Ethics and Spirituality

Eating less means consuming only what the body needs. It helps us care responsibly for our bodies and worship more effectively. Fasting, by contrast, is an act of worship in its own right and is not simply a matter of eating less. Its value lies in the act of worship itself, which brings us closer to God.

Specialising in the Qur’an and the Ahl al-Bayt is possible only through a distinctive, intimate engagement with these two weighty trusts and by entering the realm of their allusions and subtleties. It requires intellectual, spiritual and rational striving, together with the utmost purity and self-discipline. Certainty through the mysteries of wisdom means being able to use wisdom to order and govern one’s being, and to reach the source of realities.

In the hadith “من قبض يده مخافة الفقر فقد تعجل الفقر,” “holding back one’s hand” means refraining from generosity, giving, and charitable spending. Stinginess deprives a person of one of the means by which provision increases, and brings poverty in its wake. Giving is a means of increasing one’s provision, while miserliness constricts it and brings poverty upon a person.

God Most High may inspire your pure heart to seek out someone in need, or bring that person across your path. This is one of the countless ways God makes you a means of helping those in need, without your knowing in advance.

Those who knowingly disobey God have become like Satan, and satanic traits have taken root in them. Their faith has grown weak; they have forgotten death, the Hereafter, and the final reckoning. They have been deceived by worldly life and have lost sight of God’s power. Such people behave audaciously toward God.

Making a habit of doing good is praiseworthy when it means being steadfast in one’s actions and cultivating good qualities. But repeating an action without feeling its sweetness or acting with intention is blameworthy. To keep repeated acts of worship alive, renew your intention and approach each one with a sense of freshness. The best worship is to overcome habit, and changing our habits makes acts of obedience easier.

Those who grow accustomed to indecency and sin become like cockroaches. Those who follow corrupt people of wealth and power are like jackals. Corrupt people who cause others to suffer are like dogs, while those who await others’ ruin so they can profit from it are like vultures. Worst of all are those who feed on vultures: people who make what is already vile even worse and profit from ever more brazen sins.

Failing to respect others’ turns and showing favoritism stem from the force of injustice among the forces of ignorance. Taking revenge stems from the force of vengeance; deliberately doing harm, from the force of evil; failing to appreciate others’ efforts, from the force of ingratitude; and mocking others, from the force of aggression. These are opposed to the forces of reason.

We should seek advice from people who are wise, courageous, generous, and content—not cowardly, miserly, or greedy. They should also be mindful of God, and both our reason and our heart should affirm their counsel. The Prophet (PBUH) said, “Do not consult a coward, a miser, or a greedy person, for they narrow the path, hold you back from your goal, and make evil seem attractive.” Once you have sought advice from someone you trust, you should not go against their counsel.

Wishing for others’ destruction in moments of deep distress reflects forces of ignorance such as anger, vengeance, folly, anguish, estrangement, and hostility. Yet despite the harm done to him, the Prophet (PBUH) never made such a request. We should pray for believers to be guided, though praying for the death of hypocrites and obstinate unbelievers is permissible.

A prickly, scorpion-like person is someone whose friends and enemies alike are never safe from harm. Their resentment and envy have reached a point of excess; they know nothing of friendship or affection, and are given to harsh speech, insults, backbiting, slander and opportunism. It is best to keep away from such people.

To begin a business that is profitable and blessed, it is recommended to recite Supplications 6 and 33 from al-Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya, offer salutations to the Prophet (PBUH), and recite the supplication “اللهم إنی أسألک بقوتک و قدرتک و بعزتک و ما أحاط به علمک أن تیسر لی من التجاره أوسعها رزقا و أعمها فضلا و خیرها عاقبه”. It is also beneficial to perform the prayer and recite the supplication “غدوت بحول الله و قوته...”

A lack of blessing in time and the feeling that there is never enough of it are consequences of failing to give thanks for the blessing of time. Gratitude for this blessing brings an increase in it. Making proper use of time, together with faith and mindfulness of God, brings immense blessings into a person’s life and frees them from the poverty of time.

People consumed by resentment and envy emit harmful waves, and sitting near them can have damaging effects. To cleanse ourselves of these effects, we should turn to the prayers and teachings of al-Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya, especially Prayers 22, 23, and 8, and seek protection from envy and other vices.

The evil eye results from waves emanating from the body and soul, mingled with spite and envy and reflected through the eyes. The more diseased the heart, the more harmful the evil eye. Through remembrance of God and recitation of such verses and chapters as al-Nās, al-Falaq, Āyat al-Kursī, and al-Tawḥīd, believers ward off the effects of admiring glances.

Thoughts, whether divinely inspired or satanic, produce waves that radiate from the body and can be picked up and read by others. Unwholesome thoughts and sinful thoughts pollute the spiritual atmosphere and, like nakedness, reveal a person’s inner identity. We should therefore be mindful of our thoughts in public settings and mixed gatherings.

Frightening dreams in which demons appear, even after you have performed recommended acts of worship, may be a sign that your worship is having an effect and that Satan is trying to discourage you in this way. To counter this, continue your worship steadfastly and seek protection from Satan through supplications and specific spiritual practices. Reciting the seventeenth supplication of al-Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya, the Munajat al-Shakin (Whispered Prayer of the Complaining), the four Quls, Ayat al-Kursi, and certain Quranic verses may be helpful.

There is a fundamental difference between becoming one with the Infallibles and resembling them. To become one with them would mean that a person’s very essence becomes theirs—a wholly mistaken and dangerous idea. To resemble them, by contrast, is to acquire their virtues and qualities in pursuit of the highest degrees of servitude to God.

The claim made by some people that they can experience themselves in place of the Imams (peace be upon them) and manifest in the form of the Infallibles is entirely false and dangerously delusional. If anyone had truly attained such a station, they would have to possess all the Imams’ noble qualities and attributes and be among those referred to in the Verse of Purification.

Our duties toward the oppressed people of Yemen include praying for the hastening of the appearance of His Eminence Mahdi (AJ), praying for their suffering to be relieved, invoking God’s curse on the enemies of Islam and hostile groups, providing financial assistance through recognised channels, and expressing readiness to help in person. We should also appeal to international and legal bodies.