The clause, "That He might try you..." (quoted in the tradition) refers to the utterance of God Almighty:
Blessed is He in Whose hand is the Kingdom and Who is powerful over everything, Who created death and life, that He might try you which of you is fairest in works. (67: 1-2)
The muhaqqiq al-Majlisi, may God sanctify his soul, says: "This noble verse (which refers to the `creation' of death) indicates that death is something which has ...
The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) said: "On the Day of Judgement there would be people whose good deeds will be as heavy as the mountains of Tahama. Inspite of this it would be ordered that they be tossed into the fire of Hell."
Upon this someone said, "O! the Prophet of Allah (s.a.w.s.), were these people performing salaat (prayers)?",
"Yes, they used to pray, and fast, and also spend a part of the night in worship. But, whenever they chanced ...
What is the \'proof of the veracious\'? Is it considered to be the most apposite and strongest argument for the existence of God?Concise answerIn the history of Islamic philosophy different explanations have been given for this proof [burhan] the first of which has been presented by Bu Ali Sina (Avicenna) in his Isharaat. Meanwhile, one of the best of explanations has been established by Mulla Sadra, the founder of Transcendental Philosophy, ...
Greater Sin and Lesser Sin
The foregoing discussion has made it clear that sins are of two types- The Greater and the Lesser. The characteristics of the Greater Sins and their evil effects have also been explained. Now we shall enumerate various Greater Sins. The traditions regarding the number of Greater Sins are sometimes in disagreement with each other. It is not possible to study all such traditions due to their voluminous nature. It is ...
The thirtieth sin, which is mentioned as a Greater sin, is 'not helping the oppressed people' and 'not warding off oppression from them'. In the tradition of Amash, Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq (a.s.) says, "…and not helping the oppressed (is a greater sin)."
To defend the oppressed is to help them ward off evil; not performing such a task is shirking a great duty which Allah has made incumbent upon us.
Imam Musa al-Kazim (a.s.) says: "If a person ...
The eighth among the Greater Sins is to usurp the property of an orphan who has not attained maturity.
This is categorized as a Greater sin by the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.), Imam Ali (a.s.), Imam Reza (a.s.), Imam Kazim (a.s.) and Imam Taqi (a.s.). It is a sin, the punishment of which is fixed by Allah to be the fire of Hell.
The Quran says, "(As for) those who swallow the property of the orphans unjustly, surely they only swallow fire into ...
Before marriage when I was 19 years old I was in a friendship relationship with a distant relative's son. Several times, we hugged and touched each other physically because I was then certain that I would marry him but something happened and the two families started to distance from each other. As a result, instead of marrying that man I married another man. Ever since I realized the graveness of my sin, I have been repenting and seeking divine ...
Numerous reports (Rawayaat) testify that Sileh Rahmi (kindness to one's relatives) also has worldly benefits. Like, increase in the life-span, postponement of death, increase in the number of descendants etc., Hazrat Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq (a.s.) related three traditions from the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) in the court of Mansur Dawaniqi (l.a.).
1) "A man who has only three years of life remaining, performs an act of kindness to his ...
Adopted from the book : "The Faith of Shi'a Islam" by : Allamah Muhammad Ridha al-Muzaffar"We do not exaggerate about the Imams as some sects have done;A monstrous word it is, issuing from mouths. (18:5)but we believe that they are human beings like ourselves, i.e that if they do good they are rewarded and if they commit sin they are punished. Indeed, they are honoured servants and Allah has given them great dignity and authority, for they have ...
When we notice one of the many Qur’anic verses, we realize this meaning clearly. Allah has granted us blessings that cannot be counted, however people try to number them. Allah
says:
“And if all the trees in the earth were pens, and the sea, with seven more seas to help it, (were ink), the words of Allah could not be exhausted. Lo! Allah is Mighty, Wise.” Qur’an 31:27
O man, you should think of the creation of your ...
Some of the great Islamic philosophers have said that love is the relationship we have with those things that contribute to the maintenance and completion of our existence. When we experience or meet such things we don’t like to be separated from them and we feel a great need for them in our lives. This attachment is what we call love.Thus we find ourselves loving food, loving wealth, loving power, the opposite sex, etc., all of which ...
The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) said: "On the Day of Judgement there would be people whose good deeds will be as heavy as the mountains of Tahama. Inspite of this it would be ordered that they be tossed into the fire of Hell."
Upon this someone said, "O! the Prophet of Allah (s.a.w.s.), were these people performing salaat (prayers)?",
"Yes, they used to pray, and fast, and also spend a part of the night in worship. But, whenever they chanced ...
A Mu'min is recognized by two essential traits-he has fear of Allah and hopes for His rewards in moderation. The Mu'min neither spends all his life in acute fear of Allah's retribution, nor has he excessive hopes of rewards! One has to bear in mind that both these excesses are sins!
Ruja means carrying hope of Allah's Mercy. A person who expects ruja but continues with his sinful acts will be a hypocrite of the highest order. This will be ...
The twenty-ninth sin, that is classified as a Greater Sin is 'Helping the oppressors'. Fazl Ibne Shazaan has narrated from Imam Reza (a.s.) that he said concerning the Greater Sins: "And helping the oppressors and bending (leaning) towards them."
In the narration of Amash from Imam Sadiq (a.s.) the following is mentioned, "Not helping the oppressed people is a Greater Sin." In other words helping the oppressors is also a Greater Sin.
Imam Musa ...
The twenty-second greater sin, is defalcation or misappropriation of property. Misappropriation of property as a greater sin is stated in the Quran and the authentic tradition related by Abdul Azeem from Imam Muhammad Taqi (a.s.) and also from the traditions of Imam Sadiq (a.s.), Imam Kazim (a.s.) and Imam Reza (a.s.).
Khayanat is itself an Arabic word. In the tradition of Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq (a.s.) as related by Amash the word 'Khayanat' is ...
Among them was either a predecessor who would name the one to follow or the follower who had been introduced by the predecessor." (Sermon 1, Nahj-ul-Balagha)In the previous lesson, we mentioned that human beings have never suffered from the absence of the Prophets or revealed Books. Here in the above statement, the Commander of the Faithful points out that all the Prophets have had the same direction, although their followers stand against each ...
Abdul Azeem quoted from Imam Muhammad al-Taqi (a.s.). Similarly the tradition of Fazl Ibne Shazaan includes it in the list of Greater sins as mentioned by Imam Reza (a.s.). That it is a Greater sin is also proved by the hadith of Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq (a.s.) as quoted by Amash. We have already mentioned in the chapter on "lying" that falsehood is a Greater sin. False testimony obivously is also a branch of falsehood.
In the tradition narrated by ...
Among the fundamental intellectual topics that concern human life religious questions enjoy a particular importance. They have always been regarded in fact as the most basic concern for the well- being and destiny of man and have produced profound insights and extensive knowledge.
Scholars and researchers have undertaken wide-ranging and comprehensive studies on the origins and motives of man's religious concerns pursuing their researches with ...
Certain individuals have claimed utterance of "divine guidance" through out the history of humankind without being chosen by Allah the Exalted for this purpose. These people have been either mad or deluded by evil influences, and this came to pass even among well‑versed prominent religious leaders. The best thing is to examine their words in their exact original form and language (not a translation of, or excerpts from, or sporadic comments) ...
Among the fundamental intellectual topics that concern human life, religious questions enjoy a particular importance. They have always been regarded, in fact, as the most basic concern for the well- being and destiny of man and have produced profound insights and extensive knowledge.
Scholars and researchers have undertaken wide-ranging and comprehensive studies on the origins and motives of man's religious concerns, pursuing their researches ...
