Ethics and Spirituality

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.

Satan’s role is like that of a teacher who, through temptation, reveals a person’s strengths and weaknesses, giving them a chance to work on themselves. But this does not mean befriending Satan; it means avoiding what is corrupt, just as we keep away from wine. Satan is God’s enemy, and his aim is to spread ignorance, not to lead people to perfection.

To strengthen your perseverance, avoid talking about things before they are firmly established and you are fully prepared; doing so can undermine them and drain the energy needed to see them through. Every undertaking succeeds only when God’s laws and ways are observed. Protect it as you would a child in the womb.

Arrogance and self-importance take root in a failure to know ourselves and a love of the world. We can overcome them by striving to recognise our own weaknesses and insignificance, reflecting on the greatness of our Lord, and performing the prayer with love. Purifying the heart of attachment to the world and material things leads to humility and reverence.

The sincere stand in opposition to Iblis, and Satan has no power to deceive them. Those who accuse the sincere of befriending Satan are themselves acting satanically. Perfect friendship with God tames Satan, just as wild animals are tamed.

Defending hijab by explaining that it is God’s command and that valuable things are kept covered is a beautiful way to offer guidance and an honorable defense of the duty to enjoin what is right. What you said is praiseworthy; it places the proud medal of enjoining what is right around your neck.

Helping a sick classmate is a kind and God-pleasing act, even without the school principal’s permission. The principal should not prevent anyone from doing good. What you did is praiseworthy—and it would bring even greater reward if done quietly.

In the hadith of Imam al-Sadiq (AS), avoiding “evil deeds” is said to lengthen one’s life. These include major sins such as lying, backbiting, slander, foul language, immodest dress, short-changing customers, extravagance, and disrespect. They also include neglecting religious duties such as prayer, khums, and zakat, as well as failing to enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong.

Enjoining what is right and discouraging what is wrong in a kind yet firm manner is a form of striving in God’s cause. It brings joy to God and His saints, and places the family under divine care. What you did is commendable, and helps safeguard your family’s well-being and secure God’s special grace.