قَالَ لِبَعْضِ وُلْدِهِ يَا بُنَيَّ عَلَيْكَ بِالْجِدِّ لَا تُخْرِجَنَّ نَفْسَكَ مِنَ حَدِّ التَّقْصِيرِ فِي عِبَادَةِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ وَ طَاعَتِهِ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُعْبَدُ حَقَّ عِبَادَتِهِ.
“My son, you must work hard and do not allow your soul to lead you out of a feeling of always falling short in worshipping Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, and in obedience to Him; Allah is not worshipped as truly as He should be worshipped.”
قَالَ لِي أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ ع يَا جَابِرُ لَا أَخْرَجَكَ اللَّهُ مِنَ النَّقْصِ وَ [لَا] التَّقْصِيرِ[1].
“Once abu Ja’far (a.s.) said to me, ‘O Jabir, (I wish) Allah grants you a chance to think of yourself as falling short in your worship and having deficiencies.’”
سَمِعْتُ أَبَا الْحَسَنِ ع يَقُولُ إِنَّ رَجُلًا فِي بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ عَبَدَ اللَّهَ أَرْبَعِينَ سَنَةً ثُمَّ قَرَّبَ قُرْبَاناً فَلَمْ يُقْبَلْ مِنْهُ فَقَالَ لِنَفْسِهِ مَا أُتِيتُ[2] إِلَّا مِنْكِ وَ مَا الذَّنْبُ إِلَّا لَكِ قَالَ فَأَوْحَى اللَّهُ تَبَارَكَ وَ تَعَالَى إِلَيْهِ ذَمُّكَ لِنَفْسِكَ أَفْضَلُ مِنْ عِبَادَتِكَ أَرْبَعِينَ سَنَةً.
“I heard abu al-Hassan (a.s.) saying, ‘A man of banu Israel worshipped Allah for forty years. He then offered an offering that was not accepted. He said to his soul, “Whatever I face is only because of you and there is no sin but that you are responsible therefor.’” The Imam said, ‘Allah, the Most Blessed, the Most Hig
قَالَ: أَكْثِرْ مِنْ أَنْ تَقُولَ- اللَّهُمَّ لَا تَجْعَلْنِي مِنَ الْمُعَارِينَ[3] وَ لَا تُخْرِجْنِي مِنَ التَّقْصِيرِ- قَالَ قُلْتُ أَمَّا الْمُعَارُونَ فَقَدْ عَرَفْتُ أَنَّ الرَّجُلَ يُعَارُ الدِّينَ ثُمَّ يَخْرُجُ مِنْهُ فَمَا مَعْنَى لَا تُخْرِجْنِي مِنَ التَّقْصِيرِ فَقَالَ كُلُّ عَمَلٍ تُرِيدُ بِهِ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ فَكُنْ فِيهِ مُقَصِّراً عِنْدَ نَفْسِكَ فَإِنَّ النَّاسَ كُلَّهُمْ فِي أَعْمَالِهِمْ فِ
“You should say very often, ‘O Lord, do not include me among those whose beliefs are temporary and do not make me feel free of shortcomings.’ I (the narrator) then asked, ‘I know the meaning of people whose beliefs are temporary. They come into a religion and then abandon it. What is the meaning of, “Do not make me fee