Piety and Its Necessity in a Muslim

The Holy Prophet (S) said: "The most (important ) things that cause people to reach Heaven are divine piety and a good temper." [Bihar-ul-Anwar, vol. 71, p. 373]

The Holy Prophet (S) advised: "When making a decision to do something, think about its outcome. If it is good for your advancement and development, follow it, but if it is misleading, leave it out...." [Bihar-ul-Anwar, vol. 77, p. 130]

Imam as-Sadiq (‘a) was asked about the meaning of 'piety' when he replied: "Piety is that Allah does not miss you in the place where He has commanded you to be, and does not see (find) you where He has forbidden you from." [Safinat-ul-Bihar, vol. 2, p. 678]

The Holy Prophet (S) said: "Show veneration for Allah similar to the way that you would mind your manners in front of a righteous person among your kinsmen." [Mustadrak Al-Wasa'il-ush Shi'ah, vol. 8, p. 466, No.10027]

Imam Amir-ul-Mu'mineen ‘Ali (‘a) said: "Lowering one's eyes will serve well as a barrier against one's passions." [Ghurar-ul-Hikam, p. 321]

Imam Amir ul Mu'mineen ‘Ali (‘a) said to Imam al-Hasan and Imam al-Husayn (peace be upon them) when 'Abd-ur-Rahman ibn Muljam (the curse of Allah be upon him) had struck him (fatally with a sword):

"I advise you (both) to fear Allah and that you should not hanker after the (pleasures of this) world even though it may run after you. Do not be sorry for anything of this world that you have been denied. Speak the truth and act (in expectation) for reward. Be an enemy of the oppressor and helper of the oppressed." [Nahj-ul-Balagha, letter 47]

Imam Amir ul Mu'mineen ‘Ali (‘a) said: "I advise you to fear Allah, 'O my child, to abide by His commands, to fill your heart with remembrance of Him and to cling to hope in Him. No connection is more reliable than the connection between you and Allah provided you take hold of it." [Nahj-ul-Balagha, letter 31]

Abi-Osamah said that he had heard that Imam as-Sadiq (‘a) said: "Be aware of (the punishment of) Allah, piety, godly endeavor, saying the truth, honesty in deposition, good character, and good neighbourliness. Invite (others) to yourselves (by performing good actions), not with mere utterance. Live to be ornaments, and not to be a disgrace to us. (I advise you) to prolong the length of bowing and prostration. So, verily, when one of you prolongs bowing and prostration, Satan cries from behind one and says: Woe! He obeyed and I disobeyed; he did prostration and I refused." [Al-Kafi, vol. 2, p. 77]

Imam ‘Ali ibn Husayn (‘a) said: "Behold! Verily, on the friends of Allah there will be no fear nor shall they grieve if they keep up the obligatories of Allah, follow the traditions of the Messenger Allah (S), avoid the things forbidden by Allah, be pious in worldly wealth and rank and eager for what there is with Allah, strive to earn His sustenance of what is pure, and decide not to boast or compile wealth but donate and give the obligatory alms they have been enjoined to. Hence, these are those (friends of Allah!) whose earnings are divinely blessed and will be rewarded for what they have sent forth unto their next world." [Bihar-ul-Anwar, vol. 69, p. 277]

The Holy Prophet (S) said: "Surely, human beings from the time of Adam up to now are the same as the teeth of a comb are, and there is no superiority for the Arab over non-Arab or for the red race over the black race except for piety." [Mustadrak-ul-Wasa'il]

Imam as-Sadiq (‘a) said: "Surely, a little action (of worshipping) with piety is better than many deeds with no virtue." [Al-Kafi, vol. 2, p. 76]

Piety and Its Necessity in a Muslim

Sin and Its Effects

The Holy Prophet (S) said: "Do not look at the minuteness of the sin, but see Whom you have sinned against." [Bihar-ul-Anwar, vol. 77, p. 79 & Mustadrak Al-Wasa'il, vol. 11, p. 330]

Imam Amir ul Mu'mineen ‘Ali (‘a) said: "If one of you desires to know his standing with Allah he may evaluate his situation in relation to his sins against Allah, such is his worthiness to Allah, the Blessed and Exalted." [Bihar-ul-Anwar, vol. 70, p. 18]

Imam as-Sadiq (‘a) addressed a group of people and inquired why they annoyed the Messenger of Allah. Someone asked Imam (‘a) how they did so, and he (‘a) said: "Do you not know that your deeds are reported to him (S)? When he (S) observes a sin against Allah among them, he becomes displeased. Therefore do not hurt the Messenger of Allah but do please him." [Usul al-Kafi, vol. 1, p. 219]

Imam Amir ul Mu'mineen ‘Ali (‘a) said: "Lacking forgiveness is the worst of deficiencies and hastening in vengeance is (among) the greatest (of all) sins." [Ghurar-ul-Hikam, p. 235]

Asbaq-ibn-Nubatah has narrated from the first Imam, Amir ul Mu'mineen ‘Ali (‘a), who said the Prophet (S) said: "When Allah Almighty and Glorious sends His wrath on a nation and does not punish (them) by it, then; their prices will go up (expensive), their lifetimes will shorten, their merchants will not gain profits, their fruits will not be abundant, their streams will not become brimful, their rain will be withheld from them, and their vicious ones will dominate over them." [Khisal by Saduq, vol. 2, p.360]

Note:
The summary of this tradition is that if the destructive penalty does not destroy such a nation, they will be inflicted with seven afflictions because of their committing sins.

Imam al-Baqir (‘a), the fifth Imam, said that he found in the book of Amir ul Mu'mineen ‘Ali (‘a) that he has said that the Holy Prophet (S) said: "When adultery appears (abundantly in a society) the (number of) sudden deaths increases; and when there is fraud, Allah takes them in expensiveness and loss. When people stop giving alms tax, the earth holds back its blessings from plants (crops), fruits, mines, and all such things. When they act unjustly according to (divine) ordinances, they have helped injustice and aggression. When they breach (their) promises, the Lord will set their enemies as absolute masters over them. When they break off connections with their kindred, possession of properties will be put in the hands of the wicked. And, when they do not perform enjoining right and forbidding wrong and, also, do not follow the chosen ones of my Ahlul Bayt, Allah will set their vicious ones over them and, in this condition, their good doers utter invocations but they are not responded to." [Safinat-ul-Bihar, vol. 2, p. 630]

Imam Amir ul Mu'mineen ‘Ali (‘a) said: "The tears do not dry up save for the hearts being hard, and hearts do not harden but because of the abundance of sins." [Bihar-ul-Anwar, vol. 70, p. 55]

Allah, the Exalted, told Prophet David (‘a): "O' David! Give good news to the sinners of My absolute Mercy, which envelops everything (in the world of existence), so as not to grow hopeless of My Mercy; and warn the good doers of the authority of My wrath in order not to be proud of their obedience, for pride causes arrogance which itself is the greatest of all sins." [Al-Ithna 'Ashariyyah, p. 59]

Sin and Its Effects

Earning a Livelihood

The Holy Prophet (S) said: "Any man who is patient with the wife who is bad tempered, and seeks that patience from Allah, He bestows him the reward given to the thankful ones." [Man La Yahduruhul Faqih, vol. 4, p. 16]

Imam as-Sadiq (‘a) said: "He who tolerates the task of earning money for (the comfort of) his wife, is like the one who fights in the way of Allah. [Man La Yahduruhul Faqih, vol. 3, p. 168, Al-Kafi, vol. 5, p. 88]

Earning a Livelihood

Marriage Is the Key to Divine Mercy and a Good Temper

The Holy Prophet (S) said: "The doors of Heaven to mercy will be opened in four situations: when it rains, when a child looks kindly at his parent's face, when the door of the Ka'bah is opened, and when marriage (occurs)." [Bihar-ul-Anwar, vol. 103, p. 221]

The Holy Prophet (S) said: "Join your children in marriage (boys or girls) because, thereby, Allah renders their tempers good, adds to their sustenance, and increases their sense of honour." [Bihar-ul-Anwar, vol. 103, p. 222]

The Holy Prophet (S) said: "Get married and give your daughters in marriage, because it is from the good fortune of any Muslim man that he gives his (matured) daughter (or sister) in marriage." [Al-Kafi, vol. 5, p. 328]

The Holy Prophet (S) said: "There is nothing to Allah, Almighty and Glorious, more beloved than the house which is developed in Islam by marriage; and there is nothing to Allah, Almighty and Glorious, more abhorent than the house which is ruined in Islam by separation, viz, divorce." [Al-Kafi, vol. 5, p. 328]

Marriage Is the Key to Divine Mercy and a Good Temper

Giving Loan

The Holy Prophet (S) said: "He whom is referred to by his Muslim brother (to borrow) but he does not give him loan, Allah will forbid him entering Paradise on the Day when the righteous will be recompensed." [Bihar-ul-Anwar, vol. 76, p. 369]

The Holy Prophet (S) said: "The one from whom his brother Muslim needs borrowing but he does not give him loan, Allah prohibits him entering Paradise on the Day when the righteous will be recompensed." [Bihar-ul-Anwar, vol. 76, p. 367]

Giving Loan

This Fleeting World, Its Attractiveness and Poison

The Holy Prophet (S) said: "At the moment when the coffin of a person is being lifted and carried, the concerning soul follows its corpse and regretfully calls: 'O you my children and my relatives! Beware that the world does not cheat you as it did me. I gathered wealth regardless of it being lawful or unlawful and left all of it for others. Now I am left with its burden upon me while they enjoy the fruit of it; therefore, avoid that which is similar to what happened to me'." [Bihar-ul-Anwar, vol. 6, p. 161]

Imam Amir ul Mu'mineen ‘Ali (‘a) said: "If man perceived his death and its speed towards him, he would certainly detest the world and its hopes." [Bihar-ul-Anwar, vol. 73, p. 166]

Imam al-Kadhim, the seventh Imam (‘a), said: "The likeness of this world is as a snake which is soft to the touch while there is killing poison in its inside. Possessors of wisdom avoid it but children (naive ones) are fond of it and like to catch it with their hands." [Bihar-ul-Anwar, vol. 78, p. 311]

Imam as-Sadiq (‘a) said: "The love of this fleeting world is the origin of all vices." [Al-Kafi, vol. 2, p. 315]

This Fleeting World, Its Attractiveness and Poison

The Acceptable Characteristics

The Holy Prophet (S) said: "Shall I not introduce 'a believer' to you? A believer is the one whom other believers trust with their souls and wealth. Shall I not introduce 'a Muslim' to you? A Muslim is the one from whose hand and tongue other Muslims are safe.... It is unlawful (Haram) for a believer to do wrong against another believer, or leave him/her in a lurch, or backbite against him/her, or suddenly reject him/her." [Al-Kafi, vol. 2, p. 235]

Imam as-Sadiq (‘a) said: "A Muslim believer must not attend a meeting wherein Allah laws are being disobeyed and the one is not in a position to stop it." [Usul al-Kafi, vol. 2, p. 374]

Imam as-Sadiq (‘a) said: "He who habitually tells the truth, his deeds are purified; Allah increases the sustenance of the one whose intention is good; and he who treats his family members well, Allah prolongs the length of his life." [Khisal by Saduq, vol. 1 p. 88]

Imam Amir ul Mu'mineen ‘Ali (‘a) said: "A man came to the Prophet (S) and asked him to teach him an action so that both Allah, the Exalted, and people would love him, his wealth would increase, his body would be healthy, his life time would last long, and he would be raised with him (the Prophet). Then, he (S) said: 'These are six traits which need six qualities:

1. If you want Allah to love you, be afraid of Him and guard yourself against sin.

2. If you want people to love you, be benevolent to them and decline what they have in their hands.

3. If you want Allah to increase your wealth, then give its alms tax.

4. If you want Allah to make your body healthy, pay charity more frequently.

5. If you want Allah to prolong your lifetime, then have regard for your kinship.

6. And, if you want Allah to raise you with me, then do prolong your prostrations before Allah, the One, the Dominator.'" [Safinat-ul-Bihar, vol. 1, p. 599]

Imam Ridha’, the eighth Imam, (‘a) said: A Muslim believer is not a true believer unless there are three virtues in him: the manner of his lord, the manner of his Prophet, and the manner of his Imam. Then, the manner of his Lord is: concealing his secrets; hence Allah, to Whom belong Might and Majesty, said: 'The Knower of the Unseen! So He does not reveal His secrets to any, except to him whom He chooses as an apostle,...'¤1

Then, the manner of his Prophet is compliance with people, when surely, Allah, Almighty and Glorious, commissioned His prophet to favour people and He has said: 'Practice forgiveness and enjoin good and turn away from the ignorant.’¤2

Then the manner of his Imam is (to be firm and) being patient on good days and bad days, when, verily, Allah to whom belong Might and Majesty, says: 'And (they) are patient in distress and affliction'."¤3 ['Uyun-ul-Akhbar-ur-Ridha’, vol.1, p.256]

Imam Muhammad ibn ‘Ali, the nineth Imam (‘a) said: "A Muslim believer should obtain these three virtues: success granted by Allah, be an admonisher of his self, and find approval from the one who advises him." [Muntah-al-'Amal, p.229]

‘Ali ibn Husayn (‘a) the fourth Imam, was once asked how he, the son of the Messenger of Allah began each morning, and he (‘a) replied: "I begin each morning while I am demanded of eight virtues:

Allah, the Exalted, demands of me the obligatory; the Prophet (S) demands of me his tradition (Sunnah); family dependents demand of me food (material); the self looks for desires; Satan demands me (to commit) sin; the two protective angels demand of me virtuousness, the angel of death demands of me the spirit and, the grave demands of me my body.

Therefore, I am, surrounded by these traits, demanded." [Bihar-ul-Anwar, vol. 76, p. 15]

Imam as-Sadiq (‘a) said: "Verily everything is intimidated by a believer because the religion of Allah causes him to be powerful, and he is not intimidated by anything, which (epithet) is the characteristic of any believer." [Bihar-ul-Anwar, vol. 67, p. 305]

¤1. Sura Al-Jinn, No.72, verses 26 & 27

¤2. Space

¤3. Sura Al-Baqarah, No.2, verse 177

The Acceptable Characteristics