The Matters in Which Allah Has Made a Covenant With Believing People in Exchange for Their Exercising Patience in Their Suffering

أَخَذَ اللَّهُ مِيثَاقَ الْمُؤْمِنِ عَلَى أَنْ لَا تُصَدَّقَ مَقَالَتُهُ وَ لَا يَنْتَصِفَ مِنْ عَدُوِّهِ‌[3] وَ مَا مِنْ مُؤْمِنٍ يَشْفِي نَفْسَهُ إِلَّا بِفَضِيحَتِهَا لِأَنَّ كُلَّ مُؤْمِنٍ مُلْجَمٌ‌[4].

“Allah has made a covenant with a believer (to have patience) when his words are not accepted as true and he does not avenge his enemies. A believer will not have any satisfaction without subjecting his soul to disgrace (before his own conscience); every believer is harnessed (as to his soul in the matters of worldly d

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص‌ إِنَّ اللَّهَ أَخَذَ مِيثَاقَ الْمُؤْمِنِ عَلَى بَلَايَا أَرْبَعٍ أَيْسَرُهَا عَلَيْهِ‌[5] مُؤْمِنٌ يَقُولُ بِقَوْلِهِ‌[6] يَحْسُدُهُ أَوْ مُنَافِقٌ يَقْفُو أَثَرَهُ أَوْ شَيْطَانٌ يُغْوِيهِ أَوْ كَافِرٌ يَرَى جِهَادَهُ فَمَا بَقَاءُ الْمُؤْمِنِ بَعْدَ هَذَا.

“The Messenger of Allah has said, ‘Allah has made a covenant with a believer to exercise patience in the face of four kinds of misfortunes: the least serious of these is the envying of another believer against him who has the same belief, or a hypocrite that follows him (for hypocritical reason), Satan who tries to tem

مَا أَفْلَتَ الْمُؤْمِنُ مِنْ وَاحِدَةٍ مِنْ ثَلَاثٍ‌[7] وَ لَرُبَّمَا اجْتَمَعَتِ الثَّلَاثُ عَلَيْهِ إِمَّا بُغْضُ مَنْ يَكُونُ مَعَهُ فِي الدَّارِ يُغْلِقُ عَلَيْهِ بَابَهُ‌ يُؤْذِيهِ أَوْ جَارٌ يُؤْذِيهِ أَوْ مَنْ فِي طَرِيقِهِ إِلَى حَوَائِجِهِ يُؤْذِيهِ وَ لَوْ أَنَّ مُؤْمِناً عَلَى قُلَّةِ جَبَلٍ لَبَعَثَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ إِلَيْهِ شَيْطَاناً يُؤْذِيهِ وَ يَجْعَلُ اللَّهُ لَهُ مِنْ إِيمَانِهِ أُنْساً لَا

“A believer cannot escape one of three problems or perhaps all three at the same time: someone at home always bites him and closes his door to hurt him, a neighbor who annoys him, or someone on his way to work troubles him. Even if a believer may live on top of a mountain, Allah, the Majestic, the Glorious, sends Satan

سَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع يَقُولُ‌ أَرْبَعٌ لَا يَخْلُو مِنْهُنَّ الْمُؤْمِنُ أَوْ وَاحِدَةٍ مِنْهُنَّ مُؤْمِنٌ يَحْسُدُهُ وَ هُوَ أَشَدُّهُنَّ عَلَيْهِ وَ مُنَافِقٌ يَقْفُو أَثَرَهُ أَوْ عَدُوٌّ يُجَاهِدُهُ أَوْ شَيْطَانٌ يُغْوِيهِ.

“I heard Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) saying, ‘A believer is not without four things or at least one of them at a time: he suffers from the envy of a believer and it is the most difficult one, stalking of a hypocrite, the struggle of an enemy against him or the temptation of Satan.’”

إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ جَعَلَ وَلِيَّهُ فِي الدُّنْيَا غَرَضاً لِعَدُوِّهِ‌[2].

“Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, has made His friend to become a victim of His enemy in this world.”

كُنْتُ عِنْدَ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع فَشَكَا إِلَيْهِ رَجُلٌ الْحَاجَةَ فَقَالَ لَهُ اصْبِرْ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ سَيَجْعَلُ لَكَ فَرَجاً قَالَ ثُمَّ سَكَتَ سَاعَةً ثُمَّ أَقْبَلَ عَلَى الرَّجُلِ فَقَالَ أَخْبِرْنِي عَنْ سِجْنِ الْكُوفَةِ كَيْفَ هُوَ فَقَالَ أَصْلَحَكَ اللَّهُ ضَيِّقٌ مُنْتِنٌ وَ أَهْلُهُ بِأَسْوَإِ حَالٍ قَالَ فَإِنَّمَا أَنْتَ فِي السِّجْنِ فَتُرِيدُ أَنْ تَكُونَ فِيهِ فِي سَعَةٍ أَ مَا عَلِمْتَ أَنَّ ا

“Once I was in the presence of Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) when a man complained to him about something he needed. The Imam said, ‘Be patient, Allah will make a way out for you.’ The narrator has said that he remained quiet for a while then he turned to the man and said, ‘Tell me about the jail in Kufah, how is it?’ The man s

سَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع يَقُولُ‌ الدُّنْيَا سِجْنُ الْمُؤْمِنِ فَأَيُّ سِجْنٍ جَاءَ مِنْهُ خَيْرٌ.

“I heard Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) saying, ‘This world is a prison for believing people. Which prison is it wherein anything good may exist?”

الْمُؤْمِنُ مُكَفَّرٌ[1]. - وَ فِي رِوَايَةٍ أُخْرَى‌ وَ ذَلِكَ أَنَّ مَعْرُوفَهُ يَصْعَدُ إِلَى اللَّهِ فَلَا يُنْشَرُ فِي النَّاسِ وَ الْكَافِرُ مَشْكُورٌ.

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.) has said, ‘A believer is not appreciated.’ It is narrated in another Hadith : ‘This is because the virtues of a believer are taken to Allah, thus, they do not spread among the people and an unbeliever is appreciated.’”

مَا مِنْ مُؤْمِنٍ إِلَّا وَ قَدْ وَكَّلَ اللَّهُ بِهِ أَرْبَعَةً شَيْطَاناً يُغْوِيهِ يُرِيدُ أَنْ يُضِلَّهُ وَ كَافِراً يَغْتَالُهُ‌[2] وَ مُؤْمِناً يَحْسُدُهُ وَ هُوَ أَشَدُّهُمْ عَلَيْهِ وَ مُنَافِقاً يَتَتَبَّعُ عَثَرَاتِهِ.

“To every believer Allah has assigned four things: a Satan who wants to mislead him, an unbeliever who fights him, a believer who envies him - it is the most difficult one - and a hypocrite who tracks down his mistakes (for evil purposes).”

سَمِعْتُهُ يَقُولُ‌ إِذَا مَاتَ الْمُؤْمِنُ خَلَّى عَلَى جِيرَانِهِ مِنَ الشَّيَاطِينِ عَدَدَ رَبِيعَةَ وَ مُضَرَ كَانُوا مُشْتَغِلِينَ بِهِ.

“I heard abu Ja’far (a.s.) saying, ‘When a believer dies the devils working to mislead him, now released among his neighbors, number equal to all the people of the tribe of Rabi’ and Mudar.’”

مَا كَانَ وَ لَا يَكُونُ وَ لَيْسَ بِكَائِنٍ مُؤْمِنٌ إِلَّا وَ لَهُ جَارٌ يُؤْذِيهِ وَ لَوْ أَنَّ مُؤْمِناً فِي جَزِيرَةٍ مِنْ جَزَائِرِ الْبَحْرِ لَابْتَعَثَ اللَّهُ لَهُ مَنْ يُؤْذِيهِ.

“There had never been, there is no one and will never be a believer but that a neighbor causes him suffering. Even if a believer may live on an island Allah sends someone to cause him suffering.”

مَا كَانَ فِيمَا مَضَى وَ لَا فِيمَا بَقِيَ وَ لَا فِيمَا أَنْتُمْ فِيهِ مُؤْمِنٌ إِلَّا وَ لَهُ جَارٌ يُؤْذِيهِ.

“In the past, in future and in your time there has never been a believer, whom a neighbor did not make suffer.”

سَمِعْتُهُ يَقُولُ‌ مَا كَانَ وَ لَا يَكُونُ إِلَى أَنْ تَقُومَ السَّاعَةُ مُؤْمِنٌ إِلَّا وَ لَهُ جَارٌ يُؤْذِيهِ.

“I heard Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) saying, ‘There has never been or will be a believer up to the Hour of Doom free from suffering, caused by his neighbor.’”