Fourth Session

أعوذ بالله من الشیطان الرجیم. بسم الله الرحمن الرحیم. الحمد لله رب العالمین، والصلاة والسلام علی أشرف الأنبیاء والمرسلین، حبیب قلوب الصادقین، أبی‌القاسم المصطفی محمد. اللهم صل علی محمد وآل محمد واجعلنا فداه. وعلی أهل بیته الطیبین الطاهرین، واللعن الدائم علی أعدائهم أجمعین من الآن إلی قیام یوم الدین.

وَأَحَاطَ بِكُمُ الْإِحْصَاءُ، وَأَرْصَدَ لَكُمُ الْجَزَاءَ، وَآثَرَكُمْ بِالنِّعَمِ السَّوَابِغِ، وَالرِّفَدِ الرَّوَافِدِ، وَأَنْذَرَكُمْ بِالْحُجَجِ الْبَوَالِغِ، فَأَحْصَاكُمْ عَدَدًا، وَوَظَّفَ لَكُمْ مُدَدًا، فِي قَرَارِ خِبْرَةٍ، وَدَارِ عِبْرَةٍ.

Motives and Rationale for Godwariness

In the fourth session on the commentary of Sermon 83 of Nahj al-Balagha, we reached the passage in which the Commander of the Faithful (a), after praising God and bearing witness to the Prophethood of the Messenger (s), recommends godwariness. Of course, the Imam’s words are not merely a recommendation; rather, in order to create motivation, he also explains the rationale for godwariness. In this passage, the Imam enumerates ten points, several of which were mentioned in the previous session.

The best thing that secures human felicity is godwariness; therefore, the Qur’an and Nahj al-Balagha repeatedly urge us to it. In the Noble Qur’an, in addition to the numerous instances in which various derivatives of this word are used, the word «تقوا» itself also appears many times. This repetition indicates the importance of godwariness, because what secures human beings’ eternal felicity is possessing godwariness and moving along its path.

From a literary perspective, the phrases in this passage are coordinated with the Imam’s first sentence, namely «بِتَقْوَى اللَّهِ الَّذِي ضَرَبَ الْأَمْثَالَ». Therefore, each of them may be understood with the expression «بِتَقْوَى اللَّهِ الَّذِي», such as «اللَّهِ الَّذِي أَرْصَدَ لَكُمُ الْجَزَاءَ». In all these phrases, God is the one being described, and these sentences state His attributes.

Complete Encompassment of Human Deeds

The Imam says: «وَأَحَاطَ بِكُمُ الْإِحْصَاءُ». One of the motives for godwariness is that divine enumeration encompasses the human being. «أحاط» is derived from «حائط», meaning wall; it is as though God has built a wall around all your deeds and placed them entirely within the enclosure of His enumeration.

A human being is like someone surrounded in a fortress who cannot leave the bounds of surveillance from any direction. The sky, the earth, walls, doors, and all the objects surrounding a person are like cameras and record his deeds. All human actions are observed and counted. Attention to such a God compels a person to monitor his conduct.

The Recompense of Deeds Lies in Ambush

The sixth point is: «وَأَرْصَدَ لَكُمُ الْجَزَاءَ». «رصد» means lying in wait.

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إِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَبِالْمِرْصَادِ

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Indeed, your Lord is in ambush.

The Commander of the Faithful (a) says that God has placed the recompense of your deeds in ambush; that is, whenever you perform an evil deed, its recompense follows it, and no evil deed remains without punishment, just as no good deed remains without reward. The recompense of every deed lies in ambush for that deed.

The Noble Qur’an says:

﴿

وَنَضَعُ الْمَوَازِينَ الْقِسْطَ لِيَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ فَلَا تُظْلَمُ نَفْسٌ شَيْئًا وَإِنْ كَانَ مِثْقَالَ حَبَّةٍ مِنْ خَرْدَلٍ أَتَيْنَا بِهَا وَكَفَىٰ بِنَا حَاسِبِينَ

﴾

On the Day of Resurrection, We shall set up the scales of justice, and no soul shall be wronged in the least. Even if it be the weight of a mustard seed, We shall bring it forth, and sufficient are We as reckoners.

On the Day of Resurrection, the scales of justice will be set up, and no one will be wronged. If someone has performed a deed, whether good or evil, as small as a mustard seed, God will bring it forth and reckon it.

Thus, another rationale and motive for godwariness is that all human deeds are being observed, and a recompense exists for every deed.

Abundant Apparent and Hidden Blessings

The Imam continues: «وَآثَرَكُمْ بِالنِّعَمِ السَّوَابِغِ». «ایثار» means preferring. God has preferred the human being over other creatures and has placed abundant and limitless blessings at his disposal—blessings that have not been placed at the disposal of other creatures in this manner.

The Noble Qur’an says:

﴿

أَلَمْ تَرَوْا أَنَّ اللَّهَ سَخَّرَ لَكُمْ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ وَأَسْبَغَ عَلَيْكُمْ نِعَمَهُ ظَاهِرَةً وَبَاطِنَةً

﴾

Have you not seen that God has subjected to you whatever is in the heavens and the earth, and has lavished upon you His apparent and hidden blessings?

«أَسْبَغَ» means to expand and make abundant. God has extended His apparent and hidden blessings over the human being.

Apparent blessings include such things as health, sustenance, and beauty. Hidden blessings, however, include the fact that a person sins and then repents and returns to God; God accepts his repentance, and no one becomes aware of his sin. A person commits errors and God forgives those errors without others becoming aware of them. These are among God’s hidden blessings.

The Subjugation of Creatures for Human Beings

God has subjected whatever is in the heavens and the earth to the human being. Today, too, we see that human beings travel toward celestial bodies and bring the heavens under their control.

The jinn, too, can be placed under human control. Through certain exercises and ascetic practices, a person can take control of them and make them obedient to him; however, their understanding is inferior to that of human beings, and those who have engaged in this field have related many instances of their incorrect behavior and deficient understanding.

The question may arise as to whether the expression «سَخَّرَ لَكُمْ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ» also includes the angels. The answer is that the angels, too, are obedient, but obedient to God’s friends. The angels are under the authority of the Noble Prophet (s), the Imams (a), and the other friends of God. On the Nights of Qadr, the angels descend upon the Infallible Imam (a), and this descent is a sign of their obedience.

Thus, whatever is in the heavens and the earth has in some manner been subjected to the human being. Through action and practice, the jinn may also be placed under the control of others, but the angels are under the authority of God’s friends, the Infallibles, and the Prophets (a).

Abundant Divine Gifts

The Imam says: «وَالرِّفَدِ الرَّوَافِدِ». «رِفد» means a gift and a grant, while «روافد» means abundant and successive. God has bestowed abundant gifts and grants upon the human being.

He then says: «وَأَنْذَرَكُمْ بِالْحُجَجِ الْبَوَالِغِ». God has warned you, awakened you, and frightened you of the consequences of your deeds through compelling proofs. «بوالغ» is the plural of «بالغ» and means compelling. The prophets, their words, the Noble Qur’an, and the other heavenly books are compelling proofs that have informed human beings of the consequences of their deeds.

Enumerating Human Beings and Determining the Length of Life

The Commander of the Faithful (a) continues: «فَأَحْصَاكُمْ عَدَدًا». This enumeration refers to counting the human beings themselves, whereas the earlier enumeration concerned counting their good and evil deeds. God has counted all human beings precisely.

He then says: «وَوَظَّفَ لَكُمْ مُدَدًا», meaning that He has appointed a specific term for each of you. Every human being has a measured lifespan and a specified end.

The World: A Place of Trial and a House of Admonition

The Imam says: «فِي قَرَارِ خِبْرَةٍ، وَدَارِ عِبْرَةٍ». Human beings have been placed in an abode that is a place of trial and testing, and a house of admonition.

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أَيَحْسَبُ الْإِنْسَانُ أَنْ يُتْرَكَ سُدًى

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Does man suppose that he will be left without purpose and abandoned to himself?

Does a human being imagine that he was created without purpose and will be left without reckoning?

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أَحَسِبَ النَّاسُ أَنْ يُتْرَكُوا أَنْ يَقُولُوا آمَنَّا وَهُمْ لَا يُفْتَنُونَ

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Do people suppose that they will be left to say, We believe, and will not be tested?

All human beings are tested. The world is fundamentally a place of trial. Even the Prophet Solomon (a), despite his position and greatness, was tested.

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وَلَقَدْ فَتَنَّا سُلَيْمَانَ وَأَلْقَيْنَا عَلَىٰ كُرْسِيِّهِ جَسَدًا ثُمَّ أَنَابَ

﴾

Indeed, We tested Solomon and cast a body upon his throne; then he turned to God.

The Trial of the Prophet Solomon (a) Through His Child

The Prophet Solomon (a) possessed extraordinary power and ruled over the jinn and human beings. Naturally, a ruler with such power would wish for a child who could continue his rule. One of the wishes of the Prophet Solomon (a) was also that God grant him a child to whom he could transfer his rule.

It is related that the Prophet Solomon (a) took numerous wives in the hope of having a child to whom the rule would be transferred. Different numbers, from seven hundred to one thousand, have been related regarding the number of his wives. One of the women associated with the story of the Prophet Solomon was Bilqis, the ruler of the land of Sheba, or present-day Yemen, who came to him, believed, and became a monotheist. Reports also differ regarding her marriage to the Prophet Solomon; some have accepted it and others have not.

Some reports state that God granted the Prophet Solomon (a) a very beautiful son, in whom he placed great hope. However, at the time of this child’s birth, the Prophet neglected to say «ان‌شاءالله», and God tested him through this very child and took the child away from him.

A Child: A Blessing and a Means of Trial

Children are a means of trial. A person should be grateful and ask God not to test him through his child in a manner that causes him to fall into heedlessness. All a person’s attention must be directed toward God. A child is a divine blessing and one of the greatest blessings, and a person must always remain aware that God has bestowed this great blessing upon him.

The Noble Qur’an says:

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ثُمَّ لَتُسْأَلُنَّ يَوْمَئِذٍ عَنِ النَّعِيمِ

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Then, on that Day, you will surely be questioned about the blessing.

One of the Sunni jurists who was among the students of Imam al-Sadiq (a) said that «نعیم» refers to food and drink. The Imam said:

خداوند منزه‌تر و بزرگوارتر از آن است که به بندگانش غذا و روزی بدهد و سپس آنان را به سبب همان نعمت بازخواست کند.

A good and righteous child is one instance of «نعیم», about which a person will be questioned. Therefore, a person must be very vigilant regarding his child and know that the child is a great blessing from God. Instructions and admonitions have been given to fathers and mothers from before birth, at the time of birth, and at other stages. This report, too, states that when the Prophet Solomon (a) married and sought a child, he did not say «ان‌شاءالله».

This caused God to take away from the Prophet Solomon (a) the child in whom he had placed great hope.

Some reports state that one day the Angel of Death came to the Prophet Solomon (a). The Prophet’s child was also present there. The Angel of Death looked at him, and the Prophet Solomon (a) realized that something was apparently about to happen and that the Angel of Death had been given an assignment concerning this child.

According to some reports whose authenticity is not certain, the Prophet asked a number of powerful jinn to hide his child in a certain place. Some of the jinn, despite possessing superhuman power, have limited understanding. One of them agreed to take the child to the heavens and protect him there; but eventually, the lifeless body of the Prophet’s child was cast upon his throne:

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وَلَقَدْ فَتَنَّا سُلَيْمَانَ وَأَلْقَيْنَا عَلَىٰ كُرْسِيِّهِ جَسَدًا ثُمَّ أَنَابَ

﴾

Indeed, We tested Solomon and cast a lifeless body upon his throne; then he turned to God.

The Prophet Solomon (a) emerged from his heedlessness, sought forgiveness, and God accepted his repentance. God even tests the Prophet Solomon (a). The Prophet had hoped that his rule and power would pass to a righteous child, and for this reason he became attached to that child, instead of asking only God and relying upon Him.

«جسد» means a lifeless body. According to this interpretation, the lifeless body of the Prophet’s child was placed upon his throne. Some have also said that the Prophet Solomon (a) himself fell ill and collapsed upon his throne like a lifeless body, but this view has been rejected.

The World: A Place of Trial, Reckoning, and Admonition

All human beings are exposed to trial, because the world is a place of tribulation and testing. The Commander of the Faithful (a) says:

وَأَنْذَرَكُمْ بِالْحُجَجِ الْبَوَالِغِ، وَوَظَّفَ لَكُمُ الْمُدَدَ، فِي قَرَارِ خِبْرَةٍ، وَدَارِ عِبْرَةٍ. أَنْتُمْ مُخْتَبَرُونَ فِيهَا، وَمُحَاسَبُونَ عَلَيْهَا.

God has warned you through compelling proofs and appointed definite terms for you. You reside in a place that is a center of trial and a house of admonition.

The world is a house of admonition; a person must learn from the history of the unjust and the oppressors and see what they did throughout history and what became of them. He must also reflect on the history of past peoples and see what befell them.

«أَنْتُمْ مُخْتَبَرُونَ فِيهَا»; you are tested in this world. «وَمُحَاسَبُونَ عَلَيْهَا»; you will be reckoned regarding this very world and the matters you have had in it. What is subject to reckoning is precisely your conduct and worldly affairs.

Love of the World: The Ground for Losing Godwariness

The Commander of the Faithful (a) first recommended godwariness and then stated the motives for godwariness under ten headings—each of which is a light for godwariness and a factor that creates motivation in a person.

After the discussion of godwariness, an important question arises: What causes a person to lose his godwariness and choose a path contrary to godwariness in the world? The answer is his inclination and attachment to the world. It is narrated in the reports:

حُبُّ الدُّنْيَا رَأْسُ كُلِّ خَطِيئَةٍ.

Love of the world is the source of every error.

Therefore, after recommending godwariness, the Commander of the Faithful (a) explains the grounds for aversion to the world. The Imam enumerates eight characteristics of the world, attention to which causes a person to recognize the world’s worthlessness and distance himself from attachment to it. This section begins with the following expression:

فَإِنَّ الدُّنْيَا رَنِقٌ مَشْرَبُهَا.

An examination of these eight characteristics will be deferred to the next discussion.

اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَىٰ مُحَمَّدٍ وَآلِ مُحَمَّدٍ.