The Essence of Belief and Certainty

بَيْنَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص فِي بَعْضِ أَسْفَارِهِ إِذْ لَقِيَهُ رَكْبٌ فَقَالُوا السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ فَقَالَ مَا أَنْتُمْ فَقَالُوا نَحْنُ مُؤْمِنُونَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ قَالَ فَمَا حَقِيقَةُ إِيمَانِكُمْ قَالُوا الرِّضَا بِقَضَاءِ اللَّهِ وَ التَّفْوِيضُ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَ التَّسْلِيمُ لِأَمْرِ اللَّهِ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص عُلَمَاءُ حُكَمَاءُ[1] كَادُوا أَنْ يَكُونُوا مِنَ الْحِكْمَةِ أَنْبِيَ

“During one of the journeys of the Messenger of Allah a group of people who were riding came to meet him. They said, ‘Salute to you O Messenger of Allah.’ He asked, ‘Who are you?’ They replied, ‘We are believers, O Messenger of Allah.’ He then asked, ‘What is the essence of your belief?’ They replied, ‘It is to agree w

سَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع يَقُولُ‌ إِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ص صَلَّى بِالنَّاسِ الصُّبْحَ فَنَظَرَ إِلَى شَابٍّ فِي الْمَسْجِدِ وَ هُوَ يَخْفِقُ وَ يَهْوِي‌[2] بِرَأْسِهِ مُصْفَرّاً لَوْنُهُ قَدْ نَحِفَ جِسْمُهُ وَ غَارَتْ عَيْنَاهُ فِي رَأْسِهِ فَقَالَ لَهُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص كَيْفَ أَصْبَحْتَ يَا فُلَانُ قَالَ أَصْبَحْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ مُوقِناً فَعَجِبَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص مِنْ قَوْلِهِ‌[3] وَ قَالَ إِنَّ لِكُ

“I heard Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) saying, ‘Once the Messenger of Allah after leading the morningprayer for the people looked at a young man in the Mosque whose head hung down. He looked pale and slim and his eyes sunk into his head. The Messenger of Allah asked, ‘O so and so, how is your morning?’ He (the young man) replie

اسْتَقْبَلَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص حَارِثَةَ بْنَ مَالِكِ بْنِ النُّعْمَانِ الْأَنْصَارِيَّ فَقَالَ لَهُ كَيْفَ أَنْتَ يَا حَارِثَةَ بْنَ مَالِكٍ فَقَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ مُؤْمِنٌ حَقّاً فَقَالَ لَهُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص لِكُلِّ شَيْ‌ءٍ حَقِيقَةٌ فَمَا حَقِيقَةُ قَوْلِكَ فَقَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ عَزَفَتْ نَفْسِي عَنِ الدُّنْيَا فَأَسْهَرَتْ لَيْلِي وَ أَظْمَأَتْ هَوَاجِرِي وَ كَأَنِّي أَنْظُرُ إِلَى عَرْشِ رَبِّي- [وَ]

‘The Messenger of Allah once met Harithah ibn Malik al- Nu’man al-Ansari and asked him, ‘How are you, O Harithah ibn Malik?’ He replied, ‘O Messenger of Allah, I am a believer in a real sense.’ The Messenger of Allah then asked, ‘Everything has a reality and essence. What are the reality and essence of your words?’ “He

قَالَ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ صَلَوَاتُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ‌ إِنَّ عَلَى كُلِّ حَقٍّ حَقِيقَةً وَ عَلَى كُلِّ صَوَابٍ نُوراً.

“Amir al-Mu’minin (Ali ibn abu Talib) (a.s.) has said, ‘Over every truth there certainly is a reality and over every correct issue there is light.’”