Mouood Mouood English Edition
About parents, God says: “And make yourself submissively gentle to them with mercy, and say: O my Lord! Have mercy on them, as they brought me up (when I was) little.”34
Addressing the Holy Prophet (SAW) about leniency to the believers, God says: “And lower thy wing (in kindness) unto those believers who follow thee.”35
The Messenger of Allah (SAW) has been reported by Imam Musa ibn Ja’far (AS) as saying: “Leniency is not put on anything except that it betters it, and it is not taken out of anything except that it makes it defective.”36
Imam Baqir (AS) has said: “Everything has a padlock, and the padlock of faith is leniency.”37
Here, Imam Baqir (AS) has likened a subjective concept with something tangible, meaning that he should be lenient, because roughness, bad temper and violence lead to perdition.
The Messenger of Allah (SAW) has been reported by Imam Sadiq (AS) as saying: “Shall I not inform you of one from whom fire shall be prevented tomorrow (on the Day of Judgment)?” They said: “Yes, O Messenger of Allah!” The Holy Prophet (SAW) said: “The humble lenient one, the simple lenient one.”38
Faith with certainty
As we have already discussed, one of the features of the pious is conviction. In this relation, God says: “…and they are certain of the hereafter.”39
Al-Baydhawi says: “Conviction is the strengthening of knowledge by the rejection of doubt through reasoning.”
Raghib says: “Certainty is a feature of knowledge above awareness and cognition, and it is classified into three kinds; the knowledge of certainty, the essence of certainty, and the very truth of certainty.”40
Allamah Majlisi says: “Some scholars have mentioned three states for certainly; the knowledge of certainly which is the knowledge obtained with a proof, like when seeing a smoke, we are certain that there is a fire around. The essence of certainly is when we see something with our own eyes like when we see the fire. The very truth of certainly is when someone enters into fire and shall have the very features of fire.”
Hence, certainty is the highest degree of belief and it is given to few people. Only the pious have this worthy feature. Certainty is even above Taqwa. Younus asks Imam Reza (AS) about faith and Islam. The Imam (AS) says: “Abu Ja’far (Imam Baqir) (AS) stated: ‘Faith is one stage above Islam, Taqwa (piety) is one stage above faith, and certainty is one stage above Taqwa, and there is nothing as scanty as certainty in people.’”
The narrator said: “I asked: ‘What is certainty then?’, and The Imam (AS) said:‘the reliance on God, the submission to Him, the contentment with the divine fate and the entrusting of affairs to God.’ I asked: ‘What does this mean?’ The Imam (AS) said: ‘Thus said Abu Ja’far.’”41
When he was asked by Abu Baseer about the extent of reliance, the Imam said: “The extent of it is certainty.” When asked about the extent of certainty, the Imam (AS) said: “Not to fear anything when you are with God.”42
In a commentary on this verse: “And there was beneath it a treasure for them”,43 in Majma’ al-Bayan, we read: “There was a tablet of gold with this inscription:‘It is strange that one believes in the divine fate, and yet he is sad! It is strange that one is certain about sustenance, and yet he puts himself in trouble! It is strange that one believes in the Reckoning, and yet he is unmindful! It is strange that one knows how deceitful the world is to the people of the world, and yet he seeks comfort in it! There is no god but Allah and Mohammad is the Messenger of Allah.’”44
Greed in seeking knowledge
The virtue of knowledge is obvious. The pious know that it is knowledge that promotes man to the highest stage of humanity. It is with knowledge that God has been acknowledged and worshipped. It is knowledge that makes man distinct from animals and other creatures. It is worth mentioning that the knowledge of the pious is transfused with forbearance. It has been related that a man went to Imam Hossain (AS), saying: “I have to pay a full blood-money and I cannot afford it. I said to myself: ‘I will go to the most generous man.’ I do not know anyone other than the Household of the Messenger of Allah.”
The Imam (AS) said: “O my Arab brother! I ask you three questions. If you answer one of them, I will give one third of my wealth to you. If you answer the other two, I will give you two thirds of my wealth, and if you answer all the questions, I will give you all my wealth.”
The Imam added: “I heard from my grandfather, the Messenger of Allah, his saying:‘Favor is (regarded) to the extent of knowledge.’” The Bedouin said: “Ask your questions. If I can answer, I will; otherwise, I will learn from you. There is no power save with Allah, The Most High, The Great.”
Imam Hossain (AS) asked: “What is the best knowledge?” The Bedouin said: “It is the faith in God.” The Imam asked: “How can we attain salvation?” The Arab man said: “Through the trust in God.” The Imam (AS) asked: “What is the ornament of man?” The Arab man said: “Knowledge with forbearance.” The Imam asked: “If there was no knowledge?” The Arab man said: “Wealth with generosity.” The Imam asked: “If there was no wealth?” The Arab man said: “Poverty with patience.”The Imam asked: “If there was no patience?” The Arab man said: “A thunderbolt from the sky to burn him, for he deserves it!” Imam Hossain (AS) smiled and gave him a bag in which there was one thousand Dinars. The Imam (AS) gave him his own ring with a precious stone on it that was about two hundred Dirhams, saying to him: “Give the gold to the creditors and sell the ring to provide your expense.”
The Arab man took it and said: “Allah knows where He puts His mission.”45
Economic and Moderation in Richness
This is also a feature which has been discussed in the section of “economy”.
Moderation in riches is a source of salvation. Imam Baqir (AS) has been reported as saying: “The factors that lead to salvation are the following; to fear Allah openly and secretly, to be moderate in riches and in poverty, and the speaking according to justice in contentment and anger.”46
Imam Ali (AS) said: “One, who is moderate, shall never be in need.”47
