Degrees of Belief (Additional)

سَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع يَقُولُ‌ لَوْ عَلِمَ النَّاسُ كَيْفَ خَلَقَ اللَّهُ تَبَارَكَ وَ تَعَالَى هَذَا الْخَلْقَ لَمْ يَلُمْ أَحَدٌ أَحَداً[1]- فَقُلْتُ أَصْلَحَكَ اللَّهُ فَكَيْفَ ذَاكَ فَقَالَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ تَبَارَكَ وَ تَعَالَى خَلَقَ أَجْزَاءً بَلَغَ بِهَا تِسْعَةً وَ أَرْبَعِينَ جُزْءاً ثُمَّ جَعَلَ الْأَجْزَاءَ أَعْشَاراً فَجَعَلَ الْجُزْءَ عَشْرَةَ أَعْشَارٍ ثُمَّ قَسَمَهُ بَيْنَ الْخَلْقِ فَجَعَلَ فِ

“I heard Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) saying, ‘Had the people known how Allah, the Most Blessed, the Most High, has created this creation no one would blame others.’ 1 then said, ‘May Allah grant you well being, how is that?’ The Imam said, ‘Allah, the Most Blessed, the Most High, created parts numbering ninety-four parts. He

قَالَ لِي أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع‌ يَا عَبْدَ الْعَزِيزِ إِنَّ الْإِيمَانَ عَشْرُ دَرَجَاتٍ بِمَنْزِلَةِ السُّلَّمِ يُصْعَدُ مِنْهُ مِرْقَاةً بَعْدَ مِرْقَاةٍ فَلَا يَقُولَنَّ صَاحِبُ الِاثْنَيْنِ لِصَاحِبِ الْوَاحِدِ لَسْتَ عَلَى شَيْ‌ءٍ حَتَّى يَنْتَهِيَ إِلَى الْعَاشِرِ فَلَا تُسْقِطْ مَنْ هُوَ دُونَكَ فَيُسْقِطَكَ مَنْ هُوَ فَوْقَكَ وَ إِذَا رَأَيْتَ مَنْ هُوَ أَسْفَلُ مِنْكَ بِدَرَجَةٍ فَارْفَعْهُ إِلَيْكَ بِرِفْ

“Once Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) said, ‘O ‘Abd al-‘Aziz, belief is of ten stages like the steps of a ladder. To climb, one uses it one step after the other one by one. One who possesses two degrees of belief should never say to one who possesses only one degree that he does not have enough belief and so on up to the tenth de

قَالَ لِي أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ ع‌ إِنَّ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ عَلَى مَنَازِلَ مِنْهُمْ عَلَى وَاحِدَةٍ وَ مِنْهُمْ عَلَى اثْنَتَيْنِ وَ مِنْهُمْ عَلَى ثَلَاثٍ وَ مِنْهُمْ عَلَى أَرْبَعٍ وَ مِنْهُمْ عَلَى خَمْسٍ وَ مِنْهُمْ عَلَى سِتٍّ وَ مِنْهُمْ عَلَى سَبْعٍ فَلَوْ ذَهَبْتَ تَحْمِلُ عَلَى صَاحِبِ الْوَاحِدَةِ ثِنْتَيْنِ لَمْ يَقْوَ وَ عَلَى صَاحِبِ الثِّنْتَيْنِ ثَلَاثاً لَمْ يَقْوَ وَ عَلَى صَاحِبِ الثَّلَاثِ أَرْبَعاً لَمْ يَق

“Abu Ja’far (a.s.) said to me, ’Believers are of various positions in connection with belief. There are those who have one degree of belief, others have two degrees, still others may have three or four, five, six or seven degrees of belief. If you expect two degrees of belief from one who has only one degree of belief

مَا أَنْتُمْ وَ الْبَرَاءَةَ يَبْرَأُ بَعْضُكُمْ مِنْ بَعْضٍ إِنَّ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ بَعْضُهُمْ أَفْضَلُ مِنْ بَعْضٍ وَ بَعْضُهُمْ أَكْثَرُ صَلَاةً مِنْ بَعْضٍ وَ بَعْضُهُمْ أَنْفَذُ بَصَراً مِنْ بَعْضٍ وَ هِيَ الدَّرَجَاتُ‌[3].

“What is this disavowing and disassociation of yours? There are those of you who renounce the others. Among the believers there are those who are better than others. Among them there are those who pray more, and others are of shaip insight. Such are the degrees of belief.”