Saying 21 - Three Points For Progress [1 of 3]
﷽
In the Name of Allah, the All-Beneficent, the All-Merciful
There are three points in saying 21, which if observed can lead man to progress. The words of Imām ʿAlī (ʿa) are incomparable to self-help books, tips from lifestyle gurus etc because the former is advice that comes from an infallible and divine Imām.
وقال عليه السلام : قُرِنَتِ الْهَيْبَةُ بِالْخَيْبَةِ وَالْحَيَاءُ بِالْحِرْمَانِ وَالْفُرْصَةُ تَمُرُّ مَرَّ السَّحَابِ، فَانْتَهِزُوا فُرَصَ الْخَيْرِ
Amīr al-Muʾminīn, peace be upon him, said:
“The consequence of fear is disappointment and shyness (wrong type) is deprivation. Opportunity passes away like the cloud. Therefore, make use of good opportunities” (Saying 21, Nahj al-Balāghah)
This post is about the first piece of advice from this profound saying,
قُرِنَتِ الْهَيْبَةُ بِالْخَيْبَةِ
“The consequence of fear/low morale is disappointment”
The word "الْهَيْبَةُ" can have the below two meanings:
Meaning 1: Regarding something or someone with reverence, veneration, respect, honor, or awe.
Meaning 2: It means fear, caution or cautious fear.
In Saying 21, the second meaning is intended.
The word "خَيْبَةِ" means loss, failure, or disappointment. It is said in a proverb, الهَيْبَةٌ خَيْبَةٌ [Fear is a cause of disappointment]
In this saying, Imām ʿAlī (ʿa) wants to invite his followers to be brave and not fearful to lead a more successful life.
The Word خاب used in the Qurʾān (To connect with خَيْبَةِ)
قَدْ أَفْلَحَ مَن زَكَّاهَا
one who purifies it is felicitous,
وَقَدْ خَابَ مَن دَسَّاهَا
and one who betrays it fails. ( Sūrah ash-Shams, āyāt 9 & 10)
Do All Kinds of Fear lead to disappointment?
Without a doubt, fear for events or things that are dangerous, is a condition, a faculty that Allah has equipped us with, for our protection.
When something dangerous happens, fear makes a person either defend himself, or then flee and this is for his protection.
This fear does not cause disappointment, and is not the one referred to here.
However what is being referred to here, is the fear
that has no basis,
is based on suspicions,
springs from the weakness of the soul,
lack of steadfastness in front of any problem or challenge -
This kind of fear is definitely not encouraged.
Imām (ʿa) is referring to the type of fear that impedes our progress and does not allow a human being to reach lofty goals, and his aim in life - which should be getting closer to Allah.
Fear, being scared, not taking risks (with tawakkul), low morale, comes with getting disadvantaged.
We see in history the champions of Islam, putting fear aside and diving ahead in their quest to save Islam, and the results of that are before us today.
Here are some day-to-day examples of instances when fear causes disappointment:
A businessman who doesn’t have a high morale and confidence, he doesn’t reach far since he is overly cautious and fearful.
If a speaker is about to speak in public, and a more qualified speaker enters, the fear sets in and he is not able to deliver his speech perfectly.
Some people are scared to get married, due to financial constraints or family issues.
Some others are scared to have kids with fears such as, how will we afford them? How will they turn out?
Saying 175 from Nahj al-Balāghah- Imām (ʿa) Suggests a remedy to overcome fear
وقال عليه السلام : إِذَا هِبْتَ أَمْراً فَقَعْ فِيهِ، فَإِنَّ شِدَّةَ تَوَقِّيهِأَعْظَمُ مِمَّا تَخَافُ مِنْهُ
Amīr al-Muʾminīn, peace be upon him, said: “When you are afraid of something dive straight into it, because the intensity of abstaining from it is greater (worse) than what you are afraid of..”
It has been experienced many times that when a person is afraid of something, he is constantly in anxiety, worry and discomfort; however when he throws himself into it and dives straight in, he sees that it was much easier than he anticipated.
A poet says:
مَنْ راقَبَ النّاسَ ماتَ هَمّاً *** وَنالَ بِاللَّذةِ الْجَسُورُ
The one who considers the words of this and that (and is afraid of it) will die of grief; But daring, courageous, or bold people achieve pleasures and successes
Consider this āyah, and especially the phrase وَلَا يَخَافُونَ لَوْمَةَ لَائِمٍ
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مَن يَرْتَدَّ مِنكُمْ عَن دِينِهِ فَسَوْفَ يَأْتِي اللَّهُ بِقَوْمٍ يُحِبُّهُمْ وَيُحِبُّونَهُ أَذِلَّةٍ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ أَعِزَّةٍ عَلَى الْكَافِرِينَ يُجَاهِدُونَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وَلَا يَخَافُونَ لَوْمَةَ لَائِمٍ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ فَضْلُ اللَّهِ يُؤْتِيهِ مَن يَشَاءُ ۚ وَاللَّهُ وَاسِعٌ عَلِيمٌ
O you who have faith! Should any of you desert his religion, Allah will soon bring a people whom He loves and who love Him, [who will be] humble towards the faithful, stern towards the faithless, waging jihad in the way of Allah, not fearing the blame of any blamer. That is Allah’s grace, which He grants to whomever He wishes, and Allah is all-bounteous, all-knowing. (5:54)
Don’t fear the blame of any blamer when you are on the path of truth
رسولُ اللهِ (صَلَّيَ اللهُ عَلَيهِ وَ آلِهِ) : لا تَخَفْ في اللّهِ لَوْمَةَ لائمٍ.
The Prophet (ṣ) said, “Do not fear the reproach of blame on the path of Allah.”
رسولُ اللهِِ (صَلَّيَ اللهُ عَلَيهِ وَ آلِهِ): قُل الحَقَّ، وَلا تَأخُذكَ في اللّهِ لَومُةُ لائِمٍ.
The Prophet (ṣ) said, “Speak the truth, and let no one's blame for obeying Allah affect you.”
Imām ʿAlī (ʿa) was fearless and undisturbed by the blame of the blamers, as we read in Duʿāʾ an-Nudbah:
وَلاَ تَاخُذُهُ فِي ٱللَّهِ لَوْمَةُ لاَئِمٍ
“The blame of any blamer would never stop him from doing anything for the sake of Allah”
Examples From Karbalāʾ1:
Example One (How fear blocked the way to eternal salvation):
Harthama was one of the companions of Imām ʿAlī (ʿa) in the battle of Siffin, and on their way back to Kufa after the battle, they passed through the region of Karbalāʾ.
Imām ʿAlī (ʿa) grasped a handful of the soil of Karbalāʾ , smelled it and said:
هَذَا كَرْبَلاَءُ، يُقْتَلُ فِيهِ قَوْمٌ يَدْخُلُونَ الجَنَّةَ بِغَيْرِ حِسَابٍ..
“This is Karbalāʾ, some people will be killed on it and they will be resurrected from here and they will enter Paradise without any question”
When Harthama returned home, he related the incident to his wife, who confirmed its veracity due to the reliable person who had spoken the words.
Many years passed, and Harthama was a soldier in ʿUbaydullāh ibn Ziyād’s army. When the army reached Karbalāʾ, he recalled the whole incident and was disappointed to have joined ʿUbaydullāh ibn Ziyād. He rode his horse over to Imām Ḥusayn (ʿa) and reported what he had heard from Imām ʿAlī (ʿa).
When Imām Ḥusayn (ʿa) heard the recollection, he asked him:
فقال الحسين عليه السلام: أَمَعَنَا أَمْ عَلَيْنَا؟
Imām Ḥusayn (ʿa) said: “Are you with us or against us?
Observe Harthama’s answer: as fear prevailed over him, he lost the chance of being amongst the esteemed martyrs of Karbalāʾ!
قلتُ: يابن رسول الله! لا معك ولا عليك. تركتُ ولدي وعيالي أخاف عليهم من ابن زياد
“Oh Grandson of the Prophet of Allah! I am neither your supporter, nor your enemy’s. I have left my wife and daughter in Kufa, I am concerned about their safety owing to ʿUbaydullāh ibn Ziyād”
فقال الحسين عليه السلام: فَتَوَلَّ هَرَباً حَتَّي لاَ تَرَي مَقْتَلَنَا. فَوَ الَّذِي نَفْسُ الحُسَيْنِ بِيَدِهِ لاَ يَرَي اليَوْمَ مَقْتَلَنَا أَحَدٌ ثُمَّ لاَ يُعِينُنَا إلاَّ دَخَلَ النَّارَ
Imām Ḥusayn (ʿa) said:
“So return swiftly so as not to see (the place of) our martyrdom! By Him (Allah) who possesses Ḥusayn’s life, no one will witness our battle and then does not assist us unless they shall enter the fire”
Example two (Our Master Imām Ḥusayn (ʿa) shows us what it means to be fearless in the path of Allah):
Imām Ḥusayn (ʿa) sets off towards Karbalāʾ, fearlessly. According to history, he boldly took the main road, while it was suggested to him to take the mountainous byway, in response Imām Ḥusayn (ʿa) said this:
لا والله! لا افارقه حتي يقضي الله ما هو قاض
“No, by Allah! I will not deviate from it (the main route) until Allah shall determine what HE judges.”
Imām Ḥusayn (ʿa)’s reply shows that he did not leave Medina, out of fear, nor to escape. Had that been the case, he would’ve taken the back road. Instead, he not only took the main road, but stopped at rest areas, and met people on the way.. He took the path where everyone could see him. He intended to accomplish his Divine mission, that is, embarking on a jihad against the oppressors in a state of freedom (from fear) and quite peacefully until Allah would decide the whole affair.
We conclude today’s discussion with this āyah that sums it all up beautifully:
أَلَا إِنَّ أَوْلِيَاءَ اللَّهِ لَا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ
“Look! The friends of Allah will indeed have no fear nor will they grieve” (Sūrah Yunus:62)
Until next week, Fī amānillāh..
Both examples taken from “From Medina to Karbala – In The Words of Imam al-Husayn”. The examples have been paraphrased from the original text.