Sincere seeking of refuge in God and wholehearted surrender to Him are the secret of intimate solitude with the Beloved of hearts!
Keeping the heart secluded from Satan’s nourishment is one of the secrets of deafening Satan: if he finds no sustenance from a person, he cannot gain entry!
Love of this world in the human heart both sharpens Satan’s hearing and smooths his path into the heart!
To move beyond love of this world is to deafen Satan’s ear, blind his eye and silence his tongue!
Keeping the company of the righteous and God-fearing, finding intimacy with the Qur’an and the Prophet’s Household, and engaging in good works and the like are among the secrets of secluding the heart with the Worshipped One!
Call upon God on the frequency of perfect sincerity.
قَالَ الصَّادِقُ ع صَاحِبُ الْعُزْلَةِ مُتَحَصِّنٌ بِحِصْنِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى وَ مُتَحَرِّسٌ بِحَرَاسَتِهِ فَيَا طُوبَى لِمَنْ تَفَرَّدَ بِهِ سِرّاً وَ عَلَانِيَةً وَ هُوَ يَحْتَاجُ إِلَى عَشَرَةِ خِصَالٍ عِلْمِ الْحَقِّ وَ الْبَاطِلِ وَ تَحَبُّبِ الْفَقْرِ وَ اخْتِيَارِ الشِدَّةِ وَ الزُّهْدِ وَ اغْتِنَامِ الْخَلْوَةِ وَ النَّظَرِ فِي الْعَوَاقِبِ وَ رُؤْيَةِ التَّقْصِيرِ فِي الْعِبَادَةِ مَعَ بَذْلِ الْمَجْهُودِ وَ تَرْكِ الْعُجْبِ وَ كَثْرَةِ الذِّكْرِ بِلَا غَفْلَةٍ فَإِنَّ الْغَفْلَةَ مِصْطَادُ الشَّيْطَانِ وَ رَأْسُ كُلِّ بَلِيَّةٍ وَ سَبَبُ كُلِّ حِجَابٍ وَ خَلْوَةِ الْبَيْتِ عَمَّا لَا يَحْتَاجُ إِلَيْهِ فِي الْوَقْتِ قَالَ عِيسَى ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ ع أَحْرِزْ لِسَانَكَ لِعِمَارَةِ قَلْبِكَ وَ لْيَسَعْكَ بَيْتُكَ وَ احْذَرْ مِنَ الرِّيَاءِ وَ فُضُولِ مَعَاشِكَ وَ اسْتَحِ مِنْ رَبِّكَ وَ ابْكِ عَلَى خَطِيئَتِكَ وَ فِرَّ مِنَ النَّاسِ فِرَارَكَ مِنَ الْأَسَدِ وَ الْأَفْعَى فَإِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا دَوَاءً فَصَارُوا الْيَوْمَ دَاءً ثُمَّ الْقَ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى مَتَى شِئْتَ قَالَ رَبِيعُ بْنُ خَيْثَمٍ إِنِ اسْتَطَعْتَ أَنْ تَكُونَ الْيَوْمَ فِي مَوْضِعٍ لَا تَعْرِفُ وَ لَا تُعْرَفُ فَافْعَلْ فَفِي الْعُزْلَةِ صِيَانَةُ الْجَوَارِحِ وَ فَرَاغُ الْقَلْبِ وَ سَلَامَةُ الْعَيْشِ وَ كَسْرُ سِلَاحِ الشَّيْطَانِ وَ مُجَانَبَةٌ مِنْ كُلِّ سُوءٍ وَ رَاحَةُ الْقَلْبِ وَ مَا مِنْ نَبِيٍّ وَ لَا وَصِيٍّ إِلَّا وَ اخْتَارَ الْعُزْلَةَ فِي زَمَانِهِ إِمَّا فِي ابْتِدَائِهِ وَ إِمَّا فِي Its End
*Misbah al-Shari‘a*, p. 99
Imam al-Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: Those who choose seclusion—withdrawal and spiritual solitude—are within the fortress and stronghold of God Almighty, under His protection and care. Blessed, then, is the one who is alone with Him, in private and in public. Such a person needs ten qualities:
Knowing truth from falsehood;
Loving poverty—being poor before God;
Choosing hardship;
Renouncing the world;
Making the most of solitude;
Considering the consequences of one’s actions;
Recognising one’s shortcomings in worship, despite striving earnestly;
Giving up self-admiration;
Remembering God often, without heedlessness—for heedlessness is Satan’s snare, the source of every affliction and the cause of every veil;
Keeping one’s home free of anything not needed at the time.
Jesus son of Mary (peace be upon him) said:
Guard your tongue, so that your heart may flourish.
Let your home be spacious enough for you—that is, do not leave it.
Beware of ostentation and an excess of livelihood.
Be mindful of your Lord.
Weep over your sin.
Flee from people as you would from a lion or a snake, for once they were a remedy, but today they have become an illness.
Then, whenever you wish, withdraw into solitude with God Almighty.
Rabi‘ ibn Khuthaym said: If you can spend today in a place where you know no one and no one knows you, then do so. For in seclusion there is protection of the limbs, peace of heart, safety in life, the breaking of Satan’s weapon, distance from every evil, and comfort for the heart.
There has never been a prophet or an appointed successor who did not choose seclusion at some point in his life—whether at its beginning or its end.
َ إِلَهِي هَبْ لِي كَمَالَ الِانْقِطَاعِ إِلَيْكَ وَ أَنِرْ أَبْصَارَ قُلُوبِنَا بِضِيَاءِ نَظَرِهَا إِلَيْكَ حَتَّى تَخِرَقَ أَبْصَارُ الْقُلُوبِ حُجُبَ النُّورِ فَتَصِلَ إِلَى مَعْدِنِ الْعَظَمَةِ وَ تَصِيرَ أَرْوَاحُنَا مُعَلَّقَةً بِعِزِّ قُدْسِكَ My God,
رَبِّ لَا تَكِلْنِي إِلَى نَفْسِي طَرْفَةَ عَيْنٍ أَبَداً لَا أَقَلَّ مِنْ ذَلِكَ وَ لَا أَكْثَر
Supplication 17 of al-Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya
The Whispered Prayer of the Complainants:
َّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ إِلَهِي إِلَيْكَ أَشْكُو نَفْساً بِالسُّوءِ أَمَّارَةً وَ إِلَى الْخَطِيئَةِ مُبَادِرَةً، وَ بِمَعَاصِيكَ مُولَعَةً، وَ لِسَخَطِكَ مُتَعَرِّضَةً، تَسْلُكُ بِي مَسَالِكَ الْمَهَالِكِ، وَ تَجْعَلُنِي عِنْدَكَ أَهْوَنَ هَالِكٍ، كَثِيرَةَ الْعِلَلِ طَوِيلَةَ الْأَمَلِ، إِنْ مَسَّهَا الشَّرُّ تَجْزَعُ وَ إِنْ مَسَّهَا الْخَيْرُ تَمْنَعُ، مَيَّالَةً إِلَى اللَّعِبِ وَ اللَّهْوِ، مَمْلُوءَةً بِالْغَفْلَةِ وَ السَّهْوِ، تُسْرِعُ بِي إِلَى الْحَوْبَةِ وَ تُسَوِّفُنِي بِالتَّوْبَةِ، إِلَهِي إِلَيْكَ أَشْكُو عَدُوّاً يُضِلُّنِي، وَ شَيْطَاناً يُغْوِينِي، قَدْ مَلَأَ بِالْوَسْوَاسِ صَدْرِي، وَ أَحَاطَتْ هَوَاجِسُهُ بِقَلْبِي، يُعَاضِدُ إِلَى الْهَوَى وَ يُزَيِّنُ لِي حُبَّ الدُّنْيَا، وَ يَحُولُ بَيْنِي وَ بَيْنَ الطَّاعَةِ وَ الزُّلْفَى، إِلَهِي إِلَيْكَ أَشْكُو قَلْباً قَاسِياً مَعَ الْوَسْوَاسِ مُتَقَلِّباً، وَ بِالرَّيْنِ وَ الطَّبْعِ مُتَلَبِّساً، وَ عَيْناً عَنِ الْبُكَاءِ مِنْ خَوْفِكَ جَامِدَةً، وَ إِلَى مَا يَسُوؤُهَا طَامِحَةً، إِلَهِي لَا حَوْلَ لِي وَ لَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِقُدْرَتِكَ، وَ لَا نَجَاةَ لِي مِنْ مَكَارِهِ الدُّنْيَا إِلَّا بِعِصْمَتِكَ، فَأَسْأَلُكَ بِبَلَاغَةِ حِكْمَتِكَ وَ نَفَاذِ مَشِيئَتِكَ، أَنْ لَا تَجْعَلَنِي لِغَيْرِ جُودِكَ مُتَعَرِّضاً، وَ لَا تُصَيِّرْنِي لِلْفِتَنِ غَرَضاً، وَ كُنْ لِي عَلَى الْأَعْدَاءِ نَاصِراً، وَ عَلَى الْمَخَازِي وَ الْعُيُوبِ سَاتِراً وَ مِنَ الْبَلَاءِ وَاقِياً، وَ عَنِ الْمَعَاصِي عَاصِماً بِرَأْفَتِكَ وَ رَحْمَتِكَ يَا أَرْحَمَ الرَّاحِمِينَ