SECTION 5

Precaution

Precaution (taqwa) has three facets:

1. Precaution by dependence on Allah (SWT), which means leaving behind contradiction and going beyond any shade of doubt, and this is the precaution exercised by the highest.

2. The precaution of Allah (SWT), which means to abandon all doubtful matters and to leave the forbidden (haram) alone; this is the precaution of the elite.

3. The precaution of the Fire and Punishment, which results in leaving alone what is forbidden; this is the precaution of the general public.

Precaution is like water flowing in a river. The three levels of precaution are like trees of every colour and variety planted on the bank of that river, each tree absorbing water from that river according to its essence, capacity, delicateness and thickness. Then the benefits which creatures take from these trees and fruits are according to their value and worth. Allah (SWT) said,

Palm trees having one root and [others] having distinct roots - they are watered with one water, and We make some of them excel others in fruit. (13:4)

Precaution in acts of obedience to Allah (SWT) is like water for the trees, and the natures of the trees and their fruits in their colours and tastes are like the measures of belief. Whoever has the highest degree in belief and the purest nature with respect to the soul has the greatest precaution. He who is precautious has the purer and more sincere worship: whoever is like that is nearer to Allah (SWT). But every act of devotion that is founded on something other than precaution comes to nothing.

Allah (SWT) said,

Is he, therefore, better who laid his foundation on fear of Allah and [His] good pleasure, or he who laid his foundation on the edge of a cracking, hollowed bank, so it broke down with him into the fire of Hell? (9:109)

The explanation of precaution is to avoid entering an affair which contains no harm simply out of fear of one which does. It is, in reality, obedience without rebellion, remembrance without forgetfulness, knowledge without ignorance, and it is accepted by Allah (SWT) and not rejected.

Allah (SWT) fearingness
Close the gates of your limbs and senses to all that will harm your heart, remove your standing with Allah (SWT), and bring in its wake grief and regret on the Day of Judgement and shame about the evil actions you committed.

The scrupulous person must have three principles: he should overlook the faults of all people, he should avoid offending them, and he should balance censure with praise.

The basis of Allah (SWT)fearingness is constantly to take the self to account, to be truthful in one's words and pure in one's transactions, to leave every doubtful thing, to abandon every defect and doubt, to separate oneself from all which does not concern you and not to open doors which you will not know how to close. Do not sit with anyone who obscures what is clear for you, nor with someone who takes the faith lightly. Do not question knowledge which your heart has no capacity for, and which you will not understand, of whoever said it, and cut offanyone who cuts you off from Allah (SWT).

Social Interactions

Courteous social relations with Allah (SWT)'s creation while avoiding all acts of disobedience to Him is a sign of Allah (SWT)'s excessive generosity with His bondsman. Whoever is sincere and humble before Allah (SWT) in his innermost being will have good social interaction externally.

Keep company with people for the sake of Allah (SWT) and do not keep company merely for your own share of worldly affairs, for seeking rank, showing off, or for reputation. Do not fall below the limits of the shari'ah for the sake of social intercourse, such as trying to keep up with others, or gaining a reputation, for these things cannot make up for you, and you will miss the next world, with no recourse. Treat someone who is older than you as you would your father, someone who is younger than you as you would a son. Treat your peer as you would a brother. Do not abandon what you know to be certain within yourself for something heard from other people which you doubt. Be gentle when you enjoin good, and compassionate when you forbid evil. Never abandon good counsel in any circumstance.

As Allah (SWT) said,

Speak to men good words. (2:83)

Cut yourself off from what makes you forget to remember Allah (SWT), when temptation distracts you from obedience to Him, for that comes from the friends and helpers of Satan. Do not allow the sight of them to move you to dissimulation with the truth, for that would be a terrible loss indeed. We seek refuge with Almighty Allah (SWT).

Sleep

Sleep the sleep of the mindful, do not sleep the sleep of the heedless. For the mindful among the astute sleep only for rest, and do not purposely sleep through laziness.

The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.s.) said, 'My eyes sleep, but my heart does not.' When you go to sleep, have the intention to lighten your burden on the angels and disengage the self from its appetites, and to examine yourself by your sleep; be aware of the fact that you are incapable and weak. You have no power over any of your movements and stillnesses, except by the judgement and measure of Allah (SWT).

Know that sleep is the brother of death. Use it as a guide to death, for there is no way to wake up in death or to return to correct action once you have missed it. Whoever sleeps through an obligatory, recommended or supererogatory prayer is at fault, and his sleep is the sleep of the heedless and the path of the losers; he is at fault. Whoever sleeps after he has discharged his duties concerning obligatory and recommended prayers, and has carried out his responsibilities, sleeps a praiseworthy sleep. I do not know of anything that is safer than sleep for the people of our times who have attained these qualities: this is because people have ceased to guard their faith and to take care in observing their conduct. They have taken the left-hand path. When a sincere bondsman strives not to speak out of place, how can he avoid hearing that which would prevent him from not speaking unless there is a safeguard? Sleep is one such safeguard. As Allah (SWT) said,

Surely, the hearing and the sight and the heart, all of these shall be questioned about that. (17:36)

In excess sleep there are many evils, even if it is done in the way we have mentioned. Too much sleep is brought about by excess drink, and excess drinking is brought about being excessively satiated. Both of these things weigh heavily on the self to keep it from obedience, and they harden the heart from reflection and humility.

Make your sleep your last affair in this world; remember Allah (SWT) with your heart and your tongue. Let your obedience to Allah (SWT) overpower your wrongdoings and seek help from Him while you sleep, fasting until the morning prayer, since if you are awakened at night, Satan whispers to you, 'Sleep again, you still have a long night,' for he wants you to miss the time of intimate contemplation and exposure of your state before your Lord. Do not be distracted in seeking forgiveness at dawn, for at that time there is much yearning for those in devoted supplication.

SECTION 6

Pilgrimage

If you intend to go on pilgrimage, before resolving on it devote your heart to Allah (SWT), stripping it of every preoccupation and every barrier between you and Allah (SWT). Entrust all your affairs to your Creator; rely on Him in all your actions and moments of stillness. Surrender to His decree, decision and judgement. Abandon this

world, repose, and all creation. Perform those duties which you are bound to farlfil for other people. Do not rely on your provisions, the animal you ride, your companions, your food, your youth nor your wealth, for fear that they will become your enem.es and be harmful to you; in this way you will realize that there is no power, no strength, nor might except by the guardianship of Allah (SWT) and His granting of success.

Prepare for the pilgrimage as someone who does not hope to return. Keep good company, and be diligent in observing all your obligations to Allah (SWT) and the Holy Prophet practices. Take care to show courtesy, endurance, patience, thankfulness, compassion, and generosity, always putting others before yourself at all times, even those who reject you. Then perform an ablution with the water of sincere repentance for wrong actions; put on the robe of truthfulness, purity, humility and fear. By donning the garments of pilgrimage,' withhold yourselffrom everything which hinders you from remembering Allah (SWT), or that will impede you from showing obedience to Him.

Fulfil His call with an answer whose meaning is clear, pure and sincere when you call on Him, holding on firmly to your belief in Him. Circumambulate with your heart along with the angels who circumambulate the Throne, just as you circumambulate with the Muslims who go around the Ka'bah. Hasten as you run in flight from your passion, freeing yourself of all your personal assumptions of strength and power. Leave your heedlessness and errors behind when you go out to Mina; do not desire what is unlawful for you and what you do not deserve. Confess your errors at Arafat: set out your contract with Allah (SWT) by His Oneness, draw near to Him and fear Him at Muzdalifah. Climb with your soul to the highest assembly when you climb the mountain of Arafat. Slit the throat of passion and greed in the sacrifice. Stone your appetites, baseness, vileness, and blameworthy actions when you stone the Pillar of Aqabah. Shave offyour outward and inward faults when you shave youI hair. Enter into the security of Allah (SWT), His protection, His veil, His shelter and His watchfulness and abandon the pursuit of your desires by entering the Sacred Precinct. Visit the House, and walk around it to glorify its Master, His wisdom, His majesty and His power. Embrace the Stone, being content with His decree and humble before His might. Leave everything that is other-than-Him in the valedictory circumambulation. Purify your soul and your innermost being for the meeting with Allah (SWT), on the day when you will meet Him when standing on Safa'. Take on valour and courtesy from Allah (SWT) by annihilating your attributes at Marwah. Be consistent in the conditions of your pilgrimage and fulfil the contract you have made with your Lord, by which you will have obliged yourself to Him on the Day ofJudgement. Know that Allah (SWT) made the pilgrimage obligatory, and singled it out from all the acts of worship in respect of Himself when He said,

Pilgrimage to the House is incumbent upon men for the sake of Allah, and [upon] everyone who is able to undertake the journey to it. (3:97)

The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.s.) established the organization of the rituals of pilgrimage as preparation for, and an indication of, death, the grave, the resurrection and the Day of Judgement. In this lesson for mankind he discriminates between those who will enter the Garden and those who will enter the Fire, through his demonstrating the pilgrimage rites from beginning to end to those with intelligence and prudence.

Charity

Obligatory charity' for the sake of Allah (SWT) is due from every single part of your body, even from every root of your hair. In fact, charity is due for every instant of your life.

Charity of the eye means looking with consideration and avertng the gaze from desires and things similar to them. Charity of the ear means listening to the best of sounds, such as wisdom, the Qur'an, the benefits of the faith contained in warnings and good counsel, and to that in which your salvation lies, and by avoiding their opposite, such as lies, slander, and similar things. Charity of the tongue means to give good counsel to the Muslims, to awaken those who are heedless, and to give abundant glorification and remembrance (dhikr), and other, similar things. Charity of the hand means spending money on others, to be generous with Allah (SWT)'s blessings to you, to use it in writing down knowledge and information by means of which other Muslims will benefit in obedience to Allah (SWT), and to restrain the hand from evil. Charity of the foot means to hasten to carry out one's duty to Allah (SWT) by visiting virtuous people, assemblies of remembrance (dhikr), putting things right between people, maintaining ties of kinship, engaging in jihad, and doing things which will make your heart sound and your faith correct.

We have mentioned here just some of the ways of zakat, namely, those understood by the heart and those the self can deal with; although there are others too numerous to mention, mastered by no one but His sincere and intimate bondsmen. Indeed, these latter are the lords of zakat and to them belongs its mark of distinction. Oh Allah (SWT), give me success in what You love and in what makes You content.

Intention

The person who has a sincere intention is the one who has a sound heart; because a sound heart, free from thoughts about forbidden things,-comes from making your intention purely for Allah (SWT) in all matters.

The day on which neither property will avail, nor sons, except him who comes to Allah with a heart free [from evil]. (26:88-9)

The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.s.) said, 'The intention of the believer is better than his action,' and also, 'Actions are by intentions, and every man will obtain what he had intended.' The slave of Allah (SWT) must therefore have sincere intention in every moment of action and stillness because then he will not be heedless. Those who are heedless have been censured by Allah (SWT):

They are nothing but as cattle; nay, they are straying farther off from the path. (25:44)

These are the heedless ones. (7:179)

Intention appears from the heart, according to the purity of knowledge. It varies as belief varies, at different moments in its strength and weakness. The selfishness and passion of those with sincere intention is subjugated to the power of the glorification of Allah (SWT) and modesty before Him. He is by his nature, his appetites and his own desires, in a state of discomfort, and yet people find ease at his hand.

SECTION 7

Remembrance

He who truly remembers Allah (SWT) is the one who obeys Him: whoever forgets is disobedient. Obedience is the mark of guidance, disobedience the sign of misguidance. The root of both states lies in remembrance (dhitr) and forgetfulness.

Make your heart the focal point of your tongue, which should not move unless the heart indicates, the intellect agrees and your tongue accords with belief. Almighty Allah (SWT) knows what you conceal and what you reveal.

Be like someone who has shed his soul from his body, or like someone who is attending the great parade on the Day of Reckoning, not distracting yourself from the obligations which your Lord has laid on you in His commands and prohibitions, His promise and His threat. Do not be occupied with yourself rather than with the duties laid down for you by your Lord.

Wash your heart clean with the water of sorrow and fear; make remembrance of Allah (SWT) part of His most glorious remembrance of you. He remembers you, but He does not need you. His remembrance of you is more glorious, more desirable, more praiseworthy,! more complete and more ancient than your remembrance of Him.

The knowledge you obtain by His remembrance of you will beget you humility, modesty and contrition, which will in turn be the cause of your witnessing His nobility and previous, overflowing favour. The latter will then belittle your obedience in your own eyes, however copious it may be as a result of His favours; and you will be sincerely devoted to Him. But your consciousness and esteem of your own remembrance of Him will lead to showing off, pride, foolishness and coarseness in your character, for it means attaching too much importance to your obedience while forgetting His overflowing favour and generosity. It will only make you more distant from Him, and all that you will acquire with the passing of the days is alienation.

There are two sorts of remembrance: sincere remembrance with which the heart is in harmony, and remembrance which arises through banishing any remembrance of other than Allah (SWT). As the Messenger (s.w.a.s.)of Allah (SWT) said, 'I cannot do justice in properly praising You as You praise Yourself.' The Messenger of Allah (SWT) did not set any limit on remembring Allah (SWT), since he knew the truth that Allah (SWT)'s remembrance of His bondsman was greater than the bondsman's remembrance of Him. Thus it is even more fitting that whoever comes after the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.s.) should not set any limits, and whoever wants to remember Allah (SWT) should know that as long as Allah (SWT) does not remember the bondsman by granting him success in remembering Him, that bondsman will not be able to remember Him.

The Ruin of the Reciters

Someone who recites without knowledge is like a vain man who has neither property nor wealth; for people do not hate someone for his lack of possessions, but they detest him for his vanity. He is always at odds with creation in that which is not obligatory upon him, and he who contests creation in what he is not commanded to do is contesting the process of creativity and absolute lordship.

As Allah (SWT) said,

Among men is he who disputes in respect of Allah though having no knowledge, nor guidance, nor a book giving light. (31:20)

None will have a harsher punishment than someone who claims a right to the mantle of knowledge without having either the truth or the meaning of it.

Zayd ibn Thabit said to his son, 'My son, do not let Allah (SWT) see your name in the register of the vain reciters.' And the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.s.) said, 'A time will come for my community in which hearing the name of the man who recites will be considered better than studying, and studying will be considered better than doing the thing with experience ... The greatest number of hypocrites in my community are among the reciters of the Qur'an.'

Be where the faith recommends you to be, and where you are commanded to be. Conceal your inner state from other people as much as you can. Make your acts of obedience to Allah (SWT) have the same relationship as your soul has to your body, so they become an indication of the state you have attained between yourself and your Originator. Seek Allah (SWT)'s help in all your affairs, and beseech Allah (SWT) humbly at the end of the night and at the end of the day. Allah (SWT) said,

Call on your Lord humbly and secretly; surely He does not love those who exceed the limits. (7:55)

Transgressing is one of the attributes, indeed, one of the hallmarks, of the reciters of our time. Be fearful of Allah (SWT) in all your affairs, so that you do not fall into the arena of desire and destroy yourself.

Clarification of Truth and Falsehood

Fear Allah (SWT) and be where you wish to be among any people you choose to be. There is no conflict for anyone in a state of precaution. Precaution is desirable for all parties; in it is gathered all goodness and maturity. It is the measure of all knowledge and wisdom, of every accepted act of obedience. Precaution is the water which gushes out from the spring of Allah (SWT)'s gnosis: every branch of knowledge is in need of it. It does not need any confirmation of knowing how to be still in awe of Allah (SWT) and His power. Increase in precaution comes from Allah (SWT)'s acquainting His bondman's secret with His subtle mercy: this is the root of every truth.

Falsehood is whatever cuts you off from Allah (SWT)- every group agrees on this also. Therefore avoid falsehood, devoting your secret to Allah (SWT) without any attachement.

The Messenger of Allah (SWT) said, 'The truest words that the Bedouins spoke are the words of Labid when he said,

Indeed everything but Allah is false And every blessing is most certainly ephemeral.'

So cling to what is agreed upon by people of purity, piety and precaution in the roots of the faith, the realities of certainty, Allah (SWT)'s pleasure, and submission. Do not enter into disagreement and disputations among people, for then things will become difficult for you. The chosen community has agreed that Allah (SWT) is One and that there is nothing like Him; and that He is just in His judgement, does whatever He wishes, and governs what He wills. One does not ask 'why?' about anything of His making

There has not been and will never be anything that is not according to His will and desire; He has the power to do what He wills, and He is true in His promise and His threat. The Qur'an is His word, and it existed before phenomenal being, place and time. The creation of phenomenal beings and their annihilation are the same with Him: their creation did not increase His knowledge, nor will their passing decrease His kingdom. His power is mighty and He is majestic, glory be to Him. If someone brings to you anything which falls short of this fundamental truth, do not accept it. Devote your inward being to that and you will see its blessings close at hand. You will be among the victors.

The Gnosis of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.s.)

Allah (SWT) has provided His Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.s.)s from the treasures of His subtlety, generosity, and mercy. He has taught them from the wealth of His knowledge, and He has singled them out for Himself from among all creation. No one from the entire creation possesses a state or character similar to theirs, for He has made them the means for all creatures to come to Him.

He made obedience to and love for them the cause of His contentment, and opposition to them and rejection of them a cause for His wrath. He commanded all peoples and groups to follow the religion of their Messenger, rejecting any obedience other than by means of obedience to them, praise of them, recognition of their love, respect and veneration for them, esteem for them and deference to them, and rank with Allah (SWT). Therefore glorify all the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.s.)s of Allah (SWT), and do not place them in the same position as anyone inferior to them. Do not excercise your intellect regarding their stations, states, and character unless it is by a precise clarification from Allah (SWT), and a consensus of the people who have insight into the proofs which affirm their virtues and ranks. How can you arrive at the reality of what they have from Allah (SWT)? If you compare their words and actions with any of the people below them, you will be a bad companion to them; you will have disclaimed their gnosis in ignorance of their being specially selected by Allah (SWT), and you will have dropped below the level of the truths of belief and gnosis. So take care, and take care again.

The Recognition of the Imams (a.s.)

It is related with a sound chain of authority from Salman al- Farsi, ' I visited the Messenger (s.w.a.s.)of Allah (SWT) who looked at me and said, ' "O Salman, Allah (SWT) does not send a Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.s.) or messenger unless there are with him twelve chiefs."

' "O Messenger of Allah (SWT), I know this from the people of the two books."

'"O Salman, do you know my twelve chiefs, whom Allah (SWT) has chosen to be leaders after me?"

"Allah (SWT) and His Messenger know best."

' "O Salman, Allah (SWT) created me from the quintessence of light, and called me, so I obeyed Him. Then He created 'Ali (a.s.) from my light, and called him, and he obeyed. From my light and the light of 'Ali (a.s.) He created Fatimah (a.s.): He called her and she obeyed. From me, 'Ali (a.s.) and Fatimah (a.s.), He created al-Hasan (a.s.) and al-Husayn (a.s.). He called them and they obeyed Him. Allah (SWT) has named us with five of His names: Allah (SWT) is al-Mahmud (the Praised) and I am Muhammad (worthy of praise); Allah (SWT) is al-'Ali (a.s.) (the High), and this is 'Ali (a.s.) (the one of high rank); Allah (SWT) is al-Fatir (Creator out of nothing), and this is Fatimah (a.s.); Allah (SWT) is the One with Hasan (beneficence), and this is Hasan; Allah (SWT) is Muhassin (the Beautiful), and this is Husayn. He created nine Imams (a.s.) from the light of al-Husayn (a.s.) and called them and they obeyed Him, before Allah (SWT) created either Heaven on high, the out-stretched earth, the air, the angels or man. We were lights who glorified Him, listened to Him and obeyed Him."

' "O Messenger of Allah (SWT), may my father and mother be your ransom! What is there for the person who recognizes these men as they should be recognized?"

' "O Salman, whoever recognizes them as they should be recognized, and follows their example, befriends them and is free of their enemies, by Allah (SWT)! he is one of us. He will return to where we return, and he will be where we are!"

' "O Messenger of Allah (SWT), is there belief without knowing their names and lineage?"

' "No, Salman."

' "Messenger of Allah (SWT), where will I find them?"

' "You already know al-Husayn (a.s.); then there will be the master of the worshippers, 'Ali (a.s.) ibn Husayn (Zayn al-'Abidin); then his son Muhammad ibn 'Ali (a.s.), the piercer of the knowledge of the early and the later Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.s.)s and messengers (al-Baqir); then Ja'far ibn Muhammad, the truthful tongue of Allah (SWT) (al-Sadiq); then Musa ibn Ja'far, the one who kept his rage silent through patience in Allah (SWT) (al-Kathim); then 'Ali (a.s.) ibn Musa, pleased with the secret of Allah (SWT) (al-Rida '); then Muhammad ibn 'Ali (a.s.), the chosen one from the creatures of Allah (SWT) (al-MukAtar); then 'Ali (a.s.) ibn Muhammad, the guide to Allah (SWT) (al-Hadi); then al-Hasan (a.s.), son of 'Ali (a.s.), the silent, trustworthy guardian over the secret of Allah (SWT) (al-'Askari); then mim ha' mim dal (Muhammad), called Ibn al-Hasan (a.s.), the announcer who establishes the right of Allah (SWT)." '

Salman said, 'I wept. Then I continued,

' "O Messenger of Allah (SWT), let my life be deferred until their time! "

'He said, "O Salman, recite this:

When the promise for the first of the two came, We sent over you our servants of mighty prowess, so they went to and fro among the houses, and it was a promise to be accomplished. Then We gave you back the turn to prevail against them, and aided you with wealth and children and made you a numerous band." ' (17:5-6)

' "I wept a lot," said Salman, "and my yearning became intense. I said,

' "O Messenger of Allah (SWT), is it a pledge from you?"

' "Yes, by the One Who sent me and entrusted me with the Message; it is a pledge from me and from 'Ali (a.s.), Fatimah, al-Hasan (a.s.), al-Husayn (a.s.), and the nine Imams (a.s.) descended from the children of al-Husayn (a.s.), to you and those who are with us, and those of us who are wronged. Whoever is truly sincere in his belief, then by Allah (SWT), Salman, let Iblis and his armies come. Whoever has pure disbelief will be punished by retaliation, torture and inheritance (i.e. by others rather than them). Your Lord will not wrong anyone. It is we who are indicated in this verse:

We desired to bestow a favour upon those who were deemed weak in the land, and to make them the leaders, and to make them the heirs, and to grant them power in the land, and to make Pharoah, Haman and their armies see from them what they feared." ' (28:5-6)

Salman said, 'I took leave of the Messenger (s.w.a.s.)of Allah (SWT), completely unconcerned as to how Salman would meet death, or how death would meet him.' "