علي بن إبراهيم

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.) has said, ‘Anger is the key to all evil.’”

“Abu ‘ Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, has said, ‘One whose task is adjudication he must not take his seat to adjudicate when angry.’”

“The Messenger of Allah has said, ‘Anger spoils belief just as vinegar spoils honey.”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.) has said, ‘Do not engage in a disputation against either a forbearing or a thoughtless person; a forbearing person turns into your foe and a thoughtless person will hurt you.’”

“Amir al-Mu’minin, Ali ibn abu Talib (a.s.) has said, ‘Beware of disputations and quarrels; they create ill feelings toward the brothers (in belief) and upon these two hypocrisy grows.’”

“Once a man came to Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) and complained before him about his relatives. Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.) said, ‘Keep your anger down and do it (maintain good relations).’ The man said, ‘They do and do it (act against me).’ The Imam asked, ‘Do you also want to act like them, if so Allah will not look to you (with kindness)?”’

“The Imam said, ‘My father once said to me, “My son, there is nothing more delightful to the eyes of your father than the drop (feeling) of anger that precedes patience. My receiving the most noble of the bounties does not bring me any happiness if it may cuase humiliation to my soul.’””

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.) has said, ‘Of believers are only those who even on becoming angry do not deviate from the truth and when they become happy it does not take them into falsehood and when in power they do not take more than what is for them.’”

“The Messenger of Allah has said, ‘Of the most beloved path to Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, there are two drops: The drop of anger that one brushes aside and repels with tolerance and the drop of suffering that one wipes off with patience.’”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.) has said, ‘If a servant (of Allah) suppresses his anger, Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, increases his respect in this world and in the next world. Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, has said, “. . . who also harness their anger and forgive the people. Allah loves the righteous ones.” (3:134) Allah will give them such rewards; they had suppressed their anger.’”

Abu Abdullah (asws) said, ‘I was in his (asws) presence and a man asked him (asws) about a man from whom something comes out due to his anger, will Allah (azwj) Hold him responsible for it?’ So he (asws) said: ‘Allah (azwj) is more benevolent than Tying down His (azwj) servant’. And in a copy from Abu Al-Hassan The First (asws): (which says Allah (azwj) does not) ‘Coerce His (azwj) servant’.

The pillars of disbelief are four: (1) desire, (2) fear, (3) discontent, and (4) anger.

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘An oath in anger or to cut off relations with relatives, by Jabr (force) or Ikrah (coercion, dislike) does not have any valid effect.’ I (the narrator) then asked saying, ‘I pray to Allah to keep you well, what is the difference between forced and coerced?’ He (the Imam) said, ‘Force is by Sultan coercion or dislike is from the wife, mother or father and that does not have any valid effect.’”

The Messenger of Allah (s) said: Whomever washes in ablution, beautifies his prayers, gives the zakat of his wealth, guards his tongue, withholds his anger, repents of his sin, and fulfills the instructions regarding the Ahl al-Bayt of his Messenger will have perfected the realities of faith; and the gates of Paradise will be opened to him.

“During the long time I have associated with Hisham ibn al-Hakam, the most beneficial to me has been what he said regarding the Immaculateness of the Divine Leaders. One day I asked him about the Immaculateness of a Divine Leader. I asked him, ‘Is a Divine Leader Immaculate?’ He replied, ‘Yes, he is.’ I asked him, ‘What does that imply and how can we tell?’ He replied, ‘Indeed all sins are due to the following four (and there is no fifth reason): greed, jealousy, anger, and lustful desires. None of these exist in a Divine Leader. A Divine Leader cannot be greedy toward this world, since greediness arises from poverty and all the world is under the Imam’s ring and he is the treasurer of the Muslims in this respect. So why should he be greedy? A Divine Leader cannot be jealous, since man would be jealous of what is above him, not what is lower than him. However, there is no one higher than a Divine Leader. So how could he be jealous of anyone who is lower than himself? A Divine Leader cannot get angry at any worldly affairs unless it be for what angers the Honorable the Exalted God. The Honorable the Exalted God has made him responsible to establish the limits. Therefore, it is natural for him to get angry at those who blame him for doing so, and be nice to some regarding their religion so as to uphold the Honorable the Exalted God’s established limits. A Divine Leader cannot follow lusts since he has already preferred the Hereafter over this world. Indeed, the Honorable the Exalted God has shown him the preferable attributes of the Hereafter just as we see the preferable attributes of this world. He looks at the Hereafter the way we look at this world. So how could he then prefer this world over the Hereafter? How could one abandon looking at a beautiful face and look at an ugly face instead? How could one pick a bad tasting dish instead of a delicious one? How could one prefer a rough attire over a soft one? How could one abandon the everlasting blessings of the Hereafter for the ephemeral pleasures of this world?’”

During my long friendship with Hisham b. al-Hakam, I have not heard nor benefited from anything more than I did from these words regarding the immaculate nature of the Imam. One day, I asked him about the Imam: is he immaculate? So Hisham said: Yes. So, I said: So, what is the description of his immaculateness? And how is it recognized? Hisham said: Surely, all sins are due to the following four, and there is no fifth: greed, jealousy, anger, and lust. None of these exist in an Imam. An Imam cannot be greedy toward this world while it is [all] under his ring, for he is the treasurer of the Muslims. So why should he be greedy? An Imam cannot be jealous, since man would be jealous of what is above him, not what is lower than him. However, there is no one higher than an Imam. So how could he be jealous of anyone who is lower than himself? An Imam cannot get angry at any worldly affairs unless it be for what angers Allah. Allah has made him responsible in establishing the limits. Thus, he becomes angry at the blamers, and he befriends others for their religion, so that the limits of Allah are established. An Imam cannot follow lusts, since he has already preferred the Hereafter over this world. Surely, Allah has made the Hereafter beloved to him, just as He made this world beloved to us. So, he looks to the Hereafter the way that we look at this world. Have you seen anyone who abandoned a beautiful face for an ugly face, or tasty food for bitter food, or soft clothes for rough clothes? Everlasting blessings are for the everlasting world, while this world is transient and fleeting.