ভূমিকা

With my continuous chain of transmission reaching up to Muhammad ibn Ya’qub al-Kulayni, from al-Husayn ibn Muhammad, from al-Mu’alla ibn Muhammad, from al-Hasan ibn ‘Ali al-Washsha’, from ‘Abd Allah ibn Sinan, from Abu ‘Abd Allah (A) that he said, “Among the things pertaining to the soundness of a Muslim’s certitude [in faith] is that he would not please people while displeasing God, nor blame them for something that God has not given him.

For, verily, [God’s] rizq (provision, sustenance) is not brought about by anybody’s greed, nor is it withheld by anyone’s disapproval, and were anyone of you to flee from his rizq like lie flees death, his rizq would overtake him in the way he is overtaken by death.” Then he added, “Indeed God, with His justice and fairness, has put joy and comfort in certainty (yaqin) and satisfaction (al-rida) and He has put sorrow and grief in doubt and dissatisfaction.[^1] Exposition Al-Jawhari says, sakhal (vowelized like faras ) and sukht (vowelized like qufl ) are the opposite of satisfaction ( rida ) .

Hence, sakhita means ‘ghadiba’ (i.e. ‘he became angry’ or ‘indignant’) and such a one is sakil (angry). Al-qist, with kasrah of the qaf, mean justice ( ‘adl ) ; hence its mention along with ‘adl is for the sake of elucidation. Al-rawh and al-rahah are synonymous, meaning comfort, as mentioned by al-Jawhari. Hence their mention alongside is for the sake of elucidation.