Letter 69 - Thirty advice for the 30 days of any month [8 of 9]
Continuing our series on Letter 69 of Imām ʿAlī (ʿa) to al-Harith (ibn ʿAbdillāh, al-A`war) al-Hamdani, we will be discussing advice numbers 25, 26 and 27
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In the Name of Allah, the All-Beneficent, the All-Merciful
Advice 25 : Worship Allah when you are feeling spiritually motivated.
وَخَادِعْ نَفْسَكَ فِي الْعِبَادَةِ، وَارْفُقْ بِهَا وَلاَ تَقْهَرْهَا، وَخُذْ عَفْوَهَا وَنَشَاطَهَا، إِلاَّ مَا كَانَ مَكْتُوباً عَلَيْكَ مِنَ الْفَرِيضَةِ
“Deceive your heart into worshiping, persuade it and do not force it. Engage it (in worshiping) when it is free and merry, except as regards the obligations enjoined upon you, for they should not be neglected and must be performed at the five times.”
When the Imām (ʿa) says وَارْفُقْ بِهَا وَلاَ تَقْهَرْهَا, he is advising us not to put pressure on our souls in recommended acts of worship, lest we become discouraged by it. Rather, he recommends that we should approach these acts when our hearts are receptive, and when we aren’t pressed for time. The reason is perhaps because if we catch our hearts in this mood:
the fire of love for Allah (swt) gets ignited,
we might taste the sweetness of munājāt (whispered prayers/conversations) with Allah (swt)
we get encouraged to engage in these acts again.
To engage in acts of worship by deceiving oneself does not involve falsehood or dishonesty, but rather it entails motivating oneself towards performing those acts. An instance of this could be where one convinces oneself that carrying out a particular act of worship will bring about good health, increased sustenance, and so on. By adopting this approach, one can motivate oneself to engage in various acts of worship such as prostration, night prayers, and recommended fasts.
Once we feel the sweetness of these acts, we will be more encouraged to do them.
وقال عليه السلام : إِنَّ لِلْقُلُوبِ شَهْوَةً وَإِقْبَالاً وَإِدْبَاراً، فَأْتُوهَا مِنْ قِبَلِ شَهْوَتِهَا وَإِقْبَالِهَا، فَإِنَّ الْقَلْبَ إِذَا أُكْرِهَ عَمِيَ
“Hearts are imbued with passion and the power of advancing and retreating. Therefore, approach them for action at the time of their passion and when they are in a mood for advancing, because if hearts are forced (to do a thing) they will be blinded.” (Saying 193, Nahj al-Balāghah)
It is mentioned in many other narrations that you should not force yourself (or others) to do the recommended actions, but let yourself and them do it out of their desire so that there will always be enthusiasm for ‘ibadat.
The last part of this is very important:
إِلاَّ مَا كَانَ مَكْتُوباً عَلَيْكَ مِنَ الْفَرِيضَةِ
except as regards the obligations enjoined upon you, for they should not be neglected and must be performed at the five times.
Wājibaat (obligatory acts) are obligatory. The purpose of the statement made by Imam (ʿa) is to ensure that no one misinterprets the preceding statement and uses it as an excuse to neglect the obligatory acts of worship. For instance, some individuals might claim that they lack the patience and stamina required to perform daily prayers, but the Imām's statement cautions against such a misapplication of the earlier statement.
A valuable piece of advice from the scholars is that in order to partake in recommended acts of worship and experience the delightful taste of intimate conversations with Allah (swt), it is crucial to consume food in moderation. In fact, one member of the StudyNB team recalls a visiting scholar during Shahr Ramaḍān who opted to hold classes on Practical Irfan before iftar, as hunger can make the heart more receptive.
Another practical way to “deceive your heart into worshiping, persuade it” is to enter into the ‘ibadat by listening to something that moves you. There are many recitations of professional reciters that can get one into the mood of worshiping Allah. It could be listening to the Qurʾān, duʿās, or crying over the masaeb (tragedies) of the Ahl al-Bayt (ʿa).
Above all, the key is to plead from Allah (swt) Himself to get the ‘haal’ or mood of ‘ibadat (worshipping).
Imām Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn (ʿa) presents this plea beautifully in his Munājāt Mut’ieen (Whispered Prayer of the Obedient Ones). Related lines are quoted below:
اللَّهُمَّ أَلْهِمْنَا طَاعَتَكَ
O Allah, inspire us to obey You,
اَللَّهُمَّ ٱحْمِلْنَا فِي سُفُنِ نَجَاتِكَ
O Allah, carry us in the ships of Your deliverance,
وَمَتِّعْنَا بِلَذِيذِ مُناجَاتِكَ
give us to enjoy the pleasure of whispered prayer to You,
وَأَوْرِدْنَا حِيَاضَ حُبِّكَ
make us drink at the pools of Your love,
وَأَذِقْنَا حَلاوَةَ وُدِّكَ وَقُرْبِكَ
let us taste the sweetness of Your affection and nearness,
ADVICE 26 : This world should not distract us so much, that we forget death
وَإِيَّاكَ أَنْ يَنْزِلَ بِكَ الْمَوْتُ وَأَنْتَ آبِقٌ مِنْ رَبِّكَ فِي طَلَبِ الدُّنْيَا
“Be on guard lest death comes down upon you while you have fled away from your Lord in search of worldly pleasure.”
آبِقٌ - means a runaway slave. This word is also used in Whispered Prayer Of The Repenters by Imām Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn (ʿa), when he says:
إِلـٰهِي هَلْ يَرْجِعُ الْعَبْدُ الأَبِقُ إلاَّ إلَىٰ مَوْلاهُ
My God, does the fugitive servant return to anyone other than his Master?
In this advice of Letter 69, the Imam (ʿa) draws a comparison between the captives of the world and runaway slaves who flee from their master but are eventually caught. He advises against becoming a slave to the world and chasing after its glittering attractions, forsaking the care and mercy of the One who nurtured and created us (the Kind and Merciful Rabb).
The Imām (ʿa) is stressing that death can come without warning and a person may not be aware of their state when it happens. Therefore, one should be vigilant and avoid committing sins. It is essential to leave this world in a state of obedience to Allah and following the path that pleases Him!
One effective approach to follow this guidance is to imagine oneself engaged in a sinful act, such as being alone with a non-mahram (in a forbidden meeting) or watching an inappropriate movie at a cinema, and then envision the scenario of passing away while in that state
ADVICE 27 : Avoid bad company
وَمُصَاحَبَةَ الْفُسَّاقِ، فَإِنَّ الشَّرَّ بِالشَّرِّ مُلْحَقٌ
Avoid the company of the wicked because vice adjoins vice.
Some commentators have interpreted the phrase "vice adjoins vice" to mean that when God sends punishment, it may affect not only the wrongdoers but also those who associate with them in the same gathering, including innocent people who may have been present.
وقال عليه السلام : الرَّاضِي بِفِعْلِ قَوْمٍ كَالدَّاخِلِ فِيهِ مَعَهُمْ، وَعَلَى كُلِّ دَاخِلٍ فِي بَاطِلٍ إِثْمَانِ: إِثْمُ الْعَمَلِ بِهِ، وَإِثْمُ الرِّضَى بِهِ.
Amīr al-Muʾminīn, peace be upon him, said: He who agrees with the action of a group of persons is as though he joins them in that action. And everyone who joins in wrong commits two sins; one sin for committing the wrong and the other for agreeing with it (saying 154 Nahj al-Balāghah)
Initially, one may assume that if an individual does not personally engage in sinful behavior or assist wrongdoers, then how could merely tolerating such conduct make them a participant in the wrongdoing?
The rationale behind this is that remaining silent in the face of wrongdoing implies approval, and in the absence of forbidding the evil (nahy ʿanil munkar), the same immoral behavior may slowly seep into the silent individual's words and actions. Gradually, their heart may start to view the sin as less severe, leading to a gradual acceptance of it. For instance, someone who moves to the West for the first time may find the vulgarity quite shocking, whereas a person who has grown up there may have unknowingly accepted it as normal.
الإمامُ عليٌّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ) : لايَصْحَبُ الأبرارَ إلاّ نُظَراؤُهُمْ
لايُوادُّ الأشْرارَُ إلاّ أشْباهَُهُمْ
Imām ʿAlī (ʿa) said, None accompanies the virtuous except those who are like them. No one befriends the wicked except those who are like them
It is also stated in the Noble Qurʾān that on the Day of Resurrection, some of the people of hell will cry out of regret that they became friends with such and such a defiled and unbelieving person.:
يَا وَيْلَتَىٰ لَيْتَنِي لَمْ أَتَّخِذْ فُلَانًا خَلِيلًا
Woe to me! I wish I had not taken so and so as a friend!
لَّقَدْ أَضَلَّنِي عَنِ الذِّكْرِ بَعْدَ إِذْ جَاءَنِي ۗ وَكَانَ الشَّيْطَانُ لِلْإِنسَانِ خَذُولًا
Certainly he led me astray from the Reminder after it had come to me, and Satan is a deserter of man.’ (25:28-29)
May Allah grant us the inspiration to worship Him, constantly reminding us of our proximity to death, and may He bless us with the company of righteous individuals who help us stay on the path of righteousness. If we find ourselves in the presence of those who engage in sin, may Allah give us the courage to encourage them towards good deeds. Āmīn.