Written transcript of the lecture
The Meshkat-e Noor teachings series🌼🔆🌼The Heart’s Higher Preparation🌼🔆🌼
🌹🔅☘️ بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحيمِ ☘️🔅🌹
🔅🌹 “Strengthening the Heart’s System” “The Secrets of Remembrance, Reflection, and Contemplation” “The Secrets of the Heart” “Eradicating the Effects of Satan” “The Secret of Overcoming the Enemy” “Continuing the Commentary on Passage 13 of Supplication 20” and more … Summary with supplement 1405.04.18 Ali Saei (Abdullah Meshkat) 110.141 (903) 🌹🔅
🌼🌸☘️🌷🌹🌻 🕋 🤲 🌙 ✳️✅ ❇️ ✨🔆💫🔆
🌟 A structured summary of the previous session’s text, “Physicianly Strategy Against the Enemy”
The text’s strategic, operational, and wisdom-based framework,
1 💫. Central theme: Divine strategy in confronting the enemy within and without
Drawing on the noble supplication:
«اللَّهُمَّ اجْعَلْ مَا يُلْقِي الشَّيْطَانُ فِي رُوعِي مِنَ التَّمَنِّي وَ التَّظَنِّي وَ الْحَسَدِ، ذِكْراً لِعَظَمَتِكَ، وَ تَفَكُّراً فِي قُدْرَتِكَ، وَ تَدْبِيراً عَلَى عَدُوِّكِ»
the text explains a strategy for turning threats into opportunities, transforming satanic promptings, through “remembrance, reflection, and contemplation,” into the highest form of spiritual elevation.
2 💫. A key ontological principle
The human being is a repository of the effects of divine mercy. It is not enough for one’s being to be pure; it must also become “God’s art studio,” admitting no trace of Satan.
The ultimate aim is to turn every capacity of one’s being into a “means of sincere servitude” and “resistance to Satan.”
3 💫. How to confront the enemy (three stages)
| Stage | Strategy |
| First Stage | Seek to reform the enemy and turn enmity into friendship (while upholding fairness and justice) |
| Second Stage | If this proves ineffective, destroy the satanic enemy (through a firm and decisive response) |
| Third Stage | Satan and those who are satanic must be considered fit only for destruction |
4 💫. Operational Tactics for Facing the Enemy
| Domain | Action |
| Destroying the enemy’s base | Reforming the self and the greater jihad |
| Filing a complaint | Presenting a complaint before God through repentance and a detailed account |
| Weakening the enemy | Restricting resources, cutting lines of communication, sowing division and fear |
| Psychological warfare | Belittling the enemy, exposing its flaws, undermining its reputation |
| The ultimate shield | Tawhid, an invincible force |
5 💫. Expanding the Scope of Strategic Foresight
Protecting one’s entire history and geography, and that of the world
Keeping the enemy’s mind occupied
Building a “fortress of protective invocations” as a refuge from every kind of evil (that is, seeking recourse through the Divine Names and protective remembrances)
6 💫. The Party of God: The Victorious Party
| The Party of God | The Party of Satan |
| Accepting the authority of God, the Messenger, and the Friends of God | Accepting the authority of Satan and his factions |
| Light, purity, noble virtues | Darkness, corruption, vices |
The outcome: The Party of God prevails; the Party of Satan is doomed to perish.
The condition for joining the Party of God: accepting divine authority and disavowing the authority of Satan.
7 💫. The Timeless Horizon of Strategy
Transcending temporal limits by attending to the “greater universe of existence”
God’s proof in every age is the gateway to the hidden dimensions of creation.
The longing to meet God is the key to the salvation of truth.
It is possible, in the present, to influence the past and the future.
At every moment, the soul must be offered up in sincere devotion.
8 💫. The Commander of Strategic Operations
The first and last Commander is “Allah,” and, in His wake, “the Messenger of Allah and God’s Proof.”
The base and barracks for the operation are the “Party of God.”
By accepting divine authority, the believers carry out their mission in these barracks.
9 💫. Definitive Principles of Victory and Defeat
A definitive principle: certain victory belongs to the Party of God (for this is God’s way).
A definitive principle: certain defeat awaits the Party of Satan (for Satan and his deeds have an “appointed term”).
The believers’ role is simply to benefit, to seize the opportunity to show the excellence of their servitude, and to be present in the realm of loving devotion; this is the meaning of *tawallī* and *tabarrī*.
10 💫. Healing and Restorative Strategy
Opposing an enemy is like opposing a germ or an illness: the aim is to “treat,” “eliminate pain and disease,” and “remove hardship and harm.”
Stages of treatment (by analogy with medicine):
Dietary restrictions ← regulating food ← correcting the dietary regimen ← changing one’s diet ← eating less ← observing the temperament ← simple medicines ← compound medicines ← cupping ← hot baths ← massage ← oiling ← enemas ← nasal remedies ← vomiting ← cauterization ← surgery ← emergency medicine.
In dealing with an enemy, too, the manner and degree of response must be calibrated to the hostility.
11 💫. The Strategy of Inhaling and Exhaling (Moderation in Hostility)
Do not close off every avenue of friendship and every possible opening for it; leave the enemy “breathing room for friendship.”
Do not block every escape route; the enemy may become more ferocious.
Strategy toward an enemy is like surgery and architecture: it must not breed resentment, increase corruption, or spread filth and stench.
Firefighting, not fire-spreading!
Ultimately, if the enemy’s destruction cannot be avoided, act with honor and firmness.
12 💫. The Higher Management of Friendship and Enmity
Let friendship and enmity simmer in a “slow cooker,” not a pressure cooker or a fast cooker, so that friendship’s virtues may emerge and enmity may have the chance to change and transform.
But in confronting Satan and what is satanic, strategy and resistance must be utterly uncompromising—“hard and hot.”
With other groups, the response may be calibrated as “cold, cool, soft, warm, hot, or hard.”
13 💫. Pure Strategy: The Highest Form of Strategy
Pure intention, pure thought, and pure weapons destroy every kind of enmity, whether outward or inward.
A “soldier’s pure mind” comes before weapons and is more effective than any weapon; a “soldier’s impure mind” turns the soldier himself into an enemy.
Strategy ranges from purifying one’s limbs and faculties to purifying one’s friends and those who support the path.
14 💫. The Highest Form of Strategy: The Strategy of Martyrdom
When the vein of religion needs a blood transfusion, “blood must be donated”; and when it needs an organ transplant, “an organ must be donated.”
The strategy of martyrdom is the most sublime, effective, and enduring of all strategies.
All-encompassing martyrdom is an all-encompassing strategy: every limb, every particle of one’s being—all must become martyrs.
In the time of Imam Husayn (AS), God’s religion lay in the killing pit of the ignorant. Everyone was sunk in a sevenfold sleep of heedlessness and ignorance, and the truth lay buried. Society and history needed a “mighty shock”; the dead had to be brought back to life by a “purifying thunderbolt.”
Perhaps pure blood must flow to water religion’s thirsty field.
15 💫. The secret of “هَلْ مِنْ ذَابٍ” on the night and day of Ashura
On the day of Ashura, Imam Husayn (AS) cried out, “هَلْ مِنْ ذَابٍ”—that is, “Is there anyone who will defend the sanctuary of the Messenger of God (PBUH)?”
On the eve of Ashura, he released his companions from their pledge of allegiance so that:
The impure would be kept away from the defense of the sacred religious cause.
The pure who had stayed away could join him to water the tree of religion.
This was an “alchemical strategy” that both “purified the ranks of his companions” and offered the absent pure another chance to join.
16 💫. The battle between the blessed tree and the evil tree
| The blessed tree | The evil tree |
| A good word (tawhid, wilayah, purity) | An evil word (polytheism, disbelief, corruption) |
| A firm root and branches reaching into the heavens | Uprooted from the earth |
| Needs pure, wholesome water (faith, love, martyrdom) | Needs darkness, defilement, and filth |
| Its fruit is guidance and a wholesome life | Its fruit is misguidance and ruin |
Imam Husayn’s (AS) battle against Yazid was the battle of the “blessed tree” against the “evil tree”: the battle of “light” against “darkness,” “truth” against “falsehood,” and the “good word” against the “evil word.”
17 💫. Final summary in one sentence
“Through remembrance, reflection, and strategy, build a bridge to spiritual ascent from Satanic insinuations; by accepting divine authority, join the victorious party; and with a vision that transcends time, be a soldier of reason and truth in every age. And if religion’s vein needs blood, embrace martyrdom as the most sublime of strategies.”
18 💫. Key concepts for quick recall:
Physician-like strategy = confronting the enemy as one treats an illness (through avoidance, medicine, and ultimately surgery)
The Party of God = the victorious party = accepting divine authority
The blessed tree = the word of tawhid and purity = needs pure blood to be watered
The evil tree = the word of polytheism and corruption = doomed to perish
The strategy of martyrdom = the most sublime, effective, and enduring of all strategies
The secret of “هَلْ مِنْ ذَابٍ” = purifying the ranks of the companions and calling on the absent pure to water religion
🕋
🌻 🌷 🔆 اللَّهُمَّ اجْعَلْ مَا يُلْقِي الشَّيْطَانُ فِي رُوعِي🔆 🌷 🌻
☀️🌹مِنَ التَّمَنِّي وَ التَّظَنِّي وَ الْحَسَدِ🌹☀️
🤲 🔆ذِكْراً لِعَظَمَتِكَ، وَ تَفَكُّراً فِي قُدْرَتِكَ، وَ تَدْبِيراً عَلَى عَدُوِّك🔆 🤲
❇️Trap Satan in his own snare
Once you understand how Satan spreads his net, you must turn it back on him!
The devil must be caught in the web he has spun!
Activate the systems of remembrance, reflection and contemplation, and stay ever ready to act against the satanic enemy! Keep the system of servitude to God switched on!
The sound heart is the system that brings human nature to life. Until that nature is awakened, a person remains an open enemy to himself and a hidden enemy to God!
When the system of human nature is activated, a person is equipped with existence’s latest technology: “technology of the moment,” “ever-renewing technology.”
❇️ذِكْراً لِعَظَمَتِكَ
Remembrance of Allah’s majesty is possible through knowledge of His majesty.
The sovereign power of glorification makes the heart a sanctuary for the remembrance of Allah’s immense greatness!
When divine majesty prevails in the heart, a person’s whole being becomes a manifestation of remembrance of God’s greatness!
When the heart becomes God’s sanctuary, it is exalted, and its remembrance becomes sublime!
Sincere intention safeguards the heart’s well-being and makes a person the possessor of a sound heart. The heart becomes like a beehive: it admits nothing but pure nectar and becomes a storehouse of beauty’s finest essence!
The heart’s light is kindled by the oil of knowledge and intensified by the measure of faith.
❇️Remembrance of great majesty rises from a heart made great
✨Illumination—Supplement: A comprehensive guide to strengthening sincere intention and the sound heart—The Heart’s Club—Military Training for the Heart
❇️Guidelines: Warm-ups and exercise for the heart—“Remembrance, reflection, contemplation”
💫🔆 قَالَ الصَّادِقُ ع صَاحِبُ النِّيَّةِ الصَّادِقَةِ صَاحِبُ الْقَلْبِ السَّلِيمِ لِأَنَّ سَلَامَةَ الْقَلْبِ مِنْ هَوَاجِسِ الْمَحْذُورَاتِ بِتَخْلِيصِ النِّيَّةِ لِلَّهِ تَعَالَى فِي الْأُمُورِ كُلِّهَا قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى يَوْمَ لا يَنْفَعُ مالٌ وَ لا بَنُونَ. إِلَّا مَنْ أَتَى اللَّهَ بِقَلْبٍ سَلِيمٍ وَ قَالَ النَّبِيُّ ص نِيَّةُ الْمُؤْمِنِ خَيْرٌ مِنْ عَمَلِهِ وَ قَالَ ص إِنَّمَا الْأَعْمَالُ بِالنِّيَّاتِ وَ لِكُلِّ امْرِئٍ مَا نَوَى فَلَا بُدَّ لِلْعَبْدِ مِنْ خَالِصِ النِّيَّةِ فِي كُلِّ حَرَكَةٍ وَ سُكُونٍ لِأَنَّهُ إِذَا لَمْ يَكُنْ بِهَذَا الْمَعْنَى يَكُونُ غَافِلًا وَ الْغَافِلُونَ قَدْ ذَمَّهُمُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى فَقَالَ إِنْ هُمْ إِلَّا كَالْأَنْعامِ بَلْ هُمْ أَضَلُّ سَبِيلًا وَ قَالَ أُولئِكَ هُمُ الْغافِلُونَ ثُمَّ النِّيَّةُ تَبْدُو مِنَ الْقَلْبِ عَلَى قَدْرِ صَفَاءِ الْمَعْرِفَةِ وَ تَخْتَلِفُ عَلَى حَسَبِ اخْتِلَافِ الْإِيمَانِ فِي مَعْنَى قُوَّتِهِ وَ ضَعْفِهِ وَ صَاحِبُ النِّيَّةِ الْخَالِصَةِ نَفْسُهُ وَ هَوَاهُ مَعَهُ مَقْهُورَتَانِ تَحْتَ سُلْطَانِ تَعْظِيمِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى وَ الْحَيَاءِ مِنْهُ وَ هُوَ مِنْ طَبْعِهِ وَ شَهْوَتِهِ وَ مُنْيَةُ نَفْسِهِ مِنْهُ فِي تَعَبٍ وَ النَّاسُ مِنْهُ فِي رَاحَة[1]
💫 Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said:
“One who is sincere in intention possesses a sound heart, for the heart is kept sound from the unsettling whispers of fearsome things by purifying one’s intention for God Almighty in all one’s deeds.
God Almighty has said:
‘The day when neither wealth nor children will be of any benefit, except for one who comes to God with a sound heart.’ (al-Shu‘ara’: 88–89)
And the Prophet (PBUH) said:
‘A believer’s intention is better than his deed.’
And he said:
‘Deeds are judged by intentions, and each person will have only what he intended.’
A servant, then, must have a sincere intention in every movement and stillness. Otherwise, he will be heedless—and God Almighty has censured the heedless, saying:
‘They are like cattle; indeed, they are even further astray.’ (al-Furqan: 44)
And He has said:
‘They are the heedless.’ (al-A‘raf: 179)
Intention then arises from the heart in proportion to the clarity of one’s knowledge, and varies according to the strength or weakness of one’s faith.
The one who is sincere in intention has both self and desire subdued and overcome by the sovereignty of reverence for God and awe of Him. Though struggling against the dictates of temperament, appetite and personal longing, such a person brings ease to others.”
❇️The Heart in the Nominative and the Accusative
The heart must remain in a state of nominative elevation and accusative openness, guarding itself against the genitive and the pause. It rises through remembrance of God and opens through contentment with His decree;
when it inclines toward anything other than God, the heart is brought low and inverted, bent and turned upside down, like a sky plunged into the deepest abyss, or a crown sunk into the mud;
when it is heedless of God, the heart is brought to a standstill and falls silent; the openings through which its servitude breathes are sealed!
In the state of elevation and openness, the heart is like a bird with outstretched wings, singing; the glory of its being will sing the praises of God’s majesty!
Remembrance of God’s majesty removes every obstacle and veil from the servant’s path; nothing but God’s majesty remains between worshipper and the One worshipped!
✨Illumination—A Supplement on the Grammatical Cases of the Heart—The Specialized Discipline and Art of the Heart
❇️A Guide: Establishing the Pillars of the Heart’s Grammatical Cases for Its Miracle
💫🔆 قَالَ الصَّادِقُ ع إِعْرَابُ الْقُلُوبِ عَلَى أَرْبَعَةِ أَنْوَاعٍ رَفْعٍ وَ فَتْحٍ وَ خَفْضٍ وَ وَقْفٍ فَرَفْعُ الْقَلْبِ فِي ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى وَ فَتْحُ الْقَلْبِ فِي الرِّضَا عَنِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى وَ خَفْضُ الْقَلْبِ فِي الِاشْتِغَالِ بِغَيْرِ اللَّهِ وَ وَقْفُ الْقَلْبِ فِي الْغَفْلَةِ عَنِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى أَ لَا تَرَى أَنَّ الْعَبْدَ إِذَا ذَكَرَ اللَّهَ بِالتَّعْظِيمِ خَالِصاً ارْتَفَعَ كُلُّ حِجَابٍ كَانَ بَيْنَهُ وَ بَيْنَ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى مِنْ قَبْلِ ذَلِكَ وَ إِذَا انْقَادَ الْقَلْبُ لِمَوْرِدِ قَضَاءِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى بِشَرْطِ الرِّضَا عَنْهُ كَيْفَ يَنْفَتِحُ بِالسُّرُورِ وَ الرَّوْحِ وَ الرَّاحَةِ وَ إِذَا اشْتَغَلَ قَلْبُهُ بِشَيْءٍ مِنْ أَسْبَابِ الدُّنْيَا كَيْفَ تَجِدُهُ إِذَا ذَكَرَ اللَّهَ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ وَ أَنَابَ مُنْخَفِضاً مُظْلِماً كَبَيْتٍ خَرَابٍ خِلْوٍ لَيْسَ فِيهَا عُمْرَانٌ وَ لَا مُونِسٌ وَ إِذَا غَفَلَ عَنْ ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى كَيْفَ تَرَاهُ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ مَوْقُوفاً مَحْجُوباً قَدْ قَسَا وَ أَظْلَمَ مُنْذُ فَارَقَ نُورَ التَّعْظِيمِ فَعَلَامَةُ الرَّفْعِ ثَلَاثَةُ أَشْيَاءَ وُجُوهُ الْمُوَافَقَةِ وَ فَقْدُ الْمُخَالَفَةِ وَ دَوَامُ الشَّوْقِ وَ عَلَامَةُ الْفَتْحِ ثَلَاثَةُ أَشْيَاءَ التَّوَكُّلُ وَ الصِّدْقُ وَ الْيَقِينُ وَ عَلَامَةُ الْخَفْضِ ثَلَاثَةُ أَشْيَاءَ الْعُجْبُ وَ الرِّيَاءُ وَ الْحِرْصُ وَ عَلَامَةُ الْوَقْفِ ثَلَاثَةُ أَشْيَاءَ زَوَالُ حَلَاوَةِ الطَّاعَةِ وَ عَدَمُ مَرَارَةِ الْمَعْصِيَةِ وَ الْتِبَاسُ عِلْمِ الْحَلَالِ وَ الْحَرَام[2]
💫 Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said:
“The grammatical cases of the heart are four: nominative, accusative, genitive and pause.
The heart is in the nominative when it remembers God (the heart is raised toward God).
The heart is in the accusative when it is content with God (the heart opens to the light).
The heart is in the genitive when it is occupied with anything other than God (the heart sinks low).
The heart is at a pause when it is heedless of God (the heart comes to a standstill).
Do you not see that when a servant remembers God with sincere reverence, every veil that once stood between them and God is removed?
And when the heart submits to God’s decree on the condition of contentment, how it opens with joy, vitality and ease!
And when the heart is occupied with some worldly concern, do you not find that even after remembering God and turning back to Him, it remains fallen and dark, like a ruined, empty house with no life or companion within?
And when he is heedless of the remembrance of God, what do you see in him afterward? A heart that is stagnant and veiled, grown hard and dark since it lost the light of reverence.”
He then listed the signs of each state:
Signs of elevation (a heart raised up):
1. Harmonious accord with the truth
2. Absence of resistance
3. Unceasing longing
Signs of opening (an opened heart):
1. Reliance upon God
2. Truthfulness (ṣidq)
3. Certainty
Signs of abasement (a heart brought low):
1. Self-conceit
2. Ostentation
3. Greed
Signs of stagnation (a stagnant, heedless heart):
1. The loss of sweetness in acts of obedience
2. The absence of bitterness in acts of disobedience
3. Confusion between knowledge of what is lawful and what is forbidden (an inability to distinguish between them)
❇️ تَفَكُّراً فِي قُدْرَتِكَ
To contemplate divine power, the heart must engage its capacity for reflection. For this to bear fruit, the heart must be strengthened by the light of knowledge and the truth of divine unity!
The world and love of it bring a person down to its own level, drain their strength, and keep their thoughts from soaring!
The world is like a leech, draining the blood of a person’s devotion and cutting off the heart’s capacity to reflect on the heights of divine wonder!
The world should be spent in the service of the Hereafter—not the Hereafter, and the truth of a person’s being, squandered for the world!
A heart free from the love of this world becomes a center for the soaring of lofty thoughts. Such thought turns the heart into a clear mirror, reflecting every goodness and beauty, dispelling ugliness, and making it shine like the sun!
Pure, clear thought accelerates a person’s growth and perfection, giving rise to great strides in devotion!
The light of gnosis and oneness is the fuel of pure thought—thought that will work miracles!
✨Enlightenment—Supplement: The miraculous secret of thought
Strengthen the system of thought with the light of gnosis and oneness
❇️Instructions: Removing obstacles to thought—connecting with the miraculous secret of thought
💫🔆 قَالَ الصَّادِقُ ع اعْتَبِرْ بِمَا مَضَى مِنَ الدُّنْيَا هَلْ مَا بَقِيَ عَلَى أَحَدٍ هَلْ أَحَدٌ فِيهَا بَاقٍ مِنَ الشَّرِيفِ وَ الْوَضِيعِ وَ الْغَنِيِّ وَ الْفَقِيرِ وَ الْوَلِيِّ وَ الْعَدُوِّ فَكَذَلِكَ مَا لَمْ يَأْتِ مِنْهَا بِمَا مَضَى أَشْبَهُ مِنَ الْمَاءِ بِالْمَاءِ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص كَفَى بِالْمَوْتِ وَاعِظاً وَ بِالْعَقْلِ دَلِيلًا وَ بِالتَّقْوَى زَاداً وَ بِالْعِبَادَةِ شُغُلًا وَ بِاللَّهِ مُونِساً وَ بِالْقُرْآنِ بَيَاناً وَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص لَمْ يَبْقَ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا إِلَّا بَلَاءٌ وَ فِتْنَةٌ وَ مَا نَجَا مَنْ نَجَا إِلَّا بِصِدْقِ الِالْتِجَاءِ وَ قَالَ نُوحٌ ع وَجَدْتُ الدُّنْيَا كَبَيْتٍ لَهُ بَابَانِ دَخَلْتُ مِنْ إِحْدَاهُمَا وَ خَرَجْتُ مِنَ الْآخَرِ هَذَا حَالُ نَجِيِّ اللَّهِ ع فَكَيْفَ حَالُ مَنِ اطْمَأَنَّ فِيهَا وَ رَكَنَ إِلَيْهَا وَ ضَيَّعَ عُمُرَهُ فِي عِمَارَتِهَا وَ مَزَّقَ دِينَهُ فِي طَلَبِهَا وَ الْفِكْرَةُ مِرْآةُ الْحَسَنَاتِ وَ كَفَّارَةُ السَّيِّئَاتِ وَ ضِيَاءُ الْقَلْبِ وَ فُسْحَةٌ لِلْخَلْقِ وَ إِصَابَةٌ فِي إِصْلَاحِ الْمَعَادِ وَ اطِّلَاعٌ عَلَى الْعَوَاقِبِ وَ اسْتَزَادَةٌ فِي الْعِلْمِ وَ هِيَ خَصْلَةٌ لَا يُعْبَدُ اللَّهُ بِمِثْلِهَا قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص فِكْرَةُ سَاعَةٍ خَيْرٌ مِنْ عِبَادَةِ سَنَةٍ وَ لَا يَنَالُ مَنْزِلَةَ التَّفَكُّرِ إِلَّا مَنْ قَدْ خَصَّهُ اللَّهُ بِنُورِ الْمَعْرِفَةِ وَ التَّوْحِيد[3]
💫 Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said:
“Take heed from what has passed of this world. Has anything of it remained for anyone? Has anyone remained in it—noble or lowly, rich or poor, friend or foe? What is yet to come of this world is like what has passed: water is like water.”
The Messenger of God (PBUH) said: “Death is enough as a warning; reason is enough as a guide; piety is enough as provision; worship is enough to occupy you; God is enough for companionship; and the Qur’an is enough as an explanation.”
The Messenger of God (PBUH) also said: “Nothing remains of this world but affliction and trial; and no one is saved except through sincerely seeking refuge [in God].”
And Noah (AS) said: “I found this world like a house with two doors: I entered through one and left through the other.” This is the state of God’s intimate confidant; so what, then, of one who trusts in this world and leans upon it, squanders his life building it up, and rends his faith to pieces in pursuit of it?
Reflection is a mirror for good deeds, an expiation for sins, a light for the heart, an opening for creation, a means of setting one’s return to God aright, an awareness of consequences, and an increase in knowledge. It is a quality through which nothing comparable has been offered in worship to God.
The Messenger of God (PBUH) said: “An hour of reflection is better than a year of worship.” No one attains the station of reflection unless God has singled them out with the light of gnosis and divine unity.”
❇️ Make your reflection earthly and celestial
Reflection should encompass the universe from beginning to end. Elevated reflection means soaring across the whole universe, journeying through all the divine signs throughout creation. This is reflection on God’s power!
So reflection should not be confined within particular limits. Rather, a person’s reflection should encompass all existence. True reflection is possible only under the guidance of reason, and reason draws life from its forces—which are the noble virtues. A sign of such reflection is the presence of the spirit of faith in a person’s heart!
In other words, reflection is the reading of God’s signs, whether on earth or in the heavens. So let us activate the faculty of reflection with pure hearts!
✨ Clarification—supplement: Strengthening the faculties of reflection
❇️ Guidance: Exercise and practice in reflection
💫🔆 قَالَ الصَّادِقُ ع شَاوِرْ فِي أُمُورِكَ مِمَّا يَقْتَضِي الدِّينُ مَنْ فِيهِ خَمْسُ خِصَالٍ عَقْلٌ وَ عِلْمٌ وَ تَجْرِبَةٌ وَ نُصْحٌ وَ تَقْوَى وَ إِنْ لَمْ تَجِدْ فَاسْتَعْمِلِ الْخَمْسَةَ وَ اعْزِمْ وَ تَوَكَّلْ عَلَى اللَّهِ تَعَالَى فَإِنَّ ذَلِكَ يُؤَدِّيكَ إِلَى الصَّوَابِ وَ مَا كَانَ مِنْ أُمُورِ الدُّنْيَا الَّتِي هِيَ غَيْرُ عَائِدَةٍ إِلَى الدِّينِ فَاقْضِهَا وَ لَا تَتَفَكَّرْ فِيهَا فَإِنَّكَ إِذَا فَعَلْتَ ذَلِكَ أَصَبْتَ بَرَكَةَ الْعَيْشِ وَ حَلَاوَةَ الطَّاعَةِ وَ فِي الْمُشَاوَرَةِ اكْتِسَابُ الْعِلْمِ وَ الْعَاقِلُ مَنْ يَسْتَفِيدُ مِنْهَا عِلْماً جَدِيداً وَ يَسْتَدِلُّ بِهِ عَلَى الْمَحْصُولِ مِنَ الْمُرَادِ وَ مَثَلُ الْمَشُورَةِ مَعَ أَهْلِهَا مَثَلُ التَّفَكُّرِ فِي خَلْقِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَ الْأَرْضِ وَ فَنَائِهِمَا وَ هُمَا عَيْنَانِ مِنَ الْعَبْدِ لِأَنَّهُ كُلَّمَا تَفَكَّرَ فِيهِمَا غَاصَ فِي بِحَارِ نُورِ الْمَعْرِفَةِ وَ ازْدَادَ بِهِمَا اعْتِبَاراً وَ يَقِيناً وَ لَا تُشَاوِرْ مَنْ لَا يُصَدِّقُهُ عَقْلُكَ وَ إِنْ كَانَ مَشْهُوراً بِالْعَقْلِ وَ الْوَرَعِ وَ إِذَا شَاوَرْتَ مَنْ يُصَدِّقُهُ قَلْبُكَ فَلَا تُخَالِفْهُ فِيمَا يُشِيرُ بِهِ عَلَيْكَ وَ إِنْ كَانَ بِخِلَافِ مُرَادِكَ فَإِنَّ النَّفْسَ Gathering [تَجْمَحُ] عَنْ قَبُولِ الْحَقِّ وَ خِلَافُهَا عِنْدَ قَبُولِ الْحَقَائِقِ أَبْيَنُ قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى وَ شاوِرْهُمْ فِي الْأَمْرِ وَ قَالَ تَعَالَى وَ أَمْرُهُمْ شُورى بَيْنَهُمْ أَيْ مُتَشَاوِرُونَ فِيه[4]
💫 Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said:
“In your affairs—wherever religion calls for it—consult someone who possesses five qualities: reason, knowledge, experience, sincere counsel, and piety. If you cannot find such a person, act on these five qualities yourself, make your decision, and put your trust in God; this will guide you to what is right.”
As for worldly matters that have no bearing on religion, see them through and do not dwell on them; for if you do, you will find blessing in life and sweetness in obedience.
Counsel brings knowledge, and the wise person is one who gains fresh insight from it and uses that insight to discern what of their purpose has been fulfilled.
Seeking counsel from those qualified to give it is like reflecting on the creation of the heavens and the earth and their passing away. These two practices—consultation and reflection—are like two eyes for the servant of God: the more deeply one considers them, the further one sinks into the ocean of the light of gnosis, and the greater one’s insight and certainty become.
Do not seek counsel from someone whom your reason cannot affirm, even if that person is known for intelligence and piety.
And when you have sought counsel from someone whom your heart affirms, do not oppose the advice they offer, even if it runs counter to your wishes. For the self resists accepting the truth, and its resistance is all the more apparent when it is faced with truths.
God Most High has said: «وَ شاوِرْهُمْ فِي الْأَمْرِ» (Āl ʿImrān: 159)—and consult them in the matter—and He has also said: «وَ أَمْرُهُمْ شُورى بَيْنَهُمْ» (Al-Shūrā: 38)—that is, they conduct their affairs by mutual consultation.»
❇️تَدْبِيراً عَلَى عَدُوِّك
A pure heart is the home of pure counsel: a heart that is God’s sanctuary, keeps God’s sanctity, and is a garden for His servants and His signs!
An impure heart is a breeding ground for God’s enemies! It turns a person into an enemy of God!
An impure heart delights in disobeying God! And the one who disobeys is God’s avowed enemy!
So before we devise plans against God’s enemy, we must prove our devotion to Allah!
❇️Planning against the enemy within
Perhaps the enemy is none other than ourselves, and we do not realize it. We ourselves are an easy, immediate target; we are in our own hands! So let us begin our planning by taking ourselves on: let us dry up the veins of enmity and the roots of the desire to sin in our hearts!
The “lower self” is more devilish than Iblīs! It is a greater enemy than any other!
✨🔆Al-Furqān: 43 أَ رَأَيْتَ مَنِ اتَّخَذَ إِلهَهُ هَواهُ أَ فَأَنْتَ تَكُونُ عَلَيْهِ وَكيلاً
Have you seen the one who has taken his own desire as his god? Can you guide him?
✨🔆Al-Jāthiyah: 23 أَ فَرَأَيْتَ مَنِ اتَّخَذَ إِلهَهُ هَواهُ وَ أَضَلَّهُ اللَّهُ عَلى عِلْمٍ وَ خَتَمَ عَلى سَمْعِهِ وَ قَلْبِهِ وَ جَعَلَ عَلى بَصَرِهِ غِشاوَةً فَمَنْ يَهْديهِ مِنْ بَعْدِ اللَّهِ أَ فَلا تَذَكَّرُونَ
Have you seen the one who has taken his own desire as his god, whom God has led astray knowingly, sealed his hearing and heart, and placed a veil over his eyes? Who, then, can guide him besides God? Will you not take heed?
❇️By honoring the heart with noble virtues, let us strengthen the practice of remembrance, reverence, reflection and contemplation.
With “piety, supplication, humility, keeping vigil at night, and seeking forgiveness,” cleanse your heart, body and soul as with a toothbrush, and keep them fresh.
The human heart is a trust that Allah has placed in our care. Allah created it pure and clear, and made its nourishment “remembrance, reflection, awe and reverence.” Without this nourishment, the heart grows frail and weak, like a temple collapsing or a garden withering!
And if, instead of its proper nourishment, we feed the heart unhealthy things—“heedlessness and reprehensible acts”—it becomes a nest for Satan. So the heart must be nourished with noble virtues and kept away from evils, and continually cleansed with the water of repentance and turning back to God!
For “remembrance of God’s greatness, reflection on His power, and planning against God’s enemy,” we need such a heart and stronghold!
✨Enlightenment—Supplement: Planning to identify and expel satanic traces from the soul
❇️A prescription: Heart-and-soul surgery for managing the struggle against the inner enemy
💫🔆 قَالَ الصَّادِقُ ع قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص السِّوَاكُ مَطْهَرَةٌ لِلْفَمِ مَرْضَاةٌ لِلرَّبِّ وَ جَعَلَهَا مِنَ السُّنَنِ الْمُؤَكَّدَةِ وَ فِيهَا مَنَافِعُ لِلظَّاهِرِ وَ الْبَاطِنِ مَا لَا يُحْصَى لِمَنْ عَقَلَ فَكَمَا تُزِيلُ التَّلَوُّثَ مِنْ أَسْنَانِكَ مِنْ مَأْكَلِكَ وَ مَطْعَمِكَ بِالسِّوَاكِ كَذَلِكَ فَأَزِلْ نَجَاسَةَ ذُنُوبِكَ بِالتَّضَرُّعِ وَ الْخُشُوعِ وَ التَّهَجُّدِ وَ الِاسْتِغْفَارِ بِالْأَسْحَارِ وَ طَهِّرْ ظَاهِرَكَ مِنَ النَّجَاسَاتِ وَ بَاطِنَكَ مِنْ كُدُورَاتِ الْمُخَالَفَاتِ وَ رُكُوبِ الْمَنَاهِي كُلِّهَا خَالِصاً لِلَّهِ فَإِنَّ النَّبِيَّ ص أَرَادَ بِاسْتِعْمَالِهَا مَثَلًا لِأَهْلِ التَّنَبُّهِ وَ الْيَقَظَةِ وَ هُوَ أَنَّ السِّوَاكَ نَبَاتٌ لَطِيفٌ نَظِيفٌ وَ غُصْنُ شَجَرٍ مُبَارَكٍ وَ الْأَسْنَانُ خَلْقٌ خَلَقَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى فِي الْفَمِ آلَةً لِلْأَكْلِ وَ أَدَاةً لِلْمَضْغِ وَ سَبَباً لِاشْتِهَاءِ الطَّعَامِ وَ إِصْلَاحِ الْمَعِدَةِ وَ هِيَ جَوْهَرَةٌ صَافِيَةٌ تَتَلَوَّثُ بِصُحْبَةِ تَمْضِيغِ الطَّعَامِ وَ تَتَغَيَّرُ بِهَا رَائِحَةُ الْفَمِ وَ يَتَوَلَّدُ مِنْهَا الْفَسَادُ فِي الدِّمَاغِ فَإِذَا اسْتَاكَ الْمُؤْمِنُ الْفَطِنُ بِالنَّبَاتِ اللَّطِيفِ وَ مَسَحَهَا عَلَى الْجَوْهَرَةِ الصَّافِيَةِ زَالَ عَنْهَا الْفَسَادُ وَ التَّغَيُّرُ وَ عَادَتْ إِلَى أَصْلِهَا كَذَلِكَ خَلَقَ اللَّهُ الْقَلْبَ طَاهِراً صَافِياً وَ جَعَلَ غِذَاءَهُ الذِّكْرَ وَ الْفِكْرَ وَ الْهَيْبَةَ وَ التَّعْظِيمَ وَ إِذَا شِيبَ الْقَلْبُ الصَّافِي بِتَغْذِيَتِهِ بِالْغَفْلَةِ وَ الْكَدَرِ صَقِّلْ بِمِصْقَلَةِ التَّوْبَةِ وَ نَظِّفْ بِمَاءِ الْإِنَابَةِ لِيَعُودَ عَلَى حَالَتِهِ الْأُولَى وَ جَوْهَرَتِهِ الْأَصْلِيَّةِ قَالَ اللَّهُ تَبَارَكَ وَ تَعَالَى- إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ التَّوَّابِينَ وَ يُحِبُّ الْمُتَطَهِّرِينَ قَالَ النَّبِيُّ ص وَ عَلَيْكُمْ بِالسِّوَاكِ فَإِنَّ النَّبِيَّ ص أَمَرَ بِالسِّوَاكِ فِي ظَاهِرِ الْأَسْنَانِ وَ أَرَادَ هَذَا الْمَعْنَى وَ الْمَثَلَ وَ مَنْ أَنَاخَ تَفَكُّرَهُ عَلَى بَابِ عَتَبَةِ الْعِبْرَةِ فِي اسْتِخْرَاجِ مِثْلِ هَذِهِ الْأَمْثَالِ فِي الْأَصْلِ وَ الْفَرْعِ فَتَحَ اللَّهُ لَهُ عُيُونَ الحِكْمَةِ وَ الْمَزِيدَ مِنْ فَضْلِهِ وَ اللَّهُ لَا يُضِيعُ أَجْرَ الْمُحْسِنِين[5]
💫 Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said:
The Messenger of God (PBUH) said: “The siwak cleanses the mouth and pleases the Lord.” He counted it among the emphasized practices of the Sunnah. For the wise, it offers countless benefits, both outwardly and inwardly.
Just as the siwak removes food residue from your teeth, so too cleanse yourself of the filth of your sins through humble supplication, reverence, keeping vigil at night, and seeking forgiveness before dawn. Purify your outward self of impurities, and, for God’s sake, cleanse your inner self of the stain of disobedience and the commission of every forbidden act.
The Prophet (PBUH), by using the siwak, intended to offer an example to those who are alert and awake. The siwak is a delicate, pure plant—a branch from a blessed tree—while the teeth are God’s creation, placed in the mouth as tools for eating, means of chewing, and aids to appetite and digestion. They are smooth, pure gems, but chewing food sullies them, changes the breath, and gives rise to harm in the brain.
When an alert believer cleans the teeth with that delicate plant and brushes those smooth gems, the harm and change are removed, and they return to their original state.
In the same way, God created the heart pure and clear, and made remembrance, reflection, awe, and reverence its nourishment. When the clear heart is tainted by the food of heedlessness and by murkiness, polish it with repentance and cleanse it with the water of turning back, so that it may return to its first state and its original purity.
God, Blessed and Exalted, has said: “إِنَّ اللَّهَ یُحِبُّ التَّوَّابِینَ وَ یُحِبُّ الْمُتَطَهِّرِینَ” (Al-Baqarah, 2:222) — Surely God loves those who repent and those who purify themselves.
The Prophet (PBUH) said: “Make use of the siwak.”
Thus the Prophet (PBUH) commanded the outward cleaning of the teeth, intending this meaning and example. Whoever brings their reflection to the threshold of contemplation, seeking to draw out the principles and applications of such examples, will have the eyes of wisdom opened to them by God, and He will increase them from His bounty. God does not let the reward of those who do good go to waste.
❇️O God, guide our strategy so that we may counter the strategy of Your enemy
💫🔆 (13) أَنْتَ الَّذِي قَدَّرْتَ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ تَقْدِيراً، وَ يَسَّرْتَ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ تَيْسِيراً، وَ دَبَّرْتَ مَا دُونَكَ تَدْبِيرا[6]
🔆You are the One who ordained everything in due measure, made everything easy and attainable, and arranged all that is other than You with sound wisdom.
«قَدَّرْتَ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ تَقْدِيراً»: You created and ordained everything according to its own measure, order and wisdom.
«يَسَّرْتَ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ تَيْسِيراً»: You made everything easy and ready to fulfil its purpose and reach its end.
«دَبَّرْتَ مَا دُونَكَ تَدْبِيراً»: You governed and ordered all that is other than You—that is, all created things—with perfect wisdom and foresight.
This passage praises God for His power to ordain, to make things easy, and to govern creation and the order of the universe with wisdom.
❇️The Possibility of Foresight
To govern with foresight means to let reason guide one’s thoughts; to consider the consequences; to think comprehensively; to attend to what is hidden as well as what is apparent; to look at both the beginning and the end; to consider all sides of a matter; to get to its roots; and to take the unseen into account. This station is attainable only with a pure heart!
✳️Part One: Strategising Against the Enemy
Enmity can intensify at any moment, just as an illness can worsen; our response must therefore change accordingly!
Once we have identified Satan’s strategy for overcoming human beings, the next step is to thwart his plots and turn his strategy into one that advances human flourishing: transforming our desires into remembrance of God’s greatness, our conjectures into reflection on God’s power, and envy into foresight directed against God’s enemy!
Uproot the weeds and turn them into flowers, plants, trees and beautiful landscapes!
✅1-1 Identifying the Enemy’s Effects and Removing Them
❇️Satan’s Effects
Satan’s effects are the large and small influences he exerts across the vast realm of the human being!
Take care lest you become your own enemy,
lest the enemy have made a nest within you!
Satanic effects are Satan’s flags and propaganda!
Take care lest you become a breeding ground for Satan and the enemy!
❇️The Germ of Enmity
Satanic effects are Satan’s weapons, present within us and turned against us. They render us helpless in the face of any enemy!
To remove Satanic effects is to close off every opening through which an enemy might enter!
We must shut down cultural, ideological, intellectual, economic and political avenues of infiltration. While these openings remain, we cannot ward off the enemy’s harm, for they are signs that the enemy has taken up residence in, and gained control over, the home of our body and soul!
❇️First Purification, Then Adornment
First purify the traces of Satan; then sow the field of noble virtues!
Every Satanic effect is like a disease-causing germ; it will produce infection!
❇️Satan’s effects depend on the extent of his influence,
💫🔆اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَ آلِهِ، وَ اشْغَلْهُ عَنَّا بِبَعْضِ أَعْدَائِكَ، وَ اعْصِمْنَا مِنْهُ بِحُسْنِ رِعَايَتِكَ، وَ اكْفِنَا خَتْرَهُ، وَ وَلِّنَا ظَهْرَهُ، وَ اقْطَعْ عَنَّا إِثْرَهُ.[7]
🔆“O God, bless Muhammad and his family, and occupy him with some other enemy of Yours. Keep us safe from him through Your gracious protection; shield us from his deceit; turn his back toward us; and cut off his pursuit of us.”
✅1-2Every trace of Satan is a disgrace!
If Satan gains access to a person’s sanctuary, he will fill their whole being with his filth!
Changes in a person’s character, deviations, and undesirable inclinations all point to the influence of Satan’s traces!
Every satanic influence brings consequences!
Satan’s trace (اِثرَهُ)—from his footprints to his whisperings (نفاثات), spittle, impurities, urine and excrement, and his share in wealth and children—extends further still.
Satan’s influence will reveal itself in a person’s thoughts, intentions, character, and deeds!
Satanic influences are destructive, deadly, and deforming!
They drive one toward darkness and gloom, bitterness and anguish, misery and a wretched end!
🌼Ali Saei (Abdullah Meshkat) 110.141(903)🌼
❇️Reminders—Supplementary Reflections
✅The foundations and pillars of sound judgment
💫Remembering Allah’s greatness and reflecting on His power are the way into devising a strategy against Allah’s enemy!
The emphasis on remembrance and reflection is because these two are the root and foundation of every strategy!
To devise a strategy, we must give special attention to remembrance and reflection!
💫Moving from strategy to remembrance and reflection is like a commander continually attending to his weapons and strategic map!
The discussion has moved beyond generalities to specific details. So this return to earlier ground, though sudden, is necessary to lay the foundations for what follows!
✅Noble character: a deadly weapon against ignorance and Satan’s legions
💫Character is an inward weapon for the spiritual dimension of the battle. Every war has an outward and an inward dimension; in the struggle against the satanic enemy, our inward weapon must be stronger than our outward one!
💫The inner enemy changes colour with the kind of desire it takes on. All carnal desires assume different forms of the inner enemy, yet every one is coloured by love of this world and greed for it! This noble verse points to the signs that the various factions of the inner enemy are gaining the upper hand!
✅The carnal self’s desire: the inner black Satan
The inner satanic enemy refers to the carnal self’s desire!
✅The signs and clamour of the carnal, inner enemy
✨🔆الحديد : 20 اعْلَمُوا أَنَّمَا الْحَياةُ الدُّنْيا لَعِبٌ وَ لَهْوٌ وَ زينَةٌ وَ تَفاخُرٌ بَيْنَكُمْ وَ تَكاثُرٌ فِي الْأَمْوالِ وَ الْأَوْلادِ كَمَثَلِ غَيْثٍ أَعْجَبَ الْكُفَّارَ نَباتُهُ ثُمَّ يَهيجُ فَتَراهُ مُصْفَرًّا ثُمَّ يَكُونُ حُطاماً وَ فِي الْآخِرَةِ عَذابٌ شَديدٌ وَ مَغْفِرَةٌ مِنَ اللَّهِ وَ رِضْوانٌ وَ مَا الْحَياةُ الدُّنْيا إِلاَّ مَتاعُ الْغُرُورِ
🔆Know that the life of this world is nothing but play and amusement, pomp and rivalry among yourselves, and striving to outdo one another in wealth and children. It is like rain whose growth delights the farmers; then it withers, and you see it turn yellow; then it becomes stubble. In the Hereafter there is severe punishment—or forgiveness and God’s pleasure. The life of this world is nothing but the enjoyment of delusion!
✅The struggle against the self never pauses, even for a moment
Whoever neglects the greater struggle will also be defeated in the lesser struggle!
💫🔆عَنْ أَمِيرِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ع قَالَ: إِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ص بَعَثَ سَرِيَّةً فَلَمَّا رَجَعُوا قَالَ مَرْحَباً بِقَوْمٍ قَضَوُا الْجِهَادَ الْأَصْغَرَ وَ بَقِيَ عَلَيْهِمُ الْجِهَادُ الْأَكْبَرُ قِيلَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ وَ مَا الْجِهَادُ الْأَكْبَرُ قَالَ جِهَادُ النَّفْسِ وَ قَالَ ع أَفْضَلُ الْجِهَادِ مَنْ جَاهَدَ نَفْسَهُ الَّتِي بَيْنَ جَنْبَيْهِ.[8]
🔆 It is narrated from the Commander of the Faithful (AS) that he said:
“The Messenger of God (PBUH) sent a group of men out to fight. When they returned, he said:
‘Welcome to those who have completed the lesser jihad, while the greater jihad still lies ahead of them.’
They asked, ‘O Messenger of God, what is the greater jihad?’
He replied, ‘Striving against the self.’
He also said, ‘The finest jihad is that of one who struggles against his own self, which lies between his two sides.’”
✅The Human Devil Is Worse Than the Jinn Devil
💫 A person with a devilish nature can sink so low that even Satan disowns him!
✨🔆الأنفال : 48 وَ إِذْ زَيَّنَ لَهُمُ الشَّيْطانُ أَعْمالَهُمْ وَ قالَ لا غالِبَ لَكُمُ الْيَوْمَ مِنَ النَّاسِ وَ إِنِّي جارٌ لَكُمْ فَلَمَّا تَراءَتِ الْفِئَتانِ نَكَصَ عَلى عَقِبَيْهِ وَ قالَ إِنِّي بَريءٌ مِنْكُمْ إِنِّي أَرى ما لا تَرَوْنَ إِنِّي أَخافُ اللَّهَ وَ اللَّهُ شَديدُ الْعِقابِ
🔆 And [remember] when Satan made their deeds seem fair to them and said, “Today no one among the people can overcome you! I am your protector and ally.” But when the two groups came face to face, he turned on his heels and said, “I disown you, my friends and followers! I see what you do not see; I fear God,
✨🔆 الحشر : 16 كَمَثَلِ الشَّيْطانِ إِذْ قالَ لِلْإِنْسانِ اكْفُرْ فَلَمَّا كَفَرَ قالَ إِنِّي بَريءٌ مِنْكَ إِنِّي أَخافُ اللَّهَ رَبَّ الْعالَمينَ
🔆 Their likeness is that of Satan, who said to a human being, “Disbelieve, and I will solve your problems for you.” But when he disbelieved, Satan said, “I disown you. I fear God, Lord of all the worlds!”
✅Innate Nature: The System for All Knowledge, First and Last
💫 Knowledge of all things, first and last, exists potentially within every human being, and is actualized in the Infallibles (AS). For they are the speaking Qur’an; the knowledge of all things, first and last, is in the Qur’an, and they speak with that knowledge!
💫🔆وَ فِي الْخَبَرِ” مَنْ أَرَادَ الْعِلْمَ فَلْيُثَوِّرَ الْقُرْآن[9]
🔆 And it is related: “Whoever seeks knowledge should turn the Qur’an over and over, to bring its hidden treasures to light.”
💫🔆أَنَا مَدِينَةُ الْعِلْمِ وَ عَلِيٌّ بَابُهَا وَ مَنْ أَرَادَ الْعِلْمَ فَلْيَأْتِ الْمَدِينَةَ مِنَ الْبَاب[10]
🔆 “I am the city of knowledge, and Ali is its gate. Whoever seeks knowledge must enter the city through its gate.”
Every human being is a user of knowledge!
The human being’s innate nature is the software for all knowledge, first and last—but in many people, that innate nature has not yet fully unfolded!
Does not God’s knowledge encompass all things?
✨🔆 طه : 98 إِنَّما إِلهُكُمُ اللَّهُ الَّذي لا إِلهَ إِلاَّ هُوَ وَسِعَ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ عِلْماً
🔆 Your God is only God, besides whom there is no deity; His knowledge encompasses all things!”
A true scholar is one whose very being has become the hardware that embodies and makes use of that all-encompassing knowledge!
On the other hand, do we not know that:
✨🔆 Al-Baqarah: 31 وَ عَلَّمَ آدَمَ الْأَسْماءَ كُلَّها ثُمَّ عَرَضَهُمْ عَلَى الْمَلائِكَةِ فَقالَ أَنْبِئُوني بِأَسْماءِ هؤُلاءِ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ صادِقينَ
🔆 Then He taught Adam the names of all things [the knowledge of the mysteries of creation and the names of created beings]. Then He presented them to the angels and said, “Tell Me their names, if you are truthful!”
✅Showing mercy to Satan is like pouring water over thorns
💫In earlier sessions, we discussed forgiveness and mercy at length. So long as a satanic person has not abandoned their satanic nature, a forceful response to them should not be withheld!
✳️ Revised text incorporating the comments
🌟🔆 The Miraculous Heart 🔆 🌟
🌼 The Heart’s Higher Capacities 🌼
🌹🔅☘️ بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحيمِ ☘️🔅🌹
📖 Final structure of the text (five main sections)
| Section | Title | Main content |
| One | Foundations of Discernment (Roots) | Remembrance of divine greatness, reflection on power, and the God-given human nature |
| Two | Knowing the Enemy (Within and Without) | The lower self, jinn and human devils, and the effects of satanic influence |
| Three | Equipping the Heart’s System (Strengthening) | Sincere intention, the sound heart, and the heart’s grammatical inflections (nominative, accusative, genitive, and pause) |
| Four | Stages of Practical Response | From avoidance to surgery (calibrating the response) |
| Five | The Higher Horizon (Martyrdom and Transcendence of Time) | The discernment of martyrdom, the mystery of “هَلْ مِنْ ذَابٍ”, and the good and evil trees |
🌟Section One: Foundations of Discernment (The Roots of Remembrance, Reflection, and Discernment)
🔹 1.1 Remembrance of Divine Greatness (ذِكْراً لِعَظَمَتِكَ)
Principle: Remembrance of God’s greatness is possible through knowledge of His greatness.
When the heart becomes “God’s sanctuary,” it attains greatness, and its remembrance becomes exalted.
Sincere intention ensures the heart’s soundness and brings a person to a “sound heart.”
💫 A narration from Imam al-Sadiq (AS):
“The person with sincere intention possesses a sound heart, for the heart is kept free of temptations by purifying one’s intention for God.”
And God has said: “یَوْمَ لا یَنْفَعُ مالٌ وَ لا بَنُونَ، إِلَّا مَنْ أَتَى اللَّهَ بِقَلْبٍ سَلِیمٍ” (Al-Shu‘ara’: 88–89)
🔹 1.2 Reflection on Divine Power (تَفَكُّراً فِي قُدْرَتِكَ)
Principle: Reflection is a mirror for good deeds, an expiation for misdeeds, a light for the heart, and a means of opening new horizons in creation.
One hour of reflection is better than a year of worship without reflection.
Reflection should encompass both earth and heavens: from particles to galaxies, from cells to black holes.
💫 A narration from Imam al-Sadiq (AS):
“Reflection is a mirror for good deeds, an expiation for misdeeds, and a light for the heart. The Messenger of God (PBUH) said, ‘One hour of reflection is better than a year of worship.’”
He also said, “No one attains the station of reflection unless God has singled them out with the light of knowledge and divine unity.”
🔹 1.3 The Primordial Nature: The System of All Knowledge, Past and Future
Principle: All knowledge, past and future, exists potentially within every human being.
The primordial nature is the “software of divine knowledge.” When activated, it equips a person with the “latest technology of existence”—technology that is constantly updated and renewed.
💫 The Messenger of God (PBUH) said:
«أَنَا مَدِینَةُ الْعِلْمِ وَ عَلِیٌّ بَابُهَا» – I am the city of knowledge, and Ali is its gate.
It is also reported: «مَنْ أَرَادَ الْعِلْمَ فَلْیُثَوِّرِ الْقُرْآنَ» – Whoever seeks knowledge should search the Qur’an thoroughly.
Conclusion: The active innate nature sets in motion the “system of remembrance, reflection and discernment.”
🌟 Part Two: Recognising the Enemy (Within and Without)
🔹 2-1. The Inner Enemy: The Ego’s Desires, More Satanic than Iblis
Principle: The ego’s desires are more satanic than Iblis, because they are always with us and within our reach.
Whoever neglects the greater jihad (the struggle against the self) will also be defeated in the lesser jihad (the struggle against the external enemy).
✨ The Noble Qur’an:
«أَ رَأَیْتَ مَنِ اتَّخَذَ إِلَهَهُ هَوَاهُ» (Furqan: 43) – Have you seen the one who has taken his own desires as his god?
And elsewhere: «إِنَّمَا الْحَیَاةُ الدُّنْیَا لَعِبٌ وَ لَهْوٌ وَ زِینَةٌ» (Hadid: 20) – The life of this world is play, amusement and ostentatious display.
🔹 2-2. The Human Satan: Worse than the Jinn Satan
Principle: A person with a satanic nature is so vile that even Satan disowns him.
On the day of battle, Satan disowned his followers: «إِنِّی بَرِیءٌ مِنْکُمْ» (Anfal: 48)
🔹 2-3. Satan’s Effects (Atharahu)
Operational definition: Satan’s effects are the subtle and far-reaching influences he exerts upon the “terrain of human existence.”
These effects range from “footprints” to whispering, spittle, impurity, and a share in one’s wealth and children; they manifest in thoughts, intentions, character and deeds.
💫 A passage from the supplication:
«اللَّهُمَّ اشْغَلْهُ عَنَّا بِبَعْضِ أَعْدَائِکَ، وَ اعْصِمْنَا مِنْهُ بِحُسْنِ رِعَایَتِکَ، وَ اكْفِنَا خَتْرَهُ، وَ وَلِّنَا ظَهْرَهُ، وَ اقْطَعْ عَنَّا إِثْرَهُ»
– O God, keep the enemy occupied with other enemies of ours, protect us from his deception, and cut off his tracks from us.
🌟 Part Three: Equipping the Heart’s System (Strengthening and Preparing It)
🔹 3-1. Sincere Intention and a Sound Heart: The Two Wings of a Miraculous Heart
Practical guide:
| Step | Action | Explanation |
| 1 | Correct your intention in every movement and stillness | Before doing anything, make your intention “for God.” |
| 2 | Purify the heart by seeking forgiveness before dawn | Each day, before the dawn call to prayer, repent with humility and devotion, and … |
| 3 | Keep watch over the heart’s four signs | Monitor the heart’s state: is it in “rafʿ, fatḥ, khafḍ or waqf”? |
🔹 3-2. The Heart’s Inflection (Four Principal States)
| State | Meaning | Signs |
| Rafʿ | The heart is raised towards God | 1. Alignment with truth | 2. Absence of resistance | 3. Steadfast longing |
| Fatḥ | The heart is opened to the light | 1. Trust in God | 2. Sincerity | 3. Certainty |
| Khafḍ | The heart is preoccupied with other than God and brought low | 1. Self-conceit | 2. Ostentation | 3. Greed |
| Waqf | The heart is stalled in heedlessness and veiled | 1. The loss of sweetness in worship | 2. The absence of aversion to sin | 3. Confusion between the lawful and the forbidden |
💫 A narration from Imam al-Sadiq (AS):
“The grammatical cases of the heart are four: nominative in the remembrance of God, accusative in contentment with God’s decree, genitive in preoccupation with what is other than God, and pause in heedlessness of God.”
🔹 3-3. Cleansing the Outer and Inner Self with the Miswak (Surgery of the Heart)
Principle: Just as the miswak removes impurities from the teeth, “entreaty, humility, night vigil, and seeking forgiveness in the small hours” cleanse the heart of the taint of sin.
The heart is a pure and clear trust, nourished above all by “remembrance, reflection, awe, and reverence.”
If it is fed on “heedlessness and reprehensible things,” it becomes a dwelling place for Satan.
💫 A narration from Imam Ja‘far al-Sadiq (AS), from the Prophet (PBUH):
“السِّوَاكُ مَطْهَرَةٌ لِلْفَمِ مَرْضَاةٌ لِلرَّبِّ” – The miswak purifies the mouth and brings the Lord’s pleasure.
“Just as the miswak removes impurities from the teeth, cleanse the taint of your sins through entreaty and seeking forgiveness.”
🌟 Part Four: Stages of Operational Response (Calibrating the Strategy)
🔹 4-1. The Physician’s Approach (From Restraint to Surgery)
| Stage | Type of response | Medical equivalent |
| 1 | Restraint and avoidance | Disease prevention |
| 2 | Advice and guidance | A simple oral medicine |
| 3 | Making the case fully and issuing a warning | A compound medicine or injection |
| 4 | Severing ties and imposing a boycott | Cupping and a hot bath |
| 5 | Firm and forceful action | Surgery |
| 6 | Definitive destruction (if necessary) | Emergency medicine |
Note:
When dealing with Satan and those who resemble him, there is no alternative to “forceful, heated action.”
With other groups, responses that are “cold, cool, gentle, warm, heated, or forceful” should be used as appropriate.
🔹 4-2. The Strategy of Inhalation and Exhalation (Prudent Moderation)
Do not seal off every avenue of friendship; leave the enemy some openings through which friendship can breathe.
Do not block every escape route; the enemy may become more ferocious.
“Firefighting, not firestorming.”
🔹 4-3. A Pure Strategy: The Most Effective of Weapons
Principle: Pure intention, pure thought, and a pure weapon put an end to every kind of enmity.
“A soldier’s pure mind” comes before weapons and is more effective than any weapon.
An impure mind turns the soldier himself into an enemy.
🌟 Part Five: The Lofty Horizon (Martyrdom and Transcending Time)
🔹 5-1. The Strategy of Martyrdom: The Loftiest of Strategies
Principle:
When the vein of religion needs an infusion of blood, “blood must be donated.”
When an organ transplant is needed, “an organ must be donated.”
Martyrdom is the loftiest, most effective, and most enduring of strategies.
In the time of Imam Hussein (AS):
Religion lay in the killing pit of the ignorant; people slept beneath seven layers of heedlessness; society needed a “mighty shock.”
Pure blood flowed to irrigate the parched field of religion.
🔹 5-2. The Secret of “هَلْ مِنْ ذَابٍ” on the Night and Day of Ashura
| Time | Action | Purpose |
| The Night of Ashura | Releasing the companions from their pledge of allegiance | Purging the defenders’ ranks of the impure |
| The Day of Ashura | “هَلْ مِنْ ذَابٍ” (Is there anyone who will defend me?) | Calling the absent pure-hearted to water the faith |
This was a “transformative strategy” that both “purified the ranks of the companions” and offered the absent pure-hearted “another chance” to join.
🔹 5-3. The Battle Between the Pure Tree and the Corrupt Tree
| The Pure Tree | The Corrupt Tree |
| The good word (divine unity, devotion to the Imams, purity) | The evil word (polytheism, disbelief, wickedness) |
| Its roots are firm and its branches reach into heaven | Uprooted from the earth |
| It needs pure, wholesome water (faith, love, martyrdom) | It needs darkness, impurity and filth |
| Its fruit is guidance and a wholesome life | Its fruit is misguidance and ruin |
Imam Hussein (AS)’s battle with Yazid was the battle of the “Pure Tree” against the “Corrupt Tree”—of “light” against “darkness,” and of “truth” against “falsehood.”
✨ Final Summary (in One Sentence)
“Through remembrance, reflection and wise strategy, turn satanic insinuations into a bridge to spiritual ascent; by accepting divine authority, join the victorious party; with a vision beyond your own time, be a soldier of reason and truth in every age; and if the lifeblood of faith is needed, embrace martyrdom as the highest form of wise strategy.”
Key Concepts (for Quick Reference)
| Key Concept | Brief Definition |
| The physician’s strategy | Dealing with the enemy as one treats an illness—from avoidance to surgery |
| The Party of God | The victorious party = accepting divine authority and renouncing false powers |
| The Pure Tree | The word of divine unity and purity = needs pure blood to nourish it |
| The Corrupt Tree | The word of polytheism and wickedness = doomed to perish |
| The strategy of martyrdom | The highest, most effective and most enduring strategy |
| The secret of “هَلْ مِنْ ذَابٍ” | Purifying the companions and calling the absent pure-hearted to nourish the faith |
📋 Final Remarks (Supplement)
✅ The foundations and pillars of wise strategy:
Remembering God’s greatness and reflecting on His power are the roots of every wise strategy. A commander must continually attend to his weapons and strategic plan—remembrance and reflection.
✅ Noble character: a lethal weapon against ignorance:
Ethics is the inward weapon in spiritual struggle. The inner enemy reveals itself in the guise and scent of “love of this world.”
✅ Showing mercy to Satan is like watering thorns:
So long as a satanic person does not desist from his mischief, stern measures against him must not cease.
“ وَ مَا الْحَياةُ الدُّنْيا إِلاَّ مَتاعُ الْغُرُور” (Iron: 20)
✨ An Expansive, Enriching Elaboration
🌻🔆 The Heart, That Boundless Wonder 🔆🌻
🌼 The Heart’s Heavenly Endowment 🌼
🌹🔅☘️ بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحيمِ ☘️🔅🌹
🌙 Opening Song: The Heart, Threshold of Light
O heart, God created you as a clear mirror
so that His everlasting light might dwell within you
and make you a sanctuary for the remembrance of His greatness
The heart is not a piece of flesh within the chest
but a sanctuary around which the angels circle
The heart is not a handful of blood that beats
but a sweetness from which God lets you taste the honey of gnosis
O heart, if you become God’s sanctuary
your remembrance will grow majestic
But if your sanctity is broken
you will remain silent and dark, like a ruined house
🔥 Part One: Remembrance of the Divine Majesty, the Hidden Fire
✨Remembrance is a melody rising from the depths of the soul
Remembrance of God’s majesty is no whisper upon the lips
but a fire that flares from a heart consumed with longing
The heart is like a candle, lit by the oil of gnosis
and made to blaze brighter by the storm of faith
O heart, if you apprehend God’s majesty
every veil will fall away like a thin curtain
and before the infinite light,
you will spread your wings like a bird and begin to sing
💫 Imam Ja‘far al-Sadiq (AS) says:
“One whose intention is sincere possesses a sound heart.”
And God says:
“یَوْمَ لا یَنْفَعُ مالٌ وَ لا بَنُونَ، إِلَّا مَنْ أَتَى اللَّهَ بِقَلْبٍ سَلِیمٍ”
So, O wayfarer on the path of the heart!
Polish your intention like a shining jewel
so that your heart may become a mirror reflecting His beauty
and your remembrance, a heavenly melody that makes the Throne tremble
🌊 Part Two: Reflection, the Boundless Wave of Gnosis
✨Reflection is a journey into the depths of existence
Reflection is no mere glance
but a dive into the infinite ocean of divine power
An hour of reflection is better than a year of heedless worship
for reflection is a mirror in which you behold your good deeds
and an expiation that cleanses you of your misdeeds
Reflection means leaping from a particle to a galaxy
from a cell to a black hole
from the earth to the Throne
from the self to God’s threshold
💫 Imam Ja‘far al-Sadiq (AS) says:
“Reflection is the mirror of good deeds and the light of the heart.”
And the Messenger of God (PBUH) says:
“فِكْرَةُ سَاعَةٍ خَيْرٌ مِنْ عِبَادَةِ سَنَةٍ”
—An hour of reflection is better than a year of worship.
So, O wayfarer on the path of reflection!
Open the eye of your heart
and contemplate His power across the horizons of existence
so that every particle may become a sign for you
and every breath a window onto the infinite
🕯️ Part Three: The Heart and Its Four States of Love
✨The heart is sometimes heavenly, sometimes earthly
The heart has four states:
Rafʿ: when the heart soars toward God
Fatḥ: when the heart opens to the light
Khafḍ: when the heart sinks toward what is other than God
Waqf: when the heart comes to a standstill in heedlessness
O heart, when you are in rafʿ and fatḥ,
you sing like a bird with outstretched wings
But when you are in khafḍ and waqf,
you are like a ruined house, silent and dark
💫 Imam Jaʿfar al-Sadiq (AS) says:
“The grammatical inflections of the heart are of four kinds: rafʿ in remembrance of God, fatḥ in contentment with God’s decree, khafḍ in occupation with what is other than God, and waqf in heedlessness of God.”
So, O seeker on the path of the heart,
keep watch over the heart’s state at every moment
For if you are in rafʿ and fatḥ,
all veils fall away like a thin curtain
But if you are in khafḍ and waqf,
every window closes to you
Part Four: Strategy, a Double-Edged Sword
✨Strategy is a skillful surgery of the heart
Strategy is not spite
but a physician’s remedy for removing the disease of enmity
Just as a physician begins with dietary restraint
and proceeds all the way to surgery
Prudent strategy, too, begins with counsel
and goes as far as the destruction of the satanic enemy
But, O seeker on the path of prudence!
Put out fires; do not set them ablaze
Do not seal off every avenue of friendship
for an enemy grows more ferocious when driven into a corner
And know this:
Pure intention, pure thought, and a pure weapon destroy every enmity
A soldier’s pure mind is mightier than any weapon
while a corrupt mind can turn the soldier himself into an enemy
🌹 Part Five: Martyrdom, the Eternal Blood
✨Martyrdom is a strategy that writes history
When the vein of religion needs an infusion of blood,
pure blood must flow
so that religion’s thirsting field may be watered
In the time of Imam Husayn (AS):
religion had fallen into the killing pit of the ignorant
people lay asleep in a sevenfold slumber of heedlessness
and truth lay buried beneath the soil of ignorance
So he
through the strategy of martyrdom,
brought down a pure thunderbolt upon the dead body of society
so that life might flow anew through history’s veins
On the night of Ashura,
he released his companions from their pledge of allegiance
so that the impure might be kept far from the precinct of defense
On the day of Ashura,
“هَلْ مِنْ ذَابٍ” he cried out
so that the pure ones who were absent might hasten to water the faith.
This was an alchemical stratagem
that both purified the companions
and offered those pure ones who had fallen behind another chance to join them.
🌳 Part Six: The Good Tree and the Evil Tree
✨The battle between light and darkness has always raged, and still does.
The good tree:
Its roots are firmly grounded in divine unity,
and its branches reach into the heavens.
Its fruit is guidance and a wholesome life,
and it needs pure blood to nourish it.
The evil tree:
Its roots have been torn from the earth,
and its branches are lost in darkness.
Its fruit is misguidance and ruin,
and it needs darkness and defilement to grow.
The battle between Imam Husayn (AS) and Yazid
was a battle between these two trees:
a battle of light against darkness,
of truth against falsehood,
of the good word against the evil word.
✨ A Lover’s Final Word
🌙O heart, if you love Husayn, rise!
With remembrance, reflection, and foresight,
turn Satan’s insinuations into a bridge to spiritual ascent.
By accepting divine authority, join the victorious party.
With a vision beyond time, be a soldier of reason and truth in every age.
And if the vein of faith should need blood,
embrace martyrdom as the most exalted of all strategies.
📜 A Collection of Aphoristic and Philosophical Sayings
A) On “The Heart and the Reality of Being”
| No. | Aphorism |
| 1 | The heart is not a piece of flesh within the chest; it is a sanctuary around which the angels circumambulate. |
| 2 | The heart is a mirror in which God has placed His everlasting light. |
| 3 | When the heart becomes God’s sanctuary, its remembrance grows majestic; but when its sanctity is violated, it remains silent and dark, like a ruined house. |
| 4 | The heart is a pure and clear trust, whose essential nourishment is “remembrance, reflection, awe, and reverence.” |
| 5 | A pure heart is the home of pure discernment; an impure heart is a breeding ground for the enemies of God. |
| 6 | The heart may be celestial or earthbound, depending on which way it spreads its wings. |
| 7 | The heedless heart is like a ruined, empty house, with no life and no companion within. |
| 8 | The heart is a beehive that admits nothing but pure honey, and a mine of beauty’s sweetest essence. |
🔥 B) On “Remembrance and Divine Majesty”
| No. | Aphorism |
| 9 | Remembrance of divine majesty is no mere murmur on the lips; it is a flame kindled in a pure heart.⟦57⟁ |
| 10 | The heart is like a candle, lit by the oil of knowledge and made to burn brighter by the storm of faith. |
| 11 | A mighty remembrance springs from a mighty heart; and a heart becomes mighty through knowing the majesty of God. |
| 12 | When divine majesty prevails in the heart, it makes the whole human being a manifestation of the remembrance of God’s majesty. |
| 13 | The remembrance of divine majesty removes every veil from the servant’s path; nothing remains between worshipper and Worshipped but divine majesty. |
| 14 | The sovereign power of reverence makes the heart a sanctuary for the mighty remembrance of Allah. |
C) On “Contemplation and Divine Power”
| No. | Wisdom saying |
| 15 | Contemplation is a journey into the depths of existence, a dive into the boundless ocean of divine power. |
| 16 | An hour of contemplation is better than a year of heedless worship, for contemplation is a mirror of good deeds and an expiation for misdeeds. |
| 17 | Contemplation means leaping from the particle to the galaxy, from the cell to the black hole, from dust to the Throne, from the self to God. |
| 18 | Transcendent contemplation is to journey through all the divine signs throughout the whole of existence. |
| 19 | Pure, clear thought accelerates the human being’s growth and development, and becomes a source of miracles. |
| 20 | Contemplation comes alive under the guidance of reason, and reason gains strength through the virtues of noble character. |
| 21 | Contemplation is the reading of God’s signs, whether on earth or in the heavens. |
| 22 | The world is like a leech: it sucks the blood of human devotion and cuts off the power to contemplate the heights of divine wonder. |
D) On “Strategy and Knowing the Enemy”
| No. | Wisdom saying |
| 23 | Strategy is a double-edged sword: for operating on the enemy, and for purifying oneself. |
| 24 | Strategy is not vindictiveness; it is a physician’s remedy for curing the disease of enmity. |
| 25 | Put out fires; do not set them ablaze—for an enemy driven into a corner grows more ferocious. |
| 26 | Pure intent, pure thought and pure weapons put an end to every kind of enmity. |
| 27 | A soldier’s pure mind is superior to any weapon; a corrupt mind turns the soldier himself into an enemy. |
| 28 | The lower self is more satanic than Iblis, for it is always with us and always within reach. |
| 29 | Beware of becoming your own enemy; beware that the enemy has made its nest within you. |
| 30 | A human devil is worse than a jinn devil, for a devilish human can sink so low that even Satan disowns him. |
🌹 E) On “Martyrdom and Ashura”
| No. | Wisdom saying |
| 31 | The strategy of martyrdom is the most exalted, most effective and most enduring of strategies. |
| 32 | Total martyrdom is an all-encompassing strategy: with every limb, in every particle of one’s being. |
| 33 | When the vein of faith needs an infusion of blood, pure blood must flow to irrigate faith’s thirsty fields. |
| 34 | In the time of Imam Husayn (AS), religion lay in the killing pit of the ignorant, and society needed a pure thunderbolt to bring it back to life. |
| 35 | The secret of “هَلْ مِنْ ذَابٍ” on the night of Ashura was to purify the companions; on the day of Ashura, it was to summon the absent pure ones to water the faith. |
| 36 | Pure blood is the very water of life for the blessed tree; without it, the tree of faith remains withered. |
و) On “The Blessed Tree and the Evil Tree”
| No. | Maxim |
| 37 | The blessed tree has its roots in divine oneness and its branches reaching heaven; its fruit is guidance and a wholesome life. |
| 38 | The evil tree has been uprooted from the earth, and its fruit is misguidance and ruin. |
| 39 | Imam Hussein’s (AS) battle with Yazid was the battle of the blessed tree against the evil tree, of light against darkness, and of truth against falsehood. |
| 40 | The blessed tree needs pure, wholesome water (faith, love, martyrdom); the evil tree needs darkness and impurity. |
🌙 ز) On “Primordial Nature and Divine Knowledge”
| No. | Maxim |
| 41 | Primordial nature is the software of the knowledge of the first and the last, potentially present within every human being. |
| 42 | By activating the system of primordial nature, a person is equipped with existence’s latest technology: technology that is instantaneous and ever-renewing. |
| 43 | The knowledge of the first and the last is potential within every person, but actual in the Infallible Ones (AS). |
| 44 | Every human being is a user of divine knowledge, yet many have not fully unfolded their primordial nature. |
| 45 | “مَنْ أَرَادَ الْعِلْمَ فَلْیُثَوِّرِ الْقُرْآنَ” — Whoever seeks knowledge must search the Qur’an from beginning to end to discover its hidden treasures. |
ح) On “Intention, the Sound Heart, and the Grammatical Cases of the Heart”
| No. | Maxim |
| 46 | A sincere intention safeguards the heart’s well-being and brings a person to a “sound heart.” |
| 47 | A pure intention subdues the self and its desires to the sovereign power of reverence for God. |
| 48 | In the “nominative and accusative,” the heart sings like a bird with outstretched wings; in the “genitive and pause,” it is silent and dark, like a ruined house. |
| 49 | Signs of the nominative: harmony with the truth, freedom from opposition, and sustained longing; signs of the accusative: trust in God, sincerity, and certainty. |
| 50 | Signs of the genitive: conceit, ostentation, and greed; signs of the pause: the loss of sweetness in obedience, the absence of bitterness toward sin, and the confusion of the lawful with the unlawful. |
✳️ A Systematic Summary of “The Heart’s Miracle”
📋 Part One: The Text’s Broad Identity (What It Is and Why)
| Element | Explanation |
| Overall title | “The Miraculous Heart” — Preparing the heart to a higher degree to face the enemy within and without |
| Qur’anic basis—Narrative basis | Passage 13 of Supplication 20 in al-Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya: transforming Satanic promptings (wishful thinking, suspicion, envy) into remembrance of God’s majesty, reflection on His power, and strategizing against the enemy |
| Ultimate aim | Transforming all of one’s capacities into “instruments of sincere servitude” and “resistance to Satan” |
| Broad horizon | A vision that transcends time and place, made possible by the presence of “God’s Proof” in every age |
Part Two: The Three Core Components (Remembrance, Reflection, Strategic Judgment)
| Component | Operational Definition | Role in the Heart’s System |
| Remembrance of God’s Greatness | Sincere remembrance of God, grounded in knowledge of His greatness | Lifting the veils and connecting to the Divine Light |
| Reflection on Power | Contemplating the signs of God throughout all existence, from the tiniest particle to the galaxies | Cultivating certainty, illuminating the heart, and increasing knowledge |
| Strategic Judgment Against the Enemy | Devising wise, healing measures to ward off the harm of the enemy, within and without | تحقّقِ «تولّی و تبرّی» in practice |
Part Three: An Operational Roadmap (Five Key Steps)
| Step Title Key Actions Outcome Step 1Purifying Intention and Cultivating a Sound Heart 1. Purify one’s intention in every action and stillness. 2. Cleanse the heart through seeking forgiveness before dawn. The heart becomes a sanctuary for the remembrance of God’s greatness Step 2Strengthening the System of Remembrance and Reflection 1. Remember God’s greatness with a present heart. 2. Reflect on the signs of God in the world within and the world without. 3. Consult people of sound judgment and piety. The innate disposition flourishes and the heart is illumined Step 3Identifying and Removing the Traces of Satan 1. Identify Satan’s traces in one’s thoughts and character. 2. Purify the outward and inward through repentance and turning back to God. The channels through which the enemy gains a foothold are cleansed Step 4Taking a Healing Approach to the Enemy 1. Begin with avoidance and counsel. 2. Respond proportionately—coolly, gently, warmly, fiercely, or firmly. 3. Resort to surgery if necessary. Ward off the enemy’s harm with the least possible damage Step 5Opening a Timeless Horizon (Martyrdom and the Final Outcome) 1. Be ready for martyrdom if necessary. 2. Join the tree of |
purity. 3. Take the strategy of Ashura as a model. The life of purity endures, and the light is everlasting
Part Four: Stages of Responding to the Enemy (Calibrating One’s Strategy)
| Stage | Type of Response | Medical Equivalent | Guideline |
| 1 | Avoidance and distance | Prevention | As long as the enemy poses no danger |
| 2 | Counsel and guidance | A simple oral medicine | As long as there is hope of reform |
| 3 | Making the case clear and issuing a warning | A compound medicine or an injection | After obstinacy becomes evident |
| 4 | Severing ties and imposing sanctions | Cupping and a hot bath | To prevent the corruption from spreading |
| 5 | A decisive and forceful response | Surgery | For intransigent, satanic enemies |
| 6 | Definitive elimination (when necessary) | Emergency medicine | Only for Satan and those wholly satanic |
Key Point:
Against the inner enemy—the lower self—there is no way but the “greater jihad” and “struggle at every moment.”
Against the outer enemy, use a “fire extinguisher,” not a “flamethrower”; leave openings through which friendship can breathe.
Part Five: Distinguishing Between the Enemy Within and the Enemy Without
| Type of Enemy | Examples | Approach | Guideline |
| Enemy within | The lower self, satanic whispers, heedlessness | Repentance, seeking forgiveness, remembrance, reflection, vigilance | The greater jihad never pauses, even for a moment |
| The satanic external enemy | Corrupt people, tyrants, enemies of religion | A firm and decisive response (when necessary) | First establishing the proof, then responding |
| The ordinary external enemy | Opponents who are not satanic | Counsel, guidance, sanctions, a proportionate response | Reform and turn enmity into friendship, as far as possible |
Section Six: The Heart’s Four States (the Grammatical Cases of the Heart)
| State | Definition | Signs | Appropriate response |
| Rafʿ | The heart is raised toward God | 1. Harmony with the truth 2. Absence of resistance 3. Unceasing longing | Persist in remembrance and gratitude |
| Fatḥ | The heart has opened to the light | 1. Trust in God 2. Sincerity 3. Certainty | Receive grace and let it spread |
| Khafḍ | The heart is preoccupied with what is other than God and has sunk low | 1. Self-admiration 2. Ostentation 3. Greed | Repent and return to God |
| Waqf | The heart is stalled in heedlessness and veiled | 1. The loss of sweetness in worship 2. The absence of remorse for sin 3. Confusing the lawful with the forbidden | Awaken the heedless heart through remembrance and reflection |
📋 Section Seven: Certain Principles of Victory and Defeat
| Principle | Its meaning |
| Certain victory | Belongs to the Party of God (for this is God’s way, and God is supreme). |
| Certain defeat | Belongs to the Party of Satan (for Satan and his deeds have an “appointed term” and will perish). |
| The role of believers | Join the victorious party by accepting God’s authority and disavowing tyranny; thereafter, simply benefit from this and show the beauty of servitude to God. |
Section Eight: The Battle between the Good Tree and the Evil Tree
| The good tree | The evil tree |
| A good word (divine unity, spiritual authority, purity) | An evil word (polytheism, disbelief, corruption) |
| Its root is firmly grounded and its branches reach into the sky | Uprooted from the earth |
| It needs pure, wholesome water (faith, love, martyrdom) | It needs darkness, defilement and impurity |
| Its fruit is guidance and a wholesome life | Its fruit is misguidance and destruction |
| Its perfect embodiment: Imam Husayn (AS) and his companions | Its perfect embodiment: Yazid and his troops |
Conclusion: The Battle of Karbala was the battle between these two trees; today, too, every person must choose between them.
📖 Section Nine: Key Concepts (for Quick Reference)
| Key concept | Brief definition |
| Remembrance of God’s majesty | Sincere remembrance of God, grounded in knowledge of His majesty; it lifts the veils from the heart |
| Reflection on divine power | Contemplating God’s signs throughout all existence; it brings certainty and illuminates |
| The physician’s art of treatment | Dealing with an enemy as one treats an illness (from avoidance to surgery) |
| The Party of God | The victorious party; acceptance of God’s authority and disavowal of tyranny |
| The good tree | The word of divine unity and purity; it needs the water of faith and martyrdom |
| The evil tree | The word of polytheism and corruption; destined to perish |
| The Strategy of Martyrdom | The most exalted, effective and enduring strategy |
| The secret of “هَلْ مِنْ ذَابٍ” | Purifying the companions and calling upon the absent pure ones to water the faith |
| The Greater Jihad | Struggling against the commanding self, prior to the Lesser Jihad |
| The grammatical case of the heart | Four states of the heart: nominative, accusative, genitive and pause |
💎 Part Ten: Final Summary (At a Glance)
“Through remembrance, reflection and wise strategy, turn satanic promptings into a bridge to spiritual ascent; by accepting divine authority, join the victorious party; with a vision beyond time, be a soldier of reason and truth in every age; and if the faith’s lifeblood is needed, embrace martyrdom as the most exalted of strategies.”
📊 Final Table: The Text’s Logical Progression (From Foundations to Conclusion)
🔹 Theoretical foundations (remembrance, reflection, innate nature)
↓
🔹 Knowing the enemy (within and without)
↓
🔹 Equipping the heart’s system (intention, sound heart, the heart’s grammatical case)
↓
🔹 Stages of operational response (from avoidance to surgery)
↓
🔹 The exalted horizon (martyrdom, a vision beyond time, the blessed tree)
↓
🔹 Certain outcome (the Party of God = victorious / the Party of Satan = destined to perish)
📋 Appendix: One-Page Summary
Title: The Miraculous Heart – Equipping the Heart to the Highest Degree
Quranic and tradition-based foundation:
Passage 13 of Supplication 20 in al-Ṣaḥīfa al-Sajjādiyya:
“اللَّهُمَّ اجْعَلْ مَا يُلْقِي الشَّيْطَانُ فِي رُوعِي مِنَ التَّمَنِّي وَ التَّظَنِّي وَ الْحَسَدِ، ذِكْراً لِعَظَمَتِكَ، وَ تَفَكُّراً فِي قُدْرَتِكَ، وَ تَدْبِيراً عَلَى عَدُوِّكَ”
Three main pillars:
Remembering God’s greatness ← removing veils and connecting to the light
Reflecting on God’s power ← certainty, illumination of the heart, increase in knowledge
Devising a strategy against the enemy ← warding off the enemy’s harm with a physician’s care
Five operational steps:
Correcting one’s intention and attaining a sound heart
Strengthening the system of remembrance and reflection
Identifying and removing satanic influences
Devising a physician’s strategy against the enemy
Opening horizons beyond time (martyrdom and the final outcome)
Certain principles:
The Party of God = victorious
The Party of Satan = destined to perish
The Greater Jihad (struggle against the self) = prior to the Lesser Jihad
The exalted horizon:
Martyrdom is the most exalted of strategies. At Karbala, through the secret of “هَلْ مِنْ ذَابٍ”, it reached its perfection and watered the blessed tree for all time.
[1] Miṣbāḥ al-Sharīʿa; p. 53 Attributed to Jaʿfar ibn Muḥammad, Aʿlamī – Beirut, first edition, 1400 AH.
[2] Miṣbāḥ al-Sharīʿa, p. 121 Attributed to Jaʿfar ibn Muḥammad, peace be upon him. Al-Aʿlamī, Beirut, first edition, 1400 AH.
[3] Miṣbāḥ al-Sharīʿa, p. 113 Attributed to Jaʿfar ibn Muḥammad, peace be upon him. Al-Aʿlamī, Beirut, first edition, 1400 AH.
[4] Miṣbāḥ al-Sharīʿa, p. 152 Attributed to Jaʿfar ibn Muḥammad, peace be upon him. Al-Aʿlamī, Beirut, first edition, 1400 AH.
[5] Miṣbāḥ al-Sharīʿa, p. 123 Attributed to Jaʿfar ibn Muḥammad, peace be upon him. Al-Aʿlamī, Beirut, first edition, 1400 AH.
[6]Al-Ṣaḥīfa al-Sajjādiyya, supplication 47, passage 13
[7]Al-Ṣaḥīfa al-Sajjādiyya, supplication 17, passage 4
[8] Maʿānī al-Akhbār, text, p. 160 Ibn Bābawayh, Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī. Islamic Publications Office, affiliated with the Society of Seminary Teachers of Qom, Qom, first edition, 1403 AH.
[9] Majmaʿ al-Baḥrayn, vol. 3, p. 238 Ṭurayḥī, Fakhr al-Dīn ibn Muḥammad. Murtaḍawī, Tehran, third edition, 1375 SH.
[10] Biḥār al-Anwār (Beirut edition), vol. 40, p. 70 Majlisī, Muḥammad Bāqir ibn Muḥammad Taqī. Dār Iḥyāʾ al-Turāth al-ʿArabī, Beirut, second edition, 1403 AH.
