Ethics and Spirituality

If enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong is established as a duty, and the person knows they will be mocked for fulfilling it, they should bear that mockery for God’s sake. Such patience brings a double reward and makes them like the great prophets, who were not spared mockery by their own people.

A lack of planning or a regular schedule, failing to make the night prayer a priority, excessive fatigue, and energy drained by other commitments can all keep us from this act of worship. Sometimes, too, a person may be deprived of it as a consequence of a particular action. At other times, divine kindness may temporarily withhold this opportunity to protect someone from self-conceit and pride, so that they return to the night prayer with greater longing.

The night prayer allows a person to benefit from its effects even at the moment of meeting the Angel of Death, for it inspires compassion, love, and kindness toward them. Its effects smooth the Angel of Death’s passage when a person’s appointed time arrives.

Constructive criticism between spouses, when offered with love and good intentions and with the aim of encouraging what is right and discouraging what is wrong, can strengthen affection and kindness between them and have remarkable effects.

During quarantine, when we are apart from those around us, enjoining good and forbidding wrong should begin with ourselves. Through self-examination, revisiting our beliefs in the fundamental principles of religion, seeking solitude with God, repentance and turning back to Him, and completing a reading of the Qur’an and the teachings of the Ahl al-Bayt, let us reform ourselves before turning to others.

Shaykh Jaʿfar Kashif al-Ghita did not divorce his bad-tempered wife because he believed that being beaten by her kept his lower self in check and prevented him from becoming arrogant on account of his scholarly and social standing. He regarded her mistreatment as a divine blessing that helped him watch over his soul and guard against pride, and met it with gracious patience.

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.