Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds, and blessings and peace be upon the noblest of the prophets and messengers, the beloved of the hearts of the truthful, Abu al-Qasim al-Mustafa Muhammad. O Allah, bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad and the pure and immaculate Household, and may the everlasting curse be upon all their enemies from now until the Day of Judgment.

Piety in Relation to the Purpose of Creation

In the tenth session, we will discuss Sermon 83 of Nahj al-Balagha. In previous sessions, we referred to the fruits of piety, its various dimensions and the charter of piety. After stating those points, the Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali (a), addresses his audience:

فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ عِبَادَ اللَّهِ جِهْدَ مَا خَلَقَكُمْ لَهُ، وَاحْذَرُوا مِنْهُ كُنْهَ مَا حَذَّرَكُمْ مِنْ نَفْسِهِ، وَاسْتَحِقُّوا مِنْهُ مَا أَعَدَّ لَكُمْ بِالتَّنَجُّزِ لِصِدْقِ مِيعَادِهِ، وَالْحَذَرِ مِنْ هَوْلِ مَعَادِهِ.

O servants of Allah, therefore observe piety, as He has created you for it. Fear Allah and exercise the utmost caution regarding that of which He has warned you. Make yourselves deserving of what He has prepared for you, so that His promise concerning the Resurrection may be fulfilled and you may remain safe from the terror of that day.

Nahj al-Balagha, Sermon 83

Allah did not create human beings in vain. Do you think that human creation was without purpose and meaningless?

﴿ أَفَحَسِبْتُمْ أَنَّمَا خَلَقْنَاكُمْ عَبَثًا وَأَنَّكُمْ إِلَيْنَا لَا تُرْجَعُونَ ﴾

Did you think that We created you in vain and that you would not be returned to Us?

Qur'an 23:115

Human beings were created for a purpose, and all human beings were created to worship Allah:

﴿ وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالْإِنْسَ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِ ﴾

I did not create jinn and humankind except that they may worship Me.

Qur'an 51:56

All are servants of Allah and must be servants of Allah. The reason for the creation and origination of human beings is worshipping Allah.

The Pillars of Servitude

If we want to be servants of Allah, servitude has three conditions. The same applies to customary relations between a master and a servant:

The servant's time belongs to the master.
The servant's wealth and possessions belong to the master.
The servant's thoughts belong to the master.

If a servant has a master and lord, all of his time belongs to him, and he cannot spend his time elsewhere. Whatever wealth and possessions he has also belong to the master. It has been said concerning a servant:

الْعَبْدُ وَمَا فِي يَدِهِ لِمَوْلَاهُ

The servant and whatever he possesses belong to his master.

Thus, being a servant of Allah means that a person's time is for Allah, a person's wealth is for Allah, and a person's thoughts are also for Allah. These are the initial pillars of servitude.

Caution Regarding That of Which Allah Has Warned

The Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali (a), says: «وَاحْذَرُوا مِنْهُ». Beware of Allah and exercise caution. Hadhar is usually translated as fear, because when a person fears the difficulties and consequences of something, he exercises caution regarding it.

Allah has warned you against certain matters; therefore, you must exercise the utmost caution regarding them.

Then he says: «وَاسْتَحِقُّوا مِنْهُ مَا أَعَدَّ لَكُمْ». Make yourselves deserving of what Allah has prepared for you. Allah has made many promises, but a person must make himself deserving of those promises being fulfilled and realized. Nothing is given to one who is undeserving.

In his beautiful ghazal, Hafez says:

Last night, at dawn, they delivered me from sorrowAnd in that dark night they gave me the water of life

They made me oblivious through the radiance of the Divine EssenceThey gave me wine from the cup of the manifestation of His Attributes

How blessed was that dawn, and what a fortunate nightThat Night of Qadr when they gave me this new decree

From now on, my face and the mirror of the description of beautyFor there they informed me of the manifestation of the Essence

If I have attained my desire and become joyful, why should it be surprising?I was deserving, and they gave me these as alms

Hafez

The relevant point is: «مستحق بودم و این‌ها به زکاتم دادند». A person must attain deservingness. Through worship and servitude, especially during the middle of the night, a servant makes himself deserving of these spiritual blessings.

Everything Hafez attained, he attained at dawn. If Hafez became one who had memorized the Qur'an and acquired special talents, he received these blessings at dawn. Material blessings are made available to everyone; they reach human beings, animals, unbelievers and Muslims, and are in everyone's hands. However, spiritual blessings, perfections and values upon which a person's true worth depends are not given to anyone without due measure.

Thus, the Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali (a), says: Make yourselves deserving so that what Allah has prepared for you may be realized, and beware of the terror of the Resurrection.

Immersed in Divine Blessings

From this point, al-Sayyid al-Radi, may Allah's pleasure be upon him, narrates another section of the sermon. The expression «و منها» shows that this passage is not the complete continuation of the preceding section of the sermon, but another part of the same sermon.

In this section, the Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali (a), refers to divine blessings. We are immersed in Allah's blessings. One of Allah's blessings is the blessing of hearing; another is the blessing of sight; and after that come the blessings of the limbs, organs and body.

فَجَعَلَ لَكُمْ أَسْمَاعًا لِتَعِيَ مَا عَنَاهَا، وَأَبْصَارًا لِتَجْلُوَ عَنْ عَشَاهَا، وَأَشْلَاءً جَامِعَةً لِأَعْضَائِهَا، مُلَائِمَةً لِأَحْنَائِهَا، فِي تَرْكِيبِ صُوَرِهَا وَمَدَدِ أَعْمَارِهَا، بِأَبْدَانٍ قَائِمَةٍ بِأَرْفَاقِهَا، وَقُلُوبٍ رَائِدَةٍ لِأَرْزَاقِهَا.

The Blessing of Hearing

«جَعَلَ لَكُمْ أَسْمَاعًا»; Allah gave you ears. «أسماع» is the plural of «سَمع».

Then he says: «لِتَعِيَ مَا عَنَاهَا». Prepare your ears to receive what Allah has shown concern for. «عنایت» means attention and regard. When we say «عنایت بفرمایید», we mean, pay attention.

Allah did not create the ear to hear everything. He did not create the ear to hear what is forbidden, nor did He create it to hear idle talk. Every word that enters a person's ear will be subject to questioning and answer. The ear was created to hear the things to which Allah has shown concern and to which a person must pay attention.

The Blessing of Sight

«وَأَبْصَارًا»; Allah gave you eyes. «أبصار» is the plural of «بصر».

«لِتَجْلُوَ عَنْ عَشَاهَا». «عَشا» means darkness and is also used for night, as in the evening prayer, which is performed at night. Allah gave the eyes so that they may dispel darkness and prevent a person from becoming trapped in darkness and ignorance.

The eye must illuminate the darknesses and obscurities of ignorance so that a person does not remain in unawareness and ignorance.

The Blessing of the Limbs and Organs

«وَأَشْلَاءً جَامِعَةً لِأَعْضَائِهَا». «أشلاء» means limbs. Allah placed limbs in the human body that encompass his entire being.

«مُلَائِمَةً لِأَحْنَائِهَا». «أحنا» is the plural of «حَنَو» and means crookedness and curvature. Some bodily parts are straight and some are curved, but all these parts are proportionate and coordinated with one another.

«فِي تَرْكِيبِ صُوَرِهَا وَمَدَدِ أَعْمَارِهَا». Each limb has its particular composition, and the duration of its life and function is also coordinated with that of the other limbs. If all of a person's fingers were completely straight, he would be unable to perform many tasks. It is these curves and bends that enable a person to carry out his activities.

«بِأَبْدَانٍ قَائِمَةٍ بِأَرْفَاقِهَا». Allah gave human beings bodies that are upright and firmly established, with each part coordinated and connected with the others.

Unlike many animals, the human body is upright. Animals are quadrupeds, and some even come into contact with the ground through their bellies or their entire bodies. Human beings, however, have the least contact with the ground and stand upon it with only two feet.

«أَرْفَاق» means companionship, forbearance and coordination. The human body is formed in such a way that its parts are proportionate and compatible with one another.

The Blessing of Reason and Thought

«وَقُلُوبٍ رَائِدَةٍ لِأَرْزَاقِهَا». Here, heart does not mean the pinecone-shaped heart that is the center of blood circulation. Rather, heart means reason and thought. In the Noble Qur'an, too, heart is used in some cases to mean reason:

﴿ لَهُمْ قُلُوبٌ لَا يَفْقَهُونَ بِهَا ﴾

They have hearts with which they do not understand.

That is, they have minds with which they do not understand.

Just as Allah placed the ears, eyes, body and limbs at a person's disposal, He also gave him reason and thought. All the organs are coordinated with one another. When a problem arises for a person, the brain issues commands and each organ performs its duty: it commands the hand to carry out a task, commands the ear to hear, and directs each organ toward the duty it has been assigned.

Thus, «قلوب» here means minds and thoughts. «رائد» also means guide.

In the past, when a caravan was travelling and wanted to camp in an area, they would send someone ahead to investigate whether there was water and habitation there. Such a person was called a «رائد», meaning someone who goes ahead and identifies the route and a suitable place.

«قُلُوبٍ رَائِدَةٍ لِأَرْزَاقِهَا»; in addition to limbs and organs, Allah has given you reason and thought: thoughts that move ahead, weigh and examine matters, and then say, take action.

Before the limbs and body perform an action, what moves ahead? Reason and thought. Just as the guide of a caravan goes ahead and says that there is water, habitation and the means of life here, reason also identifies the means of sustenance and growth.

Concealed Lifespans and the Lessons of Those Who Came Before

«رائده» means a guide, a guide for reaching one's sustenance.

«مُجَلَّلات» is the plural of «مُجَلَّل» and derives from the root «جلال». Jalal means greatness, and «مُجَلَّل» means widespread and all-encompassing. Therefore, «مُجَلَّلاتِ نِعَمِهِ» means the widespread and all-encompassing blessings of Allah.

Here it is appropriate, in keeping with the wording, to make a brief observation. «جُل» refers to a covering placed on the back of a horse or donkey to make sitting upon it easier. The word «تجلیل», meaning honoring, is derived from the same term; that is, when honoring someone, a title and rank are conferred upon him. Of course, the common meaning of «تجلیل» is honoring and venerating.

The Imam says:

فِي مُجَلَّلَاتِ نِعَمِهِ، وَمُوجِبَاتِ مِنَنِهِ، وَحَوَاجِزِ عَافِيَتِهِ، وَقَدَّرَ لَكُمْ أَعْمَارًا سَتَرَهَا عَنْكُمْ، وَخَلَّفَ لَكُمْ عِبَرًا مِنْ آثَارِ الْمَاضِينَ قَبْلَكُمْ، مِنْ مُسْتَمْتَعِ خَلَاقِهِمْ، وَمُسْتَفْسَحِ خِنَاقِهِمْ، أَرْهَقَتْهُمُ الْمَنَايَا دُونَ الْآمَالِ، وَشَذَّبَهُمْ عَنْهَا تَخَرُّمُ الْآجَالِ، فَلَمْ يَمْهَدُوا فِي سَلَامَةِ الْأَبْدَانِ، وَلَمْ يَعْتَبِرُوا فِي عُنْفُوَانِ الْعَافِيَةِ.

Within these widespread blessings, Allah has placed bodies and limbs at your disposal and made reason and thoughts your guides. All these blessings guide a person toward the widespread blessings of Allah, the means of His favors and the factors that preserve a person's well-being.

Another divine blessing is that Allah has decreed lifespans for you:

«وَقَدَّرَ لَكُمْ أَعْمَارًا»; Allah has appointed and measured out a lifespan for each of you. This person's lifespan, that person's lifespan, this woman's lifespan and that man's lifespan have all been determined and measured.

«سَتَرَهَا عَنْكُمْ»; Allah has concealed these lifespans from you and hidden their duration. Why is a person's lifespan concealed and unknown? Because if a person's lifespan were known and declared to be short, it would cause him despair and hopelessness; and if it were declared to be long, it would lead to greater pride and attachment to the world. Therefore, a person's lifespan is concealed so that he may always remain between fear and hope.

Another blessing is that Allah has made the history of those who came before you a source of reflection and admonition:

«وَخَلَّفَ لَكُمْ عِبَرًا»; He left lessons for you, meaning that He preserved for you what happened to those who came before, along with their traces and histories, so that you might learn from them.

Making Use of the Opportunity of Life

«مِنْ آثَارِ الْمَاضِينَ قَبْلَكُمْ»; Take a lesson from the traces of those who came before you. See how much of the benefits and advantages of their lives they made use of, what plans they had, what they attained and what they failed to attain.

«مِنْ مُسْتَمْتَعِ خَلَاقِهِمْ»; See how much use they made of the share and portion that was available to them.

«وَمُسْتَفْسَحِ خِنَاقِهِمْ»; See how they made use of the opportunities available to them. «استفساح» means finding room and opportunity. «خناق» means becoming constricted in the throat and suffocating.

From the time Allah created us, we all have a rope around our necks, with the difference that this rope has not yet been tightened. For one person, it will be drawn tight fifty years from now; for another, thirty years from now; for someone else, sixty years from now; and for another, twenty years from now. Eventually, this rope will be pulled tight and will constrict the throats of all human beings.

From the very beginning, the Exalted Allah decreed each person's lifespan and placed this rope around his neck, but the time when it will be tightened is unknown to us. Therefore, «مُسْتَفْسَحِ خِنَاقِهِمْ» means that those who came before had opportunity until the rope of their lives became constricted around their throats, and they were able to make use of their lives and blessings.

«أَرْهَقَتْهُمُ الْمَنَايَا دُونَ الْآمَالِ»; death came upon them before they reached their hopes and goals. «مَنایا» is the plural of «منیّه» and means deaths. «أرهق» means for something to come upon a person suddenly and swiftly. Before they reached their hopes, death suddenly overtook them.

Those who came before had many plans. One had planned for the next fifty years, another for the next ten years, and someone else for the years that followed. But before they reached their plans and hopes, death came.

Allah has made the history of those who came before us a lesson for us. Go to the cemeteries, look at history, examine the stories of nations and people, reflect upon your fathers and ancestors, and pay attention to their remains and graves. They too had plans, projects and goals. See how much of their goals they attained and how much of their hopes remained unfulfilled.

Before they reached their hopes, death came upon them. This is a lesson for us. We must remain alert and learn from the history of those who came before.

Cutting the Thread of Life

«وَشَذَّبَهُمْ عَنْهَا تَخَرُّمُ الْآجَالِ»; the appointed lifespans cut the thread of their lives and separated them from reaching their hopes.

«تخرّم» means cutting and severing, like a tree that is cut down. In this expression, a person's thread of life is cut and severed. Some have also understood «شذّبهم» to mean separating and isolating them; that is, death separates each person from the others and deprives him of continuing along the path of life. In any case, the meaning is that a person's life is cut short when his appointed time arrives.

«فَلَمْ يَمْهَدُوا فِي سَلَامَةِ الْأَبْدَانِ»; they made plans for the period of bodily health, thinking about how to remain alive, what to eat, and how to develop and maintain their bodies; but all these plans were swept away with the arrival of death.

«وَلَمْ يَعْتَبِرُوا فِي عُنْفُوَانِ الْعَافِيَةِ»; during the period of strength and health, they did not take heed from this opportunity and did not value it as they ought to have.

Do not forget the history of those who came before you, and always keep it before your eyes. Your ancestors and peoples who have passed away, the graves that remain, the mosques and buildings left behind from the past, the history of bygone peoples, and the accounts of former kings and rulers—all of these are lessons for you.

God has granted you a lifespan and has also placed the history of those who came before you before your eyes so that you may take heed. We must see whether or not we learn from this lifespan and from this history.

Drawing Benefit from the Qur'an and Nahj al-Balagha

We hope that Almighty God grants all of us the opportunity to read the Qur'an every day and to include Nahj al-Balagha in our daily lives. We should certainly read the Qur'an every day and never abandon it; at the very least, we should read one juz' of the Qur'an each day. The Qur'an has many blessings for a person's life.

Likewise, every day we should review one sermon from Nahj al-Balagha and read the concise sayings and words of wisdom of Imam Ali (a). These are golden sentences that are more precious to us than gold. We must regularly keep these sentences present in our minds and thoughts and heed them in our lives, studies, workplaces, and conduct, as though these words were signs placed before our eyes.

Let us also teach others the Qur'an and its verses, as well as the sermons, words of wisdom, and concise sayings of Nahj al-Balagha. All of these are lights guiding our way. We have many lights before us; but if we ourselves are blind, the existence of these lights will be of no benefit.

God has given us the blessing of eyes so that they may dispel the darkness:

وَلِتَجْلُوَ عَشَا أَبْصَارِكُمْ

God has given us these eyes so that darkness and gloom may be dispelled. «عشا» means darkness and obscurity; that is, ignorance and darkness should be removed.

We hope that we pay sufficient attention to what Imam Ali (a) says.

وَالْعَاقِبَةُ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ وَلِأَهْلِ التَّقْوَى.

The ultimate outcome belongs to the God-wary and those who possess piety.

وَصَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَآلِ مُحَمَّدٍ.

اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَآلِ مُحَمَّدٍ.