حمزة

O Thabit! When Allah loves a person, He pours afflictions on him and rains them heavily on him. And (all the while) we pass our days and nights with him (unaware of his suffering).

"When death approached my father (as), he embraced me to his chest and said: 'O' my son, be patient upon the truth even if it is bitter, for your reward will be given to you without measure.'"

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.) has said, ‘Whoever among the believers exercises patience at the time of suffering hardship he will have a reward equal to the reward of a thousand martyrs.’”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.) once said to me, ‘The swallowing of a servant (of Allah) of no other drop is more beloved to Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, than the drop (feeling) of anger when it runs around in his heart, and he swallows it by means of patience and forbearance.’”

“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.’”

“I am ready to give my hand for (abolishing) two negative characteristics in the Shiites: impatience and not keeping secrets.”

“Abu Ja’far (a.s.), has said, ‘Allah, Most Holy, Most blessed, says, “Any servant whom I test by an affliction and who does not complain about it before any of his visitors, I most certainly change his flesh into a better flesh and his blood into a better blood. If, however, I take him (away) from this life, I take him into My mercy but if he lives he lives free of sin.’””

“Abu Ja’far (a.s.) has said, ‘Paradise is kept behind layers of hardship and patience. Whoever exercises patience in hardship in the worldly life will go to paradise. Hell is placed behind enjoyments and desires. Whoever allows his soul to indulge in enjoyment and desires will go to hell.’”

“One who remains patient on a calamity, Allah will increase his honor and make him enter Paradise along with the Holy Prophet and his Ahle Bayt (a.s.).

“Patience and satisfaction with Allah is the head of obedience to Allah. If one exercises patience and satisfaction with Allah in all the matters which he loves or dislikes, Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, will not make any decision in any of his affairs which he loves or dislikes but that the decisions are in his best interest.”

“I once heard abu al-Hassan (a.s.), saying that the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, once said to daughter of Jahash, ‘Your maternal uncle, Hamzah is killed.’ She asked for a happy return to Allah and said, ‘I expect good reward from Allah.’ He (the Messenger of Allah) then told her, ‘Your brother is also killed.’ She asked for a happy return to Allah and said, ‘I expect good reward from Allah.’ He (the Messenger of Allah) then said, ‘Your husband is also killed.’ She placed her hand on her head and cried and sobbed. The Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, said, ‘Nothing for a woman is equal to her husband.’”

“The Messenger of Allah has said, ‘Allah has made a covenant with a believer to exercise patience in the face of four kinds of misfortunes: the least serious of these is the envying of another believer against him who has the same belief, or a hypocrite that follows him (for hypocritical reason), Satan who tries to tempt him or an unbeliever against whom Jihad (working hard in the way of Allah) is necessary may cause him suffering. What then is left for a believer?”

“’Ubayd Allah ibn Ali reported to me from Abu al-Hasan the 1st (a.s.) who has said, ‘I would often hear my father saying, 'He is not one of our Shia who the women in their homes do not speak of his piety, and he is not from our supporters if he lives in a village with ten thousand men and there is someone among them more pious than him.'"

I asked Abu Abdillah, peace be upon him, about the saying of Allah, Exalted and Glorious is He: «O you who have believed, be patience, persevere and endure» (3:200). He said: Be patient for calamities, persevere due to Taqiya, remain stationed with the one you are following «and fear Allah that you might be succeed» (3:200).

“I heard Abi Ja’far al-Baqir (MGB) say, ‘One is caught in between three things: calamities, destiny and blessings. It is incumbent upon him to be patient in the face of calamities sent from God. It is incumbent upon him to submit to the destiny determined for him by God. It is also incumbent upon him to be grateful for the blessings sent to him by the Honorable the Exalted God.”

“I wish I was permitted to talk to people three times (about three things) and then Allah might do to me whatever He liked. But it is the will of Allah that we are to be patient and to wait.” Then he recited this Qur’anic verse: “And most certainly you will come to know about it after a time” and then he recited, “And you shall certainly hear from those who have been given the Book before you and from those who are polytheists much annoying talk; and if you are patient and guard (against evil), surely this is one of the affairs (which should be) determined upon).”

My father (as) has said to me: There must be a fire (war) from Azerbaijan that leaves nothing. If it occurs, then you are to stay at homes and remain as we have remained. If our revolter (al-Qa’im) rises, you are to hasten to join him even crawling. By Allah, as if I see him between the temple (of Abraham) and the corner (of the Kaaba) being paid homage on a new covenant. He will be severe with the Arabs. Woe unto the arrogants of the Arabs from an evil that is about to come.”

My father ‘Ali ibn al-Husayn, peace be upon him, used to say that whoever has four characteristics in him, his faith will be deemed complete, and he will be purified of his sins, and he will meet his Lord having earned His pleasure: "He who fulfils his duty towards people for the sake of Allah, and he who is always truthful with people, and he who feels ashamed of committing any ugly deed before people and before Allah, and he who puts on the best behaviour with his family."

No two steps are loved by the Honorable the Exalted God more than the following two steps: The steps taken forward by a believer with which he reinforces the troop lines in a holy war, and the steps taken to reinforce the ties of kinship towards the relations of kin who have broken the ties of kinship. No two sips are loved by the Honorable the Exalted God more than the following two sips: The sips of a believer’s wrath which he quenches and the sip of a believer’s suffering which he takes in with his patience and forbearance. No two drops of tears are loved by the Honorable the Exalted God more than the following two: The drop of blood shed in the way of God, and the drop of tears shed in the middle of the night by one who only sheds it for the Honorable the Exalted God.”

“I heard Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) saying, ‘Of the preserved speeches of the Holy Prophet one is his words as follows: “O people, for you there are the sources of knowledge. You must reach out to them. For you there are the end goals and you must reach them. You must know that a believer works between two frightening facts. On one side is the time that has passed and he does not know what Allah has done about it, and on the other is the time to come that he does not know how Allah will decide about. The believing servant (of Allah) must take from hisown soul for hisown soul and from his worldly life for his hereafter, during his youth before his getting old and in his lifetime before his death. I swear by the One in whose hand is the soul of Muhammad that after the worldly life there will be no chance to please anyone and there will be no other home except paradise or hell.’”