Ethics and Spirituality

Lying to ward off harm is not right unless it amounts to an explicit disavowal of the other person’s act, and it drains one’s spiritual reserves. It is better to refuse the request outright than to lie, so the other person may recognize the wrongness of what they intend to do. If the car is broken, say so plainly, without implying that you would lend it if it were in working order.

The believer’s heart is called God’s Throne because it has the capacity to contain thought, reason, and spirit, just as the Divine Throne is the locus of God’s knowledge. The heart is a lamp niche for light and wisdom, the dwelling place of reason and channels of divine grace. If it does not stray, it becomes God’s house and a treasury of knowledge and wisdom.

Wearing cotton garments is approved by the Ahl al-Bayt and carries no restrictions. Wearing wool, however, is conditional: it may be worn for night worship, to feel the hardship of the poor, to identify with ordinary people, in illness or cold, or temporarily to cultivate humility. At times, wool garments have also been a symbol of hypocrites.

Casting off the garment of piety means exposing one’s nakedness in body and soul, and opens the way to shamelessness. Whoever wears the garment of piety and does not let remembrance of God leave their heart will not have their nakedness exposed—even if they are unclothed in private.

Solitude means setting out to affirm one’s servanthood and become sincere for God, while seclusion is an effort to remove obstacles to the distinctness and wholeness of one’s being. It does not mean withdrawing from people unless they prevent one from being fully present with God. Enjoining what is right and praying in congregation are not incompatible with solitude.

Dormant arrogance is a form of pride whose seed has entered the heart but has not yet taken root because the power, opportunity or circumstances to bring it out are lacking. When any of these factors grows stronger, dormant arrogance becomes active. For example, someone may not yet have faced a situation that invites comparison, or been influenced by beauty, ability, status, wealth, knowledge or the attention of others.

To benefit from the blessing of our days, we must align ourselves with the divine will through obedience, sincere worship, and remembrance of God. Time is a sign of God, the Eternal without beginning or end, and through it we can attain knowledge of God and the meeting with Him.

Here, modesty means an uninformed sense of shame that keeps a person from seeking knowledge, speaking the truth, and enjoying lawful pleasures, thereby leading to deprivation. By contrast, wise modesty, which springs from faith, brings one closer to God. God is not shy about stating the truth.

Marriage, when entered into in accordance with the Prophet’s tradition and God’s rulings, with the intention of drawing closer to God, is blessed. But even a good deed becomes a cause of damnation if it is done with the intention of bringing about harm. True faith is demonstrated when someone accepts God’s rulings and decrees wholeheartedly, even when they go against personal desires—just as the Quran acknowledges that fighting may be something people dislike.