَ صِلَةُ رَحِمٍ.

When someone acquires an unlawful wealth, his Hajj and maintenance of kinship ties will not be accepted.[9]

Moral Vices

Imam Al-Sajj¡d (a.s), the fourth infallible Imam, in the eighth supplication of ‘Al-¯a¦¢fah al-Sajj¡diyyah’ mentions some of the moral vices, taking refuge from them to Allah:

اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ هَيَجَانِ الْحِرْصِ وَسَوْرَةِ الْغَضَبِ وَغَلَبَةِ الْحَسَدِ وَضَعْفِ الصَّبْرِ وَقِلَّةِ الْقَنَاعَةِ وَشَكَاسَةِ الْخُلُقِ وَإِلْحَاحِ الشَّهْوَةِ وَمَلَكَةِ الْحَمِيَّةِ وَمُتَابَعَةِ الْهَوَى وَمُخَالَفَةِ الْهُدَى وَسِنَةِ الْغَفْلَةِ وَتَعَاطِي الْكُلْفَةِ وَإِيثَارِ الْبَاطِلِ عَلَى الْحَقِّ وَالإِصْرَارِ عَلَى الْمَأْثَمِ وَاسْتِصْغَارِ الْمَعْصِيَةِ وَاسْتِكْبَارِ الطَّاعَةِ وَمُبَاهَاةِ الْمُكْثِرِينَ وَالإِزْرَاءِ بِالْمُقِلِّينَ وَسُوءِ الْوِلاَيَةِ لِمَنْ تَحْتَ أَيْدِينَا وَتَرْكِ الشُّكْرِ لِمَنِ اصْطَنَعَ الْعَارِفَةَ عِنْدَنَا أَوْ أَنْ نَعْضُدَ ظَالِماً أَوْ نَخْذُلَ مَلْهُوفاً أَوْ نَرُومَ مَا لَيْسَ لَنَا بِحَقٍّ أَوْ نَقُولَ فِي الْعِلْمِ بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ وَنَعوذُ بِكَ أَنْ نَنْطَوِيَ عَلَى غِشِّ أَحَدٍ.

O Allah, I seek refuge in Thee from the agitation of craving, the violence of wrath, the domination of envy, the frailty of patience, the lack of contentment, surliness of character, urgency of passion, the disposition to vehemence, following caprice,   opposing guidance, the sleep of heedlessness, undertaking the toilsome, preferring falsehood over truth, persisting in sin, making little of disobedience, making much of obedience, vying with the wealthy, disparaging the poor, guarding badly over those in our hands, failing to thank those who have done good to us, aiding a wrongdoer, abandoning someone troubled, wanting what is not rightfully ours, and speaking about knowledge without knowing. We seek refuge in Thee from harboring dishonesty toward anyone…

These vices are greed, anger, jealousy, impatience, lack of contentment, bad temperedness, extreme lust, insistence on anger, following the carnal soul, disagreement with guidance, ignorance, attempting more than one’s tolerance, choosing the wrong instead of right, insistence on sins, belittling the sins, praising one’s own worship, proud of the rich, disparaging the poor, ignoring the inferior, unthankfulness toward the kind, helping the oppressor, leaving the oppressed, etc.

The Messenger of Allah was said:

إنَّ فُلاَنَةَ تَصُومُ النَّهَارَ وَتَقُومُ اللَّيْلَ وَلَكِنَّهَا تُؤذِي جِيرَانَهَا. قَالَ: لاَ خَيْرَ فِيهَا؛ هِيَ مِنْ أهْلِ النّارِ.

There is a woman who fasts on the days and is awake worshipping at nights, but she is bad tempered and annoys her neighbors. He said: She is of no good; her place is in the Hell.[10]

Imam Sadiq (a.s) said:

إنَّ سُوءَ الخُلُقِ لَيُفْسِدُ العَمَلَ كَمَا يُفْسِدُ الخَلُّ العَسَلَ.

Bad temperedness spoils deeds, as vinegar spoils honey.[11]

Gluttony

Imam `Ali (a.s) has stated:

مَنْ كَثُرَ طَعْمُهُ سَقُمَ بَطْنُهُ وَقَسَا قَلْبُهُ.

The one who is glutton has a sick stomach and a hard heart.[12]

مَنْ كَثُرَ أكْلُهُ قَلَّتْ صِحَّتُهُ وَثَقُلَتْ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ مَؤُنَتُهُ.

The one who is glutton has a weak health and high expenses.[13]

كَثْرَةُ الأكْلِ مِنَ الشَّرَهِ، وَالشَّرَهُ شَرُّ العُيُوبِ.

Gluttony is the result of extreme lust and extreme lust is one of the worst vices.[14]

Imam Sadiq (a.s) stated:

لَيْسَ شَيْءٌ أضَرَّ لِقَلْبِ المُؤمِنِ مِنْ كَثْرَةِ الأكْلِ؛ وَهِيَ مُوَرِّثَةٌ لِشَيْئَيْنِ: قَسْوَةُ القَلْبِ وَهَيَجَانُ الشَّهْوَةِ.

Nothing is more harmful for a believer servant’s heart than gluttony; it causes two features; heard heartedness and rebellion of lust.[15]

Excessive Sleep

It is narrated from Imam al-B¡qir (a.s) that Prophet Moses (s.a) said to Allah: “Which of Your servants do You show more enmity to?” The Almighty answered him:

جِيفَةٌ بِاللَّيْلِ بَطَّالٌ بِالنَّهَارِ.

The one who is in bed like a dead person all night and spends his day uselessly.[16]

The Messenger of Allah (s.a) has stated that Solomon’s mother told him:

إيَّاكَ وَكَثْرَةَ النَّوْمِ بِاللَّيْلِ؛ تَدَعُ الرَّجُلَ فَقِيراً يَوْمَ القِيَامَةِ.

Do not sleep much at nights because it causes man to be resurrected in the Hereafter barehanded.[17]

Imam `Al¢ (a.s) stated:

بِئْسَ الغَرِيمُ النَّوْمُ؛ يُفْنِي قَصِيرَ العُمُرِ وَيُفَوِّتُ كَثِيرَ الأجْرِ.

Sleeping is a bad enemy; it wastes the short life and eliminates great reward.[18]

By avoiding what Islam has forbidden, like unlawful food, vices, gluttony, and excessive sleep, one’s limbs are granted power to serve Allah and His servants. It is by this strength that the eyes would not see but the truth and whatever Allah desires; the ears would not hear but the speech of Allah, the Prophets (s.a), Imams, and the righteous; the tongue would not utter but just and true issues; the hands would not perform but honest attempt; the stomach would not eat but lawful food; the lust would not be used but in lawful ways; and the feet would not go but toward divine gatherings, mosques, and holy shrines. In short, all human limbs as well as his soul would move in the direction of worshipping Allah and serving His servants.