ভূমিকা

Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books Anecdotes for Reflection Part 2 Treachery ============= Allah, the Wise, has said: إِنَّ اللٌّهَ لاَ يُحِبُّ مَنْ کَانَ خَوَّاناً أَثِيْماً “Surely Allah does not love him who is treacherous, sinful.”[^1] Imam Sadiq (as) said: لَيْسَ لَكَ أَنْ تَأْتَمِنَ الْخَائِنُ “It is not for you to trust a treacherous person.”[^2] Short Expalantion If a thing such as money, a business, a car or the like is placed as trust in one’s possession, one should not be unfaithful to it, spoil or disfigure it or deny having received it as a trust.

A person with this vice does not have credibility neither in the eyes of Allah nor in the eyes of the people. He drops down from the level of faith and the (evil) reaction of his deed rebounds – affecting him, his wealth and his family in a detrimental way.

It has been strongly advised that one should not be deceived by a person’s (prolonged) prayers and (numerous) fasts - for it is possible that the person may have simply become fond of performing these acts – instead, one should test a person for truthfulness, and faithfulness with respect to the trusts (placed in his custody). One should never place a trust in the possession of an unfaithful person.

Lending money or giving one’s daughter in marriage to a treacherous person is disapproved and if one does so and then happens to suffer loss or harm, it is only himself that he should censure and rebuke. The Treacherous Minister During his reign, Gushtasp had a minister by the name of Rast Rawishan[^3]. As a result of this prestigious name, Gushtasp held him in high esteem and favored him over the other ministers.

This minister exhorted Gushtasp into oppressing the subjects and confiscating their property in the belief that the orderliness of the kingdom’s affairs was dependent upon the treasury and that the subjects ought to be poor in order that they remained subservient and obedient. He himself had not only accumulated a lot of wealth but had come to harbour animosity towards Gushtasp. One day, when Gushtasp came to the treasury, he realised that there was no money to pay his workers.

Furthermore, his cities were falling into ruin and the people were in distress. This left Gushtasp in a state of bewilderment. Out of sheer despair, he climbed onto his horse and set off into the wilderness. As he wandered, his eyes fell upon a flock of sheep in the distance.

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