Building Paradise Within the Heart of Hell

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🌼🔆🌼**Artistically Defeating Satan**🌼🔆🌼
🔹Weekly Sessions on the Commentary and Interpretation of *Al-Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya*: Supplication 20
📅 Date: 1404/10/11 — 11 Rajab 1447
✨ Session: Meshkat-e Noor
🎤 Speaker: Master Ali Saei
📝 Some of the points discussed in the session:

Imam Sajjad (AS) seeks to imprint the map of Paradise upon our very being 🗺

“O God, whatever Satan casts into my inner being by way of desire or conjecture, turn it instead into remembrance of Your greatness; transform that conjecture into reflection on Your power, and turn that envy toward devising a plan against Your enemy.”

Yes, this is Imam Sajjad (AS), seeking to imprint the map of Paradise upon our very being and make us heavenly—though not by turning us into Paradise itself. The first realm is a satanic one. Satan casts whatever he wishes into my inner being. Does *rawʿ* mean the darkness of the intellect? No: *rawʿ* refers to the whole human faculty of perception. Satan attacks the entire human system, the very processing centre of our being. He attacks so fiercely and pours his insinuations into a person’s soul so powerfully that the person imagines everything arising from within to be their own desires and wishes. Yet Satan has hacked that person: he has alienated them from their true self and taken control of them.

When a person gives Satan dominion over the land of their soul, when Satan becomes the user of the human system, he casts his own desires, appetites and conjectures—his particular decisions—into that person’s heart. Along with these desires and conjectures, he also brings envy into the human faculty of perception. This accursed, baleful triad brings ruin. The very human being whom the angels once prostrated before, and whom Satan was commanded to prostrate before, is now held captive in Satan’s hands and turned into his plaything.

Imam Sajjad (AS) wants to teach us a knowledge, a technology, that will enable us to respond to Satan in such a way that he and his followers are forever disheartened in their work, and their joy is turned to pain, torment and tears.

Imam Sajjad (AS) depicts two realms: one is dark, accursed and hellish; the other is a realm of light, brightness and Paradise. If a person can move from the first position to the second, their very being becomes the Paradise of creation. And if the people of the earth embody within themselves this second realm that Imam Sajjad (AS) depicts for us, the planet will become the Paradise of creation.

This is Imam Sajjad: the architect of creation. The Imam wants us to become Paradise ourselves, and to make our dwelling place Paradise too—to make it the glory of creation.

“O God, whatever Satan casts into the processing system of my being by way of desire…” But is it wrong to desire? If a person’s desires are directed upward, they are good. But if they are driven downward, if their desires bow their heads toward this world, they are accursed.

There is, however, a general rule: whatever comes to us from Satan is accursed, whether it is a desire or a conjecture. Desire, in this sense, means blind, lifeless wishes: wishes others have already entertained, whether they achieved them or not, only to end in failure and die. They wished for things while heading toward death, without knowing it. If a person reaches the limit of their worldly desires, they have reached the limit of nothingness—the lowest region of this universe.

This world is the lowest point in the universe 📉

This world is the lowest point in the universe, and worldly ambitions are the very vessels that carry us into the depths of that lowliness.

To desire—to *tamannī*—is to make plans and lay out schemes for the things one wishes to attain. *Manā* means to plan and measure; it is also used to mean false speech. The word for a lie, *umniya*, is derived from it. “Are you relating what you say from a source, or is it something you have wished for—a hollow desire within you?” So there is nothing positive about *tamannī*: every desire that comes from Satan is ugly and accursed.

But how can we tell whether what has entered our hearts comes from Satan, the accursed one? Let us return to *tazannī*. Whatever Satan casts into us by way of desire and conjecture… *Tazannī* means relying on an assumption that comes close to doubt. A person sets out to discover the truth; until they attain certainty, they should not act. If, through the power of reason, they elevate their thought and their conjecture, they are on the path of truth, moving toward certainty. But if they rely on conjecture without reason, they will be on a path of decline. Under the governance of reason, *tazannī* is sound and good; under the command of ignorance and the lower self’s desires, it is base, turning toward doubt and associating partners with God. It leads a person to ruin; it has no upward course, only a downward one.

Nothing in this world is more ominous than envy 🔥

In other words, things are not governed by baseless suppositions and empty wishes. Put simply, all the conjectures that come from Satan are vile and despicable. But envy—this ominous force… Nothing in all existence is more ominous than envy. It is the most accursed of all. The envious person seeks the destruction of the entire universe: they cannot accept anyone but themselves and want to bring everyone beneath their feet. They will not rest until everyone is destroyed; and once everyone else is gone, their own turn comes. They even envy themselves and destroy themselves. This is the envious person.

How beautifully Imam Sajjad (AS) tramples Satan’s designs underfoot! When someone takes up the twentieth supplication of al-Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya and recites it, conversing with God through this prayer, Satan cries out in anguish. When a person takes up al-Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya, Satan musters his entire army to prevent its recitation, to stop that person from succeeding in reading it. If he manages to take al-Sahifa from us, he has taken the whole world from us—and more than that, eternity itself. But if we reach the thirteenth passage of the twentieth supplication, Satan will not merely wail and lament: he will be cast to the ground. What happens if we look closely, reflect, gain a Sajjadi vision, and contemplate this passage above all passages? Satan wants, through his desires and conjectures, and by casting envy into our hearts and our faculty of perception, to make us forever accursed in the eyes of all creation. But we cling to God; we seek refuge from His dog in the Master of the dog, and ask that the desires Satan cast into my mind… ascend toward God’s majesty.

What a masterpiece Imam Sajjad has created! He has led us from our empty wishes to the heights of aspiration, saved us from falling, and carried us aboard the vessel of ascension for all eternity. Our faculty of perception is now connected to God’s majesty. Can Satan penetrate this exalted network? By God, he cannot. Whoever recites this prayer with all their heart and soul will drive Satan miles away—indeed, as far away as possible—lest he be harmed. The person who once occupied themselves with empty wishes has now become mindful of God’s majesty.

Reflection means awakening the innate nature 💡

Making use of conjecture means forming intentions for action. Satan wants to turn a person into his servant, while Imam Sajjad (AS) asks at the threshold of God to reflect on God’s power. What comes of reflecting on God’s power? A person who once sought to shape their intentions around empty wishes has now connected themselves to the summit of God’s power, taken flight toward His majesty, and attached themselves to His might. What storms they can now unleash! They reflect on God’s power.

When a person advances through ordinary reflection, their world is transformed. Reflection is not just any kind of thinking; it is thought guided by reason. When a person thinks under the rule of reason, they are reflecting. Reflection is not merely a thought. It means moving about, searching, striving, seeking God’s inspirations—but through the system of reason. To reflect is to read one’s innate nature. To reflect is to awaken one’s innate nature. To reflect is to enter the realm of light. To reflect is to race beyond the world of appearances, soar through the unseen realm, reach the light and radiance of the mind, and taste the sweetness of knowledge. The goodness of such a state, of such thought—of reflection—exceeds that of seventy years of worship. Such thought becomes a Night of Decree. It takes the lead, traversing the paths of spiritual perfection in the blink of an eye.

The best worship is to reflect continually 🕰

Reflection is what leads a person to goodness and to putting what they know into practice, and keeps them away from what must be avoided. But reflection bears fruit when it is sustained, and its course must be clearly set: reflection itself is the best of deeds. The best worship is to reflect continually on one’s own affairs, on God’s signs and majesty, and on His power. Such reflection turns a person’s deeds into diamonds.

Those who reflect on God are the finest in worship and servitude to Him 🧘

Worship does not consist merely in performing many prayers and fasting often; rather, it is to reflect on the affairs of God, the Almighty and Exalted. Those who reflect on God are the finest in worship and servitude to Him. The best deeds come from those who reflect. When a person reflects on God’s power, their reflection becomes miraculous. They attain knowledge and wisdom no one else can reach, and become a source of miracles.

Beware of reflecting on God’s Essence 🚫

A wise and reflective person knows that they cannot contemplate God’s essence. Anyone who does so measures God against themselves; they are not a person of reflection but of ignorance. There is no doubt about their ignorance. Do not, then, contemplate God’s essence. But whenever you wish to behold God’s greatness, you may turn your gaze to the greatness of God’s creation, to His signs. In other words, beholding God’s greatness through His creation becomes the vessel that carries a person on the journey toward the greatness of Allah.

The ideal society we long for 🕊

Let us pause for a moment and consider what would happen if humankind on earth moved from the first realm into the second. We would reach the ideal society we long for. The world today is just as Imam Sajjad (AS) portrayed it in the first realm: a realm steeped in satanic influence. This end-time age is so satanic that it is saturated with malice. Humanity returns to the same old sins, committing them with ever more ingenuity, as though plumbing the depths of a cesspool. Sin has reached saturation point.

Now imagine what would happen if humanity could… if the earth could move from the first realm to the second, even for a single day! It would be an upheaval: God’s goodness and blessings would rain down upon the people of the earth.

“O God, whatever slips from my tongue—obscenities, hurtful or vile words, insults against another’s honour or lineage, false testimony, backbiting a believer who is absent, or insulting someone who is present, and the like—O God, transform this state of mine into one in which my tongue proclaims Your praise.”

What would happen, by God! Satan wants to make a person’s tongue utter obscenities, bear false witness, backbite a believer, insult someone who is present, and the like. What would happen if that tongue turned to praising God? What if the people of the earth entered this state for just one day, and their tongues proclaimed God’s praise? O God!

Let a person keep their tongue constantly occupied with praising God 🗣

Let a person keep their tongue constantly occupied with praising God: let one act of praise lead into another; let them remember God, weave remembrance upon remembrance, never grow weary, and set out on the path of glorifying God. O God, what would happen! And to give thanks for Your blessings, acknowledge Your kindness, and count Your favours—those immense blessings of Yours… O God, what a realm this is! So, O God, اللهم صل علی محمد و آله.

Let me never, ever become an oppressor myself ⚔️

O God, send blessings upon Muhammad and his family. And O God, let me never, ever be wronged when You, my Lord, my All-Powerful One, have the power and strength to protect me from it. O God, let me never, ever become an oppressor myself, committing injustice when You have the power to restrain me. Break me. Break the hand that would commit injustice. No—do not break it; restrain it. You have the power to restrain it, my All-Powerful One.

From where to where has he brought us? 🌠

O God, let me never, ever go astray when guiding me is easy and within Your power. O God, O God, let me never, ever fall into poverty when only from You can my distress be relieved. O God, let me never, ever become arrogant when my wealth comes from You.

Where has Imam Sajjad (AS) taken us from, and to where? He made us like Paradise, then carried us beyond Paradise. What state are we in? We enter a state like that of Sajjad. First, he frees us from Satan’s grip, severs Satan’s lifeline, and strikes his jugular vein with God in this opening passage. Satan is left with no strength at all. What would happen if a person recited this passage with all their heart and soul?

How can I tell whether a desire in my heart or a decision I am making is truly my own, or Satan’s? The ego’s cravings are even more vile than Iblis. Whether it is Satan or my own desire, whether Iblis or my ego, let neither enter the system that shapes my decisions. Only God should command from within it. God is my sovereign; I must take my commands from Him alone. What can I do to prevent Satan from finding a way into me?

No one dies until their provision has been brought to its full measure ⏳

The Messenger of God says in a hadith delivered during the Farewell Pilgrimage—as though it were the opening and closing word, the final word. He intends to bring the matter to a close, to convey to us, in a few brief sentences, the first and last word. If we act upon this noble hadith, Satan’s work is done: his desires and delusions, and envy, will no longer find a way into our perceptual system.

Be alert. Be certain. Pay close attention. The noble Gabriel placed this in my heart, in my innermost being, in my soul. Where do these desires arise from? A person imagines that if they do not rush after those empty wishes, they will lose; they will fall behind.

The Messenger of God says: “The Trustworthy Gabriel inspired these words in my soul: No one dies until their provision has been brought to completion.” That is, no one will die before receiving the very last particle of their allotted provision. Be absolutely certain, then, that you will receive your provision in this world in full.

Where does mistrust arise from? From the thought that one’s provision may slip out of one’s grasp. But the instruction of the Noble Messenger, Muhammad Mustafa, is: “So be mindful of Allah, the Almighty and Exalted; fear God and be pious.” It is as though these are the opening and closing words. At the very first sessions of Meshkat-e Noor, these were the hadiths that were recounted.

“When seeking—when seeking provision—be measured.” To be measured is to act with balance, to seek with grace. “Do not let…” What? “…the delay of something drive you to it. My provision is late; it has not arrived. What am I to do? Something that should have come to me has not. I seek something, but cannot obtain it.” If it is my provision, it will come. Its delay is a test. I am seated at the table where provision is the subject of the examination. This is my exam paper. If I commit an act of disobedience to God, I lose; I have failed. What happens if I reach out to disobey God in order to obtain provision? Know that Allah, the Almighty and Exalted—Allah, blessed and exalted—is the one who apportions provision to His servants as lawful provision; He has not destined anything unlawful as provision for them. If a person is mindful of Allah, the Almighty and Exalted, and is patient, then the provision Allah has appointed for them from what is lawful will certainly reach them.

But the one who tears away the veil of modesty, acts in haste, and tries to obtain their provision by unlawful means will have their lawful provision diminished. In other words, not only will they fail to receive more provision; their lawful provision will be reduced, and they will also have to answer for it on the Day of Resurrection.