The Almighty God says...

The Almighty God says: “Guard strictly your prayers, especially the middle prayer” . [3] Another Qur’anic verse states: “And those who believe in the Hereafter, believe in the Quran and the Book of God, and they guard their prayers” . [4] Guarding the prayer is considered one of the attributes of those who believe in the Qur’an and the Hereafter. What is meant by “guarding” is maintaining the proper times, limits, manners, and conditions of prayer, and performing it consistently.

Its opposite is negligence and laziness regarding prayer and its requirements. Also, among the greatest trusts we must preserve are the Book of God and the Prophet’s Household (AS), the two precious legacies mentioned in the Hadith of Two Precious Things (Hadith Thaqalayn). Preserving them means paying attention to their teachings, acting upon their instructions, and maintaining love and devotion toward them.

Imam Ali (AS) says in Nahj al-Balagha: “Complete God’s blessing upon yourselves by steadfastness in worshiping Him and by safeguarding His Book, and by preserving what He has commanded you to preserve. If you obey and safeguard, God will complete His blessings upon you” . [5] Trusteeship and Betrayal Betrayal of trust is one of the lowest moral vices strongly condemned in religious teachings.

Imam Ali (AS) says: “Whoever treats a trust lightly and allows himself to graze in the fields of treachery like cattle, and does not purify himself and his religion from it, has disgraced himself in this world and will be even more humiliated and disgraced on the Day of Resurrection. Indeed, the greatest betrayal is the betrayal of the community, and the most despicable deceit is the deceit of rulers” .

[6] In this letter, which was addressed to one of his officials, the Imam expands the scope of trusteeship. After explaining the consequences of betrayal both in this world and the next, he identifies the greatest trust for rulers as the trust of the Muslim community, and therefore, betrayal of this trust as the gravest betrayal. Imam (AS) also says in his short sayings in Nahj al-Balagha: “The worst kind of betrayal is betrayal in trusts” .

[7] The Story of a Woman Trusteeship Two men placed one hundred dinars in a bag and entrusted it to a woman, telling her: “When both of us come to you together, return our deposit to us. But if one of us comes alone, do not give it back”. After some time, one of them came and said: “My friend has died; please return our hundred dinars”.