Wearing Religion on Your Sleeve

How many of us know people who wear their religion on their sleeves but when their faith is tested they are quick to question their religion? Perhaps, most of us. 

            There is a verse in the Holy Qur’an that concisely sheds light on this type of Muslims. In this post, I present a Good tradition that elaborates on this verse further and provides more valuable information about the characteristics and actions of this kind of Muslims. 

            Here are three important points that we can see in and learn from this tradition.  Firstly, if you pay close attention you’d notice that the kind of Muslims that are discussed in this tradition are not considered to be believers, since the verse begins with “النَّاسِ” meaning people and not believers.

            Also, at the end of this tradition you could notice a transition from being a doubtful Muslim to an enemy of Allah and His messenger.  Such change in position does not happen overnight.   

             Finally, this tradition should make us think about those who claim that the Quran is sufficient for them, and subsequently dismiss all prophetic traditions.  It is important for us to thoroughly contemplate about what is meant by “[doubting] what he [the Prophet] was sent with.”

            Let us all hope and pray that our faith is pegged in our hearts and not just on our sleeves.

Arabic Text:

عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنِ ابْنِ أَبِي عُمَيْرٍ عَنْ عُمَرَ بْنِ أُذَيْنَةَ عَنِ الْفُضَيْلِ وَ زُرَارَةَ عَنْ أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ ع فِي قَوْلِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ وَ مِنَ النَّاسِ مَنْ يَعْبُدُ اللَّهَ عَلى‏ حَرْفٍ فَإِنْ أَصابَهُ خَيْرٌ اطْمَأَنَّ بِهِ وَ إِنْ أَصابَتْهُ فِتْنَةٌ انْقَلَبَ عَلى‏ وَجْهِهِ خَسِرَ الدُّنْيا وَ الْآخِرَةَ (الحج: 11) قَالَ زُرَارَةُ سَأَلْتُ عَنْهَا أَبَا جَعْفَرٍ ع فَقَالَ هَؤُلَاءِ قَوْمٌ عَبَدُوا اللَّهَ وَ خَلَعُوا عِبَادَةَ مَنْ يُعْبَدُ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ وَ شَكُّوا فِي مُحَمَّدٍ ص وَ مَا جَاءَ بِهِ فَتَكَلَّمُوا بِالْإِسْلَامِ وَ شَهِدُوا أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَ أَنَّ مُحَمَّداً رَسُولُ اللَّهِ وَ أَقَرُّوا بِالْقُرْآنِ وَ هُمْ فِي ذَلِكَ شَاكُّونَ فِي مُحَمَّدٍ ص وَ مَا جَاءَ بِهِ وَ لَيْسُوا شُكَّاكاً فِي اللَّهِ قَالَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ وَ مِنَ النَّاسِ مَنْ يَعْبُدُ اللَّهَ عَلى‏ حَرْفٍ (الحج: 11) يَعْنِي عَلَى شَكٍّ فِي مُحَمَّدٍ ص وَ مَا جَاءَ بِهِ فَإِنْ أَصابَهُ خَيْرٌ (الحج: 11) يَعْنِي عَافِيَةً فِي نَفْسِهِ وَ مَالِهِ وَ وُلْدِهِ اطْمَأَنَّ بِهِ وَ رَضِيَ بِهِ وَ إِنْ أَصابَتْهُ فِتْنَةٌ (الحج: 11) يَعْنِي بَلَاءً فِي جَسَدِهِ أَوْ مَالِهِ تَطَيَّرَ وَ كَرِهَ الْمُقَامَ عَلَى الْإِقْرَارِ بِالنَّبِيِّ ص فَرَجَعَ إِلَى الْوُقُوفِ وَ الشَّكِّ فَنَصَبَ الْعَدَاوَةَ لِلَّهِ وَ لِرَسُولِهِ وَ الْجُحُودَ بِالنَّبِيِّ وَ مَا جَاءَ بِهِ

Farsi Translation:

زراره گويد: از حضرت باقر عليه السّلام از گفتار خداى عز و جل: «و برخى از مردم خدا را بر حرف پرستش كنند. پس اگر خوبى و خوشى بدو رسيد بدان آسوده خاطر است، و اگر آزمايش و فتنه بدو رسد روى برتابد در دنيا و آخرت زيانكار است» (سوره حج آيه 11) پرسيدم؟ فرمود: اينان مردمى بودند كه خدا را پرستش كردند، و دست از پرستش آنچه جز خدا پرستش ميشد كشيدند، ولى در باره محمد (ص) و آنچه آورده بود شبهه كردند، و در شك بودند، پس اسلام را بزبان جارى كردند و گواهى دادند كه معبودى جز خداى يگانه نيست و اين كه محمد (ص) رسول خدا است، و بقرآن نيز اعتراف كردند، ولى با اين حال آنها در باره محمد (ص) و آنچه آورده بود در شك بودند، اگر چه در باره خدا شك نداشتند، خداى عز و جل فرمايد: «و برخى از مردمند كه خدا را بر حرف پرستش كنند» يعنى بر شك در باره محمد (ص) و آنچه آورده است «پس اگر باو خوبى رسد» يعنى عافيت در خود و مال و فرزندش «بآن آسوده گردد» و خوشنود گردد «و اگر فتنه‏اى باو رسد» يعنى بلائى در تن و يا مالش، آن را بفال بد گيرد و از پا برجا بودن بر اقرار پيغمبر (ص) بدش آيد و بتوقف و شك برگردد، و بدشمنى خدا و رسولش و انكار بپيغمبر و آنچه آورده است برخيزد.

English Translation:

 Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from ibn Abu Omayr from Omar ibn Othayna from Al-Fodayl and zorarah from Abu Ja'far, peace be upon him, who was talking about what Allah said in this verse (Aya): "There are among men some who serve Allah, as it were, on the verge: if good befalls him, they are, therewith well content; but if a trial comes to him, he turns on their faces: they lose both this world and the Hereafter: that is loss for all to see!" (22:11) Zorarah said: I asked Abu Ja'far, peace be upon him, about this verse and he told me that these are people who worshipped Allah and discarded anything they were worshipping in the past but they had doubts about prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, and doubts about what he was sent with and asking them to join. In spite of that they joined Islam and bore witness that there's no god but Allah and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah.

They confessed that Qur'an is real but they doubted Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, and doubted what he was sent with but they didn't doubt Allah the Almighty.

"There are among men some who serve Allah, as it were, on the verge"  This means that they serve Allah but at the same time doubt prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, and doubt what he's been sent with [i.e. The Religion of Islam]. "if good befalls him" means having good health, enough money and fine offspring "they are, therewith well content" and became satisfied. "but if a trial comes to him" means if something bad happens to him he frowns with his heart full of pessimism and he hates accepting prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, and returns to his doubts again and builds up enmity and hatred against Allah and His messenger, peace be upon him, and denies the messenger with what he's sent with.

Source:

Al-Kafi, Volume 2, Page 413, Tradition #1