آخر
This year’s different Muharram with Corona
There are many opportunities in threats that don’t exist in opportunities themselves.
We see in many cases that some religious people are either alone individually or in a group. Corona has caused social distancing, but it has strengthened social connections. I was complaining for years about people holding mourning ceremonies in closed places where many could not see them. The principle of mourning is not about being alone with Imam Husayn (as).
Some consider mourning and crying for Aba Abdillah al-Husayn (as) to be something like the Midnight Prayer. No, this connection with the Imam should be in the open and in public. In particular, we should mourn in a part of the city where people are not used to mourning, where they haven’t seen mourning processions and don’t know what happens in such gatherings. The mourning processions should go to a part of the city where there is no religious gathering and the mourning processions don’t go. Perhaps they should go to that part of the city. Thank God, due to the current situation, people are forced to come out from their appealing, sweet, indoor ceremonies and sit in the streets with a distance of 3 or 4 meters between them in a very large boulevard and mourn and cry there. Others can see them too.
Imagine a mourning procession, where in the past they used to be one meter apart. Now, they must stand 3 meters apart. This procession will become even longer. All of these increase the outer manifestations of mourning for Aba Abdillah al-Husayn. Mourn while sitting on the dirt or in a desert in addition to mourning outdoors or mourning processions in the streets and in boulevards. In addition, mourn in schoolyards, university grounds or in the open grounds of army compounds. You’ve seen some of these examples in war memorials, where young people sit on the dirt and talk to the martyrs. What a beautiful event that is.
This year is the year for being creative in mourning. It’s the year for mourners to have outdoor programs.
Yes, we may think that great meeting and passionate group that we had, that group where we beat our chests together and enjoyed more, won’t take place. But what will happen instead, is something that religion and the Imam of the Time (a.j.) will benefit from more. Aba Abdillah’s school of thought will benefit more. This is when people forget their own likings and perform a greater duty. As the honorable Martyr Soleimani said, there are many opportunities in threats, which are not present in opportunities.
Martyr Soleimani, “I have experienced this; there are many opportunities in threats that don’t exist in opportunities themselves.”
Corona has caused social distancing, but it has strengthened social connections. This year is the year for being creative in mourning. It’s the year for mourners to have outdoor programs.
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The Way to Have a Positive Outlook in Life
If we want to speak the language of people today, praising God is a very deep, positive way of thinking. Praising God is a deep, positive way of thinking. Supplicating God is not for negative people. If a person has a negative spirit and a negative way of looking at the world, he should repeat and instill thanking God within himself by praising Him, so that he may come out of that negative spirit and become positive, then ask God.
The polite way to supplicate God is to thank Him first. In supplicating, we often talk about what we don’t have, what we need and what we are deprived of. Before counting the things we don’t have, politeness requires we review God’s blessings one time. It is very beautiful that in the traditions it’s said the polite way to supplicate is to thank and praise God before asking Him. One should praise God for the Qur’an that has been gifted to him/her. One should thank God because of His prophet. One should thank God because of the Friends of God.
When we thank God, this thanking automatically has an effect. He immediately increases our blessings. He increases the goodness from a blessing for us. “If you give thanks, I shall give you greater (favors).” [Qur’an 14:7] If we want to state this more precisely, we should say, “If you give thanks, I will increase you.” If you give thanks, you yourself will grow, increase and gain tolerance. The polite way to supplicate is to thank and praise God before asking Him.
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You have the greatest blessing and that is Aba Abdillah al-Husayn (as). Don’t miss this blessing. During this Muharram, keep circling around Aba Abdillah al-Husayn (as). Passionately ask, “God, how can I thank You? I cry for Husayn (as), the son of Fatimah (s), like a mother who has lost her child! I’m burning. I love him. How can I thank You?”
Thank God during these ten days. Prostrate before God to thank Him, one time. Say, “God, I thank You that You granted me [the love of] Husayn (as).” You have cried many times during your lifetime. The traditions say, “A tear [for Imam Husayn (as)] takes a person to Heaven, one tear!” Be very thankful about Aba Abdillah al-Husayn (as). This is not a small blessing. Don’t underestimate the blessing of loving Aba Abdillah al-Husayn (as).
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Arbaeen, a Pattern for Life
Friends, do you know what the philosophy of justice is? It is to prepare the environment for us to live together like human beings with affection. Like Arbaeen! The highest peak of a human being’s life is not human rights. It’s to live like human beings, like Arbaeen!
In the world, there are many people who are untainted, loving, and ready to accept the truth. I plead you go and introduce your religion, which is based on affection, enjoyment, and loving the “Friends of God,” to the world. I beg you.
They don’t know about our religion. There are many misunderstandings about it. They have made the Daesh (ISIS) to increase the worse misunderstandings. These misunderstandings have caused some of our wretched, westernized people to become infatuated with the west. See what it has done to the west itself?! They don’t know how much you enjoy this religion.
Western people who have seen Arbaeen think this is a religious rite. People are forced to go there. These were devout people, who are going because they were told to. I told this to some French people on this path. They had come from France, and we talked using a translator. People were gathered from 20 nations in a Mawkib (resting place). I told them one thing and they lost their control. I told them, “Did you know if people don’t come here, they won’t go to Hell?”
I explained this for them and they were surprised! They said, “Really?! Isn’t it a religious command?!” I replied, “No, it’s not a command, for which they’ll be punished if they don’t do it. They won’t go to Hell if they don’t feed others.” They asked, “So why do they do this?!” I said, “Due to their love!” They had reached the middle of the way and were blaming themselves why they hadn’t understood what was going on there! This is a religion based on “yearning for it.” It is based on love and enjoyment.
One of the scholars in Najaf said, “There was a peddler. We went to his very small house. But, he served a lot of food! I told him, ‘You’re not that wealthy to give such food. What is your job?’ He wouldn’t answer and evaded the question. He was a peddler in the streets of Najaf. He said, ‘I put aside half of the money I earn every day for the Arbaeen of Imam Husayn (‘a).’”
We want this life! Beyond law! Beyond justice! Beyond ethics! Sacrifice! Sacrifice! This is not a joke. You are inviting people to sacrifice. A system based on sacrifice! Not a system based on fairness. Those who say that Arbaeen can’t be a pattern for life to the extent of an entire civilization, are the ones who had mocked the prophets of God. “Woe to human beings! Whenever a Messenger came to them, they mocked him.” (Qur’an, 36:30)
Why did they mock the prophets?! If you talk about ethics, no one will mock you! If you talk about justice, no one will mock you! If you talk about worshiping, no one will mock you! Do you know what the prophets said that people mocked them? They said, “Let’s live in an environment, like that which exists for the Arbaeen walk.” They mocked the prophets.
One might say, “It’s impossible! In case anyone has an accident, we should have insurance. You say people come due to their love. What if they don’t come!” They mock this.
If you give control of Arbaeen to the secular system, they will say, “To prevent quarrels when distributing food, we’ll hand out coupons. How many days will you be on the way?” “Four days.” “Three meals per day. Take your coupons and go. We’ve given that part to the private sector. We will charge tolls and distribute food there.” They’ll TOTALLY RUIN Arbaeen!
I’ve heard one of the authorities, maybe mistakenly, has said, “We want to do something from next year to eliminate the Mawkibs on the borders and give them to the private sector.”
Actually, we want to do something to the world for it to be managed like the Mawkibs. You’re doing the opposite. You haven’t understood Arbaeen at all. Why do you think people sense spirituality and luminosity there? Life based on affection.
Any one of the government officials, who serves Arbaeen, should be respected. Anyone, who doesn’t do enough, has hatred towards the Household (‘a). But, if they do want to do anything, they can prepare people based commissions. A base and infrastructure of sacrifice, which is the truth of Arbaeen, should be prepared!
I’ve seen physicians who were specialists on this way. He had come because of his love and worked constantly. He had even given money himself to build the place there. He had brought medicines himself too. The tribes from surrounding areas were bringing their sick people to be treated. These people said, “We keep our sick people and wait to bring them to be cured by the Arbaeen physicians!”
This is our pattern! Friends, Arbaeen will take over the world. This is the government of the Imam of the Time (‘a.j.), which we believe will take over the world! We’ll change the world with a civilization that is based on this sacrifice and affection, which is in Arbaeen!
A Hundred Times More Affectionate
God divided affection into 100 parts. He kept 99 parts for Himself and gave one part to people. He divided that one part into 100 pieces and gave 99 parts of it to the “Guardians.” He gave one part to all the people who are living together affectionately. For example, affectionate people are mothers towards their children.
We sometimes become worried for a mother whose child, for example, has been killed or tortured in front of her. If such a story gets into the news or social media today, the entire world will discuss it. They say, “See how brutally they have killed a child in front of his or her mother.”
How much does a mother love her child? How much does the Imam of the Time (‘a.j.) love his nation? It is obvious that they can’t be compared. So aren’t the massacres that happen in the world sorrowful for the Imam? Those who cry for the absence and loneliness of the Imam of the Time (‘a.j.) haven’t done anything special. This is very natural. Because they are crying for a heart, which is full of sympathy. It is full of sympathy for even all the mothers of the world. They cry for the heart, which is broken.
The affection of the Imam for one person is 100 times more than the affection of a mother for her beloved child. If a tragedy or oppression happens in a corner of the world, isn’t this a huge incident for that kind heart? If a person is not so selfish, he’ll see it’s more important than our own concerns. More important than all the concerns I have in my life, are his concerns. There is no news more important than the news about the Imam of the Time (‘a.j.) in the world. There is no sorrow above the sorrow of Sayyid al-Shuhada (‘a) in this world for a person to care about.
Some people’s love for the “Guardians from God” has reached to where all their concerns are them. Their concern is, “What situation are the ‘Friends of God’ in now?” The reappearance of the Imam of the Time (‘a.j.) has been realized in some people’s hearts. The Imam governs their hearts. Here we should say, “Hazrat Mahdi (‘a.j.) has appeared in our hearts. “
Some people’s love for the “Guardians from God” has reached to where all their concerns are them.
[From the series of speeches under the topic of “The Month of Ramadan, the month of hope for the reappearance of Imam Mahdi (‘a.j.).” ‘A Commentary on the Iftitah Invocation.’]
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Being religious is easy if…
Why are praying and fasting so hard for some people?
Indolence is a very strong trait in human beings. We shouldn’t underestimate it. We must manage our indolence. One aspect of managing and dealing well with indolence is to tell ourselves that religiosity is easy. The Commander of the Faithful, Ali (‘a), said, “God made it (Islam) easy for those who enter it.” [Nahj al-Balaghah, sermon no. 106] The pillars of religion are very difficult for a person who opposes religion. We can come to a result from these two sentences. Whoever distances himself from religiosity will think it is very hard.
A woman wrote in her diary, “My husband didn’t pray. It was very hard for me. I tried to hide this from our children. I insisted a lot and we argued.” She hadn’t written about their arguments. But, there were some upsetting conflicts. Her husband had said, “I’m not in the mood to pray. I can’t do it. When I’m 40 years old, I might pray.” She continued, “On his 40th birthday, we had a party and a cake. I said, ‘Now, you’re 40 years old.’ He said, ‘So what?’ I said, ‘You promised you’d start praying when you turn 40.’ He replied, ‘Ah! I just said something. No, I won’t pray. I haven’t prayed my whole life since it’s hard. Now, I can’t at all.’ I said, ‘No, you promised. You should pray.’” He kept refusing and she kept insisting. At the end, the wife said, “At least pray for 40 days.” He accepted. He prayed for 40 days, and then he couldn’t stop praying anymore.
Whoever enters (Islam) sees that religiosity is easy. For those who pray, it’s very hard for them not to pray. During the Month of Ramadan, those who used to fast but can’t fast now due to some problem get really upset. Religiosity is easy, but if you distance yourself from it, it will look hard. Religion is such a way that you should embrace it. You should enter into it. Then, you’ll see it’s easy. Its hardest parts are actually the easiest parts. But, if you distance yourself from it, it becomes hard. Oh! Fasting is so hard for those who don’t fast. You people fast. Can you believe it is very hard for some people to fast? You don’t understand them, and they don’t understand you. Those who fast say, “Fasting is great! It’s beautiful! It’s really easy.”
Ayatollah Bahjat said, “Religiosity is not hard. Its hardest part is getting up at dawn. That will become easier by sleeping earlier and eating less, both of which are useful for a person.” If God wanted to reward people because of their hardships, He should have rewarded irreligious people. Because, they are the ones who are suffering. When you have indoctrinated within yourself that God’s religion is easy the cursed Satan’s foolish temptations won’t affect you anymore. Satan says, “Sleep. It’s hard to get up.” You repeat to yourself, “It’s easy. It’s easy. It’s easy.” When he says, “It’s hard,” get up and say, “What’s hard? You’re lying! It’s just in my thinking that it’s hard!”
A person who is stuck in this stage that he says, “Religion is hard” won’t try to get ahead. He won’t have vitality in religion. He won’t enjoy religion. He won’t understand [what Imam Sajjad said], “Compete to reach [high] levels.” Whoever distances himself from religiosity thinks it is very hard.
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Even if you move slowly toward God, He’ll run toward you.
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The truth is that God hasn’t asked that much from us. Have you heard, “Take a step and God will send His blessings”? Have you heard the tradition, “Take one step toward God, and God will take ten steps toward you”? Have you heard this tradition that when you move slowly toward God, He’ll run toward you? What is the first step we should take?
God embraces a person who is aware of his or her own faults. He caresses them very much! He is incredibly kind to them! This is to such an extent that even if you feel you don’t have any faults, just tell God that you do. Then see how God will embrace you. Nonetheless, it is impossible that a person has no flaws. But even if one is not aware of his faults, he should tell God, “God, in general I have flaws. But I’m not aware of my flaws.”
One should say, “Al-Afw (forgive me)” 300 times in his midnight prayer. The Holy Prophet (s) advised us to ask for God’s forgiveness at least 70 times a day. God hasn’t asked that much from us. Have you heard, “Take a step and God will send His blessings”? Have you heard the tradition, “Take one step toward God, and God will take ten steps toward you”? Have you heard this tradition that when you move slowly toward God, He’ll run toward you?
What is the first step we should take? We should know our own fault. This is half a step or sometimes one complete step. Then God will help you eliminate this defect. He’ll design the rest of your life in such a way that you are corrected. After that, you shouldn’t think you did something special in confronting your will and purifying yourself. When you look, you’ll see that God has made the rest possible.
This is how it truly is. God arranges the rest so that you can eliminate that flaw. In some cases, He corrects you right away. He doesn’t bother you and allow it to take much time. God becomes very happy! [According to the traditions,] God says, “When a sinner turns back to Me, it’s as if I’ve found something I’d lost. When a sinner turns back to Me, like a person who has lost his food and water in a desert and is perishing, then he suddenly finds them, I become happy in this way.”
We are that sinner! When we recognize we have a sin, God becomes happy as if He has found something He’d lost. It’s as if God was perishing due to His thirst, then He found water. It’s as if God becomes excited! Of course, these are our inaccurate interpretations. But this analogy has been mentioned in the traditions. We should become excited if we find a defect in ourselves. So let’s search within ourselves to find our defects.
A mother said, “I served my child for fourteen years. Why doesn’t he listen to me?”
An answer to a universal question about training children
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1️⃣
The month of Ramadan is near, and you are probably already eager for it to start so you can breathe in its unique atmosphere.
2️⃣
In the month of Ramadan, God's mercy rains on us non-stop. Every moment is full of unique opportunities that should be used.
3️⃣
Now that God has favored us and once again invited us to His banquet, we must prepare ourselves to make the best use of it.
4️⃣
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Why was I created?
Is any other goal besides this worth living for?
Everyone, everyone from any culture, asks this question as he matures, “Why was I created? I want to choose a goal.” They make the youth busy with false excitements, distractions and games. What is our goal in life? Meeting God. This is the natural goal of our life. God repeats this about 70 times in the Qur’an, “To Him we shall return.” [2:156] and “To Him all things return.” [64:3]
Young people ask me, “After living for example one billion years in Heaven, won’t we become bored sir?! How much do we want to dive into rivers, be with lovely mates and all that?!” Yes, they’re right. They haven’t realized that they’re preparing the introduction to receiving the most mystical answers. Why has God created you? Is it for anything besides Himself? Is this what your wisdom tells you? Are other goals worth pursuing?!
A young person asked me, “What should we do if we’re bored in Heaven?” I answered, “You’re right. One may get bored in Heaven. If they take you to a resort or a hotel, will you get bored there? You’ll get bored. A hotel is a place to rest, even if it’s a luxury hotel. Meeting your beloved, whether on a pilgrimage or even on your Honeymoon is what makes being in a hotel sweet for you. Heaven is like a hotel for meeting God. That’s what causes one not to become bored of the lovely mates, rivers etc.” He said, “Aha!”
We are able to determine the level of this meeting. We are able to increase the quality of this meeting. We can meet Him in the best situation. We can become eager for this meeting! «مَن ذَکَرَ اللّه َ وَ لَمْ یَشْتَقْ إلى لِقائهِ فَقدِ اسْتَهْزأ بنَفْسِهِ» Imam Reza (as) said, “Whoever remembers God but doesn’t yearn to meet Him has made fun of himself.” If I want to talk in a familiar way with such a person, I’ll say, “You clown! Don’t fool yourself with your prayer!” With friends, one can talk comfortably. When speaking in public we can’t talk like that!
If you think about it, you’ll come to this goal. If you think about it, you’ll love this goal! If you keep remembering this goal, you’ll become eager about it! Then I told this young man, “You probably don’t want to ask, ‘What if we become bored of God.’ If this comes to your mind, laugh at yourself.” Does God finish? If you know God a little, there’s nothing else new about Him?? After billions of years, when you go to meet him again, you’ll say, “I hadn’t seen God till now! I didn’t know Him!” This is after billions of years of being in Heaven, and this will continue forever.
This is the meaning of God being unlimited. God being unlimited doesn’t just mean His unlimited greatness. It also means He’s unlimitedly enjoyable. He has unlimited new things for a person. Unlimited fondness, unlimited love and unlimited affection. It can’t be anything besides this! If it is anything other than this, I won’t be satisfied! I won’t be satisfied with such a God! “I don’t love those who fade away!” [Qur’an 6:76] This is what Prophet Ibrahim (as) has taught me. He said, “Say the same thing, ‘I don’t love those who fade away.’” Choose a goal that does not fade away. Why has God created you? Is it for anything besides Himself? Is this what your wisdom tells you? Are other goals worth pursuing?!
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