No Patience, No Faith

The tradition in this post is simple to understand, yet profound if we were to closely examine it. It is a tradition that most of us have heard many times throughout our lives. This tradition, very vividly, points to the significance of patience.

An important point that must be noticed is that this tradition is about the nature of patience, not about the person who has it. In other words, it helps us to understand what patience is and not who a patient individual is. This is a noteworthy distinction.

Following this good tradition, I will extract a few more points from it, which may readily be overlooked.

Arabic Text:

عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ حَمَّادِ بْنِ عِيسَى عَنْ رِبْعِيِّ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَنْ فُضَيْلِ بْنِ يَسَارٍ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع قَالَ:

الصَّبْرُ مِنَ الْإِيمَانِ بِمَنْزِلَةِ الرَّأْسِ مِنَ الْجَسَدِ فَإِذَا ذَهَبَ الرَّأْسُ ذَهَبَ الْجَسَدُ كَذَلِكَ إِذَا ذَهَبَ الصَّبْرُ ذَهَبَ الْإِيمَانُ.

Farsi Translation:

امام صادق عليه السّلام فرمود:

صبر نسبت بايمان مانند سر است نسبت به تن، هر گاه سر برود تن ميرود، همچنين هر گاه صبر برود ايمان ميرود.

English Translation:

Narrated by Ali Ibn Ibrahim from his father from Hammad Ibn Eissa from Rub’ie Ibn Abdullah from Fudail Ibn Yasar from Abu Abdullah (pbuh) who said:

“Patience is to faith, what the head is to the body. If the head goes, the body goes. Likewise, if patience goes, faith goes.”

Source:

Al-Kafi, Volume 2, Page 89, Tradition #5

Here are a few notable points:

·    The comparison between patience and head, in the tradition, entails that the existence of patience is necessary for the existence of faith. Faith cannot exist without patience.

·       Patience and faith are inseparable. An individual cannot have one without the other. A body cannot survive without its head, neither can a head survive without a body. 

·         Faith feeds and nourishes patience, whereas patience guides and regulates faith.

·        Think about your head. What is the most significant organ inside your head? Your brain. Now, think about the function of your brain. Almost anything and everything that the body does, involuntary and voluntary, are all organized, controlled and implemented via the human brain.

·         Think about our nervous system. Our thinking, reasoning and cognition, all of them rely heavily on the human brain, inside the human head.

·       We see, hear and feel through our brain. Since patience and head are comparable, we may infer that our faith sees, hears and feels through our patience. 

·     Our faith is only as much helpful as our patience permit it to be. Without the patience there wouldn’t be faith. 

·         If our patience is low in quality, so will be our faith. 

In the past two decades, we’ve advance exponentially in sciences, especially in brain sciences. Such advancements have made the significance of our brains very clear to us. Now, apply that same level of significance to patience. If or when you do this, you’d be able to realize how important it is to not only have patience but to strive to increase its quality and strengthen it. If you want your faith to help you in any way, first, you need to ensure that it is equipped with what permits it to function; you need to ensure that you have patience. 

If you want a strong and unshakable faith, which can move mountains, you need a strong and unshakable patience. Patience and faith are, necessarily, inseparable from one another. 

Be patient. Be faithful.

"Those Who Have Knowledge"

Who are “those who have knowledge?”

The term “الْعُلَماء” [Ulama] can be interchangeably defined as “scholars” or “those who have knowledge.” when we check the translation for the following line, “إِنَّمَا يَخْشَى اللَّهَ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ الْعُلَمَاءُ” (35:28) we notice that the term “الْعُلَماء” [Ulama] is almost unanimously translated as “those who have knowledge” and not “scholars.”

Let us put these two possible translations side by side and try to understand why most translations have chosen the former and not the latter.

“only those who have knowledge among His slaves fear Allah.” (35:28) versus “only scholars among His slaves fear Allah.” (35:28)

Nowadays, those who we consider as official “scholars” are a minority group amongst believers, namely, those who have attended a hawzah for many years and have attained the official permission to teach and give lectures. Yet, many believers may have an immense amount of religious knowledge but not be such scholars, officially.

In other words, our contemporary use of the term “scholar” is very exclusive, whereas “those who have knowledge” is much more inclusive. It would be unreasonable to assume that this verse was revealed about a group of people who had formal, institutionalized education, especially since there was not any official religious institution when this verse was revealed.  Therefore, it is very reasonable to accept the more inclusive translation, “those who have knowledge” for the term “ulama” / “الْعُلَماء” .

The term “الْعُلَماء” [Ulama] is in its plural form, and its singular form is “عَالِم‏” [Alim].  Based on the aforementioned logic, the term “عَالِم‏” [Alim] must be defined as “a person who has knowledge,” according to the Holy Quran.

Therefore, an Alim / “عَالِم‏” could be any individual, whether he or she is a student, a carpenter, a doctor, an engineer or unemployed.  The term “عَالِم‏” [Alim] does not automatically entail an official hawzah-educated scholar. 

Therefore, my first point is that, based on this line from the Quran, we should disconnect the association between the term “عَالِم‏” [Alim] or “الْعُلَماء” [Ulama] with a very specific group of people.  In simple words, and I’m repeating myself, we should not automatically assume that an Alim / “عَالِم‏” must have officially studied in a specific institution and have a specific certificate of some sort. 

Following the aforementioned point, we can now return to the question that I asked at the beginning of this post.  Who are “those who have knowledge?”

In the following Authentic tradition, our Imam, peace be upon him, tells us about a necessary quality of an Alim [a person who has knowledge].  This quality is necessary because without it a person cannot be said to have knowledge.  

After stating this tradition, I would like to bring your attention to a few crucial points.

Arabic text:

عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عِيسَى عَنْ يُونُسَ عَنْ حَمَّادِ بْنِ عُثْمَانَ عَنِ الْحَارِثِ بْنِ الْمُغِيرَةِ النَّصْرِيِّ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع فِي قَوْلِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ إِنَّما يَخْشَى اللَّهَ مِنْ عِبادِهِ الْعُلَماءُ (فاطر: 28) قَالَ يَعْنِي بِالْعُلَمَاءِ مَنْ صَدَّقَ فِعْلُهُ قَوْلَهُ وَ مَنْ لَمْ يُصَدِّقْ فِعْلُهُ قَوْلَهُ فَلَيْسَ بِعَالِمٍ

Farsi Translation:

امام صادق (ع) در تفسير گفته خداى عز و جل (28 سوره 35): «همانا مى‏ ترسند از خدا بندگان عالمش» فرمود:

مقصود او از علماء كسانى است كه كردارشان گفتارشان را تصديق كند و هر كه كردارش مصدق گفته ‏اش نباشد عالم نيست .

English Translation:

Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from Muhammad ibn ‘Isa from Yunus from Hammad ibn ‘Uthman from al-Harith ibn Mughirah al-Nasri from abu ‘Abd Allah, peace be upon him, who about the words of Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Gracious, has said the following:

“ ’only those who have knowledge among His slaves fear Allah’ (35:28) means that those who have knowledge [ulama] are those whose deeds testify to the truthfulness of their words; otherwise, whoever, whose deeds do not testify to the truthfulness of his words is not a person who has knowledge [alim].”

Source:

Al-Kafi, Volume 1, Page 36, Tradition #2

This tradition and this Quranic statement are much deeper than they may initially seem. 

Firstly, as it is clear, only those whose deeds testify to the truthfulness of their words are people who have knowledge. This is a necessary condition.  It implies that, whoever, regardless of how much information he has obtained via various means, is not a person of knowledge until his actions follow his words. For example, an individual may have read hundred books, yet his deeds do not reflect the information that he has read.  Based on this tradition, this person cannot be considered a knowledgeable person.  Islam, vividly, distinguishes between information and knowledge [ilm]. An individual’s Knowledge is visible and can be known only through his or her deeds and actions. 

Secondly, based on this tradition, fear of God is linked to one’s actions and not the information that one has read in books or heard in lectures.  I may have read much about God’s punishments and hell fire and etcetera, but I begin to fear Allah only when I begin to follow His ordained laws.  Until I follow His commands, fear of Allah will not enter my heart.

Thirdly, based on this tradition and two of my previous posts (1 & 2), fear of Allah is directly linked to our faith, and both are directly linked to our deeds and actions.   Those who have gained faith in their hearts, through their pious deeds, fear Allah. 

Lastly, this tradition teaches us that we should not be fooled by those who talk much but act little, because if they do not act according to their words, then they themselves do not really comprehend or understand what they are talking about.   We need to always be quite vigilant as to whom we learn from, especially when it comes to learning about the path to Allah.

The Excellence, Qualifications and Attributes of Ahlul Bayt

            During the month of Moharram, most of us commemorate the martyrdom of Imam Hussain, peace be upon him, and his righteous companions.  Most of us try to visualize the scenes of Karbala and strive to feel the pain of our Imam, his family and his companions. What happened in Karbala is indeed quite unfathomable, nevertheless, by attempting to remember it every year and by learning more and more about the details of the events that occured prior and during Moharram of that year, we keep ourselves connected to our religion, to our Imams, to the Messenger of Allah and to God. We must each year, seek to outperform ourselves from previous years. 

        

         Through gaining knowledge and practicing the religion of Islam, the Islam of Ahlul Bayt, peace be upon them, we build and strengthen our faith in Allah.  Sincerity and clarity follow faith into our hearts, and through their presence in our hearts, our eyes, ears and minds, begin to sense reality and experience reality as it really is.

         Subsequently, the more vivid the reality appears to us, the more we could truly and thoroughly absorb and feel the events of Karbala.  We could truly and thoroughly understand the definitions of faith, monotheism, piety and devotion.

         One of the key factors that helps in clarifying the reality for us is understanding the status of our Imams. Only after we truly understand their positions and their nearness to Allah, only then we could begin to realize the bigger picture and admire their devotion; only then we could truly appreciate what they went through to keep the religion of Allah untainted and pure for us.  And only after we properly understand what they went through for us, we could begin to correctly and to the best of our abilities follow their teachings and guidelines. 

         Thus, in this post, I would like to present an Authentic hadith in which we can learn about the excellence and attributes of our Imams.

         Please do read this tradition multiple times. Each time different important elements within this hadith may stand out for you.  

            Since this is a relatively long hadith, I will post only its Arabic text and English translation. If you would like to read it in Farsi as well, please do not hesitate to message me and I will send it to you.

Arabic Text:

مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عِيسَى عَنِ الْحَسَنِ بْنِ مَحْبُوبٍ عَنْ إِسْحَاقَ بْنِ غَالِبٍ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع فِي خُطْبَةٍ لَهُ يَذْكُرُ فِيهَا حَالَ الْأَئِمَّةِ ع وَ صِفَاتِهِمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ أَوْضَحَ بِأَئِمَّةِ الْهُدَى مِنْ أَهْلِ بَيْتِ نَبِيِّنَا عَنْ دِينِهِ وَ أَبْلَجَ بِهِمْ عَنْ سَبِيلِ مِنْهَاجِهِ وَ فَتَحَ بِهِمْ عَنْ بَاطِنِ يَنَابِيعِ عِلْمِهِ فَمَنْ عَرَفَ مِنْ أُمَّةِ مُحَمَّدٍ ص وَاجِبَ حَقِّ إِمَامِهِ وَجَدَ طَعْمَ حَلَاوَةِ إِيمَانِهِ وَ عَلِمَ فَضْلَ طُلَاوَةِ إِسْلَامِهِ لِأَنَّ اللَّهَ تَبَارَكَ وَ تَعَالَى نَصَبَ الْإِمَامَ عَلَماً لِخَلْقِهِ وَ جَعَلَهُ حُجَّةً عَلَى أَهْلِ مَوَادِّهِ وَ عَالَمِهِ وَ أَلْبَسَهُ اللَّهُ تَاجَ الْوَقَارِ وَ غَشَّاهُ مِنْ نُورِ الْجَبَّارِ يَمُدُّ بِسَبَبٍ إِلَى السَّمَاءِ لَا يَنْقَطِعُ عَنْهُ مَوَادُّهُ وَ لَا يُنَالُ مَا عِنْدَ اللَّهِ إِلَّا بِجِهَةِ أَسْبَابِهِ وَ لَا يَقْبَلُ اللَّهُ أَعْمَالَ الْعِبَادِ إِلَّا بِمَعْرِفَتِهِ فَهُوَ عَالِمٌ بِمَا يَرِدُ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ مُلْتَبِسَاتِ الدُّجَى وَ مُعَمِّيَاتِ السُّنَنِ وَ مُشَبِّهَاتِ الْفِتَنِ فَلَمْ يَزَلِ اللَّهُ تَبَارَكَ وَ تَعَالَى يَخْتَارُهُمْ لِخَلْقِهِ مِنْ وُلْدِ الْحُسَيْنِ ع مِنْ عَقِبِ كُلِّ إِمَامٍ يَصْطَفِيهِمْ لِذَلِكَ وَ يَجْتَبِيهِمْ وَ يَرْضَى بِهِمْ لِخَلْقِهِ وَ يَرْتَضِيهِمْ كُلَّ مَا مَضَى مِنْهُمْ إِمَامٌ نَصَبَ لِخَلْقِهِ مِنْ عَقِبِهِ إِمَاماً عَلَماً بَيِّناً وَ هَادِياً نَيِّراً وَ إِمَاماً قَيِّماً وَ حُجَّةً عَالِماً أَئِمَّةً مِنَ اللَّهِ يَهْدُونَ بِالْحَقِّ وَ بِهِ يَعْدِلُونَ حُجَجُ اللَّهِ وَ دُعَاتُهُ وَ رُعَاتُهُ عَلَى خَلْقِهِ يَدِينُ بِهَدْيِهِمُ الْعِبَادُ وَ تَسْتَهِلُّ بِنُورِهِمُ الْبِلَادُ وَ يَنْمُو بِبَرَكَتِهِمُ التِّلَادُ جَعَلَهُمُ اللَّهُ حَيَاةً لِلْأَنَامِ وَ مَصَابِيحَ لِلظَّلَامِ وَ مَفَاتِيحَ لِلْكَلَامِ وَ دَعَائِمَ لِلْإِسْلَامِ جَرَتْ بِذَلِكَ فِيهِمْ مَقَادِيرُ اللَّهِ عَلَى مَحْتُومِهَا فَالْإِمَامُ هُوَ الْمُنْتَجَبُ الْمُرْتَضَى وَ الْهَادِي الْمُنْتَجَى وَ الْقَائِمُ الْمُرْتَجَى اصْطَفَاهُ اللَّهُ بِذَلِكَ وَ اصْطَنَعَهُ عَلَى عَيْنِهِ فِي الذَّرِّ حِينَ ذَرَأَهُ وَ فِي الْبَرِيَّةِ حِينَ بَرَأَهُ ظِلًّا قَبْلَ خَلْقِ نَسَمَةٍ عَنْ يَمِينِ عَرْشِهِ مَحْبُوّاً بِالْحِكْمَةِ فِي عِلْمِ الْغَيْبِ عِنْدَهُ اخْتَارَهُ بِعِلْمِهِ وَ انْتَجَبَهُ لِطُهْرِهِ بَقِيَّةً مِنْ آدَمَ ع وَ خِيَرَةً مِنْ ذُرِّيَّةِ نُوحٍ وَ مُصْطَفًى مِنْ آلِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَ سُلَالَةً مِنْ إِسْمَاعِيلَ وَ صَفْوَةً مِنْ عِتْرَةِ مُحَمَّدٍ ص لَمْ يَزَلْ مَرْعِيّاً بِعَيْنِ اللَّهِ يَحْفَظُهُ وَ يَكْلَؤُهُ بِسِتْرِهِ مَطْرُوداً عَنْهُ حَبَائِلُ إِبْلِيسَ وَ جُنُودِهِ مَدْفُوعاً عَنْهُ وُقُوبُ الْغَوَاسِقِ وَ نُفُوثُ كُلِّ فَاسِقٍ مَصْرُوفاً عَنْهُ قَوَارِفُ السُّوءِ مُبْرَأً مِنَ الْعَاهَاتِ مَحْجُوباً عَنِ الْآفَاتِ مَعْصُوماً مِنَ الزَّلَّاتِ مَصُوناً عَنِ الْفَوَاحِشِ كُلِّهَا مَعْرُوفاً بِالْحِلْمِ وَ الْبِرِّ فِي يَفَاعِهِ مَنْسُوباً إِلَى الْعَفَافِ وَ الْعِلْمِ وَ الْفَضْلِ عِنْدَ انْتِهَائِهِ مُسْنَداً إِلَيْهِ أَمْرُ وَالِدِهِ صَامِتاً عَنِ الْمَنْطِقِ فِي حَيَاتِهِ فَإِذَا انْقَضَتْ مُدَّةُ وَالِدِهِ إِلَى أَنِ انْتَهَتْ بِهِ مَقَادِيرُ اللَّهِ إِلَى مَشِيئَتِهِ وَ جَاءَتِ الْإِرَادَةُ مِنَ اللَّهِ فِيهِ إِلَى مَحَبَّتِهِ وَ بَلَغَ مُنْتَهَى مُدَّةِ وَالِدِهِ ع فَمَضَى وَ صَارَ أَمْرُ اللَّهِ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ بَعْدِهِ وَ قَلَّدَهُ دِينَهُ وَ جَعَلَهُ الْحُجَّةَ عَلَى عِبَادِهِ وَ قَيِّمَهُ فِي بِلَادِهِ وَ أَيَّدَهُ بِرُوحِهِ وَ آتَاهُ عِلْمَهُ وَ أَنْبَأَهُ فَصْلَ بَيَانِهِ وَ اسْتَوْدَعَهُ سِرَّهُ وَ انْتَدَبَهُ لِعَظِيمِ أَمْرِهِ وَ أَنْبَأَهُ فَضْلَ بَيَانِ عِلْمِهِ وَ نَصَبَهُ عَلَماً لِخَلْقِهِ وَ جَعَلَهُ حُجَّةً عَلَى أَهْلِ عَالَمِهِ وَ ضِيَاءً لِأَهْلِ دِينِهِ وَ الْقَيِّمَ عَلَى عِبَادِهِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ بِهِ إِمَاماً لَهُمُ اسْتَوْدَعَهُ سِرَّهُ وَ اسْتَحْفَظَهُ عِلْمَهُ وَ اسْتَخْبَأَهُ حِكْمَتَهُ وَ اسْتَرْعَاهُ لِدِينِهِ وَ انْتَدَبَهُ لِعَظِيمِ أَمْرِهِ وَ أَحْيَا بِهِ مَنَاهِجَ سَبِيلِهِ وَ فَرَائِضَهُ وَ حُدُودَهُ فَقَامَ بِالْعَدْلِ عِنْدَ تَحَيُّرِ أَهْلِ الْجَهْلِ وَ تَحْيِيرِ أَهْلِ الْجَدَلِ بِالنُّورِ السَّاطِعِ وَ الشِّفَاءِ النَّافِعِ بِالْحَقِّ الْأَبْلَجِ وَ الْبَيَانِ اللَّائِحِ مِنْ كُلِّ مَخْرَجٍ عَلَى طَرِيقِ الْمَنْهَجِ الَّذِي مَضَى عَلَيْهِ الصَّادِقُونَ مِنْ آبَائِهِ ع فَلَيْسَ يَجْهَلُ حَقَّ هَذَا الْعَالِمِ إِلَّا شَقِيٌّ وَ لَا يَجْحَدُهُ إِلَّا غَوِيٌّ وَ لَا يَصُدُّ عَنْهُ إِلَّا جَرِيٌّ عَلَى اللَّهِ جَلَّ وَ عَلَا

English Translation:

Narrated by Mohamed Ibn Yehya from Ahmed Ibn Mohamed Ibn Eissa from Al-Hassan Ibn Mahboub from Ishaq Ibn Ghaleb from Abu  Abdullah (peace be upon him) who describes the status of Imams, peace be upon them, and their attributes in one of his sermons as such:

         “Allah, the Most Holy, the Most High, has explained His religion through Imams of guidance from the family of our Prophet, the Ahl al-Bayt, and has cleared through them the path of His system and plan. He has opened through them the inside of the springs of His knowledge.

         Whoever of the followers of Muhammad (peace be upon him) has recognized his obligation toward the rights of his Imam he has realized the taste of the sweetness of his belief and the superior beauty of his Islam. It is because Allah, the Most Holy, the Most High, has appointed the Imam as torchbearer for His creatures and authority over those who receive His blessings in His world.

         He has crowned him with dignity and has encompassed him in the light of His Omnipotence that extends for him a means to the heavens. He does not discontinue His blessings for him for nothing with Allah is achieved except through its right means. Allah does not accept the good deeds of His servants without their recognition of the Imam, (peace be upon him). The Imam (pbuh) knows how to sort out the dark confusing matters and things that may obscure the Sunnah (tradition of the Holy Prophet, peace be upon him) and the confounding matters in mischievous conditions.

         Allah, the Most Holy, the Most High, continues to choose the Imams from the descendents of al-Husain, peace be upon him, one after the other Imam. He would select and choose them for the leadership of His creatures delightfully and well-satisfied with them. Whenever one Imam would leave this world He would appoint for His creatures his successor as a clear beacon and a shining guide, a guarding leader, and a knowledgeable one with Divine Authority.

            The Imams from Allah guide people to the truth and with the truth they judge. They are Allah’s authority calling people to Him, and shepherds of His creatures. With their guidance people follow the religion and from them the land receives light. Through their holiness the bounties increase. Allah has made them life for the people and the torches in the darkness, the keys to communication and the strongholds for Islam. Thus, have the measures of Allah continued in them toward His final decision.

         The Imam (peace be upon him) is the outstanding amicable one; the most trusted guide and the guardian who can make hopes come true. Allah has chosen him with such distinctions. He selected him as such in the realm when all things were in the form of particles in the instant that He made him. He chose him as such in the realm in which all things were designed as He had designed him as a shadow, before He made the organisms, on the right side of His throne, gifted him with wisdom in the unseen knowledge with Him and granted him outstanding purity.

         He is an heir of Adam, the best one among the descendents of Noah, the chosen one of the family of Abraham, a descendent of Ishmael and of the most preferred ones in the family of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).

         He has always been looked after by the watchful eyes of Allah Who provides him security and guards him with His shield, well protected against the evil nets of Iblees and his armies. He is well defended against the approaching dark nights and the false accusations of the evildoers. All wickedness is kept away from him and he is kept safe against all forms of defects and flaws. He is veiled against all scourges. He is infallible in matters of sins. He is kept safe and sound against all indecencies.

         He is well known for his forbearance and virtuousness in the early days of his life. Chastity, great knowledge and excellence are ascribed to him toward the end of his life.

         The task of Imamate [Leadership with Divine Authority] of his father rests with him while in the lifetime of his father he remains silent.

            When the time of the Imamate of his father ends it is the time when the measure of Allah ends up with him due to His wish. The will of Allah brings him to His love, thus, the end of the Imamate of his father comes and he passes away. The Authority from Allah shifts to him after his father.

            He then is made the person in charge of His religion, the divine authority [Hujja] over His servants, the guardian over His lands, he is supported with His spirit and is given of His knowledge. He raises him as a beacon for His creatures, makes him to have His Authority over the people of his world and as the light for the people of His religion and a guardian for His servants.

            Allah is well-pleased to have him as Imam of the people, entrusts him with His secret, makes him a safe keeper of His knowledge and hides His wisdom in him. He protects him for His religion, calls upon him to serve His great task, and revives through him the phases of His system (of religion) and the obligations in His laws.

         The Imam then enforces justice - when the people of ignorance are confused and the disputing and quarreling people are frustrated - with shining light, the beneficial cure and radiant truth. He does so with clear explanations of all aspects and exactly in the manner and practices his truthful father and forefathers would do before him. No one ignores the rights of such a scholar except the wicked ones. No one refuses and denies him except those who have strayed away from the right path. No one keeps away from him except those who are aggressive against Allah, the Most Holy, the Most High.”

Source:

Al-Kafi, Volume 1, Page 203, Tradition #2

Deeds Establish and Display Faith

In this post, I would like to briefly tie three of my other posts together, and paint a very clear picture about the link between deeds or actions and faith. 

            In “Submission Precedes and Strengthens Faith” the central difference between Islam or submission and Iman or faith was clearly displayed by our Imam, peace be upon him.  As we learned, in order for Iman to enter our hearts, or in order for us to attain faith, we, first, need to submit to God’s commands and enter faith through the gates of Islam.

            In “A Believer’s Natural Disposition,” it was, very briefly and in a simplified manner, mentioned how our repetitive actions lead to formation of habits.  I briefly attempted to explain this through natural sciences or more specifically cognitive sciences. It is important to remember and keep in mind that it is our actions that create our characteristics and shape our dispositions and feelings.  In other words, through our actions, we have the opportunity to change or affirm who we are. We are what we do, habitually.

            In my post, “Unwilled Offences,” it was shown that habit formation takes time, and one or two disconnected actions cannot be considered to be an indication of one’s character.

            These three posts vividly signify that your actions, your character and your faith are directly interconnected.  Another integral point that is established in these posts is that your actions are the foundations upon which your character and your faith are built on and depended on.   Therefore, we must constantly be vigilant of our actions and consider them extremely important and consequential.

            In this post, I will present two very relevant and important traditions.  The first one is Authentic and the second one is Good.

            In the first tradition, the inseparability of faith and action is vividly emphasized.  This tradition should be sufficient to put an end to the “faith only” or “action only” debates and discussions.  According to the teachings of Ahlul Bayt (peace be upon them) and recent findings in cognitive sciences, one cannot separate his actions from his faith and beliefs.  The former establishes and stabilizes the latter.  In other words, you believe what you do and you perceive as you do, because of your previous actions and your environment.

            The main point is the following, actions without faith are useless and having faith without practicing the commanded actions is ridiculous and meaningless.

             The second tradition, very intelligently and concisely conveys and puts into perspective the value actions, regardless how small they may be, and the significance of continuing to practice those small actions.  The continuation is what leads to habit formation, which in turn leads to character formation, which in turn and simultaneously permits faith into our hearts.

            Now, without any further ado, here are the two traditions.

6) Authentic

Arabic Text:

مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عِيسَى عَنِ ابْنِ أَبِي عُمَيْرٍ عَنْ جَمِيلِ بْنِ دَرَّاجٍ قَالَ سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع عَنِ الْإِيمَانِ فَقَالَ شَهَادَةُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَ أَنَّ مُحَمَّداً رَسُولُ اللَّهِ قَالَ قُلْتُ أَ لَيْسَ هَذَا عَمَلٌ قَالَ بَلَى قُلْتُ فَالْعَمَلُ مِنَ الْإِيمَانِ قَالَ لَا يَثْبُتُ لَهُ الْإِيمَانُ إِلَّا بِالْعَمَلِ وَ الْعَمَلُ مِنْهُ

Farsi Translation:

جميل بن دراج گويد: از امام صادق عليه السّلام ايمان را پرسيدم.

فرمود: شهادت به يگانگى خدا و رسالت محمد است.

عرضكردم: آيا شهادت عمل نيست؟

فرمود: چرا.

عرضكردم: پس عمل هم جزء ايمانست؟

 فرمود: ايمان براى مؤمن جز با عمل ثابت نماند و عمل جزئى از ايمانست.

English Translation:

Narrated by Mohamed Ibn Yehya from Ahmed Ibn Mohamed Ibn Eissa from Ibn Abu Omeir from Jamil Ibn Darraj who said:

We asked Abu Abdullah (peace be upon him) regarding faith.

He said: “It is testifying that there is no God but Allah and that Mohammed is the Messenger of Allah.”

I said, “Is that not a deed?”

He said, “Verily”

I said “Deeds are parts of faith?”

He said, “A Man’s faith is not established [or stabilized] except through deed, thus deeds are of faith.”

2) Good

Arabic Text:

عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ حَمَّادِ بْنِ عِيسَى عَنْ حَرِيزٍ عَنْ زُرَارَةَ عَنْ أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ ع قَالَ قَالَ أَحَبُّ الْأَعْمَالِ إِلَى اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ مَا دَاوَمَ عَلَيْهِ الْعَبْدُ وَ إِنْ قَل‏

Farsi Translation:

امام باقر عليه السّلام فرمود: دوست ترين اعمال نزد خداى عز و جل عملى است كه بنده آن را ادامه دهد، اگر چه اندك باشد.

English Translation:

Narrated by Ali Ibn Ibrahim from his father from Hammad Ibn Eissa from Huraiz from Zurara from Abu Ja’far (peace be upon him) who said:

“The most pleasing of deeds to Allah, the Most Exalted, is that which a servant continues to practice, even [if it is] in small measure.”

A Quick Reminder: 

If your deed is not due to or part of your faith in Islam, then it is based on your faith in something else, your faith in something else aside from Allah’s religion and commands.

Source:

Al-Kafi, Volume 2, Page 38, Tradition #6

Al-Kafi, Volume 2, Page 82, Tradition #2