Chapter 4 - On Shiite's Position Near God and their Rights

Imam Sadiq (a.s) said: “Our Shiites are three groups of people: real friends of ours who are really from us; those who use us and their association with us to preserve their honor; and those who use us to earn a living. Whoever uses us to earn a living shall become poor.”

Ameer al-Momineen (a.s) said: “Even if I hit a believer's nose with my sword in order to make him my enemy, he will not become my enemy. Also even if I bestow the whole universe to a hypocrite to make him like me, he will not like me. This is because of God's words that were expressed by the illiterate Prophet: O' Ali! No believer will ever become your enemy, and no hypocrite will ever become your friend.”

God's Prophet (a.s) said: “Whoever loves us- the members of the Holy Household- will praise God for the first blessing.” He was asked: “What is the first blessing?” He replied: “Being born legitimately. And no one can love us unless he is born legitimately.”

God's Prophet (a.s) said: “No one can realize true faith unless he likes me more than himself, and likes my family more than his own family and likes my children more than his own children, and likes my essence more than his own.”

Imam Baqir (a.s) said: “Whoever lives and experiences the good feeling of our love in his heart should thank God for the first blessing.” He was asked: “What do you mean by the first blessing?” He replied: “I mean being born legitimately.”

God's Prophet (a.s) said: “Whomever God has bestowed with the love of the Imams (a.s) from my Household has received the prosperity of this world and the Hereafter. He should have no doubt that he will go to Heaven. There are twenty properties in the love for my Household: ten for this world and ten for the Hereafter. The ten for this world are: abstinence; eagerness to acquire knowledge; piety in religion; inclination to worship; repentance before death; pleasure with staying up at night (for praying or supplications); not being envious of what other people own; abiding by what is divinely right and wrong; dislike of this world; and generosity. And the ten for the Hereafter are: there is no reckoning for him; his deeds will not be measured; his record of deeds will be given to his right hand (implying that he is saved); freedom from the Fire of Hell will be prescribed for him; his face will be white; he will be wearing Heavenly garments; he will be given the right to intercede on behalf of one hundred members of his family; God the Almighty will look upon him with His Mercy; he will be wearing a crown - one of the Heavenly crowns; and he will enter Heaven without any reckoning. Then blessed be those who love the members of my Household.”

God's Prophet (a.s) said: “Whoever loves us will be gathered together with us on the Resurrection Day, and whoever loves a stone, for example, will be gathered together with that stone in the Hereafter.”

Imam Sadiq (a.s) said: “The best way to stick with Islam is to love for God's sake, to hate for God's sake, to give charity for God's sake, and to forbid (the wrong) for God's sake.”

God's Prophet (a.s) said: “I swear by the Lord who has control over my life that you shall not enter Heaven unless you believe. You will not believe unless you love each other. Do you want me to tell you what to do to help you love each other? Establish saying: “Salaam” (peace, greetings, hello) as the official way to greet each other.” He added: “God will damn the people whenever they do not apply their knowledge, and just pay superficial attention to knowledge, and just like each other when speaking- and hate each other in their hearts, and break up family ties. Then God will make them deaf and blind.”

a man went to see God's Prophet (a.s) and said: “O' Prophet of God! I swear by God that I like you for God's sake.” The Prophet (a.s) told him: “If you really like me, get ready to put on the garment of poverty, since poverty will approach those who truly love me faster than a flood approaches its destination.”