Tales of a Solitary Soul

Tuesday, January 02, 2007

Description of the Righteous

It is related that a devout worshipper by the name of Humam came to
Imam Ali (May Allah Ennoble his countenance) and asked him to
describe the pious people so vividly that he could almost see them.
Ali (ra) responded:

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.