To Be Intelligent, Work Hard to be Virtuous

In this post I would like to remind us all of an important issue regarding intelligence (عقل) and virtue (ادب). Both of these terms are loaded with meanings and history. Many books and articles have been written to clarify what these two terms are supposed to denote and connote. When we examine the nature of intelligence, we learn that it is much more than “reason” and it is directly linked to our contemplative and intuitive capacities. It should not be confused with “mind” or “brain.” Similarly, the term “virtue” has been the subject of many studies. “Virtue” does not necessarily imply “moral excellence.” 

Nevertheless, this post is not about describing the true nature and meaning of these terms. This post is meant to serve two purposes. First, it is intended to encourage you, the reader, to study these terms further and realize their depth. Second, it is aimed to present to you the proper way to gain intelligence.

The following tradition is graded good like authentic.

Arabic Text:

عَلِيٌّ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ أَبِي هَاشِمٍ الْجَعْفَرِيِّ قَالَ:

كُنَّا عِنْدَ الرِّضَا ع‏ فَتَذَاكَرْنَا الْعَقْلَ وَ الْأَدَبَ فَقَال‏:

يَا أَبَا هَاشِمٍ الْعَقْلُ حِبَاءٌ مِنَ اللَّهِ وَ الْأَدَبُ كُلْفَةٌ فَمَنْ تَكَلَّفَ الْأَدَبَ قَدَرَ عَلَيْهِ وَ مَنْ تَكَلَّفَ الْعَقْلَ لَمْ يَزْدَدْ بِذَلِكَ إِلَّا جَهْلًا.

Farsi Translation:

ابو هاشم گويد: خدمت حضرت رضا عليه السّلام بودم و از عقل و ادب گفتگو ميكرديم حضرت فرمود:

اى ابو هاشم عقل موهبت خدا است و ادب با رنج سختى بدست آيد پس كسى كه در كسب ادب زحمت كشد آن را بدست آرد و كسى كه در كسب عقل رنج برد بر نادانى خويش افزايد.

English Translation:

Ali has narrated from his father from abu Hashim al-Ja‘fari who has said the following:

We were in the presence of Imam al-Rida (pbuh) that a discussion about intelligence and virtue took place and the Imam said:

"O abu Hashim, intelligence is a gift from Allah and virtue has a cost [and must be worked for]. So, whoever works hard to [achieve] virtue, it is decreed upon him, and whoever works hard to [achieve] intelligence will not gain anything except ignorance.”

Source:

Al-Kafi, Volume 1, Page 23, Tradition #18

Here are a few important points to take from this tradition:

Many of us, due to misunderstanding the nature of intelligence, confuse it with reasoning ability, thinking or being knowledgeable or smart. However, these qualities and abilities are different from intelligence in the following way: we can work and practice to strengthen and improve them. For example, reading books, watching documentaries, listening to informative lectures and participating in constructive discussions, help us bolster our reasoning and thinking abilities and increase our knowledge. Nonetheless, none of the aforementioned activities can help us to directly attain intelligence. We may read numerous books yet remain unintelligent.  

Unlike intelligence, we have the opportunity to increase our virtue. What is virtue? Typically, “virtue” is defined as “goodness” or “righteousness” or “moral excellence.” However, a better way to understand “virtue” is by seeing it as a “capacity”: an ability to receive or contain, being susceptible to a given treatment or action, or having the power to receive impressions.

In the context of the above tradition, we can better understand the relationship between virtue and intelligence. In order to receive the gift of intelligence, we must first have the capacity for it. The larger the cup, the more water it can contain. Similarly, the larger our “virtue container”, the more intelligence we are able to receive as a gift from God. God is The Most Merciful, The Most Generous. If we have the capacity for it, we will receive the gift. Likewise, if we work hard to increase our virtue, our virtue will be increased; it will be decreed upon us.

This tradition ends with a warning for the one who does not take heed. The one who pursues intelligence over virtue, will gain only ignorance.  In other words, ironically, striving to be intelligent, makes one ignorant. How must we understand this?

One way to understand it is the following:

If we do not strive for virtue, if we are apathetic and negligent towards virtue, instead of increasing our capacity, we decrease it. We become less virtuous As a result, in the absence of intelligence, ignorance prevails.

Another way to understand the paradox is the following:

If we understand virtue as a capacity to obtain intelligence, vileness can be understood as a capacity to obtain ignorance. There is an inverse relationship between the two containers. As the former decreases in size, the latter increases in size. As we lose the opportunity to gain intelligence, we increase our capacity for ignorance.

There are perhaps other ways to understand the paradox. If you can think of more and better ways to understand it, then please leave a comment and do let me know. I look forward to reading your comments and feedback.

In a nutshell: strive hard to do good deeds, and you’ll be rewarded with intelligence.

Two Types of God's Will

This post is a theological post about the will of Allah.  Needless to say, this is a very complicated topic and perhaps beyond our ability to comprehend it. However, we have been given some hints and ideas, which I found quite interesting to keep in mind and to think about, when necessary.

There are three traditions in this post. In the first two traditions, the original word for «will» is the word الْإِرَادَةِ, whereas in the last tradition the word  الْمَشِيئَةَis used. In my opinion, it is crucial to realize that these two words have two different connotations, even though both of these words denote the will of Allah.

As I looked into what the scholars have said regarding this difference in connotation, I noticed that there are multiple possibilities. However, the simplest possibility, which in my opinion is also coherent and fits well with these three traditions is the following: الْمَشِيئَةَ applies to the general will of Allah, whereas الْإِرَادَةِ refers to the specific will of Allah regarding specific things.  In this context, the specific will of Allah follows or comes after the general will of Allah. For the specific will of Allah, specific things need to exist, things to be willed up. Without things to be willed upon, specific will would not have a purpose to exist. On the other hand, the general will of Allah, which precedes the specific will of Allah, is not linked to any thing and was created before all else.

These are some preliminary notes that I thought I should mention before the traditions. Following these traditions, I will add a few more points.

Arabic Text:

 (1مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى الْعَطَّارُ عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عِيسَى الْأَشْعَرِيِّ عَنِ الْحُسَيْنِ بْنِ سَعِيدٍ الْأَهْوَازِيِّ عَنِ النَّضْرِ بْنِ سُوَيْدٍ عَنْ عَاصِمِ بْنِ حُمَيْدٍ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع قَالَ قُلْتُ لَمْ يَزَلِ اللَّهُ مُرِيداً قَالَ 
إِنَّ الْمُرِيدَ لَا يَكُونُ إِلَّا لِمُرَادٍ مَعَهُ لَمْ يَزَلِ اللَّهُ عَالِماً قَادِراً ثُمَّ أَرَادَ

 (3أَحْمَدُ بْنُ إِدْرِيسَ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الْجَبَّارِ عَنْ صَفْوَانَ بْنِ يَحْيَى قَالَ قُلْتُ لِأَبِي الْحَسَنِ ع أَخْبِرْنِي عَنِ الْإِرَادَةِ مِنَ اللَّهِ وَ مِنَ الْخَلْقِ قَالَ فَقَالَ 
الْإِرَادَةُ مِنَ الْخَلْقِ الضَّمِيرُ وَ مَا يَبْدُو لَهُمْ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ مِنَ الْفِعْلِ وَ أَمَّا مِنَ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى فَإِرَادَتُهُ إِحْدَاثُهُ لَا غَيْرُ ذَلِكَ لِأَنَّهُ لَا يُرَوِّي وَ لَا يَهُمُّ وَ لَا يَتَفَكَّرُ وَ هَذِهِ الصِّفَاتُ مَنْفِيَّةٌ عَنْهُ وَ هِيَ صِفَاتُ الْخَلْقِ فَإِرَادَةُ اللَّهِ الْفِعْلُ لَا غَيْرُ ذَلِكَ يَقُولُ لَهُ كُنْ فَيَكُونُ بِلَا لَفْظٍ وَ لَا نُطْقٍ بِلِسَانٍ وَ لَا هِمَّةٍ وَ لَا تَفَكُّرٍ وَ لَا كَيْفَ لِذَلِكَ كَمَا أَنَّهُ لَا كَيْفَ لَهُ

 (4عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنِ ابْنِ أَبِي عُمَيْرٍ عَنْ عُمَرَ بْنِ أُذَيْنَةَ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع قَالَ 
خَلَقَ اللَّهُ الْمَشِيئَةَ بِنَفْسِهَا ثُمَّ خَلَقَ الْأَشْيَاءَ بِالْمَشِيئَةِ

Farsi Translation:

 (1عاصم گويد: بامام صادق (ع) عرضكردم: خدا هميشه مريد (با اراده) است؟ فرمود: 
مريد نميباشد مگر با بودن مراد (اراده شده) با او، خدا هميشه عالم و قادر است و سپس اراده كرده است.

 (3صفوان گويد: بحضرت ابو الحسن عليه السلام عرضكردم، اراده خدا و اراده مخلوق را برايم بيان كنيد، فرمود: 
اراده مخلوق ضمير و آهنگ درونى او است و آنچه پس از آن از او سر ميزند، و اما اراده خداى تعالى همان پديد آوردن اوست نه چيز ديگر، زيرا او نينديشد و آهنگ نكند و تفكر ننمايد، اين صفات در او نيست و صفات مخلوقست، پس اراده خدا همان فعل او است نه چيز ديگر، بهر چو خواهد موجود شود گويد «باش پس ميباشد» (موجود شو بلا فاصله موجود شود) بدون لفظ و سخن بزبان و آهنگ و تفكر، و اراده خدا چگونگى ندارد چنانچه او چگونگى ندارد.

 (4امام صادق (ع) فرمود: 
خدا خود مشيت را بى‏ واسطه آفريد و همه چيز را به مشيت آفريد.

English Translation:

1) Authentic/Saheeh

Muhammad ibn Yahya al-‘Attar has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Isa al-Ash‘ari from al-Husayn ibn Sa‘id al-Ahwazi from an-Nadr ibn Suwayd from ‘Asim ibn Hamiyd who has said the following. "I asked abu ‘Abdallah (peace be upon him), ‘Has Allah always been willing [or with will]?’" He (peace be upon him) replied, "There is no Will without [anything] to be is willed upon. Allah is eternally All-knowing and All-powerful. Then He wills [Eradah]."

3) Authentic/Saheeh

Ahmad ibn Idrees has narrated from Mohammed ibn Abdul-Jabbar from Safwan ibn Yahya who has said: "I said to Abi Al–Hasan: Tell me about God's will and the will of creatures. He (peace be upon him) said: "Creatures’ will is in their inside [insticts] and the action that stems from it later. Hoever, the will of Allah, the Most High, is creation/invention/something-coming-to-be, and nothing else, because He does not tell nor deliberates nor cotemplates. These characteristics do not belong to Him and [instead] belong to creatures. God’s will is His action, and nothing else. He says to anything: Be and it becomes [or comes into existence]. This occurs without any articulation or utterance of the tongue, without any effort or thinking. His will has no conditions [or «how’s»] as His Self has no conditions [or «How’s»]."

4) Good/Hasan

Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from ibn abu ‘Umayr from ‘Umar ibn ’Udhaynah from abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.) who has said the following: "Allah created His Will [Mashiyat] by itself [or Himself]. Then, He created all things by His Will [Mashiyat]."

The following are some points that I noticed in the aforementioned traditions:

• Both wills of Allah, general and specific, are created by Allah.

• The general will [Mashiyat] of Allah precedes the creation of everything else.  This general will was/is required to create all things, which includes the specific will.

• According to these traditions, there seems to be a clear structure in place. In order for the specific will to exist, things to be willed upon must exist.  Similarly, in order for anything to exist, His general will needs to come into existence. This is confirmed by the usage of the term ثُمَّ or «then», which denotes steps or stages.

• With regard to the creatures, what is quite fascinating is that our Imam (as) has not made any distinctions amongst creatures when he speaks about their inside and will.  Now, I cannot understand how for example a rock could be comparable with living creatures, but at least in terms of living creatures, we can see that there are certainly some shared features.    

• The term الضَّمِيرُ could have multiple meanings. Considering that this term is shared for all creatures, we cannot think of a meaning that is specific to humans or only relevant to humans.

• In terms of humans, our actions stem from our ضَّمِير [inside or instincts or intuitions or …].  Therefore, clearly, there is a link between our inside, whatever that may be, and our actions.

• From a scientific perspective, our inside could mean our intuition, our perception of the world, our instincts, all of which are very subjective and relative, depending on our environment and circumstances.

• If our actions stem from our inside, then to commit good deeds, we need to be concerned about our inside. The question we need to ask ourselves is «how I can configure my inside in order to produce good actions on the outside?»

• Since our will includes both the inside [instinct or …] and the outside action that follows, then one without the other cannot be considered as our will.  In other words, if we commit an action without the inside motive or desire for it, then that action is not what we willed to do.  Similarly, if we have the desire or the motive to commit an action but do not actually do so, then we did not will to do so.

• In terms of God’s will, both specific and general, I cannot say anything, since according to our Imam (as), it is nothing like our will, and since that is that case we cannot even begin to make comparisons and should not make conjectures. Therefore, at this point, until I find other acceptable traditions that may shed more light on this issue, I won’t make any further comments on God’s will. 

• The view that I mentioned in this post is supported by another tradition that I had posted last year. According to that tradition, our Imam (as) states that God’s general will [الْمَشِيئَة] is the «First Rememberance» or الذِّكْرُ الْأَوَّلُ   and God’s specific will [الْإِرَادَة] is the «determination to do what He wants» or الْعَزِيمَةُ عَلَى مَا يَشَاءُ. Thus, this can be used as another evidence that God’s general will precedes God’s specific will, and that there is a clear structure in place.

These are some points that I noticed as I read and looked into this topic. I am certain that those who are much more knowledgeable than me in this topic have much more to say, or see much more than I perceived. If you would like to add any comments or any questions, please do so.

Lastly, please double-check the translations. If you feel there is room for improvement, please do let me know.

Source:

Al-Kafi, Volume 1, Page 109-110, Tradition #1, #3, #4

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

Some of The Pious Actions of The Prophet and His Brother

One of the most important parts of human nature is to attach itself to a role model. This model could either be a fictional model, such as a character from a fictional book, or a movie, or this role model could be an actual person, whether religiously good or bad.  The point is that it is in our nature to follow someone, who we respect or admire. Unfortunately, some people choose to follow a hollywood (or a bollywood) celebrity, a singer, an entertainer, or generally someone who is not religiously worthy to be followed or admired.   

           

            Then, why is this the case, even among some muslim youths? Why should our youths choose to admire irreligious hollywood celebrities or singers/rappers or sports players? Are celebrities the sources of morality and ethics? Are they the people from whom we should learn about morality and proper daily behaviour?  Are they the people that our religion has guided us to learn from?

           

            Some may quickly answer “no, we do not take them as role models, we do not follow them, but we like to know more about them.” Why?  Why spend our limited time knowing about the lives and lifestyles of those who are not religiously worthy to be admired or followed? Isn’t our time limited?

            Sometimes I wonder, do our youths know more about celebrities (i.e. singers/rappers & sports players) or about their Prophets and Imams (peace be upon them).  Sometimes when I speak with our youths, I notice that they can lip sync to a rap song perfectly or they can give a detailed account of an sporting event, yet they have not chosen to memorize any tradition or any Qur’anic verse.  They can tell us about which celebrity said what and when, but they cannot tell us how their Prophet or Imams behaved in certain situations.  Why is this the case?

           

            In my opinion, there are two reasons.  Firstly, lack of encouragement and motivation from their family, colleagues and peers to seek and get educated about Islamic teachings. Secondly, daily bombardment of luxurious worldly lifestyles through media which in turn encourages their carnal souls to follow their worldly desires.

           

            To combat against both reasons, in my opinion, education is the key. However, this education needs to be accessible.  An important part of this education should be a focus on the subconscious activities of the brain.  Most of us may not be aware about the affects of media on our subconscious.  We need to realize that every image that goes through our eyes, and every word that goes through our ears, and every word that comes out of mouths, and every action that we commit with our hands and legs, directly, affects our body and brain, which in turn directly affects our perception, our thoughts and our future actions.   We don’t see with our eyes, we see with our brains/minds.  We hear with our ears, we hear with our brains/minds.  Subsequently, any change to our brains/minds, affects our perception (Seeing and hearing included) of this world/reality.  This is precisely the reason that our religion repeatedly emphasizes on staying away from bad friends and bad environments, because where we go and what we do directly affects who we are and how we perceive.

           

            Another part of this education program should be providing links and easy access to religiously worthy role models, such as our Prophet and Imams, peace be upon them. We need to seek and focus on acceptable traditions, which clearly guide us to learn about the actions of our Prophet and Imams.  This is precisely one of the reasons, why our Prophet and Imams were sent, to show to us what God through the Qur’an commands, in action.  Their actions exemplify the teachings and the words of God in the Quran.  The more we know and follow their actions, the better and easier we will understand the Quran and see reality for what it actually is.  This is precisely why these two weighty things cannot be separated from one another.  One teaches us the laws and commands in words and the other teaches us the laws and commands through actions.  We cannot learn either one without the other. 

           

            What I say, I say so having neuroscience and human psychology in mind. Your environment, your experiences and your actions directly affect your neural networks in your brain and in turn your perception of the world and reality.

           

            With this knowledge in mind, I would encourage whoever reads this post, to seek and to know the actions of our Prophet and Imams, and imitate their behaviour as closely as possible. Keep in mind that we all live in different circumstances.  For this reason what we is possible for one person, may not be possible for another. Therefore, it is better to help one another to improve according to their own capacities, and it is better to not force one another to do exactly as we do.

           

            I say what I say, hoping that we realize the importance of following the actions of our Prophet and our Imams. I apologize if I sound too “preachy.” I do not desire to be “preachy,” rather I merely want to highlight the affects of our actions and environments on our brains and perceptions.

            In this post, I would like to present an Authentic tradition, which names a few of the regular actions of our beloved Prophet and Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib, peace be upon them, which we need to try to incorporate into our daily lives.  Do not forget that even small actions on regular basis affect and change our brains and hence our perceptions.

            Now, without any further ado, I present to you the following Authentic tradition.

Arabic Text:

مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ الْحَكَمِ عَنْ مُعَاوِيَةَ بْنِ وَهْبٍ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع قَالَ مَا أَكَلَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص مُتَّكِئاً مُنْذُ بَعَثَهُ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ إِلَى أَنْ قَبَضَهُ تَوَاضُعاً لِلَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ وَ مَا رَأَى رُكْبَتَيْهِ أَمَامَ جَلِيسِهِ فِي مَجْلِسٍ قَطُّ وَ لَا صَافَحَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص رَجُلًا قَطُّ فَنَزَعَ يَدَهُ مِنْ يَدِهِ حَتَّى يَكُونَ الرَّجُلُ هُوَ الَّذِي يَنْزِعُ يَدَهُ وَ لَا كَافَأَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص بِسَيِّئَةٍ قَطُّ قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى لَهُ ادْفَعْ بِالَّتِي هِيَ أَحْسَنُ السَّيِّئَةَ (المؤمنون: 96) فَفَعَلَ وَ مَا مَنَعَ سَائِلًا قَطُّ إِنْ كَانَ عِنْدَهُ أَعْطَى وَ إِلَّا قَالَ يَأْتِي اللَّهُ بِهِ وَ لَا أَعْطَى عَلَى اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ شَيْئاً قَطُّ إِلَّا أَجَازَهُ اللَّهُ إِنْ كَانَ لَيُعْطِي الْجَنَّةَ فَيُجِيزُ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ لَهُ ذَلِكَ قَالَ وَ كَانَ أَخُوهُ مِنْ بَعْدِهِ وَ الَّذِي ذَهَبَ بِنَفْسِهِ مَا أَكَلَ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا حَرَاماً قَطُّ حَتَّى خَرَجَ مِنْهَا وَ اللَّهِ إِنْ كَانَ لَيَعْرِضُ لَهُ الْأَمْرَانِ كِلَاهُمَا لِلَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ طَاعَةٌ فَيَأْخُذُ بِأَشَدِّهِمَا عَلَى بَدَنِهِ وَ اللَّهِ لَقَدْ أَعْتَقَ أَلْفَ مَمْلُوكٍ لِوَجْهِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ دَبِرَتْ فِيهِمْ يَدَاهُ وَ اللَّهِ مَا أَطَاقَ عَمَلَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ص مِنْ بَعْدِهِ أَحَدٌ غَيْرُهُ وَ اللَّهِ مَا نَزَلَتْ بِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ ص نَازِلَةٌ قَطُّ إِلَّا قَدَّمَهُ فِيهَا ثِقَةً مِنْهُ بِهِ وَ إِنْ كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص لَيَبْعَثُهُ بِرَايَتِهِ فَيُقَاتِلُ جَبْرَئِيلُ عَنْ يَمِينِهِ وَ مِيكَائِيلُ عَنْ يَسَارِهِ ثُمَّ مَا يَرْجِعُ حَتَّى يَفْتَحَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ لَهُ

Farsi Translation:

معاوية بن وهب از امام صادق عليه السّلام روايت كرده كه فرمود: هيچ گاه رسول خدا (ص) از روزى كه خدا او را به پيامبرى برانگيخت تا وقتى كه از اين دنيا رفت در حال تكيه زدن خوراك نخورد و اين بخاطر فروتنى و تواضع براى خداى عز و جل بود، و هيچ گاه دو زانوى او جلوتر از همنشين (بغلى) او ديده نشد ]يعنى جلوتر از ديگران نمي‏نشست، و مجلسى (ره) احتمال ديگرى نيز داده و گفته: يعنى هيچ گاه زانويش را گرچه مورد حاجت هم بود برفيقش كه در مجلس نشسته بود نشان نميداد بخاطر شرمى كه از او داشت ...[ و هيچ گاه رسول خدا (ص) با مردى دست نداد كه پيش از رها كردن او دست خود را از دستش بكشد تا وقتى كه آن مرد دستش را ميكشيد، و هيچ گاه بدى را ببدى مكافات نكرد، خداى تعالى بدو فرمود: «بدى را بآنچه نيكوتر است دفع كن» (سوره مؤمنون آيه 96) و او نيز اين دستور را بكار بست. و هيچ گاه كسى چيزى از او نخواست كه او را رد كند (بدين ترتيب كه) اگر داشت باو ميداد، و اگر نداشت ميفرمود: خدا ميدهد، و هرگز از طرف خدا چيزى نبخشيد و تعهد نكرد جز آنكه خداوند آن را امضاء ميفرمود، اگر بهشت را نيز بكسى مي‏بخشيد خدا باو ميداد.

و برادرش [على عليه السّلام] نيز- سوگند بدان كه جانش را گرفت- هرگز چيز حرامى از مال دنيا نخورد تا وقتى كه از اين جهان رفت، و بخدا سوگند هر گاه دو كار براى او پيش مي ‏آمد كه هر دوى آنها مورد اطاعت و فرمانبردارى خداى عز و جل بود آنكه انجام آن بر تنش سخت‏تر بود آن را انتخاب ميفرمود، و بخدا قسم هزار بنده در راه خدا آزاد كرد كه براى پيدا كردن پول خريد آنها دستش تاول زده و مجروح شده بود، و بخدا سوگند كسى تاب عمل و كار رسول خدا (ص) را پس از آن حضرت (ص) جز على نداشت، و بخدا سوگند هيچ گاه براى رسول خدا (ص) پيش آمد ناگوارى رخ نداد جز آنكه على عليه السّلام را روى اطمينان و اعتمادى كه باو داشت براى انجام آن كار جلو مي ‏انداخت و روانه ميكرد، و چنان بود كه رسول خدا (ص) پرچم جنگ خود را بدست او ميداد و جبرئيل از طرف راست و ميكائيل از سمت چپش ميجنگيدند، و از جنگ باز نميگشت تا خداى عز و جل او را پيروز و فاتح سازد.

English Translation:

Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmed ibn Muhammad  from Ali ibn Al-Hakam from Mo'aweya ibn Wahb from Abu Abd Allah (peace be upon him) who has said: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) never, since the day his open mission began until his death, ate while he was lying or on his side, due to his modesty. His knees were never seen by anyone sitting in front of him. When he shook hand with any man he met, he didn't remove his hands unless the other man showed that he wanted to. He has never punished anyone, who insulted him as Allah told him: Repel evil with that which is better (Al Mo'minoon:96)  and he did so.

      He never rejected anyone who asked him; if he had something that could be given, he would give it, otherwise [if he didn’t have what he was asked for] he would say: Allah will give it to you. And any promises he gave to anyone for things from Allah, Allah the Almighty had given him permission to do so. If he had promised Paradise to anyone, it would be due to Allah the Almighty’s permission to do so.

      And I swear by Allah that his brother [Ali ibn Abi Talib] also never ate anything forbidden until he died. I swear by Allah that when he was choosing between two things that were permitted by Allah, he used to choose the one harder to his body. I swear by Allah that he liberated one thousand slaves for Allah, and to do so he worked with his own hands to the point of exhaustion. I swear by Allah that no one could afford to follow the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) except him. I swear by Allah that almost every hard time that was passed over to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), he assigned them to him because he trusted him. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) used to send him as the commander of his army with the flag of the army, and Gibre’el [Gabriel] on the right of him and Meka'el [Mikael] on the left of him would fight [side-by-side with him against the enemies], and he did not come back until they achieved victory.

List of the Dos and Don’ts from this tradition:

1)  Do not eat while you are lying or leaning on your side.

2) Keep your knees covered from others.

3) Do not be the first person to pull your hand away when you are shaking hands.

4) Do not react severely or harshly when someone wrongs you.

5) Do not reject anyone when they ask you for something.  If you have what they ask for give it and if you do not then pray for them to Allah so Allah gives it to them.

6) Do not make any false promises.  Only promise what is permissible to promise.

7) When faced with two permissible actions, choose the one that is harder on your body.

8) Work extremely hard to free slaves. [Keep in mind that slavery comes in many forms]

               

Source:

Al-Kafi, Volume 8, Page 164, Tradition #175