Thus, they sacrificed themselves so that the nation might...

Thus, they sacrificed themselves so that the nation might remain on the right track, or so that they may keep the torment away from the members of the nation. According to one tradition by Imam Musa Ibn Ja’far (‘a), he preferred to suffer rather than let his Shi’as suffer. The Imams (‘a), moreover, never ceased loving their Shi’as. Every morning and every evening, they used to plead to Allah to have mercy on them.

They were happy whenever their Shi’as were happy, and they were grieved whenever their Shi’as were grieved. This is so because the Shi’as are the remnant of the Imams' own mould; they are the leaves of that good tree whose roots are firmly planted and whose branches are high in the sky. For example, al-Hujjah, may Allah hasten his reappearance, has offered the following supplication for them: “O Allah! Our Shi’as were created of the rays of our own noors and of the remnant of our own mould.

They have committed many sins, relying on their love for us. If their sins are relevant to their duties toward You, do, O Lord, forgive them, for it pleases us that You do so. And if such sins are relevant to their obligations towards us, do, O Lord, mend their affairs and distance such sins from reaching the khums due to us.

Permit them, O Lord, to enter Paradise; move them away from hell, and do not include them in Your wrath with our enemies” .[^2] I cannot imagine, since the case is as such, that you can find in the code of rights and obligations, or in the norms of faithfulness, or in the requirements of manliness, any justification for laxing in solacing the bearers of the Message by preferring them over your own self and your family in everything precious or not so precious.

You, otherwise, will plunge in the deepest pit of meanness. You will permit yourself to be the target of blame by reason on one hand, and by the requirements of the Shari’a on the other, assaulted by manliness. There is no doubt that Imam as-Sadiq (‘a) would like us to adorn ourselves with self-denial in order to keep the memory of all members of (‘a) alive.

We come to such a conclusion when we discern the reference used by the Imam (‘a) in his supplication: Having supplicated for those who visit the shrine of Imam Husayn (‘a), and invoked Allah to grant them the fulfillment of their best wishes, he (‘a) said, “...