Excellence of Certainty

لَيْسَ شَيْ‌ءٌ إِلَّا وَ لَهُ حَدٌّ قَالَ قُلْتُ جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ فَمَا حَدُّ التَّوَكُّلِ قَالَ الْيَقِينُ قُلْتُ فَمَا حَدُّ الْيَقِينِ قَالَ أَلَّا تَخَافَ مَعَ اللَّهِ شَيْئاً.

‘There is nothing without a limit.’ I (the narrator) then asked, ‘May Allah keep my soul in service for your cause, what is the limit of trust?’ The Imam said, ‘It is certainty.’ I then asked, ‘What is the limit of certainty?’ The Imam said, ‘It is when, with having Allah on your side, you do not fear anything.’”

مِنْ صِحَّةِ يَقِينِ الْمَرْءِ الْمُسْلِمِ أَنْ لَا يُرْضِيَ النَّاسَ بِسَخَطِ اللَّهِ وَ لَا يَلُومَهُمْ عَلَى مَا لَمْ يُؤْتِهِ اللَّهُ فَإِنَّ الرِّزْقَ لَا يَسُوقُهُ حِرْصُ حَرِيصٍ وَ لَا يَرُدُّهُ كَرَاهِيَةُ كَارِهٍ وَ لَوْ أَنَّ أَحَدَكُمْ فَرَّ مِنْ رِزْقِهِ كَمَا يَفِرُّ مِنَ الْمَوْتِ لَأَدْرَكَهُ رِزْقُهُ كَمَا يُدْرِكُهُ الْمَوْتُ ثُمَّ قَالَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ بِعَدْلِهِ وَ قِسْطِهِ جَعَلَ الرَّوْحَ وَ الرَّا

"'It is from the soundness of a man's certainty that he does not make people happy to anger Allah and does not blame them for what (of belongings) Allah has not given him. The share of sustenance is something that is not driven by the greed of the greedy ones and is not pushed back due to the dislike of those who disli

سَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع يَقُولُ‌ إِنَّ الْعَمَلَ الدَّائِمَ الْقَلِيلَ عَلَى الْيَقِينِ أَفْضَلُ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ مِنَ الْعَمَلِ الْكَثِيرِ عَلَى غَيْرِ يَقِينٍ.

‘The little but continuous deed with certainty is far better in the sight of Allah than a great deal of deeds without certainty.’”

قَالَ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ص عَلَى الْمِنْبَرِ لَا يَجِدُ أَحَدُكُمْ طَعْمَ الْإِيمَانِ حَتَّى يَعْلَمَ أَنَّ مَا أَصَابَهُ لَمْ يَكُنْ لِيُخْطِئَهُ وَ مَا أَخْطَأَهُ لَمْ يَكُنْ لِيُصِيبَهُ.

“Amir al-Mu’minin (Ali ibn abu Talib) (a.s.) once said from the pulpit, ‘No one among you can ever sense the taste of belief until he comes to know that whatever has happened right could not have happened wrong and whatever has happened wrong could not have happened right.’”

بَعْضُهُمْ لَا تَقْعُدْ تَحْتَ هَذَا الْحَائِطِ فَإِنَّهُ مُعْوِرٌ[1] فَقَالَ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ص حَرَسَ امْرَأً أَجَلُهُ‌[2] فَلَمَّا قَامَ سَقَطَ الْحَائِطُ قَالَ وَ كَانَ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ع مِمَّا يَفْعَلُ هَذَا وَ أَشْبَاهَهُ وَ هَذَا الْيَقِينُ‌[3].

“Once, Amir al-Mu’minin (Ali ibn abu Talib) (a.s.) during his court session, had sat leaning against a wall that was bent. Certain people asked him not to sit near the defective wall. Amir al-Mu’minin (Ali ibn abu Talib) (a.s.) said, ‘This is like a man’s guarding his death,' (Futility of Guardian against death). When

سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع- عَنْ قَوْلِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ- وَ أَمَّا الْجِدارُ فَكانَ لِغُلامَيْنِ يَتِيمَيْنِ‌ فِي الْمَدِينَةِ وَ كانَ تَحْتَهُ كَنْزٌ لَهُما[4] فَقَالَ أَمَا إِنَّهُ مَا كَانَ ذَهَباً وَ لَا فِضَّةً وَ إِنَّمَا كَانَ أَرْبَعَ كَلِمَاتٍ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنَا مَنْ أَيْقَنَ بِالْمَوْتِ لَمْ يَضْحَكْ سِنُّهُ وَ مَنْ أَيْقَنَ بِالْحِسَابِ لَمْ يَفْرَحْ قَلْبُهُ وَ مَنْ أَيْقَنَ بِالْقَدَرِ ل

“The Imam said, ‘It is a fact that the treasure did not consist of gold and silver. It consisted of four sentences: “No one deserves to be worshipped except I (Allah). Whoever has realized with certainty that death is inevitable has enough reason not to laugh for a year. Whoever has realized with certainty that account

كَانَ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ع يَقُولُ‌ لَا يَجِدُ عَبْدٌ طَعْمَ الْإِيمَانِ حَتَّى يَعْلَمَ أَنَّ مَا أَصَابَهُ لَمْ يَكُنْ لِيُخْطِئَهُ وَ أَنَّ مَا أَخْطَأَهُ لَمْ يَكُنْ لِيُصِيبَهُ وَ أَنَّ الضَّارَّ النَّافِعَ‌[5] هُوَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ.

“Amir al-Mu’minin (Ali ibn abu Talib) (a.s.) has said, ‘A servant of Allah cannot sense the taste of belief until he comes to know that whatever has happened to him right could not have happened wrong and whatever has happened to him wrong could not have happened right. The one who can harm or benefit others is only Al

نَظَرْتُ يَوْماً فِي الْحَرْبِ إِلَى رَجُلٍ عَلَيْهِ ثَوْبَانِ فَحَرَّكْتُ فَرَسِي فَإِذَا هُوَ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ع فَقُلْتُ يَا أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ فِي مِثْلِ هَذَا الْمَوْضِعِ‌[1] فَقَالَ نَعَمْ يَا سَعِيدَ بْنَ قَيْسٍ إِنَّهُ لَيْسَ مِنْ عَبْدٍ إِلَّا وَ لَهُ مِنَ اللَّهِ حَافِظٌ وَ وَاقِيَةٌ مَعَهُ مَلَكَانِ يَحْفَظَانِهِ مِنْ أَنْ يَسْقُطَ مِنْ رَأْسِ جَبَلٍ أَوْ يَقَعَ فِي بِئْرٍ فَإِذَا نَزَلَ الْقَضَا

“One day during a war I looked on a man who was wearing two pieces of garment on him. I moved my horse nearer to him and I found him to be Amir al-Mu’minin (Ali ibn abu Talib) (a.s.) and I said, ‘O Amir al-Mu’minin, is this a place (to be in with just two pieces of garment and no coats of arms)?’ The Imam said, ‘Yes, O

سَمِعْتُ أَبَا الْحَسَنِ الرِّضَا ع يَقُولُ‌ كَانَ فِي الْكَنْزِ الَّذِي قَالَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ- وَ كانَ تَحْتَهُ كَنْزٌ لَهُما كَانَ فِيهِ‌ بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيمِ* عَجِبْتُ لِمَنْ أَيْقَنَ بِالْمَوْتِ كَيْفَ يَفْرَحُ وَ عَجِبْتُ لِمَنْ أَيْقَنَ بِالْقَدَرِ كَيْفَ يَحْزَنُ وَ عَجِبْتُ لِمَنْ رَأَى الدُّنْيَا وَ تَقَلُّبَهَا بِأَهْلِهَا كَيْفَ يَرْكَنُ إِلَيْهَا[2] وَ يَنْبَغِي لِمَنْ عَقَلَ عَنِ ا

‘In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful, strange to me is the case of a person who is certain of the coming of death but he feels happy. Strange to me is the case of a person who is certain of the strict measurement of Allah but he feels depressed. Strange to me is the case of a person who is aware of all t

كَانَ قَنْبَرٌ غُلَامُ عَلِيٍّ يُحِبُّ عَلِيّاً ع حُبّاً شَدِيداً فَإِذَا خَرَجَ عَلِيٌّ ص خَرَجَ عَلَى أَثَرِهِ بِالسَّيْفِ فَرَآهُ ذَاتَ لَيْلَةٍ فَقَالَ يَا قَنْبَرُ مَا لَكَ فَقَالَ جِئْتُ لِأَمْشِيَ خَلْفَكَ يَا أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ قَالَ وَيْحَكَ أَ مِنْ أَهْلِ السَّمَاءِ تَحْرُسُنِي أَوْ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْأَرْضِ فَقَالَ لَا بَلْ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْأَرْضِ فَقَالَ إِنَّ أَهْلَ الْأَرْضِ لَا يَسْتَطِيعُونَ لِي شَيْئاً

10. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from Ali ibn al-Hakam from ‘Abd al-Rahman al-‘Arzami from his father, from Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) who has said the following: “Qanbar, a worker for Ali (a.s.) loved Ali intensely. Whenever Imam went out he followed him with a sword for protection. Once at night

قِيلَ لِلرِّضَا ع إِنَّكَ تَتَكَلَّمُ بِهَذَا الْكَلَامِ‌[3] وَ السَّيْفُ يَقْطُرُ دَماً فَقَالَ إِنَّ لِلَّهِ وَادِياً مِنْ ذَهَبٍ حَمَاهُ بِأَضْعَفِ خَلْقِهِ النَّمْلِ فَلَوْ رَامَهُ الْبَخَاتِيُّ لَمْ تَصِلْ إِلَيْهِ‌[4].

“It was said to al-Rida (a.s.) ‘You speak of it (Your Divine Authority) and blood drips from the sword (of your enemies).’ The Imam said, ‘Allah has a valley that is gold. He has guarded it with ants, the weakest creature. Even if the camels of Khurasan (North East parts of Iran) try to go there they cannot reach it.’”