- 08 Aug 2010, 10:36
#14481
Imam as-Saadiq ['a.s] says and explains:
"The most pious person is one who stops when in doubt.
The best worshipping person is one who performs the obligatory deeds.
The most ascetic person is one who abandons the forbidden, and
the most hard-working person is one who abandons sinning."
A Short Introduction:
Here, the Imam ['a.s] explains the four different kinds of people: The Pious, best-worshipping, ascetic and the hard-working. And all have a different level or status: One who stops in doubt, performs the obligatory deeds, abandons the forbidden and abandons sinning.
However, each one of these have reached to a level and has attained something. What I mean is, the Pious has reached to the first level and needs to strive for becoming the best worshipping, hence, the best worshipping is also known and included as the pious one. And ilal-aakhir [to the end]. If this point is not understood well then I shall explain per request.
However, what does the hadith mean:
Imam says to the pious person to stop when in doubt, what does this mean? It means that whenever you have a doubt about something, meaning you are not certain about it not is it something you completely don't know, you should let it go and forget it otherwise it can cause harm and a waswas of Shaitan, and this could effect the piety of oneself.
Q. But why does the Imam use this statement to the pious one?
Ans. A pious person is one who is devoutly religious, hence, if one starts to fall into the trap of Shaitan and his waswas, will start doubting and it'll gradually increase to a point where it'll become like a disease in him which will wipe off his religiousness and devotion to the religion.
Imam then says to the best worshipping person to perform the obligatory deeds. Why? Because if he wouldn't do so then he would be going against 'Allah. And anyway, performing the obligatory deeds is the best worshipping.
Then the Imam says to the most ascetic person to abandon the forbidden. Here we come to see that the Imam, after advising the best worshipping person, says to abandon the forbidden acts and hence, after doing so, you will reach the level of being ascetic, one who practices a great self-denial, from the best worshipping one. And this is very important because no matter how much a person prays or worships, it is not complete until one reaches to the next level which is what we have just mentioned.
The last person to whom the Imam speaks to is the one who has crossed all the levels and has reached to a level of struggle. The Imam says to the hard-working person to abandon sinning. This is where a person completes himself and becomes a man of God, with all the characteristics that God loves in a believer.
Something worth mentioning is, when a person abandons the forbidden gradually abandons sinning. It doesn't mean that if a person stops the forbidden has also stopped sinning, no. Here the Imam says to be sincere in abandoning sinning and to be completely free from it.
Insha'Allah, I hope the explanation has elaborated the advice of the Imam ['a.s]. And let us struggle to be the best in following them.
"The most pious person is one who stops when in doubt.
The best worshipping person is one who performs the obligatory deeds.
The most ascetic person is one who abandons the forbidden, and
the most hard-working person is one who abandons sinning."
A Short Introduction:
Here, the Imam ['a.s] explains the four different kinds of people: The Pious, best-worshipping, ascetic and the hard-working. And all have a different level or status: One who stops in doubt, performs the obligatory deeds, abandons the forbidden and abandons sinning.
However, each one of these have reached to a level and has attained something. What I mean is, the Pious has reached to the first level and needs to strive for becoming the best worshipping, hence, the best worshipping is also known and included as the pious one. And ilal-aakhir [to the end]. If this point is not understood well then I shall explain per request.
However, what does the hadith mean:
Imam says to the pious person to stop when in doubt, what does this mean? It means that whenever you have a doubt about something, meaning you are not certain about it not is it something you completely don't know, you should let it go and forget it otherwise it can cause harm and a waswas of Shaitan, and this could effect the piety of oneself.
Q. But why does the Imam use this statement to the pious one?
Ans. A pious person is one who is devoutly religious, hence, if one starts to fall into the trap of Shaitan and his waswas, will start doubting and it'll gradually increase to a point where it'll become like a disease in him which will wipe off his religiousness and devotion to the religion.
Imam then says to the best worshipping person to perform the obligatory deeds. Why? Because if he wouldn't do so then he would be going against 'Allah. And anyway, performing the obligatory deeds is the best worshipping.
Then the Imam says to the most ascetic person to abandon the forbidden. Here we come to see that the Imam, after advising the best worshipping person, says to abandon the forbidden acts and hence, after doing so, you will reach the level of being ascetic, one who practices a great self-denial, from the best worshipping one. And this is very important because no matter how much a person prays or worships, it is not complete until one reaches to the next level which is what we have just mentioned.
The last person to whom the Imam speaks to is the one who has crossed all the levels and has reached to a level of struggle. The Imam says to the hard-working person to abandon sinning. This is where a person completes himself and becomes a man of God, with all the characteristics that God loves in a believer.
Something worth mentioning is, when a person abandons the forbidden gradually abandons sinning. It doesn't mean that if a person stops the forbidden has also stopped sinning, no. Here the Imam says to be sincere in abandoning sinning and to be completely free from it.
Insha'Allah, I hope the explanation has elaborated the advice of the Imam ['a.s]. And let us struggle to be the best in following them.
as-Salaamu 'aleykum warahmatullah