O Ibn al-Hasan, we can’t stop ourselves from coming because you love us very much.

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If you want to take action due to your likings, you can do this in two ways, with bitterness or sweetness. Worshiping, doing good deeds, and servitude are very good, but they can be bitter or sweet. What’s a bitter liking? I try to be God’s servant so that maybe He will love me. I participate in Lady Zahra’s (as) ceremony for elegies so that perhaps the Commander of the Faithful, Ali (as), will look at me.
Now, what’s a sweet affection? I want to respond to the kindness of the Commander of the Faithful, Ali (as). They have said that the Imam loves us. If I don’t participate in these ceremonies, the Imam will be alone. The Imam will say, “He/she didn’t come.” I swear I’m not making these up from myself. “O you who believe! Whoever from among you turns back from his religion, then Allah will bring a people, He shall love them and they shall love Him.” [Qur’an 5:54] The people mentioned in this verse are Ali bin Abi Talib’s (as) Shi’a. How will these people be? “He shall love them and they shall love Him.” God first talks about His own love then He talks about their love. I participate in a ceremony for reading elegies. Why? Because the Imam of the Time (aj) doesn’t have anyone except us. He loves me and he wants me to participate in his gathering. O Ibn al-Hasan [Imam Mahdi (aj)] we can’t stop ourselves from coming because you love us very much.
If someone in a person’s intimate family passes away, and you are a close friend of that person in mourning, what will you do? You say, “We’re friends. [I must go to their ceremony.]” If you don’t go, you’ll feel ashamed. But what does Satan tell us? He says, “How do you know the Imam loves you?” Stand up to him firmly. Don’t think he’s talking truthfully. Satan says, “How do you know the Imam loves you? Who are you that the Imam would love you?!” In appearances he’s saying good, spiritual words. But stand up to him. Say, “I know the Imam loves me. It’s true I don’t have a high, spiritual status. But he has let me participate in his ceremonies my whole life. He has liked me with all my evilness or he wouldn’t have let me come.”
[Satan says,] “You’re not a good person!” Say, “I’m not a good person, but my Imam is very good.” Don’t say, “I go toward God since I love Him.” Say, “God loves me, so I go toward Him. I can’t not go. I’m indebted because of His affection and I have to go.” I participate in a mourning ceremony. Why? Imam Mahdi (Aj) doesn’t have any friends except us. He loves me. He expects me to participate in his meeting. O Ibn al-Hasan, we can’t stop ourselves from coming because you love us very much.

Aba al-Fazl al-Abbas’s (a) two-month-old guest
Find us too!

The Pilgrim’s Guidance Center and Missing Persons Headquarters once related, “Many amazing stories happen here. I’ll tell you one of them. Last year or the year before that, a woman came to Karbala. She came to the Pilgrim’s Guidance Center and said, ‘I’ve lost my infant child. It has been a few days I’ve lost him and I can’t tolerate it.’ ‘How did you lose your child?’
‘He was in his grandmother’s embrace, who was in a wheelchair. We were walking toward Karbala. A young man came and asked if he could help. He helped us until we came to a crowd and I lost them. He was stronger, so he walked faster. No matter how much I searched, I wasn’t able to find them.’ We said, ‘Give us your mother’s number.’ She said, ‘She doesn’t have a phone.’ We said, ‘What’s your mother’s name, we’ll page her.’ She said, ‘My mother is deaf and mute.’
We were thinking that how could we find this child among 10 million people in Karbala. We would take the woman to search around the shrine in the mornings. Then we would bring her back to rest some. Then we would search again. She couldn’t tolerate it; she was a mother who had lost her two-month old, nursing infant.
One place I saw a woman sitting facing the shrine and feeding a baby. I told myself, ‘I wish it was her baby in this woman’s embrace.’ Suddenly, I saw a wheelchair behind her. I called the mother and asked her, ‘Is that your mother's wheelchair?’ I didn’t even think about the baby. I thought some Arab woman is feeding her baby. The mother came to check the wheelchair. Suddenly, she saw the baby and screamed, ‘This is my baby!’ She went to the baby. The Arab woman gave the child to her kindly.
We brought a translator and asked her, ‘Why is this baby in your embrace?’ She said, ‘A few nights ago, I saw Aba al-Fazl al-Abbas in a dream. He told me, “I have a two-month old guest this year. Since you nurse a child and this child needs milk, go next to the shrine and you will find him there. They’ll be your guests for three days till his mother comes.” So, my husband and I came here searching and saying, “O Aba al-Fazl, where is your two-month old guest?!" Suddenly, I saw a young man with a woman who had a child who was perishing in her embrace. I went to talk to her, but she was deaf and mute. I asked if the baby wants milk. “Yes,” she said. I fed the baby. I took them to my house in the evenings and took care of them. In the mornings, I would bring them to the shrine to find his mother, and then you came.’”
O Aba al-Fazl al-Abbas, we are lost too! Find us too.


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Filled with Enthusiasm
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Look at it every day!

A young man came to me and said, “Haj Agha, I have a problem and I want to talk to you.” I said, “Go ahead.” So we talked together. He said, “My first problem is that my death is certain. Because of a problem, I will certainly pass away.” I said, “No, with God’s grace. The length of one’s life is in God’s hands. Many have had the worst disease...” He said, “No, this is different.”
Maybe it was my first time meeting a person who was passing away. I was wondering, “So he won’t be alive shortly?” It was a strange feeling. He said, “I’ve accepted this. In the beginning, it was very hard to accept this truth. One morning when I woke up, I told myself, ‘You’re going to die. Live for now. Go out. Work. Talk. Communicate with people. You’ll eventually die!’ So I got up and started living. After that, when someone bothered me, I wouldn’t get upset. I would say, ‘I’m dying! I wasn’t bothered at all. I wasn’t jealous. I would say, ‘I don’t want anything. Let others collect these things.’ If a car with a bride and groom passed by, I was happy for them like their mothers. [I would say,] ‘Aww, it’s their wedding. I hope they’ll be happy.’ I would pray for young people like older people do. If a person stepped on me to move up, I would say, ‘It’s fine. Let him take it.’ If I helped someone, I wasn’t trying to become known because I wouldn’t be alive that long to benefit from such fame. I’ve become very relaxed. I don’t see any badness. My understanding of good words has increased.”
He mentioned these things one by one. I felt he was talking about the pious people’s features that are mentioned in Nahj al-Balaghah. I said, “I see.” He said, “If I pass away, will God accept these from me?” I said, “Yes.” He said, “But I’ve become like this due to my thinking of death.” I asked, “Don’t you believe in God?” He said, “Yes! I do. But I haven’t become better because of that. I love God very much too. God is the only one that I have now. No one will remain for me. But death is what has corrected me. Is this ok? Won’t they tell me, ‘When you found out you’re dying you corrected yourself’?”
I said, “No, the Commander of the Faithful, Ali (as), said, ‘Death is enough to advise one.’ You were advised and corrected yourself.” [He said,] “Thank you. I’ll go.” [I said,] “Wait! Let’s become friends. I’ve found a real person.” He said, “No, I don’t want to put you out.” “No, sit down. I want to talk with you more. What’s your illness?” “I’m not ill.” “But you said you’ll certainly die.” “I said I’ll certainly die, but I didn’t say that I’m sick.” “What? What do you mean that you’ll certainly die?” “I’ve asked if there’s anyone who can help me so that I won’t die and they said no.” “So when?” “One day, 1000 days, 30,000 days from now. I don’t know.”
I thought a little and saw that I’ll die too - either in a day or a thousand days… I said, “So you’re not sick.” “No.” How many days from now will you die?

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The link for the book "How to Pray a Good Prayer," written by Ali Reza Panahian:
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God put Ali bin Abi Talib (as) as our commander and said, “I have completed My favor to you.” [Qur’an 5:3]

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People asked, “A person may worship God for 70 or 80 years. Let’s suppose he has never sinned and has always done the best deeds. But why does God take him/her to Heaven for an eternity?” This person will be taken to Heaven for an eternity, an eternity!
This question has been mentioned in the traditions. Now what is God’s answer? Imagine one has done good deeds. He could be rewarded ten times, one hundred times, one thousand times or even one billion times more than his deeds! Beneficence should have limits. God could take him to Heaven one billion times more than his deeds. After enjoying, this could stop! Don’t send him to Hell, but this could finish! [It could be said,] “You enjoyed Heaven. Now go back to where you were, ‘nowhere.’” Why is the reward for an eternity?
This is the Almighty God’s answer, “My servant worshipped according to his ability, and I’ll reward him according to My ability. He did what he could, and I will do what I can.” O God, don’t tell the rest. All He can do!? The infinite, great God! God doesn’t finish. His actions don’t finish. His favor doesn’t finish either.
Friends, be ready for what I want to say. God put Ali bin Abi Talib (as) as our commander and said, “I have completed My favor to you.” [Qur’an 5:3] Imam Ali (as), who has been given to us, is infinite! I don't know how to express the meanings that I want to convey to you. When a filmmaker makes a movie, you ask him, “Is this the best film you will ever make?” He’ll say, “No, I still expect myself to do better.” Isn’t this true? If you ask a calligrapher if this will be his best work, he will say no. These ordinary people are not satisfied with their own work. They want infinity. So how can we say that’s it for God’s actions? God gives His favor in Heaven for billions of years. You ask, “O God, is that it?” “No, it won’t finish,” He will say.
But when he gave us Ali (as), He said, “I have completed My favor to you!” I’m afraid to use this interpretation, but he was God’s finest work! He said, “I have ‘completed’ My favor to you.” O God, You’re infinite. You don’t finish! He says, “So I bestowed infinite favor on you.” God put Ali bin Abi Talib (as) as our commander and said, “I have completed My favor to you.” Imam Ali (as), who has been given to us, is infinite!

#EidAlGhadir

What is your understanding about a family?

Differences bring both sweetness and bitterness.

What is our understanding about a family? A family means putting two opposite genders next to each other so that their contradictions and harmony can be seen. Some young men have certain perceptions about their wives. There are many incorrect perceptions in this area. Many men get married without being familiar with women’s particularities at all. No one was around to explain to them how a woman’s nature is. When complaining they may criticize everything or be totally thankless. Don’t get upset!
I have ended an argument with a tradition. A man said, “When my wife starts complaining she says, ‘I haven’t seen any goodness from you!’ She denies all the rest of my good points.” I replied, “Imam Ali (‘a) and the Holy Prophet (s) have said in various statements that women are like this. If they criticise without any bounds, they talk as you have said.” The man asked, “Is it ok for women to talk like this?” I replied, “No, God will severely punish women who talk like this. But, the Commander of the Faithful (as) told the husband of such a woman, ‘When you see that your wife starts making a commotion, be silent.’” The man said, “I didn’t know that! I thought she should talk very accurately. I thought when she talks like this it means that she really hates me.” I said, “No, it’s not like this. Actually, she may even love you too. However, women sometimes talk sharply.” He said, “No one had told me this!”
Women themselves don’t know this either. When you tell them that they are like this, they think some and say, “Oh, yes. So I’m not such a complaining person. This is how I talk.” Since a woman says something sharply she herself believes it too. Her pride doesn’t allow her to back down. So she doesn’t say, “I didn’t mean that.” Thus, she doesn’t stop the argument and he doesn’t stop either. They stick to what they’ve said and gradually hate comes between them. It gets to a point where they say, “I can’t tolerate this anymore.” Women don’t get to this point that easily. Women are very flexible creatures. They even have the power to change their husbands.
These are all due to the incorrect perceptions and wrong understandings that exist. Many times women don’t have an accurate understanding about men. But men have more inaccurate impressions about women than women do about men. Now, what is our understanding about a family? Two different beings with these obvious differences are going to live together. These differences bring both sweetness and bitterness. If you have not foreseen this, you’ll lose your control. You won’t have the capacity to benefit from its sweetness, nor will you have the capacity to deal with its bitterness in the correct way.
A family means putting two opposite genders next to each other so that their contradictions and harmony can be seen.

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We will be much happier this way.

The Human Being, a Creature Who Gets Used to Everything

What are we getting used to now? Whoever wants to counsel the youth should say, “Don’t do this, or you’ll get used to it!” If he/she answers, “Just one time,” say, “You’re wrong. You’ll get used to it.” Because, getting used to something gradually turns into fondness. And, this will have an effect on a person’s spirit too. Some say the word “Insan” (man) is from the root “Uns” (fondness), because he is fond of things.
A human being is strange. He sticks. He didn’t want to start liking these walls and doors. But, since he has passed by them every day, he is now in love with them. They want to take his life, but he won’t give up his life to the angel Azrael. He is unsatisfied with God because of these doors and walls. “Leave them! They’re just doors and walls.” He says, “I have become fond of them.” In 90% of the cases, when God wants to blame human beings in the Qur’an, He uses the word “Insan” (man). In other cases, when He wants to use a good term, He says “Bashar” (humankind).
It is written, “I am only a ‘Bashar’ like you.” [Qur’an 18:110] It doesn’t say, “I am only an ‘Insan’ like you.” “Surely ‘Insan’ is created of a hasty temperament; being greatly grieved when evil afflicts him.” [Qur’an 70:19-20] “‘Insan’ is created of haste.” [Qur’an 21:37] “Nay! ‘Insan’ is most surely inordinate, because he sees himself free from want.” [Qur’an 96:6-7] Whenever He wants to blame human beings, He uses “Insan.” “Insan” is from “Uns” (fondness). Fondness grips a person’s soul unwantedly. A person gets used to things. Whoever wants to counsel the youth should say, “Don’t do this, or you’ll get used to it!”
I went abroad, maybe 30 years ago. Jaz or this kind of music had just come out. In Iran and our environs this kind of music wasn’t played. But, wherever we went was full of this music there. It really bothered us. Not because I’m that religious! Because of its style. Bang, bang, bang! What is it doing?! I came back to Tehran. A few months later, we were in the car. A car was playing the same kind of music. I was infatuated. Ahhh! It was a memory. What could I do with it? I had become fond of it. Even if I say it’s Haram and I don’t have a spiritual connection with it, what should I do about this fondness? The weather was very good there. It had a Mediterranean climate. I could even feel the weather. That music had this effect.
Therefore, the traditions have said to build a wall between yourself and sins. You shouldn’t even be aware of what’s going on there, because a person gets used to things very quickly. After a person becomes fond of things, it will be impossible to detach oneself from them! Because, getting used to something gradually turns into fondness. And, this will have an effect on a person’s spirit too. Some say that the word “Insan” (man) is from the root “Uns” (fondness), because he is fond of things. Build a wall between yourself and sins. You shouldn’t even be aware of what’s going on there, because a person gets used to things very quickly.

Watch how God interacts with you.

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We are truly dependent on God and are His servants. We should truly worship and obey God. Do you know what these mean? Protect your independence and be independent!
It’s interesting that the Almighty God never talks and guides a person in a way that removes his independence. That is why many of you may not love reciting the Qur’an. The Qur’an does not cause one to love it that easily. When you recite it a little you get tired. [It’s as if the Qur’an says,] “Go! I’m not a novel that is here to attract you with tricks so that you can’t let me go until you read the whole book!” Friends, this is God’s plan if you aren’t easily attracted to the Qur’an! Don’t think God wasn’t able to do more. Don’t think you’re a bad person [that you’re not attracted]. This is God’s plan. He takes you a few steps forward then releases you.
Independence is a basic principle; otherwise, He wouldn’t have created you as a human being. The traditions say after you wake up for the Midnight Prayer a few nights, God will do something to make you feel very tired. He even tells the angels, “Let him miss his Morning Prayer too.” Then you will come to your senses, “Why has this happened? God, why did You let go of me?” [God says,] “I told you that you should stand on your own feet.” God doesn’t care about your good behavior. The reason for your good behavior is important for Him. Why doesn’t God punish you immediately? Why doesn’t He encourage you immediately? He wants to protect your independence.
Someone asked, “Where does the Qur’an talk about freedom?” I said, “At least one third of the Qur’an talks about independence and freedom.” He asked, “Where? How?” I said, “It talks a lot about Heaven and Hell.” God says, “I’ll punish you later.” How? “I may forgive you. I will reward you later.” God punish him now! God says, “I value people. I don’t show Hell to them at all. I won’t let even one person return after death to tell others what is going on there.” “God, why do You hide it? Tell me! Show me!” He says, “Your independence would be damaged. Then if you come [on this path], it’s due to being influenced by seeing these. I don’t want to force you. It was easy for Me to force you. Why in a dream?! I could let you see these when you’re awake.” It was easy for God to make you dependent and obedient to Him and not let you have any independence.
He could have caused each person who had reached maturity to see a dream about this. It was easy! He could show the Resurrection Day, Heaven and Hell, then say, “Will you pray?” A person would answer, “Just tell me how many cycles!!” A person would even pray the recommended Midnight Prayer the next day too! Would this be hard for God? Why didn’t He do this? He wants you to have independence in your servitude.
My friends, many of us like to be dependent on God. We love Him. We say, “God, direct my life. Help me not to make mistakes anymore. Please. You don’t need to let me be this independent. I have made myself wretched with my decisions, my weaknesses, and fears. Compensate for me for all of these.” But He won’t do it. Even after becoming closer to Him and being in a good spiritual mood, for example, after experiencing a spiritual trip to Hajj, to Karbala, or ten days of mourning in Muharram, do you know what will happen? He’ll put a great hardship, test or sin in front of you. Then you may easily lose all those blessings you had gathered. God doesn’t show mercy in such situations.
I’ve told the story of a young Russian man before. He fell in love with Imam Husayn (as) after watching the Muslim’s chest beating on Euronews. He searched and realized that this is a mourning ceremony for a man named Husayn. One of our friends went to Russia and found this man. He had been strongly influenced by Husayn (as). He constantly listened to elegies. He said, “When I listen to these elegies, these things you recite” - and he didn’t know its name - “I feel a warmth in the cold weather of Siberia.” He didn’t know anything about Islam or Imam Husayn (as).
Our friends invited him to Iran. They took him to Imam Reza’s (as) shrine. He enjoyed it and was getting closer to God. It was his first or second trip that he said he wanted to become Muslim because it’s the religion of Husayn (as). When he was in the shrine, he repeated the testimonies of faith (Shahadatayn) and became Muslim. When they came out his mobile rang. He suddenly turned pale. We asked him what had happened. He was very attached to his mother.