SECTION 24

Wisdom

Wisdom is the light of gnosis, the measure of fearful awareness and the fruit of truthfulness. Allah (SWT) has not given any of his servants a greater, more favourable, generous, lofty or more splendid blessing than wisdom for the heart. In Allah (SWT)'s words,

He grants wisdom to whom He pleases and whoever is granted wisdom, he indeed is given a great good and none but the men of understanding remember. (2:269)

That is, only the one whom I have singled out for My sake and whom I have designated for it knows what wisdom I have reserved and prepared. Wisdom is rescue, steadiness at the beginning of the affair and a firm stance at the end. It makes Allah (SWT)'s creatures aspire to Him. And the Messenger (s.w.a.s.)of Allah (SWT) said to 'Ali (a.s.), 'That Allah (SWT) should guide one of His slaves at your hands is better for you than everything the sun shines upon, from east to west.'

Making Claims

In reality the claim belongs to the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.s.)s, the Imams (a.s.) and the truthful, and a man who makes a claim improperly is like the accursed Iblis. He lays claim to devoutness while in reality he contends with his Lord and opposes His command. Whoever makes such claims reveals his lie, and the liar is not trustworthy; whoever claims what is not lawful for him has the gates of affliction opened for him. Anyone who makes a claim will doubtless be asked for clear proof, upon which he is shown to be bankrupt and disgraced. The truthful person is not asked the reason for his actions; as 'Ali (a.s.) said, 'No one sees a truthful person without being in awe of him.'

Taking Heed

The Messenger of Allah (SWT) said, 'He who learns his lessons in this world lives in it like a man asleep: he sees it but does not touch it. Abhorrence is increased in his heart and in his selfby the behaviour of those who are deceived by this world, which can only bring the reckoning and punishment. He exchanges that world for what will bring him near to Allah (SWT)'s pleasure and pardon. He washes himself free of those things to which the world invites him, and of its worldly adornments, with the water of the world's extinction.

Taking heed brings three things to the person who does so: knowledge of what he does, acting by what he knows, and knowledge of what he does not know. The root of taking heed lies in one's fear of its outcome, when he sees that he has fully realized abstinence at the beginning. Taking heed is only successful for those who have purity and insight.

Allah (SWT) said,

Take a lesson, O you who have eyes! (59:2)

and again,

For surely it is not the eyes that are blind, but blind are the hearts which are in the breasts. (22:46)

When Allah (SWT) opens the eye of someone's heart and insight by means of consideration, then He has given him a high station and an immense fortune.

Contentedness

If a man of contendness were to swear that he would eventually be in charge of his two abodes, Allah (SWT) would confirm him in that, realizing his hope through the immensity of his contentment. How can Allah (SWT)'s servant not be content with what He has allotted him when He says,

We distribute among them their livelihood between them in the life of this world. (43:32)

Whoever yields to Allah (SWT), and is not heedless in affirming Him in what He wishes and whenever He wishes, whoever has certainty of His lordship ascribes of necessity the allotment of each man's provision directly to Himself, and does not recognize the reality of causes. Whoever is content with what is allotted is relieved of care, grief and fatigue. Whenever he decreases in contentment, he increases in desire. Greed for this world is the root of every evil; the person who has it is not saved from the Fire unless he repents.

That is why the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.s.) said, 'Contentment is a kingdom which does not vanish.' It is the ship of Allah (SWT)'s pleasure, bearing whoever is on board it to His House. Have excellent trust in what you have not been given, and pleasure in what you have been given. Be patient in what befalls you, for this indeed is one of the greatest tasks.

Slander

Slander is forbidden to all Muslims, and he who slanders has sinned in every instance. Slander is when you mention something about a person which is not a fault in Allah (SWT)'s eyes, or when you censure what the people of knowledge praise.

As for discussing someone who is not present with regard to something which Allah (SWT) censures, when that person is guilty of it, then this does not amount to slander, even if he dislikes it when he hears it; and you are free of any slight of that person. This is in order to make the truth clear from the false by the clarification of Allah (SWT) and His Messenger. However, this has a precondition, in that the person who says it must seek only to clarify what is true and false, in the faith of Allah (SWT). If he means to deprecate the person of whom he talks without meaning to make things clear, then he is taken to task for his corrupt goal, even if he is correct in what he says.

If you really slander someone, then seek pardon from that person. If you do not go that far nor reach that point, then ask Allah (SWT)'s forgiveness for that. Slander eats up good deeds as fire eats up wood. As Allah (SWT) revealed to Moses, 'The slanderer will be the last to enter the Garden, if he repents. If he does not repent, then he will be the first to enter the Fire.' As He said,

Does one of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? You would hate it. (49:12)

The various aspects of slander occur when you mention a fault in someone's character, intellect, action, behaviour, belief, ignorance and so on.

The origin of slander may be one of ten types: venting one's anger, pleasing other people, suspicion, believing a report without investigating it, having a bad opinion, envy, mockery, astonishment at some action in another which one does not comprehend, dissatisfaction or impatience with others, and embellishment of oneself at the expense of others.