Ethics and Spirituality

The veil is a covering that obscures knowledge and can lead to forgetfulness. Yet when the human will is aligned with the divine will, the human essence can overcome every veil. The veil is both a test and a contest, and a means of attaining knowledge beyond ordinary knowing. In encountering the veil, human growth is multiplied; ignorance and darkness become steps toward the greater reach of divine power.

To remain safe from Satan’s influence during the Occultation, especially as the time of the reappearance draws near, it is essential to recite Supplication 17 of al-Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya regularly and study its commentary, deepen one’s knowledge of Imam Mahdi (AJ), cultivate piety, flee from sin, and read the Quran and narrations reflectively.

Answering the call before the advent means being prepared and attentive with conscious, loving devotion. It is realized by performing our religious obligations with excellence—for example, offering our prayers and fasting with wholehearted devotion and spiritual awareness. True adherence to the Two Weighty Things and developing practical expertise in their teachings are also essential aspects of answering the call before the advent.

Reciting poetry in Islam—especially in mosques and during Ramadan—is generally discouraged unless it serves to defend the truth, remember God, and promote faith and righteous action. Poetry should embody truth and good character, and avoid promoting falsehood and deviation. The verses of Surah al-Shu‘ara show that misguided poets are distinguished by their followers’ misguidance, their words being at odds with their deeds, and their boastfulness. The exception is those who believe and do good works.

In a community of believers, trade should be grounded in forbearance and goodwill. It is not permissible to seek profit at another believer’s expense, especially when they are buying only what they need. This principle will reach its full expression in the age of the Appearance. A hadith from Imam al-Sadiq (AS) states that a believer’s profit from another believer is usury, except in certain cases—for instance, when the purchase exceeds one hundred dirhams or is made for trade. Even then, transactions should be conducted with kindness and forbearance.

The hadith, “Just as men like to see their women adorned and well-groomed, women too like to see men adorned and well-groomed,” means that men, like women, should guard their adornment from the eyes of unrelated members of the opposite sex and observe modesty, chastity, and decorum. Any form of grooming that puts a man on display before unrelated women is blameworthy and may give rise to sin in the heart.

Prostrating to release negative energy taints the prayer with shirk, because the sincere intention of worship, which should be directed toward God, is turned toward oneself. Although prayer and prostration have many effects and benefits, they should not be treated merely as a means to worldly ends such as releasing energy or improving health. Doing so diminishes the devotional value of prayer and takes it away from the path of tawhid.

To say, “May my life be sacrificed for you,” means that a person places the beloved above themselves and even their own parents, and is willing to give up their life and all they hold dear for them. Ultimately, this devotion reaches its highest expression: one gives one’s whole being in the path of divine love, like a sun that burns and is consumed in that love.