What happens that we forget God’s Kindness? It gradually becomes hard for us to believe in God’s Kindness. What happens that we gradually deny God’s Kindness?
Our life’s situation is such that we always think we are alone, without shelter, and without anyone to help us in our sorrows. Why? Because, God can’t be seen. Because God is not talking to us directly. Because, God is not constantly showing the results of our actions or showing a reaction to us. God wants to prepare the situation for us to be able to show our inner worthiness. Thus, He shouldn’t show a reaction to us immediately. God doesn’t show immediate reaction to either our good deeds or our bad deeds.
This doesn’t mean that He doesn’t exist! This means that you should be yourself and stand on your own feet. If God wanted to show a reaction to each of your small and big behaviours, you would live under the influence of these reactions due to your own interests. Your choices would have been influenced by these immediate reactions. You wouldn’t have shown your inner value. You wouldn’t have had a chance to make a mistake. You wouldn’t have become creative.
During this period that we are supposed to choose, do we have the right to choose, or not? For us to have the right to choose, God has emptied our environment a little. For us to have the right to choose, God doesn’t show prompt reactions. When He doesn’t show a prompt reaction, we think that there is no God. When he doesn’t show a prompt reaction, not only do we think that there is no God, we also naturally don’t think that He is Kind. If we saw Him in His constant reactions, we would see His Kindness too. But, we don’t see Him. We don’t see God’s kind reactions.
“God, show us.” He says, “If I show you, you won’t be yourself anymore. You are independent! I want you to stand on your own feet; therefore, I need to move away from you. Then, you won’t see My kind reaction!”
Why don’t we see God’s Kindness? Why is it hard for us to believe in it? Because, God is hidden a little and sometimes doesn’t show His reactions to us. His reactions are 99.99999999…% Kindness. If one time He poured on us the rewards that He has planned for one small good action, we would say, “God, what are You doing?! I haven’t done anything!”
If God talked to us one time because of a good deed, we would have died. What would He say if He talked? Think about it. If God wanted to say something to us because of our good deed, what would He say to make us infatuated? The God without needs! The Great God! The God Who has seen all this badness from us and has constantly given us another chance. He keeps looking for an excuse to forgive. The God Who is God. Do you know what He says?
According to a verse of the Qur’an in a chapter, the name of which is the name of God’s Mercy, the chapter “al-Rahman,” if God wanted to talk to us after we did a good deed, do you know what He would say? He would say, “You did Me a favour.” “I did You a favour?! Me? To You?!” “You were kind to Me. ‘Can anything else be a response to a favour but a favour?’” (Qur’an, 55:60) “I did You a favour?! How can I do You a favour?! Don’t embarrass me with these kinds of words! Give me a reward and I’ll go.” (God), “No, you have done a favour to Me. Now, I will do you a favour. You did Me a favour as much as you could. Now, I will do you a favour as much as I can too. You are limited. I am unlimited. I will give you unlimited goodness.” “For this one thing that I did?!”
Since God is behind the curtain of the unseen and doesn’t show prompt reactions, especially to our bad deeds, we don’t understand His Kindness. God is behind the curtain of the unseen and doesn’t show a prompt reaction to our good deeds. And, it’s very hard for Him. He likes to hug us after we do a good deed, shout, throw us up and catch us, and say, “My little one! My dear servant!” But, He restrains Himself and says, “My servant has done a good deed. Keep it for him.” The angels want to show reactions too. They want to cheer! Give sweets, throw flowers, and spray perfume! But, God says, “Don’t say anything. Let him be himself. Don’t cheer My little one. He’ll repeat his good deed. I want him to move forward.” I think the angels are about to cry. They even cry, “God, let us serve this good servant of Yours.” “Not at all. Don’t say anything. Be silent.”
That is why we cannot understand how kind God is. That is why we can’t understand God is Kind. That is why we can’t understand how KIND God is! God can’t be seen. God doesn’t quickly show the reactions, which are required, to our good or bad deeds. This doesn’t mean that He doesn’t exist!
This means that you should be yourself and stand on your own feet. God wanted to give you a chance for you yourself to cultivate your inner assets. “God, show us.” He says, “If I show you, you won’t be yourself anymore. You are independent! I want you to stand on your own feet.”

In My Name!

Who has written this screenplay? Who will get the money from it? I gave most of the ideas. What does that mean?! When this project finishes, whose name will be on it?
Sometimes a large group of believers would come to a member of the Household of the Prophet (‘a) and invite him to rise up. The Imams (‘a) didn’t count on their large numbers at all. They asked about the relationship between the believers. It is not enough to admire Imam Baqir (‘a) and Imam Sadiq (‘a). How is your relationship together?
They said, “Our relationship is very good.” What did the Imam (‘a) reply? He asked, “Do you easily take from each other’s property?” He meant do they use each other’s money without permission! They said, “No, that is impossible.” The Imam (‘a) said, “But the helpers of the last Imam have such a relationship with each other. They easily take from each other’s money.”
My friends! The point is not the money. Money is a symbol. It is an indication of their comfortable relationship. Do you easily use each other’s property? What do the Imams (‘a) mean? I’ll tell you. They are talking about having organizations. Why?
In an organization, the members use each other’s property. For example, I have a talent in design. I share my talent. Another person has a critical talent. His critical talent completes my design. Another person has supporting talent. They are using each other’s talents. Why isn’t an organization formed? Because everyone is holding his talent in his own grip, and he doesn’t want to share it!
He asks, “When this project finishes, whose name will be on it?” “The name of the organization.” He says, “I won’t work for an organization. This should be recorded in my name! Me! My own work and abilities are for myself!” A couple of people write a screenplay together. At the end, they argue. Not here, on Mars!!
They argue about who has written this screenplay. Who is going to take the money from it? Each thinks, “We didn’t write this screenplay equally! You know! I have given most of its ideas! What is that supposed to mean? I give most of the ideas for the screenplay, but the money be divided equally? Next time, I will write it on my own.”
You don’t want to let others use your talents! I am telling you as an example. The helpers of the awaited Imam (‘aj) have an organizational relationship with each other. How do I know that they have this kind of relationship? From the words of Imam Baqir (‘a) who told his companions, “You don’t take from each other’s money.” My definition of an organization is a group who easily use each other’s property. Not money, but talent. That is more important than money!
We are not willing to work together to get strong! Each one of us wants to be strong individually. You can see the enemies of religion working together and in an organization throughout history to do things. Know that things won’t get done in the opposing side until this kind of relationship exists among them too.
We are not willing to work together to get strong! Each one of us wants to be strong individually.
[From the series of speeches under the topic of “The Art of Interacting and the Epic of Reaching to Excellence.”]
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Does visiting Imam Ali’s (as) grave have more reward or visiting Aba Abdillah al-Husayn’s (as) grave?

Condolences on the anniversary of the martyrdom of the Commander of the Faithful, Ali (as).
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More than the sufferings of Aba Abdillah Al-Husayn (as) are the sufferings of the Commander of the Faithful, Ali (as). Many of his sufferings can’t even be talked about. Some of them can be mentioned, but common people can’t understand them. Common people like us can’t cry over them.
Imam Ali (as) possessed all the talents in the world, but he did farming for 25 years. One should weep bitterly at hearing about each day that he was digging the ground. One curses the times when the people left Ali (as) alone. The universe is at his service! He himself was upset and said, “Ask me before I’m gone from among you.” Some of the elegies about Imam Ali (as) can’t be discussed. Some of those that can be described don’t make a common person like me cry.
An example is the man who said, “O Ali (as), why do you answer us without thinking when we ask you a question? Ponder over it a little first.” It was intolerable for them. Imam Ali (as) said, “If someone asks your name, will you think before answering?” “No.” Imam Ali said, "What can I do? These things you are asking, and many other things similar to this, are obvious to me?" See Imam Ali’s (as) loneliness.
I, with my little knowledge, when I study the life of Imam Ali (as), am I able to tolerate hearing of this great man’s loneliness? How much can we tolerate this? Imam Sadiq (as) was asked, “Does visiting Imam Ali’s (as) grave have more reward or visiting Aba Abdillah al-Husayn’s (as) grave?” Most recommendations are about visiting Aba Abdillah al-Husayn’s (as) grave and Karbala. So people asked, “How much reward does visiting the grave of Imam Ali (as) have? Does it have more reward?” Imam Sadiq (as) said, “It has more reward, in the same amount as Ali bin Abi Talib’s superiority in comparison with Aba Abdillah al-Husayn (as).”
Some may ask, “If this is so, why is visiting Imam Husayn’s grave mostly emphasized?” The reason is that we can be influenced by Imam Husayn (as) more. Otherwise, being influenced by Imam Ali (as) brings more reward. Visiting him has more reward and brings more light. But we cannot reach that level. We are usually influenced easier when hearing elegies and are able to pay attention to the light that shines on our heart.
The Imam (as) was right to say in the dream that he saw, “O Prophet of God, I am tired of this nation.” The Prophet (s) replied, “My dear Ali, curse them.” Imam Ali raised his hands and cursed them like this, “O God, take Ali away from these people.” It was as if the earth and sky shook. The divine throne shook. A herald called out and everyone heard, “Mawla (the Guardian) has been killed.” Shouldn’t we be shaken by this great tragedy?!

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What will the future be like? The future is Islam.

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We are at the end of one century and the start of a new century based on the Hijri solar calendar. Even if it wasn’t the beginning of a new century the changes in the world show that a long period of history has finished and the state of the world is changing.
Maybe we couldn’t have said this eight months ago. We couldn’t have said it last year. But now, with the events that we are witnessing in the world in recent months and in the period that we are in, everyone agrees that we are at a turn in history, an expression used by the dear Leader of the Islamic Revolution.
The last century can be called the century of the rise and fall of Western civilization. When I was a teenager, about fifty years ago, people used to say that we are at the end of the world. But this statement was retracted by the world's most prominent thinkers some time ago. Fukuyama said, “I was wrong when I said the end of history is liberal democracy. We don’t know where the end of history is because liberal democracy hasn’t been successful.”
What do you predict for this coming century? What do you suggest for its name? I have a suggestion for the name of this century. The coming century is bringing a civilization that will replace Western civilization. It will be an alternative civilization to Western civilization, according to many thinkers. Of course, they say this quietly and don’t announce it frequently on TV.
The alternative civilization will be the "new Islamic civilization." The future civilization will be a "Mahdavi [Imam Mahdi] civilization." Why am I saying this? Because no one in the world has any plans for the future! There is no thinker in the world to say that the future will be determined by socialism, or by liberal democracy, or to say the future will be determined by a certain lifestyle.
Yes, in terms of technology, they say technology will advance a lot! Yes, it is said that the world’s governments will be saved from dictatorial rulers. Yes, everyone is saying that a new chaos is being created in the world. Everyone says these things. But can the United Nations ensure order in the world? No. The previous century was the century of the rise and fall of Western civilization. The next century is the century of the new Islamic civilization.
It has been narrated from Imam Muhammad Baqir (as), “Our government will be the last government. Because after our government has been established, has succeeded and that great civilization ‘has been raised by God above all religions’ [Qur’an 61:9], no one will say, ‘If I had been in charge, I would have done that too.’” According to Imam Baqir (as), when that government is established no one will have anything else to say. A theoretical vacuum will have existed.
There is no voice in the universe talking about the future of the world for us to evaluate it to see if it is right or wrong! No one in the world says that in the future everyone will go toward Marxism, or that everyone will go toward a certain religion. Except for us. We are the only ones talking about the future! For forty years, we have been answering in religious forums. We have answered doubts. We have answered false claims. There is no longer a false claim in the world for us to answer! No one even has a claim for the future.
Only these minarets and mosques of yours talk about the future. Only you have hope for the future! This is a big celebration itself. And our community must be the one to explain the Mahdavi civilization. Every mosque, gathering, class or book that does not talk about the Mahdavi future of the world, has reduced its own value to nearly zero. Tell me about the future! What will the future be like?

#AliRezaPanahian #EndOfTheWorld

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Some ask, “What can I do so that I don’t want to backbite?” You may want many things in life, but you have to stop yourself. Learn to stand up to your desires. A person asks, “What can I do to not backbite?” He wants to be a good person without controlling his desires. Therefore, he asks an ethical, mystical question. “What can I do so this won’t happen?” or, “What can I do to not pray late?” It’s as if he likes to take a pill for his problem to be solved automatically. No, this can only be solved by you controlling your will. You must fight it. Confront it!
One of the questions that we should ask ourselves every night is, “How many times have I confronted my will today?” A person whose life is based on this question is able to answer this. He says, “I know, someone argued with me. I wanted to curse him twice, but I only cursed him once! I couldn’t stop myself from cursing him. I could have cursed him twice, but I cursed him once!” Even the weakest person should confront his will, or he’s not a human being anymore. “I did whatever I wanted.” This is not right.
Let’s start from morning. “I really wanted to sleep in and skip my morning prayer. It was really hard, but I got up.” “God job. This was one. The second one?” “There’s no second one until night.” “No, you should say how many times you’ve struggled. Fight! Struggle!”
Fighting with one’s own will is like weightlifting. It needs a kind of workout and strength. The reason I mention weightlifting is that this is related to the Prophet in a way, and there is a point in this. What was the story about weightlifting? People said, “O Prophet of God, we are lifting these weights. See which one of us is stronger. It was a competition between the strongest people in Medina. The Prophet watched their competition and encouraged them. The competition finished happily, and he told them, “The champion among you is the one who confronts his own will.”
I want to say that confronting our own will is like weightlifting. You shouldn’t say, “Why do you put so much effort into picking up this weight? I’ll tie a strong rope here and whenever you wish, I’ll pull from here to pick it up! Why do you put so much effort into it?!” Some people are looking for mystical questions and answers. They’re looking for a strong rope to pick up this weight. You yourself should lift up the weights! You must do it. How can I explain this?! How many times have you practiced this today?
Some ask, “What can I do so that I don’t want to backbite?” You may want many things in life, but you have to stop yourself. Learn to stand up to your desires. He wants to be a good person without controlling his desires. No, this can only be solved by you controlling your will. You must fight it. Confront it!

People have fear, but they should see what they are afraid of.

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Fear is an ability that exists in a person and it is definitely used. When they say a person is brave, this means he is brave in some areas. But he is fearful in other areas. Everyone has fear without a doubt. For example, a brave person may not be afraid of death, war or swords. You think he is a brave person. But you see the same person is afraid of others saying he is not brave. He uses his fear somewhere else. People say he is brave. But he is brave in this area. We don’t have a person who is brave all the time, not human beings. “Fear” will be used somewhere depending on a person’s interests.
A person’s interest in others saying he is brave may be more than wanting to stay alive. For example, Zubayr was a very brave person in war. He truly wasn’t afraid of death. He fought bravely. History and his life prove this. But he was truly afraid of the women in his neighborhood calling him a coward. He was killed because of this and became wretched. Imam Ali (as) told him, “Don’t be afraid of what the women of Basra say about you!” Another example is that you might think a bloodthirsty, brave king who ruled over a great kingdom was very courageous. When you look more closely, you see he was afraid of losing his power. That is why he easily committed crimes.
People have fear, but they should see what they are afraid of. If we look closely, we can understand the necessity of being afraid of God better. Why? Because if you are not afraid of God, you will fear someone else. We are forced to fear God or we will fear someone else. When you fear other things, you become humble before them and what you fear will come about. But when you fear God, you find security. When you fear God, He is powerful but affectionate. So He shelters you.
No one whom you are afraid of can give you security other than God. Like the One Who is more to your benefit. Put aside thinking that you are very faithful, spiritual, luminous, etc. If you aren’t afraid of God, you’ll be crushed. A tradition says, “If a person is not afraid of God, He will make him afraid of everything else. But if he is afraid of God, everyone else will be afraid of him.” Now, are you afraid of God or not?
People have fear, but they should see what they are afraid of. We don’t have a person who is brave all the time, not human beings. “Fear” will be used somewhere.

Will you bring this for me?

“If you give charity, it is better for you if you know.” (Qur’an 2:280)
It’s to a person’s benefit to give charity. In a tradition, God calls a person who is wealthy and gives money to others a carrier! “It wasn’t yours. You are a carrier. Take it there!” So, who is the unfortunate carrier? Put it on his shoulders. He goes around, and around, and around, and doesn’t put it down till he dies.
A tradition says, “When you give your money to someone who is needy, you have actually told him, ‘I can’t take this to the Hereafter. They’ve told me I’ll be taken with empty hands, but you can bring it for me to the Hereafter. Will you bring it for me? Will you?’” Look at how religion says when you give money to others, you have put your load on their shoulders. And, they bring it for you to the Hereafter. “Will you bring this for me?”
A woman came to Hazrat Zahra (‘a) and asked several questions. She said, “Ok, thank you.” She paused. H. Zahra (‘a) realized she had more questions. Hazrat said, “If you have more questions, ask them.” She said, “No, I’m afraid I’ll bother you.” H. Zahra (‘a) said, “No, it’s to my benefit to answer your questions.” She didn’t talk affectionately. She said it was to her benefit.
She didn’t say, “No, you know we are full of self-sacrifice! I want to destroy myself! Ask me!” God says, “Collect yourself! Why do I want you to be destroyed?” You are in need of helping the needy. Some people act as if they are being very moral. Oh, a person gets irritated! “But no, we must pay attention to the deprived.” You are more deprived than anyone else! You are in need of helping the needy. You are more in need. A person says, “We must help the deprived!” Is this the way they act when they say this? How should I say it?
We shouldn’t make ourselves proud with an incorrect way of talking. We are beggars. We need God. We are in need of giving charity! We are in need of paying attention to the needs of others.
[From the series of speeches under the topic of, “What is sinning? How should we repent?”]

From the Series “The Secrets of Ashura,”
Part 9. [The final section]

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The link for the book "How to Pray a Good Prayer," written by Ali Reza Panahian:
http://amazon.com/author/panahian​
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