Written transcript of the lecture
The Meshkat-e Noor teachings series🌼🔆🌼The Perfection of the Imam in the Words of Imam Reza (AS)🌼🔆🌼
🌹🔅☘️ بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحيمِ ☘️🔅🌹
🔅🌹 “The Wing of Eternity” “The Exemplar of All Creation” “The Hidden Mysteries of the Imam” “The Mysteries of the Compendia and Scrolls” “The Night of the Martyrdom of Imam Reza (AS)” and more … A concise account, with an addendum 1405.05.22 Ali Saei (Abdullah Meshkat) 110.141(903) 🌹🔅
❇️Imam Reza (AS), the boundless wing,
Experiencing eternity with Imam Reza (AS): for he is the “neither westward” of the Light Verse, just as his great and noble father is its “neither eastward,” and the means of experiencing pre-eternity. Imam Kazim and Imam Reza (peace be upon them both) together are the wings of the boundlessness of pre-eternity and eternity! In their company, a person floats in infinity!
❇️The Signs of the Imam in the Words of Imam Reza (AS)
🌷🔆 عَنْ أَبِي الْحَسَنِ عَلِيِّ بْنِ مُوسَى الرِّضَا ع قَالَ لِلْإِمَامِ عَلَامَاتٌ يَكُونُ أَعْلَمَ النَّاسِ وَ أَحْكَمَ النَّاسِ وَ أَتْقَى النَّاسِ وَ أَحْلَمَ النَّاسِ وَ أَشْجَعَ النَّاسِ وَ أَسْخَى النَّاسِ وَ أَعْبَدَ النَّاسِ وَ يُولَدُ مَخْتُوناً وَ يَكُونُ مُطَهَّراً وَ يَرَى مِنْ خَلْفِهِ كَمَا يَرَى مِنْ بَيْنِ يَدَيْهِ وَ لَا يَكُونُ لَهُ ظِلٌ وَ إِذَا وَقَعَ عَلَى الْأَرْضِ مِنْ بَطْنِ أُمِّهِ وَقَعَ عَلَى رَاحَتَيْهِ رَافِعاً صَوْتَهُ بِالشَّهَادَتَيْنِ وَ لَا يَحْتَلِمُ وَ تَنَامُ عَيْنُهُ وَ لَا يَنَامُ قَلْبُهُ وَ يَكُونُ مُحَدَّثاً وَ يَسْتَوِي عَلَيْهِ دِرْعُ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ص وَ لَا يُرَى لَهُ بَوْلٌ وَ لَا غَائِطٌ لِأَنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ قَدْ وَكَّلَ الْأَرْضَ بِابْتِلَاعِ مَا يَخْرُجُ مِنْهُ وَ تَكُونُ رَائِحَتُهُ أَطْيَبَ مِنْ رَائِحَةِ الْمِسْكِ وَ يَكُونُ أَوْلَى بِالنَّاسِ مِنْهُمْ بِأَنْفُسِهِمْ وَ أَشْفَقَ عَلَيْهِمْ مِنْ آبَائِهِمْ وَ أُمَّهَاتِهِمْ وَ يَكُونُ أَشَدَّ النَّاسِ تَوَاضُعاً لِلَّهِ جَلَّ ذِكْرُهُ وَ يَكُونُ آخَذَ النَّاسِ بِمَا يَأْمُرُ بِهِ وَ أَكَفَ النَّاسِ عَمَّا يَنْهَى عَنْهُ وَ يَكُونُ دُعَاؤُهُ مُسْتَجَاباً حَتَّى إِنَّهُ لَوْ دَعَا عَلَى صَخْرَةٍ لَانْشَقَّتْ بِنِصْفَيْنِ وَ يَكُونُ عِنْدَهُ سِلَاحُ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ص وَ سَيْفُهُ ذُو الْفَقَارِ وَ يَكُونُ عِنْدَهُ صَحِيفَةٌ يَكُونُ فِيهَا أَسْمَاءُ شِيعَتِهِ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ وَ صَحِيفَةٌ فِيهَا أَسْمَاءُ أَعْدَائِهِ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ وَ تَكُونُ عِنْدَهُ الْجَامِعَةُ وَ هِيَ صَحِيفَةٌ طُولُهَا سَبْعُونَ ذِرَاعاً فِيهَا جَمِيعُ مَا يَحْتَاجُ إِلَيْهِ وُلْدُ آدَمَ وَ يَكُونُ عِنْدَهُ الْجَفْرُ الْأَكْبَرُ وَ الْأَصْغَرُ إِهَابُ مَاعِزٍ وَ إِهَابُ كَبْشٍ فِيهِمَا جَمِيعُ الْعُلُومِ حَتَّى أَرْشِ الْخَدْشِ وَ حَتَّى الْجَلْدَةِ وَ نِصْفِ الْجَلْدَةِ وَ ثُلُثِ الْجَلْدَةِ وَ يَكُونُ عِنْدَهُ مُصْحَفُ فَاطِمَةَ A.[1]
🔆 Imam Reza (AS), describing the signs of the Infallible Imam, said:
“The Imam has certain signs: he is the most learned, wisest, most God-fearing, most forbearing, bravest, most generous and most devoted to worship of all people. He is born circumcised and pure. He sees behind him as he sees before him, and casts no shadow. At birth, he places the palms of his hands on the ground and loudly proclaims the testimony of faith. He never experiences a wet dream; his eyes sleep, but his heart remains awake. He speaks with the angels. The Prophet’s (PBUH) coat of mail fits him, and no trace of urine or stool is ever seen on him, for the earth is charged with swallowing whatever comes from him. His scent is sweeter than musk. He has a greater claim on people than they have on themselves, and is more compassionate toward them than their own parents. Of all people, he is the humblest before God; he is the most diligent in carrying out His commands and the most careful to avoid His prohibitions. His prayer is answered—even if he prays over a rock, it will split in two.
The Prophet’s (PBUH) weapons and the sword Dhu’l-Fiqar are in his possession. He has a scroll bearing the names of his followers until the Day of Resurrection, and another bearing the names of his enemies.
He also possesses the Greater and Lesser Jafr—goat and ram skins containing all knowledge, including the blood compensation for a scratch, a full lash, half a lash and a third of a lash—and the Mushaf of Fatima (SA).
✳️An Explanation of Some Passages from the Imam’s Words
❇️The Imam: the perfect exemplar
💫لِلْإِمَامِ عَلَامَاتٌ= The signs are mentioned so that we may follow their example. The Imam is the supreme exemplar of servanthood to God, and we must strive to attain that station!
The Imam and his lofty stations are not merely there for us to marvel at, but to inspire us to attain such excellence ourselves!
Every tree strives to bear sweet fruit! We must become the sweet fruit of the Imamate!
Why does every fruit contain seeds—not just one, but many?
A seed is, in reality, like a production facility and a software package containing the tree’s knowledge. Each seed holds new knowledge, too, in keeping with the transformations of the universe. A single fruit contains many seeds, not to produce just one tree, but to produce many trees! Human knowledge has not yet reached the point where it can fully make use of this. A different world can be brought forth from every seed, yet in the limited human view, all the seeds of a single fruit appear alike!
❇️The Shia share the nature of their Imam
The Shia are an extension of their Imam and must bring their own essential nature to manifestation within themselves!
☀️عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع قَالَ: خَلَقَ اللَّهُ تَبَارَكَ وَ تَعَالَى شِيعَتَنَا مِنْ طِينَةٍ مَخْزُونَةٍ لَا يَشِذُّ مِنْهَا شَاذٌّ وَ لَا يَدْخُلُ فِيهَا دَاخِلٌ عَنْهُ[2]
🔆 It is narrated from Imam Jaʿfar al-Sadiq (AS) that he said:
“God, Blessed and Exalted, created our Shia from a hidden, stored-away clay;
no one leaves it, and no one enters it.”
«طینةٍ مَخْزُونَةٍ»: that is, clay kept in reserve and concealed in the divine treasury—the clay reserved for the creation of the true Shia, and not belonging to others.
«لا یَشِذُّ مِنْها شاذٌّ»: no one leaves that clay or escapes it; that is, the true Shia never depart from this clay or separate themselves from it.
«وَ لا یَدْخُلُ فِیها داخِلٌ عَنْهُ»: nor does anyone enter it from outside; that is, someone who is not of this clay cannot gain access to it or become one of the true Shia—unless their clay is changed and they receive divine grace.
✅ First interpretation (emphasizing that none depart):
“No one leaves it (the clay of the Shia).”
That is, the true Shia never leave this special clay or stray from the path of allegiance to the Imam.
✅ Second interpretation:
“Nothing incompatible can be reconciled with it (the clay),”
or: “No one who is not of the same clay can be reconciled with it or gain access to it.”
This interpretation is particularly precise and profound, and is also consistent with the phrase «وَ لَا يَدْخُلُ فِيهَا دَاخِلٌ», meaning:
what is incompatible cannot leave the clay (it never departs from allegiance to the Imam),
and what is incompatible cannot enter the clay (it never gains access to the true reality of being Shia).
“Nothing incompatible can be reconciled with it (or leave it), and no outsider can enter it.”
That is:
The clay of our Shia is such that one can neither escape it nor gain access to it, except by the will of God.
This narration emphasizes the enduring stability of the true Shia’s religious identity and the fact that this clay belongs exclusively to them. It shows that true faith is rooted in one’s creation and is not altered by passing influences.
❇️Clay and mortar are for building a structure!
✨Al-Aʿrāf: 58 وَ الْبَلَدُ الطَّيِّبُ يَخْرُجُ نَباتُهُ بِإِذْنِ رَبِّهِ وَ الَّذي خَبُثَ لا يَخْرُجُ إِلاَّ نَكِداً كَذلِكَ نُصَرِّفُ الْآياتِ لِقَوْمٍ يَشْكُرُونَ
🔆In good, fertile land, its plants grow by the command of its Lord; but from ill-soiled, barren land, nothing grows except a meagre, worthless crop. Thus do We make the signs clear for those who give thanks.
❇️A child should resemble its parents
A believer should become like light and mercy!
💫عَنْ أَبِي الْحَسَنِ الرِّضَا ع قَالَ: قَالَ لِي يَا سُلَيْمَانُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ تَبَارَكَ وَ تَعَالَى خَلَقَ الْمُؤْمِنَ مِنْ نُورِهِ وَ صَبَغَهُمْ فِي رَحْمَتِهِ وَ أَخَذَ مِيثَاقَهُمْ لَنَا بِالْوَلَايَةِ فَالْمُؤْمِنُ أَخُو الْمُؤْمِنِ لِأَبِيهِ وَ أُمِّهِ أَبُوهُ النُّورُ وَ أُمُّهُ الرَّحْمَةُ فَاتَّقُوا فِرَاسَةَ الْمُؤْمِنِ فَإِنَّهُ يَنْظُرُ بِنُورِ اللَّهِ الَّذِي خُلِقَ مِنْه[3]
💫 It is related from Imam al-Riḍā (AS) that he said to me:
“O Sulaymān! God, Blessed and Exalted, created the believer from His light,
and immersed them in His mercy,
and took from them a covenant of allegiance to us.
Thus the believer is the brother of another believer, sharing the same father and mother:
his father is light and his mother is mercy.
So beware of the believer’s insight—and do not take it lightly—
for he sees by God’s light, from which he was created.”
❇️The breeze of the Spirit of God stirs the fragrance of the Spirit of God
💫عَنْ أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ ع قَالَ: إِنَّ اللَّهَ تَبَارَكَ وَ تَعَالَى أَجْرَى فِي الْمُؤْمِنِ مِنْ رِيحِ رَوْحِ اللَّهِ وَ اللَّهُ تَبَارَكَ وَ تَعَالَى يَقُولُ رُحَماءُ بَيْنَهُم[4]
💫 It is related from Imam al-Bāqir (AS) that he said:
“Indeed, God, Blessed and Exalted, has caused a breath of His Spirit to flow through the believer,
and God, Blessed and Exalted, says: «رُحَماءُ بَيْنَهُمْ» (al-Fatḥ: 29)—‘They are compassionate toward one another.’”
❇️A believer should bring their true nature to light!
☀️عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ فَضَالَةَ بْنِ أَيُّوبَ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ حَمْزَةَ عَنْ أَبِي بَصِيرٍ عَنْ أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ ع قَالَ: إِنَّا وَ شِيعَتَنَا خُلِقْنَا مِنْ طِينَةٍ وَاحِدَةٍ. [5]
🔆 It is related from Imam al-Bāqir (AS) that he said: “Indeed, we and our followers were created from the same clay.”
☀️عَنْهُ عَنْ أَبِي إِسْحَاقَ الْخَفَّافِ رَفَعَهُ قَالَ قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع الْمُؤْمِنُ آنَسُ الْإِنْسِ جَيِّدُ الْجِنْسِ مِنْ طِينَتِنَا أَهْلَ الْبَيْت[6]
🔆 It is related from Imam al-Ṣādiq (AS), through an elevated chain of transmission, that he said:
“The believer is the most companionable of people and the finest essence from our clay, the clay of the Household.”
❇️The Imam surpasses all in virtue
💫يَكُونُ أَعْلَمَ النَّاسِ= The Imam is the sun of knowledge; others are its planets and moons
💫 وَ أَحْكَمَ النَّاسِ= The Imam is the wisest, the most magnificent vista and vastest constellation of knowledge!
💫 وَ أَتْقَى النَّاسِ= In the Imam, all the qualities of servitude are preserved; they are the most honoured before God!
💫 وَ أَحْلَمَ النَّاسِ= The Imam responds to and engages with people and all beings in the finest way! Ignorance has no access to their soul!
Light does not mingle with darkness and become dark!
The impurities of “the environment, humans and jinn, and all that exists” do not affect the Imam; rather, he transforms them all!
He is an agent, not a reactor.
💫 وَ أَشْجَعَ النَّاسِ= The Imam is the bravest; weakness and fear of anyone other than God have no meaning for them!
💫 وَ أَسْخَى النَّاسِ= The Imam is the sky of generosity, giving, and benevolence!
💫 وَ أَعْبَدَ النَّاسِ= The Imam is the crown of worship and devotion to God!
❇️The best of all possible orders admits no excess
💫 وَ يُولَدُ مَخْتُوناً= The Imam is perfectly adorned and purified, without deficiency or excess, at the very height of equilibrium (فسوئها): neither lacking nor exceeding in anything; sheer beauty, the complete ideal, the very mould of beauty.
بَه بَه بِه بِه His pure being
☀️عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع قَالَ: إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ خَلَقَ مُحَمَّداً ص وَ عِتْرَتَهُ مِنْ طِينَةِ الْعَرْشِ فَلَا يَنْقُصُ مِنْهُمْ وَاحِدٌ وَ لَا يَزِيدُ مِنْهُمْ وَاحِدٌ.[7]
🔆 It is narrated from Imam al-Sadiq (AS) that he said: “Indeed, God created عزّ و جلّ، محمّد (PBUH) and his family from the clay of the Throne; thus, none of them is diminished, nor is anyone added to their number.”
(That is, their number and composition, by divine will, are fixed and unchanging.)
Their state of the best proportion was not transformed into the lowest; rather, it was elevated to the highest!
❇️They are clear and pure, absolute and unalloyed
💫 وَ يَكُونُ مُطَهَّراً= “يكون مطهرا”: a ground for perfect radiance, without a single blemish or stain
✨ Al-Ahzab: 33 … إِنَّما يُريدُ اللَّهُ لِيُذْهِبَ عَنْكُمُ الرِّجْسَ أَهْلَ الْبَيْتِ وَ يُطَهِّرَكُمْ تَطْهيراً
🔆 God only desires to remove all impurity and sin from you, O People of the Household, and to purify you completely.
Their very essence is pure; impurity cannot mingle with them!
A soul freed from associationism and doubt is purified in every respect!
Impurity is the result of keeping company with ignorance and its forces! The degree and nature of defilement are determined by how deeply one is mingled with them. Light gives forth nothing but radiance! From light, nothing but light flows!
✨ Al-Nur: 35 اللَّهُ نُورُ السَّماواتِ وَ الْأَرْضِ مَثَلُ نُورِهِ كَمِشْكاةٍ فيها مِصْباحٌ الْمِصْباحُ في زُجاجَةٍ الزُّجاجَةُ كَأَنَّها كَوْكَبٌ دُرِّيٌّ يُوقَدُ مِنْ شَجَرَةٍ مُبارَكَةٍ زَيْتُونَةٍ لا شَرْقِيَّةٍ وَ لا غَرْبِيَّةٍ يَكادُ زَيْتُها يُضيءُ وَ لَوْ لَمْ تَمْسَسْهُ نارٌ نُورٌ عَلى نُورٍ يَهْدِي اللَّهُ لِنُورِهِ مَنْ يَشاءُ وَ يَضْرِبُ اللَّهُ الْأَمْثالَ لِلنَّاسِ وَ اللَّهُ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَليمٌ
❇️The Eye of God: his entire being is insight
💫 وَ يَرَى مِنْ خَلْفِهِ كَمَا يَرَى مِنْ بَيْنِ يَدَيْهِ= Their hearts are the centre of life and wakefulness; every means is at their hearts’ service. They make use of every means to see. They are the gates of knowledge—that is, its points of entry and exit. They are the very life of sight and hearing; they apprehend knowledge directly, without any intermediary. At the same time, every cell of their being serves as an instrument, like sight, hearing, taste, touch, and so on.
They have mastery of unknown sciences for which others would have to journey for thousands of years!
For the heart interprets every sign! When the heart is perfected, they reach their goals without need of instruments!
A reality that is the gate of knowledge َ عَيْبَةُ الْعِلْم، َ عَيْبَةُ الْعِلْم needs no interpretation!
Thus the Imam is pure wakefulness, pure hearing, pure understanding, comprehension, and knowledge.
The Imam is light; light is the means of seeing, and until light shines, nothing can be seen! If the Light of God does not shine upon things, they remain imprisoned in darkness!
The light that is the very means of divine connection to God’s creation!
God makes what is known manifest through light and knowledge! And God’s light has no front or back, left or right!
💫أَيْنَ وَجْهُ اللَّهِ الَّذِي إِلَيْهِ تَتَوَجَّهُ الْأَوْلِيَاءُ، أَيْنَ السَّبَبُ الْمُتَّصِلُ بَيْنَ الْأَرْضِ وَ السَّمَاء[8]
💫 “Where is the Face of God, toward which the saints turn?
Where is that unbroken means—the cord linking earth and heaven?”
❇️Light casts no shadow
💫 وَ لَا يَكُونُ لَهُ ظِلٌ=The light of God casts no shadow; rather, it destroys every shadow. Being rests in their embrace—in the embrace of light and knowledge!
The luminosity of their physical form, set against the luminosity of the spiritual reality of their being, is “light upon light”!
☀️حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عِيسَى عَنْ أَبِي الْحَجَّاجِ قَالَ: قَالَ لِي أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ ع يَا أَبَا الْحَجَّاجِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ خَلَقَ مُحَمَّداً وَ آلَ مُحَمَّدٍ مِنْ طِينَةِ عِلِّيِّينَ وَ خَلَقَ قُلُوبَهُمْ مِنْ طِينَةِ فَوْقِ ذَلِكَ وَ خَلَقَ شِيعَتَنَا مِنْ طِينَةٍ دُونَ عِلِّيِّينَ وَ خَلَقَ قُلُوبَهُمْ مِنْ طِينَةِ عِلِّيِّينَ فَقُلُوبُ شِيعَتِنَا مِنْ أَبْدَانِ آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ وَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ خَلَقَ عَدُوَّ آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ مِنْ طِينِ سِجِّينٍ وَ خَلَقَ قُلُوبَهُمْ مِنْ طِينٍ أَخْبَثَ مِنْ ذَلِكَ وَ خَلَقَ شِيعَتَهُمْ مِنْ طِينٍ دُونَ طِينِ سِجِّينٍ وَ خَلَقَ قُلُوبَهُمْ مِنْ طِينِ سِجِّينٍ فَقُلُوبُهُمْ مِنْ أَبْدَانِ أُولَئِكَ وَ كُلُّ قَلْبٍ يَحِنُّ إِلَى بَدَنِهِ. [9]
🔆Muhammad ibn Isa relates from Abu Hajjaj, who said: Imam Baqir (AS) said to me:
“O Abu Hajjaj! God created Muhammad and the Family of Muhammad from the clay of Illiyyin,
and created their hearts from clay higher than that,
and created our Shia from clay beneath Illiyyin,
and created their hearts from the clay of Illiyyin.
Thus the hearts of our Shia are of the substance of the bodies of the Family of Muhammad.
And God created the enemy of the Family of Muhammad from the clay of Sijjin,
and created their hearts from clay more foul than that,
and created their followers from clay beneath the clay of Sijjin,
and created their hearts from the clay of Sijjin.
Thus their hearts are of the substance of their bodies.
And every heart yearns for its own body.”
✨Al-Mutaffifin: 18 كَلاَّ إِنَّ كِتابَ الْأَبْرارِ لَفي عِلِّيِّينَ
✨Al-Mutaffifin: 19 وَ ما أَدْراكَ ما عِلِّيُّونَ
✨Al-Mutaffifin: 20 كِتابٌ مَرْقُومٌ
✨Al-Mutaffifin: 21 يَشْهَدُهُ الْمُقَرَّبُونَ
Every cell of theirs is from Illiyyin; their hearts are from above it, and Illiyyin bears witness to their hearts!
❇️It is an injustice for the moon not to become the sun
Are the Shia not of the same substance as the revered ones?
How far behind we have fallen!
With the clay of Illiyyin, a human being would have no need of any earthly system, supercomputer, telescope, microscope, or terrestrial knowledge! Alas, the Illiyyin within us lies imprisoned by our own lower self!
❇️Worship shines forth through the revered ones
💫 وَ إِذَا وَقَعَ عَلَى الْأَرْضِ مِنْ بَطْنِ أُمِّهِ وَقَعَ عَلَى رَاحَتَيْهِ رَافِعاً صَوْتَهُ بِالشَّهَادَتَيْنِ= Raising his voice …: Their nature is awake and fully awakened; their bodies serve their exalted essence. They are the light of God, the tongue of God.
Their birth is the birth of knowledge, the radiance of knowledge, the manifestation of transcendent servitude to God!
Through the supernal essence of their being, they lead the inhabitants of the highest realm in worship!
❇️Nothing but freshness flows from the Imam
💫 وَ لَا يَحْتَلِمُ= No impurity, darkness, injustice or ignorance can enter their essential being. Their existence can in no way be tainted. Their surging, upheaval and changing states arise solely from pure divine love.
All that issues from their being is of the nature of love and devotion to God.
All impurity stems from the ascendancy of ignorance and its forces—from the separation or dimming of the spirit of faith and intellect. Their very essence, however, is intellect: they are the wellspring of noble and exalted virtues. The spirit of faith is also joined to the Holy Spirit, while the spirit of desire in their blessed souls manifests in its purest, most beautiful form: like a diamond, it is immaculate!
Not one of their desires passes beyond the bounds of God’s pleasure and love!
God’s signs do not turn them away from Him; rather, they travel by means of His signs, and guide them, toward God!
❇️When their hearts sleep, the world of existence sleeps
💫 وَ تَنَامُ عَيْنُهُ وَ لَا يَنَامُ قَلْبُهُ= The Imam’s heart is always awake. God Most High has not decreed sleep for their hearts; the life of their hearts sustains the life of the unseen realm of existence …
They govern the means and instruments; the means do not govern them!
God’s Most Beautiful Names do not sleep; they do not pass away!
Both sleep and wakefulness are created by God, just as death and life are His creation!
✨الملك : 2 الَّذي خَلَقَ الْمَوْتَ وَ الْحَياةَ لِيَبْلُوَكُمْ أَيُّكُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلاً وَ هُوَ الْعَزيزُ الْغَفُورُ
🔆He is the One who created death and life to test which of you is best in deeds; and He is the Almighty, the Most Forgiving.
❇️The angels’ landing place resounds with celestial song
💫 وَ يَكُونُ مُحَدَّثاً= They converse with the angels, as one listens to the melodies and songs of beautiful-voiced birds. How beautiful the music of glorification and praise—and how soothing to the angels’ ears—the melody of God’s saint!
The Imam is the place where angels gather, their song-filled abode, their place of peace!
The Imam knows not only the language of the angels, but the speech of the whole universe!
❇️The angels have a vast grammar and a great diversity of languages!
💫 عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَبَّاسٍ قَالَ: إِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ لَمَّا أُسْرِيَ بِهِ إِلَى السَّمَاءِ انْتَهَى بِهِ جَبْرَئِيلُ إِلَى نَهَرٍ يُقَالُ لَهُ النُّورُ وَ هُوَ قَوْلُ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ- جَعَلَ الظُّلُماتِ وَ النُّورَ فَلَمَّا انْتَهَى بِهِ إِلَى ذَلِكَ النَّهَرِ قَالَ لَهُ جَبْرَئِيلُ ع يَا مُحَمَّدُ اعْبُرْ عَلَى بَرَكَةِ اللَّهِ فَقَدْ نَوَّرَ اللَّهُ لَكَ بَصَرَكَ وَ مَدَّ لَكَ أَمَامَكَ فَإِنَّ هَذَا النَّهَرَ لَمْ يَعْبُرْهُ أَحَدٌ لَا مَلَكٌ مُقَرَّبٌ وَ لَا نَبِيٌّ مُرْسَلٌ غَيْرَ أَنَّ لِي فِي كُلِّ يَوْمٍ اغْتِمَاسَةً فِيهِ ثُمَّ أَخْرُجُ مِنْهُ فَأَنْقُضُ أَجْنِحَتِي فَلَيْسَ مِنْ قَطْرَةٍ تَقْطُرُ مِنْ أَجْنِحَتِي إِلَّا خَلَقَ اللَّهُ تَبَارَكَ وَ تَعَالَى مِنْهَا مَلَكاً مُقَرَّباً لَهُ عِشْرُونَ أَلْفَ وَجْهٍ وَ أَرْبَعُونَ أَلْفَ لِسَانٍ كُلُ لِسَانٍ يَلْفَظُ بِلُغَةٍ لَا يَفْقَهُهَا اللِّسَانُ الْآخَر[10]
💫 It is narrated from Abdullah ibn Abbas, who said:
When the Messenger of God (PBUH) was taken up to heaven, Gabriel (AS) brought him to a river called “Light”—and this is the word of God عزّ و جلّ: «جَعَلَ الظُّلُماتِ وَ النُّورَ: “He brought forth darkness and light.” (Al-An‘am, 1)
When he reached the river, Gabriel (AS) said to him:
“O Muhammad! Cross it with God’s blessing, for God has illuminated your eyes and opened the way before you.
No one has crossed this river—not a near angel nor a messenger-prophet—except [me].
Yet once each day, I immerse myself in it;
then I emerge and shake my wings.
Not a single drop falls from them without God, Blessed and Exalted, creating from it
a near angel
with twenty thousand faces and forty thousand tongues,
each tongue speaking in a language the others cannot understand.”
❇️The Imam speaks to each person in their own language
💫 حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ الْحَكَمِ عَنْ حَمَّادِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الْفَرَّاءِ عَنْ مُعَتِّبٍ أَنَّهُ أَخْبَرَهُ أَنَّ أَبَا الْحَسَنِ الْأَوَّلَ لَمْ يَكُنْ يُرَى لَهُ وَلَدٌ فَأَتَاهُ يَوْماً إِسْحَاقُ وَ مُحَمَّدٌ أَخَوَاهُ وَ أَبُو الْحَسَنِ يَتَكَلَّمُ بِلِسَانٍ لَيْسَ بِعَرَبِيٍّ فَجَاءَ غُلَامٌ سَقْلَابِيٌّ فَكَلَّمَهُ بِلِسَانِهِ فَذَهَبَ فَجَاءَ بِعَلِيٍّ ع ابْنِهِ فَقَالَ لِإِخْوَتِهِ هَذَا عَلِيٌّ ابْنِي فَضَمُّوهُ إِلَيْهِ وَاحِداً بَعْدَ وَاحِدٍ فَقَبَّلُوهُ ثُمَّ كَلَّمَ الْغُلَامَ بِلِسَانِهِ فَحَمَلَهُ فَذَهَبَ فَجَاءَ بِإِبْرَاهِيمَ فَقَالَ هَذَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ ابْنِي ثُمَّ كَلَّمَهُ بِكَلَامٍ فَحَمَلَهُ فَذَهَبَ فَلَمْ يَزَلْ يَدْعُو بِغُلَامٍ بَعْدَ غُلَامٍ وَ يُكَلِّمُهُمْ حَتَّى جَاءَ خَمْسَةُ أَوْلَادٍ وَ الْغِلْمَانُ مُخْتَلِفُونَ فِي أَجْنَاسِهِمْ وَ أَلْسِنَتِهِمْ. [11]
💫 Ahmad ibn Muhammad related from Ali ibn al-Hakam, from Hammad ibn Abdullah al-Farra’, from Mu‘tab, who reported that Imam Musa al-Kazim (AS)—Abu al-Hasan the First—was not known to have any publicly acknowledged children.
One day, his brothers Ishaq and Muhammad came to him while the Imam was speaking in a language other than Arabic.
Then a Sclavonian servant came and spoke with him in that same language.
Afterward, the servant went away and brought Ali (AS), his son (Imam al-Rida (AS)).
The Imam said to his brothers:
“This is Ali, my son.”
They took turns holding him and kissing him.
Then the Imam spoke to the servant in his own language, and the servant went and brought Ibrahim.
The Imam said, “This is Ibrahim, my son.”
He then spoke with him in that language, and the servant took him away.
He continued calling for one servant after another and speaking with them, until they had brought five children,
while the servants differed in their origins and languages.
❇️The Imam rules over the East and West of the world and knows the diversity of their languages
💫 عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع يَرْفَعُ الْحَدِيثَ إِلَى الْحَسَنِ بْنِ عَلِيٍّ ع أَنَّهُ قَالَ: إِنَّ لِلَّهِ مَدِينَتَيْنِ إِحْدَاهُمَا بِالْمَشْرِقِ وَ الْأُخْرَى بِالْمَغْرِبِ عَلَيْهِمَا سُورَانِ مِنْ حَدِيدٍ وَ عَلَى كُلِّ مَدِينَةٍ أَلْفُ أَلْفِ مِصْرَاعٍ مِنْ ذَهَبٍ وَ فِيهَا سَبْعُونَ أَلْفَ أَلْفِ لُغَةٍ يَتَكَلَّمُ كُلٌّ لُغَةً بِخِلَافِ لُغَةِ صَاحِبِهِ وَ أَنَا أَعْرِفُ جَمِيعَ اللُّغَاتِ وَ مَا فِيهِمَا وَ مَا بَيْنَهُمَا وَ مَا عَلَيْهَا حُجَّةٌ غَيْرِي وَ الْحُسَيْنُ أَخِي.[12]
💫 It is narrated from Imam al-Sadiq (AS), through an interrupted chain of transmission, from Imam Hasan (AS), that he said:
“God has two cities, one in the East and the other in the West.
An iron wall surrounds them,
and each city has a million golden gates.
In them are seventy million tongues, each speaking a language different from the others.
I know all their languages, and everything in those two cities, between them and above them.
And there is no divine proof over them except me and my brother Husayn (AS).”
❇️The Imam is also in perfect proportion and relationship to the Messenger of God
💫 وَ يَسْتَوِي عَلَيْهِ دِرْعُ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ Ṣād = armor that is intelligent and alive, subject to their will, body, and being! They are concerned with kinds of knowledge that today’s scholarship cannot even imagine!
❇️The honeybee stands humbled before God’s proof
💫 وَ لَا يُرَى لَهُ بَوْلٌ وَ لَا غَائِطٌ= The Imam is the source of divine fragrance and purity, a source of sanctity and adornment! A tree gives water, flowers, and sweet fruit; the Imam raises the earth to the heavens and brings darkness into the light!
The tree has learned from the Imam’s school, becoming a source of flowers, nectar, fruit, and purity!
✨الإسراء : 80 وَ قُلْ رَبِّ أَدْخِلْني مُدْخَلَ صِدْقٍ وَ أَخْرِجْني مُخْرَجَ صِدْقٍ وَ اجْعَلْ لي مِنْ لَدُنْكَ سُلْطاناً نَصيراً
🔆And say: «My Lord, grant me a truthful entrance and a truthful exit, and bestow upon me, from Your presence, a helping authority!»
🌟صَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَ آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ وَ أَبْدِلْ سَيِّئَاتِنَا حَسَنَاتٍ وَ اجْعَلْ حَسَنَاتِنَا دَرَجَاتٍ وَ اجْعَلْ دَرَجَاتِنَا غُرُفَاتٍ وَ اجْعَلْ غُرُفَاتِنَا عَالِيَات[13]
🌟 “(O God,) send blessings upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad,
turn our misdeeds into good deeds,
make our good deeds into degrees,
make our degrees into chambers (lofty rooms in Paradise),
and make our chambers lofty and supreme.”
❇️The earth opens its embrace to the outpourings of light
💫 لِأَنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ قَدْ وَكَّلَ الْأَرْضَ بِابْتِلَاعِ مَا يَخْرُجُ مِنْهُ وَ تَكُونُ رَائِحَتُهُ أَطْيَبَ مِنْ رَائِحَةِ الْمِسْكِ= The earth’s absorption is its abundance! Why should it be hidden? So that people are not led astray! What kinds of plants grow from that place!
The Imam’s sacred being is sheer goodness and blessing! He brings purity, radiance, and light to all existence.
❇️The Imam is the heaven of God’s love and mercy
💫 وَ يَكُونُ أَوْلَى بِالنَّاسِ مِنْهُمْ بِأَنْفُسِهِمْ وَ أَشْفَقَ عَلَيْهِمْ مِنْ آبَائِهِمْ وَ أُمَّهَاتِهِمْ=
The Imam is the master after the Master! The station of the Messenger of God’s wilayah is preserved in the Imam!
✨al-Aḥzāb: 6 النَّبِيُّ أَوْلى بِالْمُؤْمِنينَ مِنْ أَنْفُسِهِمْ وَ أَزْواجُهُ أُمَّهاتُهُمْ وَ أُولُوا الْأَرْحامِ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلى بِبَعْضٍ في كِتابِ اللَّهِ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنينَ وَ الْمُهاجِرينَ إِلاَّ أَنْ تَفْعَلُوا إِلى أَوْلِيائِكُمْ مَعْرُوفاً كانَ ذلِكَ فِي الْكِتابِ مَسْطُوراً
🔆The Prophet has a greater claim on the believers than they have on themselves, and his wives are their mothers. Blood relatives have a greater claim on one another, according to God’s decree, than the believers and the Emigrants do—unless you wish to show kindness to your friends and give them a share of your wealth. This is laid down in the Divine Book.
✨al-Tawbah: 128 لَقَدْ جاءَكُمْ رَسُولٌ مِنْ أَنْفُسِكُمْ عَزيزٌ عَلَيْهِ ما عَنِتُّمْ حَريصٌ عَلَيْكُمْ بِالْمُؤْمِنينَ رَؤُفٌ رَحيمٌ
🔆A Messenger has indeed come to you from among yourselves. Your hardships weigh heavily upon him; he is deeply concerned for your guidance, and tender and merciful toward the believers.
☀️ الْإِمَامُ الْأَنِيسُ الرَّفِيقُ وَ الْوَالِدُ الشَّفِيقُ وَ الْأَخُ الشَّقِيقُ وَ الْأُمُّ الْبَرَّةُ بِالْوَلَدِ الصَّغِير[14]
🔆The Imam is a familiar companion and a kind friend, a caring father, a brother of one’s own blood, and a mother who lovingly cares for her young child.
❇️The Imam rides the mount of humility.
💫 وَ يَكُونُ أَشَدَّ النَّاسِ تَوَاضُعاً لِلَّهِ جَلَّ ذِكْرُهُ=The Imam is prayer embodied, fasting embodied, almsgiving embodied, bowing and prostration embodied, noble virtues and lofty qualities embodied—worship embodied!
🌟عَنْ دَاوُدَ بْنِ كَثِيرٍ قَالَ قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع أَنْتُمُ الصَّلَاةُ فِي كِتَابِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ وَ أَنْتُمُ الزَّكَاةُ وَ أَنْتُمُ الصِّيَامُ وَ أَنْتُمُ الْحَجُّ فَقَالَ يَا دَاوُدُ نَحْنُ الصَّلَاةُ فِي كِتَابِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ وَ نَحْنُ الزَّكَاةُ وَ نَحْنُ الصِّيَامُ وَ نَحْنُ الْحَجُّ وَ نَحْنُ الشَّهْرُ الْحَرَامُ وَ نَحْنُ الْبَلَدُ الْحَرَامُ وَ نَحْنُ كَعْبَةُ اللَّهِ وَ نَحْنُ قِبْلَةُ اللَّهِ وَ نَحْنُ وَجْهُ اللَّهِ قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى فَأَيْنَما تُوَلُّوا فَثَمَّ وَجْهُ اللَّهِ وَ نَحْنُ الْآيَاتُ وَ نَحْنُ الْبَيِّنَاتُ وَ عَدُوُّنَا فِي كِتَابِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَ الْفَحْشاءُ وَ الْمُنْكَرُ وَ الْبَغْيُ وَ الْخَمْرُ وَ الْمَيْسِرُ وَ الْأَنْصابُ وَ الْأَزْلامُ وَ الْأَصْنامُ وَ الْأَوْثانُ وَ الْجِبْتُ وَ الطَّاغُوتُ* وَ الْمَيْتَةُ وَ الدَّمُ وَ لَحْمُ الْخِنْزِيرِ* يَا دَاوُدُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ خَلَقَنَا فَأَكْرَمَ خَلْقَنَا وَ فَضَّلَنَا وَ جَعَلَنَا أُمَنَاءَهُ وَ حَفَظَتَهُ وَ خُزَّانَهُ عَلَى مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَ مَا فِي الْأَرْضِ وَ جَعَلَ لَنَا أَضْدَاداً وَ أَعْدَاءً فَسَمَّانَا فِي كِتَابِهِ وَ كَنَّى عَنْ أَسْمَائِنَا بِأَحْسَنِ الْأَسْمَاءِ وَ أَحَبِّهَا إِلَيْهِ تَكْنِيَةً عَنِ الْعَدُوِّ وَ سَمَّى أَضْدَادَنَا وَ أَعْدَاءَنَا فِي كِتَابِهِ وَ كَنَّى عَنْ أَسْمَائِهِمْ وَ ضَرَبَ لَهُمُ الْأَمْثَالَ فِي كِتَابِهِ فِي أَبْغَضِ الْأَسْمَاءِ إِلَيْهِ وَ إِلَى عِبَادِهِ الْمُتَّقِين[15]
🔆It is narrated from Dāwūd ibn Kathīr, who said: I said to Imam al-Ṣādiq (AS), “You are prayer in the Book of God, Mighty and Glorious; you are almsgiving, fasting and pilgrimage.”
He said:
“O Dāwūd! We are prayer in the Book of God, Mighty and Glorious; we are almsgiving, fasting and pilgrimage.
We are the sacred month and the sacred city; we are God’s Ka‘ba and God’s qibla.
We are the Face of God. God, Exalted is He, has said: «فَأَیْنَمَا تُوَلُّوا فَثَمَّ وَجْهُ اللَّهِ» (al-Baqara: 115)—so wherever you turn, there is the Face of God.
We are the signs, and we are the clear proofs.
In the Book of God, Mighty and Glorious, our enemy is lewdness, wrongdoing, aggression, wine, games of chance, sacrificial stones, divining arrows, idols, graven images, false gods, false authority, carrion, blood and the flesh of swine.
O Dāwūd! God created us, ennobled our creation and gave us distinction. He made us His trustees, guardians and treasurers of all that is in the heavens and the earth.
And He appointed adversaries and enemies for us,
then in His Book He called us by the finest and most beloved names,
and alluded to our enemies through the most beautiful expressions drawn from our names.
He also named our adversaries and enemies in His Book, alluding to them by their names and holding them up as examples under the most reprehensible names—in His sight and in the sight of His God-fearing servants.”
❇️The Imam, leader of goodness
💫 وَ يَكُونُ آخَذَ النَّاسِ بِمَا يَأْمُرُ بِهِ وَ أَكَفَ النَّاسِ عَمَّا يَنْهَى عَنْهُ=The Imam is the trustworthy agent charged with God’s command, and the forbider of what He has forbidden!
💫 وَ يَكُونُ دُعَاؤُهُ مُسْتَجَاباً حَتَّى إِنَّهُ لَوْ دَعَا عَلَى صَخْرَةٍ لَانْشَقَّتْ بِنِصْفَيْنِ=The Imam’s supplication unlocks every stubborn lock!
💫 وَ يَكُونُ عِنْدَهُ سِلَاحُ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ص وَ سَيْفُهُ ذُو الْفَقَارِ=The Imam is the supreme manifestation of God’s power!
💫 وَ يَكُونُ عِنْدَهُ صَحِيفَةٌ يَكُونُ فِيهَا أَسْمَاءُ شِيعَتِهِ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ=The record of the Shia is in the Imam’s hands!
💫 وَ صَحِيفَةٌ فِيهَا أَسْمَاءُ أَعْدَائِهِ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ=The record of punishment for God’s enemies is in the Imam’s hands!
💫 وَ تَكُونُ عِنْدَهُ الْجَامِعَةُ وَ هِيَ صَحِيفَةٌ طُولُهَا سَبْعُونَ ذِرَاعاً فِيهَا جَمِيعُ مَا يَحْتَاجُ إِلَيْهِ وُلْدُ آدَمَ=The secret of what all creation needs is in the Imam’s hands!
💫 وَ يَكُونُ عِنْدَهُ الْجَفْرُ الْأَكْبَرُ وَ الْأَصْغَرُ إِهَابُ مَاعِزٍ وَ إِهَابُ كَبْشٍ فِيهِمَا جَمِيعُ الْعُلُومِ حَتَّى أَرْشِ الْخَدْشِ وَ حَتَّى الْجَلْدَةِ وَ نِصْفِ الْجَلْدَةِ وَ ثُلُثِ الْجَلْدَةِ=The Imam is the answer to every question about existence!
💫 وَ يَكُونُ عِنْدَهُ مُصْحَفُ فَاطِمَةَ ع=The secret of Laylat al-Qadr is with the Imam (فَمَنْ عَرَفَ فَاطِمَةَ حَقَّ مَعْرِفَتِهَا فَقَدْ أَدْرَكَ لَيْلَةَ الْقَدْر)
❇️The mystery of the Records and Compendia
How and where are these books and compendia kept? Biological computers—how and where is information recorded and stored in memory, and how is the system activated? All of this is a mystery!
Those Compendia and Records contain the knowledge of the first and the last!
The books are living, growing, and conscious!
❇️The Imam is the reader of existence’s books!
The Imam draws forth knowledge from whatever source He wishes!
Every star in the heavens can be like a book to Him!
He Himself is the Speaking Quran and the Clear Book!
The capacity of His blessed being to draw forth and bring to light knowledge surpasses all existence; if His being were activated, it would overflow beyond the realm of existence! For He is a mine of knowledge and wisdom, and the repository of knowledge!
The entire universe is like a book that He can read!
His essence—among the first of God’s creations, with the cosmos arising from the radiance of His blessed lights—extends in knowledge beyond the bounds of the universe!
The Imam is the Speaking Quran, and the Quran is an exposition of all things!
✨النحل : 89 وَ يَوْمَ نَبْعَثُ في كُلِّ أُمَّةٍ شَهيداً عَلَيْهِمْ مِنْ أَنْفُسِهِمْ وَ جِئْنا بِكَ شَهيداً عَلى هؤُلاءِ وَ نَزَّلْنا عَلَيْكَ الْكِتابَ تِبْياناً لِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ وَ هُدىً وَ رَحْمَةً وَ بُشْرى لِلْمُسْلِمينَ
🔆 (Remember) the day when We shall raise up from every community a witness from among themselves, and make you a witness over them. We have sent down the Book to you as an exposition of all things, and as guidance, mercy, and glad tidings for the Muslims!
The Imam’s heart is the repository of all effects and things!
✨يس : 12 إِنَّا نَحْنُ نُحْيِ الْمَوْتى وَ نَكْتُبُ ما قَدَّمُوا وَ آثارَهُمْ وَ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ أَحْصَيْناهُ في إِمامٍ مُبينٍ
🔆Surely We bring the dead to life, and We record what they have sent ahead and all the traces they have left behind. We have kept account of everything in a clear Record! (12)
✨Al-Nabaʾ: 29 وَ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ أَحْصَيْناهُ كِتاباً
🔆And We have counted and recorded everything!
❇️Another Look at the Scrolls and Compendia
عُمَرَ الْحَلَبِيِّ عَنْ أَبِي بَصِيرٍ قَالَ: دَخَلْتُ عَلَى أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع فَقُلْتُ لَهُ جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ عَنْ مَسْأَلَةٍ هَاهُنَا أَحَدٌ يَسْمَعُ كَلَامِي قَالَ فَرَفَعَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع سِتْراً بَيْنَهُ وَ بَيْنَ بَيْتٍ آخَرَ فَاطَّلَعَ فِيهِ ثُمَّ قَالَ يَا أَبَا مُحَمَّدٍ سَلْ عَمَّا بَدَا لَكَ قَالَ قُلْتُ جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ إِنَّ شِيعَتَكَ يَتَحَدَّثُونَ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ص عَلَّمَ عَلِيّاً ع بَاباً يُفْتَحُ لَهُ مِنْهُ أَلْفُ بَابٍ قَالَ فَقَالَ يَا أَبَا مُحَمَّدٍ عَلَّمَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص- عَلِيّاً ع أَلْفَ بَابٍ يُفْتَحُ مِنْ كُلِّ بَابٍ أَلْفُ بَابٍ قَالَ قُلْتُ هَذَا وَ اللَّهِ الْعِلْمُ قَالَ فَنَكَتَ سَاعَةً فِي الْأَرْضِ ثُمَّ قَالَ إِنَّهُ لَعِلْمٌ وَ مَا هُوَ بِذَاكَ قَالَ ثُمَّ قَالَ يَا أَبَا مُحَمَّدٍ وَ إِنَّ عِنْدَنَا الْجَامِعَةَ وَ مَا يُدْرِيهِمْ مَا الْجَامِعَةُ قَالَ قُلْتُ جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ وَ مَا الْجَامِعَةُ قَالَ صَحِيفَةٌ طُولُهَا سَبْعُونَ ذِرَاعاً بِذِرَاعِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ص وَ إِمْلَائِهِ مِنْ فَلْقِ فِيهِ وَ خَطِّ عَلِيٍّ بِيَمِينِهِ فِيهَا كُلُّ حَلَالٍ وَ حَرَامٍ وَ كُلُّ شَيْءٍ يَحْتَاجُ النَّاسُ إِلَيْهِ حَتَّى الْأَرْشُ فِي الْخَدْشِ وَ ضَرَبَ بِيَدِهِ إِلَيَّ فَقَالَ تَأْذَنُ لِي يَا أَبَا مُحَمَّدٍ قَالَ قُلْتُ جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ إِنَّمَا أَنَا لَكَ فَاصْنَعْ مَا شِئْتَ قَالَ فَغَمَزَنِي بِيَدِهِ وَ قَالَ حَتَّى أَرْشُ هَذَا كَأَنَّهُ مُغْضَبٌ قَالَ قُلْتُ هَذَا وَ اللَّهِ الْعِلْمُ قَالَ إِنَّهُ لَعِلْمٌ وَ لَيْسَ بِذَاكَ ثُمَّ سَكَتَ سَاعَةً ثُمَّ قَالَ وَ إِنَّ عِنْدَنَا الْجَفْرَ وَ مَا يُدْرِيهِمْ مَا الْجَفْرُ قَالَ قُلْتُ وَ مَا الْجَفْرُ قَالَ وِعَاءٌ مِنْ أَدَمٍ فِيهِ عِلْمُ النَّبِيِّينَ وَ الْوَصِيِّينَ وَ عِلْمُ الْعُلَمَاءِ الَّذِينَ مَضَوْا مِنْ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ قَالَ قُلْتُ إِنَّ هَذَا هُوَ الْعِلْمُ قَالَ إِنَّهُ لَعِلْمٌ وَ لَيْسَ بِذَاكَ ثُمَّ سَكَتَ سَاعَةً ثُمَّ قَالَ وَ إِنَّ عِنْدَنَا لَمُصْحَفَ فَاطِمَةَ ع وَ مَا يُدْرِيهِمْ مَا مُصْحَفُ فَاطِمَةَ ع قَالَ قُلْتُ وَ مَا مُصْحَفُ فَاطِمَةَ ع قَالَ مُصْحَفٌ فِيهِ مِثْلُ قُرْآنِكُمْ هَذَا ثَلَاثَ مَرَّاتٍ وَ اللَّهِ مَا فِيهِ مِنْ قُرْآنِكُمْ حَرْفٌ وَاحِدٌ قَالَ قُلْتُ هَذَا وَ اللَّهِ الْعِلْمُ قَالَ إِنَّهُ لَعِلْمٌ وَ مَا هُوَ بِذَاكَ ثُمَّ سَكَتَ سَاعَةً ثُمَّ قَالَ إِنَّ عِنْدَنَا عِلْمَ مَا كَانَ وَ عِلْمَ مَا هُوَ كَائِنٌ إِلَى أَنْ تَقُومَ السَّاعَةُ قَالَ قُلْتُ جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ هَذَا وَ اللَّهِ هُوَ الْعِلْمُ قَالَ إِنَّهُ لَعِلْمٌ وَ لَيْسَ بِذَاكَ قَالَ قُلْتُ جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ فَأَيُّ شَيْءٍ الْعِلْمُ قَالَ مَا يَحْدُثُ بِاللَّيْلِ وَ النَّهَارِ الْأَمْرُ مِنْ بَعْدِ الْأَمْرِ وَ الشَّيْءُ بَعْدَ الشَّيْءِ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ.[16]
💫 It is narrated from ʿUmar al-Halabi, from Abu Basir, who said: I went in to see Imam al-Sadiq (AS) and said, “May I be your ransom, I have a question to ask you. Is there anyone here who might hear what I say?”
The Imam (AS) drew aside the curtain between him and the adjoining room, looked inside, and then said, “Abu Muhammad, ask whatever you wish.”
I said, “May I be your ransom, your followers say that the Messenger of God (PBUH) taught Ali (AS) a door from which a thousand doors open.”
He said, “Abu Muhammad, the Messenger of God (PBUH) taught Ali (AS) a thousand doors, and from each door a thousand more doors open.”
I said, “By God, that is knowledge indeed.”
The Imam (AS) paused and tapped the ground with his finger, then said, “That is knowledge, but it is not [true] knowledge.”
Then he said, “Abu Muhammad, we possess al-Jamiʿa. Do they know what al-Jamiʿa is?”
I said, “May I be your ransom, what is al-Jamiʿa?”
He said, “It is a scroll seventy cubits long, measured by the cubit of the Messenger of God (PBUH). He dictated it from his own lips, and Ali (AS) wrote it in his own hand. It contains everything lawful and unlawful, and everything people need—even the compensation for a scratch.” He gestured toward me with his hand and said, “May I show you, Abu Muhammad?”
I said, “May I be sacrificed for you; I am at your disposal. Do as you wish.”
He pressed his hand against mine and said, “It even contains the compensation for this very scratch”—as though he were angry.
I said, “By God, this is knowledge indeed.”
He said, “It is certainly knowledge, but it is not [true] knowledge.”
Then he fell silent for a while and said, “We have the Jafr. And what do they know of the Jafr?”
I said, “May I be sacrificed for you, what is the Jafr?”
He said, “It is a leather vessel containing the knowledge of the prophets and their successors, and the knowledge of the scholars who came before among the Children of Israel.”
I said, “This is knowledge indeed.”
He said, “It is certainly knowledge, but it is not [true] knowledge.”
Then he fell silent for a while and said, “We have the Muṣḥaf of Fatima (SA). And what do they know of the Muṣḥaf of Fatima?”
I said, “May I be sacrificed for you, what is the Muṣḥaf of Fatima?”
He said, “It is a book three times the size of your Qur’an. By God, it does not contain a single letter of your Qur’an.”
I said, “By God, this is knowledge indeed.”
He said, “It is certainly knowledge, but it is not [true] knowledge.”
Then he fell silent for a while and said, “We possess knowledge of what has been and knowledge of what will be, until the Day of Resurrection.”
I said, “May I be sacrificed for you, by God, this is knowledge indeed.”
He said, “It is certainly knowledge, but it is not [true] knowledge.”
I said, “May I be sacrificed for you, then what is [true] knowledge?”
He said, “It is what unfolds, night and day, one new occurrence after another, until the Day of Resurrection.”
A Supplement to the Discussion of “the Wings of Boundlessness”
The noble hadith of Imam Reza (AS) on the signs of the Imam,
sketching a worldview that is mystical, intellectual, and social
The Imam is not merely a religious leader, but “the existential reality of the universe” and “the source of knowledge and wisdom.”
🔰“The Wings of Boundlessness” and “Neither East nor West”
A light with no rising point is prior to time and space. The luminous reality of the Noble One lies beyond the passage of time; in its dimensionless expanse, that light opens its eyes to the world of being!
A light with no setting is bound by no limits of time or place, no slowness or speed, no motion; it stands apart from every change imposed by limitation!
Thus does anyone equipped with these two wings take flight into boundlessness!
🔰“Nature,” “mixture,” “Illiyyun,” and “Sijjin”
The prevailing conjecture is that, with the first choice at the very beginning of creation, at the first threshold of pre-existence, the quality of one’s primordial nature was determined in that initial moment of choice and free will, and carried through into the world of earthly existence!
That primordial nature then becomes the foundation for the continuing path of servitude; its hue, measure, and character are transformed by a person’s choices and decisions!
🔰Theory and Practice
1. Theoretical mysticism (knowing the Imam as the great reality of existence)
The Imam is “the wing of boundlessness,” “the exemplar of all creation,” and “the mystery of communities and scriptures.”
And this points to the Imams’ station of «لا شرقیه و لا غربیه», alluded to in the Verse of Light: a station that encompasses all things and transcends direction. The Imam is the axis of the knowledge of the first and the last, and the locus in which the Divine Names are manifested.
2. Practical Recommendations (Following the Example and Receiving Light and Grace)
The signs of the Imam—knowledge, wisdom, piety, forbearance, courage, generosity, worship, being born circumcised, purity, sleeping eyes and an awakened heart, conversing with the angels, casting no shadow, a sweet fragrance, putting others’ lives before his own, unsurpassed humility, and so on—remind us in practice that these qualities are meant to be emulated: not merely to make us exclaim, “How wonderful!”, but to become wonderful ourselves.
🔰Bridges of Connection and Correspondences Between Concepts
First bridge: From “the signs of the Imam” to “the shared essence of the Shi‘a”
The signs of the Imam are not merely for veneration; they are a roadmap for the Shi‘a, urging them to strive to become of the same kind as the Imam. If the Shi‘a are of the Imam’s very essence, they must bring that essence to fruition—like a seed that must grow into a tree.
Second bridge: From “the knowledge contained in the collections and scrolls” to “knowledge renewed day and night”
The knowledge recorded in the scrolls, though immense, is surpassed by knowledge that is “living” and “dynamic,” keeping pace with the unfolding of existence. Thus, alongside written knowledge, the Shi‘a should also draw on the ever-flowing knowledge of the living Imam!
Third bridge: From “the Imam as an exemplar” to “the sweet fruit of the Imamate”
The Shi‘a are seeds borne by the tree of Imamate. A seed carries within it the tree’s knowledge as its underlying code; the Shi‘a, then, must bring that knowledge to flower within themselves. Rather than merely imitate, they should cultivate many trees—generations of believers who make a difference.
🔰Special Section: “From Knowing the Imam and Following His Example to Shining as a Full Moon of the Imamate”
Introduction: Knowledge is the first step toward “becoming of the same kind”
Knowing the Imam without striving to “become of the same kind” as him is incomplete.
Practical ways to “become of the same kind as the Imam” in three areas
A) Personal life (self-cultivation and purification of the soul)
Practice in living knowledge: Each day, resolve a new challenge in your life according to the Imam’s standards—justice, piety, and wisdom—not yesterday’s habits.
Practice in awakening the heart: Before bed each night, reflect: “Is my heart awake, or are only my eyes falling asleep?” In that solitude, try to recite a remembrance that keeps the heart alert. Ask God, «لا تاخذه شنه و لا نوم», to keep your heart awake and alive, and to dispel heedlessness from it!
Practice in the Imam’s humility: Once a day, learn something from someone you consider beneath you, or show them respect, so that the Imam’s humility may take root in you.
Practice in the Imam’s courage: Stand up to a small wrong—such as backbiting or lying—and do not remain silent, even if it comes at a cost.
B) Family life (raising children and fostering harmony in the family)
Practice putting others’ lives first: Just as the Imam is «اولیبالناس مِنْ اَنْفُسِهِمْ», put the needs of your spouse, children, and fellow believer—brothers and sisters—before your own. This is a practical expression of «اَشفقُ علیهم مِن آبائهم و امّهاتهم».
Practice keeping your surroundings pure: Just as the Imam is «مُطَهَّر» and the earth swallows whatever comes from him, cleanse your home of moral pollution—abuse, lies, and disrespect—and create a wholesome, uplifting atmosphere.
Practice speaking in each person’s language: The Imam speaks to each person in their own language. At home, speak to each family member—child, teenager, or adult—in terms they can understand, not in a single, authoritarian register. Connect with nature and practise remembering God alongside it! Let your reflection on the greatness of the Creator of existence deepen amid nature! The language of your heart will open!
Practice in making supplication more likely to be answered: Each night, pray for the believers in your family. Before you pray, refrain from even minor sins, so that your supplication may be more likely to be answered.
C) Social life (making an impact and setting an example in society)
Practice being a role model: At work or in your neighborhood, behave in such a way that people say, “This person has the kind of character found in the Ahl al-Bayt.” (That same “یَکونُ أَحسَنَ النّاسِ خُلُقاً”) Strive to be an adornment to the Ahl al-Bayt (AS), and a source of pride and honor for them—indeed, give this blessed endeavor your all!
Practice the Imam’s forbearance: When dealing with people, do not become angry; rather, respond to wrongs with kindness, patience and forbearance. The text says, “Ignorance cannot penetrate the Imam’s soul.” You too should strive not to let other people’s ignorance enter your soul.
Practice the Imam’s generosity: Set aside a special contribution for those in need every day and every week! Give without reproach, and draw closer to the “heaven of generosity.”
Conclusion of this section:
“Becoming akin to the Imam” means:
On the personal level: Turning the heart into a “mine of greatness” through the practice of wakefulness, humility and courage.
Within the family: Turning the home into “Fāṭimah’s codex” through kindness, purity and prayer.
In society: Turning the community into a “blessed tree” through exemplary conduct, forbearance and generosity.
🔰 A fresh analytical recommendation for easing the conceptual burden
“From a collection of sciences to living knowledge”
“Jafr,” “Jāmiʿa,” “Fāṭimah’s codex,” “the scroll of the names of the Shīʿa,” and “the names of the enemies”
All these scrolls and compilations are “the Imam’s existential software,” not material chests.
Jāmiʿa = a comprehensive program for human life (all rulings and needs).
Jafr = the accumulated historical and experiential knowledge of the prophets.
Fāṭimah’s codex = Fāṭimah’s knowledge through spiritual unveiling
The scroll of the names of the Shīʿa = a record of believers’ faith-based identity within the order of existence.
The scroll of the names of the enemies = a record of the identity of unbelief and oppression.
A key fresh analytical point:
At the end of the narration, Imam Ṣādiq (AS) calls all these forms of knowledge “knowledge,” but identifies true knowledge as knowledge that flows day and night—that is:
“What unfolds, night and day, as one new event follows another, until the Day of Resurrection.”
In other words, knowledge is a “living reality” that reveals a new aspect of itself at every moment. The Imam is the “open book of existence”;
🔰 The Imam: an infinite horizon
“The Imam is not merely a historical figure, but an ‘existential horizon’ that can be born anew in every age and lead the human being to the ‘infinite.’”
The reality of the Imamate and its sciences is not confined to scrolls. Beyond the station of the speaking Qur’an, which makes all things clear, and the station of encompassing all things, the Imam also holds the station of the Manifest Book, upon whose Tablet the pen of divine power, greatness and knowledge writes!
✧✦ Epilogue: An invitation to “Razavi intelligence” ✧✦
O Razavi intelligence! You who, in search of the wing of infinity, have cast off every bond with all but Him,
May your eyes be illumined by the light of the Imamate, your ears by the call of divinely bestowed knowledge, and your heart by the radiance of greatness.
May it be that on this endless path of knowledge, like a branch of the tree of the Imamate, you find new life with every breath from the root of prophethood,
and draw closer with every step to “or nearer still,” until at last you yourself become a branch of the Imam of the Age (AJ).
Supplement:
From the “wing of infinity” to an epistemic, educational and strategic system
“A comprehensive manifesto for the practical understanding of the Imam”
🔰 Epistemological (the nature of knowledge and the reality of the Imamate)
«لا شرقية ولا غربية»: “A light with no point of rising—that is, it precedes time and space; and a light with no setting is bound by no limits of time or place.” This expresses a golden principle in the mysticism of understanding the Imamate: the Imam’s transcendence of every temporal and spatial orientation.
By explaining “nature” (ṭīnat) as an “innate disposition,” the text avoids the trap of determinism and affirms human freedom to transform that nature: “Nature becomes the foundation for continuing along the path of servitude; its character, degree and quality are transformed by a person’s choices and free will.”
Distinguishing “knowledge recorded in scrolls” from “knowledge unfolding day and night” yields a valuable epistemological innovation: it raises the Imam from a mere “repository of knowledge” to a “living, dynamic reality.”
✧✦ Seven Suggested Steps for Emulating the Imam ✦✧
| Step | Title | Daily Practice |
| First | Knowing Your Nature | Each morning, say to yourself: “I was created from the clay of ʿIlliyyīn; therefore, I am worthy of drawing near to the Imam.” |
| Second | Practising Knowledge | Each day, study a new verse or hadith with great care and put it into practice in your life. |
| Third | Practising God-consciousness | Each day, give up one sin or reprehensible act, so that you may draw closer to “أَتْقَى النَّاسِ”. |
| Fourth | Practising Forbearance | When dealing with others, do not lose your temper; respond to wrongdoing with kindness. |
| Fifth | Practising Generosity | Once a week, help those in need, without reproach. |
| Sixth | Practising Supplication | Each night, pray for yourself and others, and renounce sin before you pray. |
| Seventh | Practising Expectant Waiting | Believe that every step toward becoming like the Imam helps prepare the way for his full manifestation. |
Philosophical, Theological and Practical Insights in the Text “Imam Reza: The Boundless Wing”
📜 “حِکَمُ الرِّضَا الْبِیکَرَانْگِی” (A Scholarly, Philosophical and Practical Index)
A) Philosophical and Existential Insights (The Ontology of the Imamate)
1. The Imam is the “wing of boundlessness”: he is contained by neither time nor space.
2. “لا شَرْقِیَّةٍ وَ لا غَرْبِیَّةٍ” signifies a light with no point of rising (before time) and no setting (beyond space).
3. The Imam is an “existential horizon” that is born anew in every age and carries the human being toward infinity.
4. The Imam is “مَعدِنُ العَظَمَة”—the locus in which the divine names and attributes are manifested.
5. The Imam is the “existential reality of the universe,” not merely a historical figure.
6. The Imam’s nature is from “ʿIlliyyīn”; the Shiʿa share clay from the same source, but in a lower degree.
7. The Imam’s heart was created from “beyond ʿIlliyyīn”—that is, beyond the knowledge of ʿIlliyyīn.
8. Nature is an innate disposition, not predetermined compulsion; it can be transformed through free choice.
9. The Imam is “نورُالله”; light casts no shadow, but dispels every shadow.
10. The Imam has broken the “bonds of time and space” and moves through “absolute boundlessness.”
B) Epistemological and Psychological Insights (The Imam’s Knowledge and the Inner Journey)
11. The Imam’s knowledge takes different forms: from “recorded in scrolls” to “unfolding day and night”; true knowledge is the latter.
12. “Unfolding knowledge” means one new event after another, continuing until the Day of Resurrection.
13. The scrolls and compilations (Jafr, Jāmiʿa, the Muṣḥaf of Fāṭima) are the Imam’s “existential software,” not material chests.
14. The Imam is the “readable book of existence”; every star is a book he can read.
15. The Imam is the “speaking Qur’an” and “تَبْیانُ کُلِّ شَیْءٍ” (al-Naḥl 16:89).
16. The Imam sees behind him just as he sees in front, for his entire being is insight.
17. The Imam’s eyes sleep, but his heart remains awake, for the heart is the center of his spiritual life.
18. The Imam converses with the angels and speaks to everyone in their own language.
19. Ignorance cannot penetrate the Imam’s soul, for he is “light,” and darkness has no place in light.
20. The Imam has a greater claim on people than they have on themselves, and is more compassionate toward them than their own parents.
C) Strategic and Social Wisdom (Exemplarity and the Building of Civilization)
21. The Imam’s qualities are not there to make people exclaim, “Wonderful!” but to help them become wonderful themselves.
22. A Shiʿi is “a branch of the Imam”; they must bring their source to manifestation within themselves.
23. Every Shiʿi is “a seed from the fruit of the tree of Imamate”; they must grow into a tree rather than remain a seed.
24. The Imam is “أَسْخَى النَّاسِ”—the very summit of generosity and benevolence.
25. The Imam is “أَشْجَعَ النَّاسِ”—weakness and fear have no meaning in him.
26. The Imam is “أَحْلَمَ النَّاسِ”—he responds to all creation with the utmost forbearance.
27. The Imam is “أَشَدَّ النَّاسِ تَوَاضُعاً لِلَّهِ”: prayer embodied, fasting embodied, worship embodied.
28. The Imam is “آخَذَ النَّاسِ بِمَا یَأْمُرُ”: one who acts on God’s commands and forbids what He has prohibited.
29. The Imam’s prayers are answered: if he prayed over a stone, it would split in two.
30. The record of the names of the Shiʿa and their enemies is in the Imam’s hands, until the Day of Resurrection.
🌿 D) Practical and Formative Wisdom (Becoming Like the Imam)
In one’s personal life:
31. Each day, resolve a new problem by the Imam’s standards—justice, piety, and wisdom—not by yesterday’s habits.
32. Each night before sleep, immerse yourself in the remembrance of God so that your heart stays awake; and ask God, “لا تَأْخُذُهُ سِنَةٌ وَ لا نَوْمٌ,” to bring your heart to life.
33. Practise humility every day, so that you may practise the Imam’s humility.
34. Stand up to a small injustice—a backbiting remark, a lie—and do not remain silent, so that you may make the Imam’s courage part of yourself.
35. Give up one small sin each day, so that you may draw closer to “أَتْقَى النَّاسِ.”
In family life:
36. Put the needs of your spouse, children, and every believer before your own, so that you may practise being “أَوْلَى بِالنَّاسِ.”
37. Keep your home and workplace free of moral corruption—obscenity, lies, disrespect—so that you may learn what it means to be “مُطَهَّر.”
38. Speak to each family member and everyone in society in terms they can understand, just as the Imam speaks to each person in their own language.
39. Pray each night for your family and the believers, and before praying, give up your small sins.
In social life:
40. Behave at work or in your neighbourhood in such a way that others say, “This person has a character like that of the Ahl al-Bayt.”
41. When dealing with people, do not become angry. Instead, respond to wrongs with kindness, forbearance, and patience.
42. Set aside a special act of charity for those in need each week (and every day), without reminding them of your generosity, so that you may draw closer to the “heaven of generosity.”
43. Strive to be a “source of adornment” and “pride and honour” for the Ahl al-Bayt (AS)—not a “source of shame.”
44. Grow close to nature and practise joining in its remembrance, so that the heart’s tongue may open to the greatness of the Creator.
45. Believe that every step toward becoming like the Imam prepares the way for his full manifestation (the Imam of Our Time, may God hasten his return).
✨ The seal on this collection: seven golden keywords of the “Wing of Boundlessness”
| Keyword | Its Razavi definition |
| Wing of Boundlessness | A reality bounded neither by time nor by space |
| Neither eastern nor western | Transcendence beyond every temporal and spatial orientation |
| Innate nature | The human being’s inborn capacity for nearness to the Imam (open to choice and change) |
| Living, ongoing knowledge | Living, dynamic knowledge renewed with every event in existence |
| Scrolls and compilations | The Imam’s existential software, including the Jāmiʿa, the Jafr, and the Muṣḥaf of Fatima |
| Becoming like | Practising the Imam’s attributes in one’s personal, family, and social life |
| Razavi civilisation | A society in which justice, wisdom, generosity, and forbearance are upheld |
📜 A structured summary of: “Imam Reza, AS: The Wing of Boundlessness”
“A theoretical and strategic framework for understanding the Imam (AS) and the mystery of becoming like him”
🔰 First pillar: Defining the key concepts (terminological foundations)
| Concept | Structured definition |
| Wing of Boundlessness | The Imam (AS) is a reality bounded neither by time nor by space. “Neither eastern nor western” means a light with no rising (before time) and no setting (beyond space). |
| Shared innate nature | The believer’s inborn capacity for nearness to the Imam (AS): from “ʿIlliyyīn” for believers and from “Sijjīn” for his enemies. Innate nature does not mean compulsion; it can be transformed through free will and choice. |
| The Imam’s knowledge | It takes different forms: “recorded” and “concealed” (in the scrolls and compilations: the Jāmiʿa, the Jafr, and the Muṣḥaf of Fatima), and “ongoing” (living, dynamic knowledge of events from day to day until the Resurrection). True knowledge is this “ongoing” knowledge. |
| Scrolls and compilations | The Imam’s existential software, including the Jāmiʿa (a comprehensive guide to life), the Jafr (the knowledge of the prophets and their successors), the Muṣḥaf of Fatima (Fatima’s revealed knowledge), and the Ṣaḥīfa, which records the names of the Shiʿa and their enemies until the Resurrection. |
| Becoming like | The process of embodying the Imam’s ethics (AS) and reflecting his attributes—knowledge, wisdom, piety, forbearance, courage, generosity, worship, humility, and more—in one’s personal, family, and social life. |
| Razavi civilisation | A society in which the Imam’s justice, wisdom, generosity, and forbearance (AS) are upheld as a model, and which the Shiʿa bring into being by following his example. |
🔰 Second pillar: Diagnosing the causes of distance from the Imam (recognising the illness)
A) Forgetting the Imam’s reality means forgetting the journey
Forgetting the “Wing of Boundlessness” = confinement in the darkness of time and space, and deprivation of the spiritual journey.
Being unaware of “ongoing knowledge” = settling for recorded knowledge and intellectual stagnation instead of drawing on the Imam’s living, dynamic knowledge.
Neglecting “becoming like” = being content to say “how wonderful” and missing the chance to become wonderful oneself.
b) Barriers to Becoming Like the Imam in the Present Age (A Concrete Application)
| Cognitive–Psychological Barrier | Concrete Manifestation | Consequence |
| Ignorance of one’s own innate nature | Not knowing one’s innate capacity to draw near to the Imam (AS) | Lack of effort to become like the Imam, and settling for mere imitation |
| Love of the world and worldly attachments | Attachment to wealth, status, and the desires of the self | Preventing oneself from cultivating the Imam’s qualities (generosity, humility, courage) |
| The heart’s slumber | Neglecting remembrance and the heart’s wakefulness throughout the day and night | Being deprived of a “tranquil soul” and a “sound heart” |
| Failure to take the Imam as a practical example | Settling for a theoretical understanding of the Imam, without striving to embody his ethics | Turning imamate into an “abstract concept” instead of a “reality at work in daily life” |
| Neglect of living knowledge | Settling for one’s own understanding, without drawing on the Imam’s living, dynamic knowledge | Intellectual rigidity and an inability to address emerging issues |
🔰 Third Pillar: The Ridāwī Remedy (An Antidote to Drifting Away from the Imam)
Key principle: “The Imam’s qualities are there to be emulated—not merely admired, but embodied.”
Steps toward healing through three analytical lenses:
| Analytical lens | First step: Understanding | Second step: Practice (becoming like the Imam) | The resulting transformation |
| Epistemological | Knowing the Imam as a “horizon of being” and a “fount of knowledge and wisdom,” and so on | Practising living knowledge (addressing emerging issues by the Imam’s standards) | Transforming theoretical knowledge into experiential, living knowledge |
| Mystical psychology | Knowing one’s own innate nature (one’s capacity to draw near to the Imam) | Practising the Imam’s qualities (a wakeful heart, humility, courage, generosity, and so on) | Transforming the heart into a “fount of greatness” and a “throne of the Divine,” and so on |
| Strategic–Social | Understanding the Imam’s social role (as a model for building civilisation) | Practising exemplary conduct within the family and society (forbearance, justice, service, and so on) | Building a “Ridāwī civilisation” through collective emulation of the Imam |
🔰 Fourth Pillar: A Practical Programme for Today (Five Strategies)
First focus: Knowledge (understanding the Imam and his knowledge)
Revisiting the hadith on the Imam’s qualities (from Imam al-Rida AS) in the education system, as a foundational textbook.
Distinguishing “written knowledge, compilations, and scrolls” from “living knowledge,” and stressing the importance of drawing on the full range of safeguarded knowledge—from recorded knowledge to the Imam’s living, dynamic knowledge of current issues.
Studying Imam al-Rida’s scholarly life and debates as a model for rational engagement with doubts.
Second focus: Psychology (practising the Imam’s qualities in one’s personal life)
Practising wakefulness of the heart: At night, before going to sleep, use practical remembrances that keep the heart awake, and ask God, “O تَأْخُذُهُ سِنَةٌ وَ لا نَوْمٌ,” to bring your heart to life.
Practising the Imam’s humility: Once a day, learn something from someone you consider beneath you, or show them respect.
Practising the Imam’s courage: For example, stand up against a small wrong (such as backbiting or lying) instead of remaining silent.
Practising the Imam’s generosity: Once a week (and every day), help those in need without reproach.
Practising piety: Each day, give up one minor sin so that you may draw nearer to “أَتْقَى النَّاسِ”.
Third Focus: Family (Raising Children and Fostering Harmony within the Family and among Believers)
Practice Putting Others’ Needs First: Give your spouse’s, children’s and fellow believers’ needs priority over your own, embodying the principle of «أَوْلَى بِالنَّاسِ».
Practice Keeping Your Surroundings Pure: Keep your home and workplace free of moral pollution—profanity, lies and disrespect—and create an uplifting atmosphere.
Practice Speaking in Each Person’s Own Language: Speak with each family member in terms they can understand, just as the Imam speaks to each person in their own language.
Practice Supplication: Each night, pray for your family and fellow believers, and refrain from minor sins before making your supplication.
Fourth Focus: Society (Making an Impact and Setting an Example in the Community)
Practice Setting an Example: At work or in your neighbourhood, act in a way that makes you a model for others: “This person has the character of the Ahl al-Bayt.”
Practice the Imam’s Forbearance: Do not become angry when dealing with people. Instead, respond to wrongdoing with kindness, forbearance and patience.
Practice Generosity in the Community: Set aside a special contribution for those in need each week, and take the lead in charitable work.
Practice Communion with Nature: Cultivate remembrance of God alongside nature, so that the language of the heart may open to the majesty of the Creator.
Fifth Focus: Strategic (From Imam al-Rida to the Imam of Our Time)
Redefining Expectation: Every step toward becoming like the Imam helps prepare the way for his full appearance—the Imam of Our Time (AS).
Linking Ashura, the Rida Way and Mahdism: Ashura is the uprising that initiated the struggle for deliverance; the Rida Way carries forward the knowledge and wisdom of Imam Ali; and the Appearance is the promised moment when the Rida civilization will be fully realized.
Establish “Rida Circles” in neighbourhoods and mosques to practise collectively becoming like the Imam and preparing the way for his Appearance.
🌹 Conclusion: The Conceptual Framework of “The Boundless Wing” at a Glance
| Pillar | Key Term | Functional Summary |
| Epistemic Core | The Boundless Wing | The Imam (AS), a reality beyond time and place; «لا شرقیه و لا غربیه» |
| Means of Knowing | Living Knowledge | Living, dynamic knowledge of events unfolding day and night, continuing until the Resurrection |
| Condition for Becoming Alike | Practising the Imam’s Qualities | Cultivating knowledge, wisdom, piety, forbearance, courage, generosity, humility, worship and more |
| Educational Horizon | Emulating the Model | Turning the Imam’s signs from saying “How wonderful!” to becoming wonderful oneself |
| Ultimate Vision | The Rida Civilization | A society in which the Imam’s justice, wisdom, generosity and forbearance are alive |
✧✦ «اَللّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَی الرِّضَا وَ آبائه و اولاده، وَ اجْعَلْنا مِنَ الْمُسْتَمْسِکینَ بِحَبْلِ وَلایَتِهِ، وَ الْمُتَخَلِّقینَ بِأَخْلاقِهِ، وَ الْمُنْتَظِرینَ لِظُهُورِ وَلِیِّکَ، حَتَّی تَکُونَ أَرْواحُنا مُعَلَّقَةً بِعِزِّ قُدْسِکَ، وَ قُلُوبُنا مَشْروحَةً بِنُورِ مَعْرِفَتِکَ، وَ أَعْمَالُنا مِفْتاحاً لِلْبَرَکَةِ فِی الْأَرْضِ.» ✦✧
🌸 وَالسَّلامُ عَلَی الرِّضَا الْمَظْلُومِ الشَّهِیدِ، وَ عَلَی آبَائِهِ الطَّاهِرِینَ، وَ عَلَی وُلْدِهِ الْمُنْتَظَرِ، وَ رَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ وَ بَرَکَاتُهُ. 🌸
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[12] Baṣāʾir al-Darajāt fī Faḍāʾil Āl Muḥammad صلى الله عليهم, vol. 1, p. 339Al-Ṣaffār, Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥasan, Ayatollah Marʿashī Najafī Library, Iran, Qom, second edition, 1404 AH.
[13] Tahdhīb al-Aḥkām (Khurāsān edition), vol. 3, p. 93Al-Ṭūsī, Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥasan, Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmiyya, Tehran, fourth edition, 1407 AH.
[14] Al-Kāfī (Islamic edition), vol. 1, p. 200Al-Kulaynī, Muḥammad ibn Yaʿqūb ibn Isḥāq, Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmiyya, Tehran, fourth edition, 1407 AH.
[15]Taʾwīl al-Āyāt al-Ẓāhira fī Faḍāʾil al-ʿItra al-Ṭāhira, p. 21 Al-Astarābādī, ʿAlī, Islamic Publishing Institute, Iran, Qom, first edition, 1409 AH.
[16] Al-Kāfī (Islamic edition), vol. 1, p. 239Al-Kulaynī, Muḥammad ibn Yaʿqūb ibn Isḥāq, Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmiyya, Tehran, fourth edition, 1407 AH.
