Amina

Description of the Righteous

It is related that a devout worshipper by the name of Hum¥m came to

Imam ¢AlÏ (May Allah Ennoble his countenance) and asked him to

describe the pious people so vividly that he could almost see them.

¢AlÏ gresponded:

 

 

Their speech is truthful; their clothing is moderate;

and they walk with utmost humility. They lower their gaze

from everything Allah has forbidden. They allow their ears to

listen only to that which is beneficial. Their souls accept

exposure to trials and tribulations as easily as others accept

luxurious living.

Were it not for their appointed term, their spirits

would not have remained in their bodies the span of a

twinkling of the eye due to their intense longing for their

Lord. Because the Creator is magnified in their souls,

everything else is viewed as insignificant in their sight. Their

hearts are sober; people are safe from any wickedness from

them; their bodies are slim [they don’t overindulge their

appetites]; their basic needs are few; and their souls are chaste.

They patiently endure the few days they spend in this world

knowing that they will be followed by a long, peaceful

rest—this is the profitable life-transaction which their Lord

has allowed them to enter into. The world desired them;

however, they had no desire for it. It imprisoned them, but

they ransomed their souls from it [with their restraint and

righteous deeds].

At night, their feet are arranged in ranks as they

dutifully recite the Qur’an in slow measured tones. If they

come upon a verse that stimulates [in them] longing [for the

delightful things which Allah has promised] they ponder it,

craving to attain them. Their souls soar due to the intensity of

their longing for those delights. If they come upon a verse

that frightens them [with the threat of Allah’s dreadful

punishment] they hear it reverberating in the depths of their

hearts. They imagine that they hear the dreadful sounds of the

Hellfire in the innermost recesses of their ears. You find them

kneeling down [before their Lord], begging to be liberated

from the Hellfire.

As for their days, they are forbearing, clement scholars.

They are righteous and pious. Fear [of Allah] surrounds them,

piercing them like arrows. One who gazes upon them thinks

that they are sick. However, they are far from being sick.

They are not satisfied with a minimal amount of righteous

deeds, nor do they consider excessive amount of worship to

be great. They see their faults, and they fear that their deeds

won’t be accepted. If someone praises one of them, he says, “I

know myself better than others [know me], and my Lord is

more knowledgeable of me than myself. O Allah, don’t take

me to task for what they say, and make me better than what

they think of me, and forgive me for those sins which they are

unaware of.”

One of the signs [of such a person] is that you observe

strength in his religion. His gentleness is accompanied by

sobriety. His faith is coupled with certainty. He longs for

knowledge. He acts with forbearance. He lives moderately, even

when blessed with wealth. He is humble in his worship. He

endures poverty with dignified grace. He patiently endures

trying circumstances. He seeks his sustenance from the lawful.

He hastens to right guidance. He is agitated if he perceives greed

in himself. He works righteousness all the while trembling,

[fearing that his deeds won’t be accepted]. His greatest concern

is gratitude. He arises in the morn preoccupied with the

Remembrance of God. He goes to bed at night overwhelmed,

apprehensive. He rises in the morning overjoyed. His

apprehension arises from the awareness of his heedlessness. His

joy is caused by the bounties and mercy Allah has showered

upon him. If his soul presses him with something he despises, he

does not concede [to it] and withholds from it what it desires.

The comfort of his eye is that which cannot be eradicated [the

reward of his righteous deeds]. His abstinence is from temporal

things. He mixes clemency with knowledge, and speech with

action. He expects death at any moment. His slips are few

[because of his cautiousness and deliberateness in speech and

actions]. His heart is content. He is easy-going. He is constantly

on guard against assaults upon his religion. His lusts are dead.

His anger is suppressed.

People anticipate goodness from him. They are safe from

any wickedness from him. If he is in the company of the

heedless, he is recorded as being mindful [of his Lord]. He

overlooks those who oppress him. He gives to those who deny

him. He joins relations with those who cut him off. He is far

removed from any indecency. His speech is gentle. You find

nothing bad in him. He is always a source of good. During

calamities, he is composed. In dire straights, he is patient. In

times of ease, he is thankful. He does not oppress those he

dislikes, nor does he sin for the sake of those he loves. He admits

the truth before his witnessing is sought. He preserves all he is

entrusted with. He does not hurl abusive names at people. He

never harms his neighbor, nor does he insult people when he is

experiencing hardship. If he is transgressed against, he perseveres

until Allah takes revenge for him. He relies on himself while he

himself is a source of relief for others [they can rely on him]. He

tires himself for the sake of his salvation, not burdening others in

any way. His distance from those who remove themselves from

him is a form of abstinence, while his drawing near to people is

from his gentleness and mercy. Hence, his distance from people

does not arise from arrogance and haughtiness, nor is his

closeness to them motivated by cunning and treachery.

Hearing this, Hum¥m dropped dead. Imam ¢AlÏ g said,

“This is what I feared would happen to him.”

 

 

- From Nahj al-Bal¥gh¥