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Nahj al-Balaghah and Its Spiritual Teachings (5) - Al-Shia The Scientific and Cultural Website of Shia belief Nahj al-Balaghah and Its Spiritual Teachings (5) 2023-04-06 360 Views Islamic teachings , Imam Ali , The Commander of faithful , Nahj al-Balagha , The Peak of Eloquence In this part of the article titled “Nahj al-Balaghah and Its Spiritual Teachings”, we shall focus on “Zuhd” (abstention) as one of the important themes of Nahj al-Balaghah here.

Contents Islamic Zuhd and Christian Asceticism Two Questions The Three Essential Principles Islamic Zuhd and Christian Asceticism In the last section, we said that zuhd, as defined by the Nahj al-balaghah, is a spiritual state that makes the zahid, on account of his spiritual and other worldly aspirations, indifferent towards the manifestations of material existence. This indifference is not confined to his heart, intellect, and feelings and is not limited to his conscience.

It also manifests itself on the practical level of life in the form of simplicity, contentment, and abstention from hedonistic urges and love of luxuries. A life of zuhd not only implies that a man should be free from attachment to the material aspects of life, but he should also practically abstain from indulgence in pleasures. The zuhhad are those who in life are satisfied with the barest material necessities.

Imam Ali (a) was a zahid, who was not only emotionally detached from the world but also indifferent to its pleasures and enjoyments. In other words, he had ‘renounced’ the ‘world’. Two Questions Here, inevitably, two questions shall arise in the reader’s mind. Firstly, as we know, Islam has opposed monasticism considering it to be an innovation of Christian priests and monks. The Prophet (‘s) has stated in unequivocal terms that There is no monasticism (rahbaniyyah) in Islam.

Once when the Prophet (‘s) was informed that some of his had retired into seclusion renouncing everything and devoting all their time to worship and prayer in seclusion, he became very indignant. He told them: “I, who am your prophet, am not such”. In this way, the Prophet (‘s) made them understand that Islam is a religion of life and society, not a monastic faith.

Moreover, the comprehensive and multifaceted teachings of Islam in social, economic, political and moral spheres are based on reverence for life, not on its renunciation.