إبراهيم

“It is in the book of Ali (a.s.) ‘The example of the world is like a snake which is of soft touch and has deadly poison inside. People of reason stay away from it and ignorant children wish to feel it.’”

“There was no one of the children of Adam who was a believer but that was poor and there was no one of the children of Adam who was an unbeliever but that was rich until Ibrahim came. He said, ‘O Lord, save us from the evil intentions of the unbelievers. . . .’ (60:5) Thereafter Allah made these (believing people) rich as well as needy and those (unbelievers) wealthy as well as poor and needy.’”

Al-Sadiq Ja`far b. Muhammad (as) said: Ibrahim the Friend of the Merciful (as) went to the mountain of Bayt al-Maqdis seeking a pasture for his sheep when he heard a voice. He found a man who was twelve cubits in height praying. So, he said to him: “O servant of Allah! Who do you pray to?” He said: “To the God of heaven.” So, Ibrahim (as) said to him: “Is there anyone of your people left besides you?” He said: “No.” He said: “So, from where do you eat?” He said: “The tree comes up in the summer, and I eat from it in the winter.” He said to him: “Where do you reside?” He said: So, he pointed with his hand to the mountain. So, Ibrahim (as) said to him: “Do you mind if I went with you and slept at your place for the night?” So, he said: “Before me is deep water.” He said: “So, what do you do?” He said: “I walk on top of it.” He said: “So, take me with you, so that Allah may grant me what He has granted you.” He said: So, the worshiper took him by the hand, and they went together until they ended up at the water. So, he and Ibrahim (as) walked together until they ended up at his residence. So, Ibrahim (as) said to him: “What is the greatest of days?” So, the worshiper said to him: “The Day of Religion (yawm al-din); the day in which the people condemn (yudan) one another.” He said: “Can we raise our hands and supplicate to Allah to protect us from the evil of that Day?” So, he said: “And what will my supplication do? For, by Allah, I have a supplication from thirty years ago that has not been answered at all.” So, Ibrahim (as) said to him: “Shall I not tell you the reason why your supplication was locked?” He said: “Of course.” He said to him: “When Allah loves a servant, He locks up his supplication so that he may [continue] whispering to Him, asking Him, and requesting from Him. When He hates a servant, He hastens in granting his supplication, or He puts a needlessness of it in his heart.” Then, he said to him: “What was your supplication?” He said: “For a sheep breeder” – and with him was a boy. So, [he] said: “O boy! Who do these sheep belong to?” So, he said: “To Ibrahim the Friend of the Merciful.” So, [he] said: “O Allah! If you have a Friend on Earth, then show him to me.” So, Ibrahim (as) said to him: “Allah has granted your supplication. I am Ibrahim the Friend of the Merciful.” So, he embraced him. When Allah sent Muhammad (s), the [prescription for the] handshake came.

“This is concerning my question before abu ‘ Abd Allah (a.s.), about the meaning of restraint from worldly matters. He (the Imam) said, Tie upon you! It is (not difficult to understand) knowing what is unlawful so that you can avoid it.’”

“Tuba (a tree in paradise) is for those who have become Muslims and whose expenses are within the limits of bare necessities.”

“The Holy Prophet has said, ‘Tuba (a tree in paradise) is for the destitutes who bear patience and they are the ones who observe the kingdom of heavens and earth.’”

Avoiding from what is forbidden of it.

“Amir al-Mu’minin, Ali ibn abu Talib (a.s.) has said, ‘Poverty is more beautifying for the believers than the best decorated harness with ornament is for the head of a horse.’”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.) has said, ‘Our wealthy Shi’a (followers) are our trustees for our poor Shi’a. Protect us by protecting them (the poor Shi’a).”’

“Amir al-Mu’minin (Ali ibn abu Talib) (a.s.) has said, ‘The most supportive, of religious moral behavior, is abstinence from worldly matters.’”

“I once asked abu ‘ Abd Allah (a.s.), to give me an advice. He (the Imam) said, ‘Prepare your supplies, send them ahead of you, be the executor of your own will and do not say to others to send for you what is good for your well-being. 5 ”

“I asked Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) what kind of people are those who restrain from worldly matters? The Imam said, ‘They are those who stay away from what Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, has made unlawful.’”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has stated this Hadith. Abu Dharr, may Allah grant him mercy, 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, ‘The one among you with the longest belching will be hungry for the longest time on the Day of Judgment.’”

‘There was nothing more beloved to the Rasool (saww) Allah (azwj) than remaining hungry and fearful for the sake of Allah (azwj)’.

Abu Abdullah (asws) said: ‘There was nothing more beloved to the Rasool Allah (saww) than to remain fearful and hungry for the Sake of Allah (azwj) Mighty and Majestic’.

“Abu Dhar, may Allah grant him favors, has said, ‘May Allah renounce the world, on my behalf, except for two loaves of barley bread daily, one for my lunch and the other for my dinner and two woolen pieces of cloth which I use one as a shirt and the other as trousers.’”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.) has said, ‘If you want to see my companions then look to those whose restraining from worldly attraction (sins) is intense, who fear their Creator in the hope for His rewards. If you find such people they are my companions.’”

“The Messenger of Allah has said, ‘Seeking worldly benefits amounts to one’s disadvantages of the next world and seeking the advantages of the next world may become losses in the benefits of this world. You must then cause losses to worldly benefits; it is better to suffer worldly losses (than to suffer losses in the next life).’”

Abstinence from something is not by abandoning it. Abstinence form something is only to take little from it.

Abstaining from something does not imply abandoning it. Rather it implies doing it less often.”