حفص الجوهري

“Patience is due to certitude.”

By God, this grace is not like that of humans.” Imam Ja’far Sadiq (a.s.) said, “You can earn many rewards even if you perform a few good deeds.”

Allah has not insured the believers against the worldly misfortunes. In fact, He insures them against the blindness in the Hereafterand the unhappiness –i.e. sightlessness.

(The same previous series of relaters)… from Hussein bin Amr said that Abu Abdullah (a) said: The believer is firmer than blocks of iron. Iron is changed when it is subjected to fire, while the believer will not be changed even if he is killed, cut by a saw, and then killed anew.

“Once I asked Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) ‘I may have mentioned those feeble-minded people and I say that those people and we are in homes of paradise.’ Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.) said, ‘Allah will never do that to you.’”

The true believer is he whose rage does not take him out of the right and whose satisfaction does not enter him into the wrong. When he has power, he should not seize more than that which is his right.

“The heart beats noisily inside in search of the truth. If it finds the truth it calms down and rests.’ The Imam then recited this verse: ‘Allah will open the hearts of whomever He wants to guide to Islam, but He will tighten the chest of one whom He has led astray, as though he were climbing high up into the sky. Thus, God places wickedness on those who do not accept the faith. (6:125)’”

“One of the signs of the perfection of certitude of a Muslim is that he does not please the people through raising God's anger.” In another tradition it is stated that he said: “Before death his daily bread will seek him just as his death does.” He then added: “God the Almighty has established comfort and happiness in certitude and contentment due to His justice and has established sorrow and sadness in doubt and anger. Therefore be content with divine destiny and submit to God's orders.”

“Among the signs of certitude we can mention not to please the people by raising God's anger; not to praise the people for the daily bread which God has granted to us; and not to blame the people for what God Has not granted to us. No greedy person’s avarice can attract him more daily bread than his own share. And no one’s displeasure can block anyone else’s share of the daily bread. If anyone of you tries to escape from his daily bread as you do from your death, the daily bread will find him, just as death will.” He then added: “God Has made comfort and convenience subject to and conditional upon certitude, contentment and pleasure (with His divinely determined destiny), and has established sadness and sorrow in doubt and anger due to His Justice and Equity.”

“Allah loves all the supplications of a believer. I advise you to supplicate between dawn and sunrise because the doors of heaven are opened, breeze of mercy blows, sustenance is distributed and greatest wishes are fulfilled during that time.”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.) has said, ‘The heart in certain hours of the night and day has no disbelief or belief in it and it is like an old mg.’ The narrator has said that the Imam then asked, ‘Do you not find that in yourself? Then there is a dot from Allah in the heart of the kind that He wills in the form of disbelief or belief.’” A number of our people have narrated from Sahl ibn Ziyad from Muhammad ibn al-Husayn from Muhammad Ibn Abi ‘Umayr a similar Hadith.

I heard Abu Abdillah, peace be upon him, say: Indeed, our narration is difficult and complicated; it is not endured except by an Angel who is brought near (to Allah), or a Prophet that is sent (with a Divine Message), or a believer whom Allah has tested his heart with faith or a fortified city. Amru said: Then I said to Shu’aib: O Abu’l-Hasan, and what thing is a fortified city? He said: Then he said: I asked Abu Abdillah, peace be upon him, about it, and so he said to me: A united heart.