Ethics and Spirituality

When forbidding wrong may lead to physical confrontation and life-threatening harm, such as death or serious injury, we must weigh the value of the act against its cost. If giving one’s life for God’s pleasure, keeping the faith alive, awakening heedless hearts, and guiding them is worth such a sacrifice, then taking this stand is commendable.

Dreams are not merely products of the unconscious and everyday events. In sleep, the human spirit takes flight and may travel to higher realms. Mental faculties account for only part of what the spirit receives; the spiritual journey of the mystics goes beyond them and is connected to higher sources.

Wishing for death because of the oppression of religion and the sight of injustice has a religious basis and reflects pain and love for the beloved. Like Mary’s (SA) wish to die amid the hardship of childbirth, or Imam Ali’s (AS) grief at being parted from the Prophet (PBUH) and Fatima al-Zahra (SA), this wish expresses the depth of one’s suffering and devotion to the truth.

Although the virtual world is virtual, it has real effects and consequences, and it should not lead us to be lax about sensitive matters. The presence of Satan in this space is a serious concern, and its dangers should not be underestimated. Inappropriate images and speech are more widespread here; this space has become a major arena for Satan’s victories.

Using a male name online can serve as a form of covering and hijab, provided the necessary ethical guidelines are observed and men do not initiate private conversations through the profile. Simply changing one’s appearance and name does not lessen one’s religious obligations; Islamic principles must still be upheld.

Your wise and thoughtful counsel on enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong was beautiful and measured. May God be your help and support.

Anyone who hurts a believing man or woman has declared war on God, and God will take vengeance on their behalf. We should entrust such a person to God. On the Day of Judgment, wrongdoers will be taken to Hell with the flesh stripped from their faces because they harmed believers and showed them hostility.

An actress telling an unrelated man to think of her as his mother and touch her is a blatant mockery of divine law and a flagrant display of shamelessness. Divine laws are not something to joke about, nor should they be made a plaything of one’s desires. God upholds His laws, and those who violate them will face grave consequences and may even be transformed.

Divine grace means that a person’s actions accord with God’s command, and this accord is a special blessing from God. Grace is the means by which one comes to enjoy other blessings, and it is inseparable from blessing; hence it has been called the first blessing. By contrast, being forsaken means being left to one’s own devices in committing sin.

The instruction to speak of God’s blessings in the verse «و اما بنعمه ربک فحدث» means making known the blessing God has granted a person in matters of religion when doing so is necessary to guide and counsel others and strengthen their faith and certainty. When this is done with sincere intentions, to enlighten one’s audience, it is not considered ostentation; indeed, it may be obligatory and can guide others and reinforce their beliefs.

The freedom Imam Ali (AS) speaks of in the words «لا تکونن عبد غیرک و قد جعلک الله سبحانه حرا» means not being a slave to anyone else, for God has created human beings free. This freedom entails avoiding any unlawful dependence on others, whether for wealth, influence, status, or professional and intellectual ties.

Yes. It is preferable to seek the interpretation of dreams that are clearly not merely confused or disturbing dreams. If one is unable to arrive at an interpretation, one should ask God Almighty for a good interpretation and pray to Him for its meaning, so that through divine inspiration one may discern what is truly intended.

A flight under divine command is safe from falling, so there is no need to fear the valleys. But any flight without divine guidance is itself a fall. If the flight takes off from the runway of ascension to the realm of jinn and humans, under the command of the sacred threshold, God is the guide along the way.

A prayer for presence of heart in prayer and for receiving its blessings: “O God, do not leave me to myself in the finest and most beautiful of deeds—prayer. Take me into Your care and instil the spirit of prayer in my soul…” The successful believers are those who are humble in their prayers, turn away from idle talk, give zakat, and faithfully honour their trusts and promises.

Prayer is a bridge to nearness to God, and presence of heart is the key to receiving its blessings. By setting aside worldly distractions and turning our attention to God’s greatness, we can draw closer to Him and experience the delight of intimate communion. The takbīr that opens the prayer should be spoken with a heart that recognises God’s greatness and sees all creation as insignificant before Him.

Satan’s influence is no less present in one part of the prayer than in another; there is no difference between reciting al-Fātiḥa and the other surah, and saying the tasbīḥāt. Presence of heart in prayer depends on a person’s longing to connect with God: the stronger that longing becomes, the more fully the heart and tongue will be present before Him. Love of worship, which grows from knowledge, brings the heart into prayer; the heart should lead the body and its limbs.

Sincerity in action means directing one’s worship exclusively to the One worshipped; a lack of sincerity amounts to deceit and hypocrisy. A servant is paid by the master he serves, and insincere worship is like seeking a reward from someone one has not served. Sincerity comes from clear knowledge: when we recognize that God alone is sufficient for us, we do not turn to anyone else.